Thursday 28 April 2011

Singapore the sequel

DAY 2 - 21/4/2011

Day 2 was already booked for Universal Studio. Nisa bought the tickets online prior to our arrival and we were ecstatic! The ticket costs s$66 per person. Our journey was delayed because everyone slept so peacefully that no one woke up as planned. haha. We had breakfast at Wendy's situated right smacked at the entrance of Lavender's MRT.

In order to get to USS, one must first take the MRT to HarbourFront. You should be at the Vivo Shopping Mall when you alight from the MRT. Walk up to level 3 where the train heading to Sentosa Island is located. That train will cost you s$3. Make full use of your EZ Link card!

Oh! We had to queue for nearly an hour for the first ride and the ride took only 1 minute, we all had that talk and decided to upgrade to the Express Card which costs an additional s$30! It's very convenient because you don't have to queue, but you can only go on each ride once! If you want to go on the rides again, queue =p





USS's opening hours are subject to I don't know what time exactly because it changes according to their likings but when we were there, it was opened from 10am-7pm! Once there, queue up, present your pass and have fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun! 



Battlestar Galactica is a must try! EXTREME FUN!

Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure gets you drenched, bring spare clothing!
Inside, there are several halal makan places you can go to. They are marked on the map which makes it sooooo convenient. They also provide a prayer room for those who wish to pray! But you must take your wudu' at the toilet beforehand. 

We had lunch at Goldilocks, located at Far Far Away. They serve fast food mainly fried chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw and soft drinks. 
Combo #2 for s$9
After getting all hyped and nauseated from USS, we took off to Marina Bay where there would be a laser fountain display! It is on every day at 7pm and 9.30pm!



The MRT's last operating hour is at 11pm! Don't spend too long outside anywhere further than your lodging if you don't want to walk half a mile home =p


We arrived at the inn around 11pm and all of us were hungry. So after washing up, we headed out to Arab Street for supper. Arab Street is a 20 minutes stroll from our place. And it has quite a nightlife with people drinking, having late night snacks and shisha-ing. hehe.
Murtabak Singapore - s$8

DAY 3 - 22/4/2011

We had to check out at 12pm because Shazwan and I had to catch our flight home at 4.40pm. Nisa, Kaka and Lokhman took the bus home which was at 10pm. We were supposed to go home by bus as well but Shazwan had something up.


We had breakfast at Wendy's. I bought Mee Siam at the station's makan place for s$2 with an extra otak otak. hehe. Nisa and Kaka had Old Chang Kee's while Lokhman and Shazwan had Wendy's. 
Nisa Kaka and their free ice cream!

We took the MRT to Somerset and alighted at 313 @ Somerset, one of the many shopping malls along Orchard Road. But then it was already 1pm and Shazwan and I had to leave for Changi at 2pm! 

313 @ Somerset has a 4-storey Forever 21 store -_-'
  
Shazwan and I took the train from Somerset station up till Tanah Merah Interchange and from there, we took another MRT to Changi Airport. At the Changi station, we had to take a free shuttle bus to the budget terminal because we were flying home with Firefly. 

At the airport, don't forget to claim your Tourist's Tax Rebate thingy. There are also places to shop at in the departure lounge. So don't worry if you forgot to souvenir hunt back in the city! There is also a McDonalds and a cafe if you are hungry.
Alhamdulillah, I had an awesome experience in Singapore, USS especially. I wouldn't go back to the inn though. But I had fun!



Monday 25 April 2011

Singapore

Spent 3 days and 2 nights in Singapore from the 20th to the 22nd of April 2011! Went for a short trip with Shazwan, Nisa, Kaka and Lokhman. 

We all had to catch the 11pm train from KL Sentral to Singapore. Mama, Papa and Ayin dropped Shazwan and I at KL Sentral and we met with the trio. Shazwan and I took the seats (RM34 each) while Nisa, Kaka and Lokhman took the beds (RM40 - upper bunk, RM46 - lower bunk).

Day 1 - 20/4/2011

We arrived at Singapore' train station (I dont remember the name) at 9am. Before that, we had to stop at Woodlands train station for immigration check. After arrival, we walked a bit to the nearest MRT station and got ourselves the EZ Link card which costs s$12 (s$5 - maintenance, s$7 - credit). 




Our lodging, Traveller's Inn was situated at Thyrwhitt Road and the nearest MRT was Lavender. We stopped there and walked 5 blocks away before reaching. We could not check in yet because check in was at 2pm and we were there at 10am! So we left our bags and headed to Arab Street on foot. 

We came across the sign for Malay Heritage Centre nearby Arab Street and decided to take a look. It had a graffiti wall for visitors to sign and there is no entrance fee! But the place will soon undergo renovation, so yeaaaa. Inside the museum, there are so many things to browse through. But we were more interested in the aircond I think. 




the happy family

Arab Street has tonnes of halal food and there are plenty of souvenirs around the area. Keep your eyes open and survey first! Some shops sell the same stuffs at totally different prices! We came across this quaint little shop and became excited because we saw the s$7 price per set meal! haha.

