Singapore was Dad's assignment post after we were home based for almost 10 years from 1982 - 1991. During those ten years, we finished our secondary (St. John's Academy in San Juan) and tertiary (University of Santo Tomas) level studies, here in the Philippines.
Singapore was home from 1991 until 1995. We lived in a 12th floor HDB apartment (public housing funded by the Singapore government) in the Clementi area. After working/volunteering at the Philippine Embassy for a few months, I landed my first job as a secretary to a Filipino (permanent resident of Singapore) entrepreneur. My last visit to Singapore was in 2011 when sister dearest who worked there (1992 - 2011) as an editor in chief was hospitalised for an abdominal surgery and I volunteered to be her caregiver.
I was really excited to revisit Singapore because I wanted to see the numerous developments and new tourist attractions. It was also my first trip after the pandemic, after both my parents died three years ago and my surgery just last year.
I am really in awe their MRT network has expanded into several lines. You can now reach every nook and cranny through their very efficient public transportation system. Many new attractions, all very modern with QR codes for easy accessibility truly impressed me. I also got to eat at familiar restaurants and hawker centers - all of them bringing back fond gustatory memories.
This trip was a fun sibling bonding experience, worth every penny. Nevermind, the terrible heat and humid equatorial weather. Nevermind, the aching feet from walking too much. Nevermind, the sweating to the bones yucky feeling. Nevermind, the usual joint pains that people in their 50s complain about every waking hour. Sister dearest and I had a lovely time - that is all that matters.
We were booked in V Hotel Lavender, which is centrally located with the Lavender MRT station below and a bus stop in front. There were also several restaurants, bakery, supermarkets all within walking distance.
We then headed to the Raffles Hotel bus stop to avail of the hop on, hop off bus tour. I highly recommend this Big Bus Tours Singapore as it would take you around famous landmarks. There is the red (Heritage Tour) and yellow (City Tour) line. The double decker bus tour comes with an audio earphone that gives little trivia. You can hop on and hop off at any location and explore it at your own pace. I suggest you download their app so you can check the arrival times of the bus at the different stops. We availed the 3 days pass thus minimizing our transport costs to and from several tourist spots. On our first day, we took both lines from end to end just to familiarize ourselves with the routes.
2 comments:
The best way to see the sights is by taking the HoHo bus. Now if you want something on foot try Guru Walk.
I am not keen on walking tours, I get tired easily. Feet hurt, lower back aches, big ball of sweat. But thanks for the suggestion.
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