Beach Getaway: Minang Cove Resort, Tioman Island

Going on even a short getaway is becoming a rarity for me unlike way back few years ago. My present job assignment hold me 6 days a week, and it means I can only have Sunday as my free day. What more is  I cannot easily just file a leave if I want to. That is why only when a public holiday falls on a weekend can I plan to travel. But the downside of travelling during these period is, it is expensive because of the expectation that everybody is travelling out in Singapore. During public holidays in Singapore, hotels and resorts in neighbour countries have mark up their rates.

The Hari Raya public holiday falls on a Sunday so the following day is the official holiday. This means I have only 2 days to spare for this holiday. I was thinking of another beach getaway that does not require me to take plane to go there. Two options came up for me, the nearby islands of Indonesia and the beaches in Malaysia. In Bintan Indonesia, all the cheaper nice beaches  have been fully-booked already and the only left are those high-end resorts which way too expensive for my liking. So I searched for possible getaway in Malaysia. I have been longing to go back to Fort Dickson, the first time I went there years ago I enjoyed the place and have a nice recollection of the place. But when I searched online for a nice resort to stay, the one I love to stay were all fully-booked. I was looking for the stilt rooms by the sea but all were taken up already.

Museum Exhibit: Joseon Korea

Another on-going exhibition at Asian Civilization Museum that I had the opportunity to view is the Joeson Korea – Court Treasures and City Life. During the Singapore Heritage Festival held on May, the museum was open to the public for free.  I took the oppurtunity to check the exhibition as I was intrigued with Korean culture and heritage. I have no idea that Korea was once ruled by a king.

Gardens by the Bay turns 5

 

Last Saturday I went to Gardens by the Bay to watch the multimedia show at the Supertree Grove area in celebration of the 5^th anniversary of Gardens by the Bay.

Upon arriving at the garden, I have notice long fabrics hanging on some of the supertrees so I expected it there will be acrobats that will be swinging and rappelling up and down. As the area near these supertrees were already crowded, I walk further and trying to find a good location so I can have a good view of the show. I thought viewing it at elevated platform will give me a good perspective and can shoot the acrobats at eye level

Lunch at Bonchon

I seldom talk about where I went to eat. But this case is a bit worth talking to. One lunchtime, I tried the food of Bonchon at Compass One mall, Sengkang. Bonchon is a South Korean-based fried chicken restaurant franchise, and what I heard and read, it is quite popular because of the fried chicken they serve. On a first glance from the outside I have mistaken it as a fast food chain, but then I realized there is no counter to order food. It is only then that I realized it is a set down restaurant.

Exploring S.E.A. Aquarium

 

One of the attractions in Resorts World Sentosa in Sentosa Island, Singapore is the S.E.A. (South East Asia) Aquarium. Home to over 100,000 marine creatures contained in one huge building. Its main attraction is the humungous viewing panel that by standing in front of it gives you the feeling of being on the ocean floor. It’s quite enormous and overwhelming.

Because I am an Islander, I was able to visit the S.E.A. Aquarium at a discounted rate of SGD 10.00. And here’s my experience of the visit.

The visit to the aquarium is comparable to traveling to an island destination that keep changing ports before reaching to its final destination.

Caramoan Island Hopping: The Long Trip

skywatch

 Caramoan in the Philippines is one of the favourite shooting location of the tv reality show Survivor. Because of the exposure it gets from the show, Caramoan became a holiday destination for both locals and overseas tourists.  Caramoan is famous for its island hopping. The several islands that scattered around the Caramoan peninsula has its own characteristics and attraction worth exploring. Some of them were close to the mainland while others were quite far away. That is why the island hopping tours are group into two trips, the short trip which is half-day tours covers the nearby islands, and the long trip that will take whole day covers the farther islands.

The Standard Chartered Marathon 2016

This year Standard Chartered marathon was held this weekend here in Singapore. The starting point is in Orchard Road and culminated in Padang area fronting the National Gallery building.

This is a yearly event and one of the most participated marathon being organized here in Singapore. This year there were about 46,000 runners took part. The half and full marathons were flagged off simultaneously in Orchard Road and later joined by the 10K racers at Esplanade Drive.

Palawan Beach at Sentosa Island, Singapore

Among the attraction of Sentosa Island is the stretch of sheltered beach on its southern coast. Some parts were artificially built, reclaimed using sand from Indonesia and Malaysia to make it attractive for swimming recreation. The entire stretch is separated into three and named Tanjong beach, Palawan beach, and Siloso beach.

The Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay Singapore

The Flower Dome is the twin cooled conservatory of the Cloud Forest. The main attraction at this cooled conservatory  is of course flowers and plants from Mediterranean regions, South Africa, California, Australia, and South America. It is also home to a collection of plants from deserts all over the world and showcases the adaptations of plants to arid environments.

Langkawi Trip: Experiencing SkyCab

Cable car is one mode of transportation that transport passengers to uplands and mostly for recreation purposes. Langkawi island in Malaysia has one.  The cable car here is not for the faint-hearted. Not only it has the longest cable, a total length of 2.2 km (1.4 mi), it holds a world record of the steepest incline at 42 degrees!

On Traveling Business Class

In all of my travels whether local or overseas, I always take economy class. My thinking is that it is same whether you are on an economy or in business class as you are riding the same plane.

The Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

One of the key attractions at the Gardens by the Bay is the Cloud Forest. It is one of the 2 cooled conservatories that confined a 35-meter man-made mountain and waterfalls. The Cloud Forest were contained flora of a moist climate region found at a height of 1,000m to 3,500m above the sea level.

Beach getaway: Rawa Island Resort

       

In the few islands that I have been to in Malaysia for holiday, Rawa Island is one that I can say clearly defines an island paradise. It has a white powdery sand and gentle lapping waves beach. Rawa island is a small island with no inhabitants and private. To enjoy the island you need to book at least for an overnight stay. Package rate includes accomodation, food, and boat fare. The booking need to be in advance and walk-in is not allowed.

Langkawi Trip: Surviving the Sky Bridge

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One of the attraction at the Oriental Village in the upper northwest of Langkawi Island in Malaysia is the Langkawi Sky Bridge. A pedestrian bridge appears to be floating on top of two mountains. The experience to be there is exhilarating and be rewarded of the commanding view of the rainforest and its nearby islands.

Back to blogging

I am going to blog again. I intend to start over again and tried to regain the habit of writing. This blog has been going on for years already and had been to few changes. I remember the first time I created this blog my aim was just to write anything I would like to remember. After awhile I forgot about it. When I started working overseas, out of boredom I started to blog again. Writing some personal stuff and  met online friends from blogging. When I felt that I was revealing more of myself I somehow feel ashamed of somehow opening myself more, so I started writing only about my travel experiences since during that time I was already enjoying traveling overseas. 

This might turned out to be anything goes blog. I will make changes as to the format and appearance of this blog later. I feel like I am starting all over again. I wish by writing again I meet the old friends and hopefully meet new friends once again.