Singapore Getaway: Day 1

We left Centennial 3 Airport at 6:00am. It was a smooth 3 hour flight and reached Singapore Changi Airport by 9:00am. We were met by a friend of my son at the airport who is permanently based there. She led us to our hotel’s location and kind enough to have guided us to the nearby shopping centers in Orchard Road.  Our check-in time at the Supreme Hotel was yet at 2:00pm.  We thought we had to wait and rest at the lobby but luckily, the front desk clerk of the hotel is a Pinay and very accommodating.  She allowed us to proceed to our room.  Thus, we were able to take a rest before we had our first Singapore lunch.

Got so excited seeing this sign for the first time.

By noon, we freshened up ourselves and went out to look for a place to lunch.  Didn’t know that our hotel was that close to Orchard Road’s shopping area.  It was really nice to be a stone’s throw away from that famous place. As we waited for our turn to cross the street going to Orchard Central, I noticed the sidewalk  beams  with people of various nationalities, Chinese', Koreans, Westerners, Blacks, Indians, Pinoys and other Asians who somehow look similar to each other.  One good thing that I liked was that I didn’t feel any racial discrimination unlike in Hongkong wherein, I felt every Filipinas seen by the Hong Kong nationals are regarded as their housemaids.  Sigh!  (Now, I blame this to the Philippine Government. This is another topic to discuss though.)

Orchard Central Food Court

 

Son, his friend , yours truly, daughter and her friend.

 After lunch, we headed back to our hotel, took a rest then proceeded to explore Singapore on our own. With map on hand, we took the MRT from Dhoby Ghaut.  Getting our MRT tickets from a machine was a bit intriguing but the big kiddos got accustomed to it after a try or two.  They even helped other first timer foreigners on how to use the machine.  Great feeling for them I’m sure! Ha ha..

Daughter on our way to. MRT Station at the basement of this Shopping Mall, The Atrium.

At the MRT ticket machine.

Chinatown was the first place of interest we visited by MRT.  We arrived at the place at around 6pm but looks like it was only 4pm since the sun’s rays was still intense.  The place abounds with interesting low-priced goodies and souvenirs, likewise with restos and eateries that serve authentic Chinese dishes that I so loved.  As we walked around, we saw one Hindu temple that caught our attention with its intricate adornments and statues.  Foot wears were left by the temple’s doorway along the street with no one attending to them. Fascinating!  Shameful to admit though, you can’t do that here in the Philippines!! I’m sure you know why! Blush!

You'll never get lost with this big sign board.

The three big kiddos in Chinatown.

The Chinatown Food Street.

Seafood Rice.

Pork Sate.

Beef noodles.

Noodles with mongo sprouts.

The Hindu Temple.

We always passed by this big Mall every time we took the MRT.

 Going back to the hotel, the MRT station was like in rush hour here in Manila. Only, no pushing was happening.  We were back to our hotel by 10pm which was like it was only 8pm.

A full packed MRT car.

Our modest hotel room.

That's our exhilarating first day in Singapore. More coming up!
Thanks so much for your precious time. Have a great new week ahead!