Shish Tawook with rice & iced mint tea - s$7



From Arab Street, we took a loooooooong walk to Bras Basah Mall because Shazwan wanted to check out his favourite guitar store. The rest were just waiting until he finished shopping. hehe. We took the bus from across the road and headed to Lavender, it was nearly 6.30pm when we arrived at the inn. After checking in, we took our time unpacking and showering and stuffs. Oh! Here's a picture of our room! Nisa and I shared a private room while the three boys bunked in a room of 6! =D

P/s: The aircond is off from 12-6pm to conserve energy & budget. You cannot bring food and drinks except plain water into the room. You cannot wet the toilet floor for everyone's comfort and many more house rules to observe.
Private room with shower - s$60 per night


Around 8pm only did we head out to find foooood. Dinner was at an Indian Muslim restaurant in Little India just 20mins away from our place. 
2 pcs chapati & keema (mutton curry) - s$4

hungry souls

the ever so popular tulang - s$8


At Little India, you can find Mustaffa Centre which is a Mydin-like shopping mall which opens 24 hours 7 days a week! =) They have all sorts of stuffs from electronic gadgets to food to beauty products and perfumes, clothes and many others!
outside Mustaffa Centre
From Little India, we took the MRT to Chinatown! hehe. But we arrived there at 10pm and the place was already close to dead. Shops close as early as 9pm in Singapore, so plan your time wisely!
Chocolate Milk Tea - s$2

We were really exhausted that night because of all the walking and bus/MRT hopping. So you could say we had a goooood night sleep =)

Monday 18 April 2011

Redang Island

Was in Redang Island from the 16th-18th April 2011 =) The place was spectacular subhanAllah! Our journey started from Genting Sempah R&R at 1am, there were 11 of us in 3 cars!


DAY 1 - 16/4/2011
Arrived at Syahbandar's Jetty around 6am. Prayed Subuh at Kuala Terengganu's Grand Continental hotel and had breakfast at a stall nearby. We parked the cars at the jetty for RM10 per day per car. Our ferry was at 9am so we waited a bit. Before boarding, we had to pay RM5 each for the Marine Park Conservation fee. 


Our ferry departed at 9am towards Redang. The ride was comfortable all the way and it took us nearly an hour plus to reach the island specifically Pantai Pasir Panjang. We walked on the white, soft sandy beach towards Coral Redang Island Resort. Half the lodging area was under renovation but the other  half was beautiful including the bar/reception Chicak, their restaurant Matahari and the few semi chalets and standard rooms.




Kak Dayah got us an awesome package. We spent RM370 each for a 3 days 2 nights package inclusive of 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners and 3 snorkeling trips! There was also an additional RM25 for the rental of snorkeling gears (mask and life jacket). 
Our first snorkeling session was on Day 1 itself! They gathered us at the dive shack and we headed out to I forgot where island. hehe. There was not as many fishes as I had hoped for so we just enjoyed the sea and sight =)


Our night time was filled with card games and romantic strolls on the beach. Coincidentally, the moon was full that night and she lighted the sea so beautifully! SubhanAllah! 



DAY 2 - 17/4/2011

It definitely made my day when I get to swim with so many colourful fishes and caught a glimpse of a turtle, a shark and several 'ikan todak'. hehehe. Day 2 had 2 snorkeling trips in store! The first trip at 10am was to the Marine Park! There I saw one of the most awesome view Allah SWT has ever let me see =) SubhanAllah! There was this purple fish who had lips blue and pink in colour! hehe. 


The second trip was to Pulau AKar, just a few minutes away from the Marine Park. Also beautiful with the many different corals! That was where I saw a 1m long shark!


Oh, don't worry about the food! It was GOOOOOOD! hehe. We had BBQ one night and spaghetti bolognese the other =D 

Try taking a long walk to the right side of the island and you'll get to walk on a bridge along the rocks. There are many different gifts shops you can do shopping at and the prices are very reasonable. If you forgot some stuffs like sunblock or pareo, tshirt or require any food/drinks, the prices are not at all marked up. 





Day 3 - 18/4/2011

We took the first ferry out of Redang on the 18th which was at 7am. Reached the jetty at 9am and headed straight back home =)
Redang at dawn




All in all, Redang Island has been enjoyable =) The comfortable lodging,  the delicious food, the softness of the white sand, the beautiful changing temperature of the sea, the friendliness of the fishes, the beauty that God has grant us =)  Alhamdulillah!





Renaissance

I have left Tumblr on its own, surviving with whatever that's left while I steal some time to make Blogspot happen again, on my birthday. hehe. Hello gang =) I am back on blogging insyaAllah but the focus would most probably be about traveling, food, books, music and movies. We'll see how long this lasts =p