Two weekends ago, my friend and I decided to pay a visit to one of Singapore’s tourist hotspots, the Merlion Park. 

If it’s your first time to visit Singapore, it’s a MUST that you check out the Merlion Park because it is were the country’s famous symbol/landmark is located, not to mention the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands is at walking distance (see last photo above). I don’t know about you but for me and my family, it’s important for us to visit that one place that the country is known for regardless if it’s just a simple statue. Why? Because you’re there already and you’ll never know when you’ll go back again, so might as well visit it and snap a photo. For example, the Great Wall of China in Beijing and The Symphony of Lights area or The Peak in Hong Kong. 

Taking the North-South line to reach our destination, we were supposed to alight at Raffles Place but we accidentally alighted one stop early. Instead of going back to ride the next train, we’ve decided to just walk going there. More adventure time! :)

By the time we got there, it was already the “magic hour” (twilight). The “magic hour” is an old college joke that my boyfriend created because he thinks I glow (I do not sparkle like Edward Cullen, there’s a difference!) during that time.  

Me and the Merlion, an obligatory tourist photo.

After a few snaps of the area, we rode the River Taxi because we didn’t want to walk towards Marina Bay Sands anymore (FYI, we are lazy people….). From there, we went to the Art Science Museum to see their Titanic Exhibit. I won’t post photos about the exhibit anymore since I only had a few but I think it was pretty rad. Upon entrance, we were also given a boarding pass with a name and a short description of a real passenger of the Titanic. From then on, we travelled to the rooms of the first to third class, to the promenade deck until the ship finally went down to the cold, icy waters. I honestly feel a bit sad knowing how some people died, like this whole family who were supposed to take a different cruise but got transferred to the RMS Titanic instead. :(

Anyway, here’s a short clip of our little sightseeing:

wanderlust (noun) \ˈwän-dər-ˌləst\ – an irresistibly strong desire or an impulse to travel far away and explore different places.

This is the Wanderlust Hotel, located along Dickson Road, near Little India station. This lovely boutique hotel has acclaimed numerous awards and reviews for its beauty and function, and I was fortunate enough to understand why. 

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POLAROIDS ❤

He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a real hero.

On my second day at Beijing, my family and I were supposed to go to one of the seven wonders of the world — The Great Wall of China. But my mom changed her mind and moved it on the third and last day of our trip. We went to Wangfujing instead. No photos were taken on that day because we were busy shopping~ :)

If you don’t know any Mandarin, there’s a high probability that you will get lost in this city. Prior to my flight, I did try my best to review my Mandarin but no matter how many times I pronounce “zai na li” (which means, where is) correctly, people are still ignoring me. :/ Bottomline is, Beijing is not exactly a tourist-friendly city……. 

Next day, we waited for Bebe, our tour guide, to take us to The Great Wall of China! :) There are several “access points” to The Great Wall. The nearest one to the city is Badaling but we somehow speculated that there are a going to be lot of people there, so we’ve decided to go to Mutianyu instead. 

Normally, it’s colder when you’re on top of a mountain but in this case, it was quite the opposite. It was warm on top and freezing cold at the base of the mountain. Not that I’m complaining, of course. :p

I have to say that what I just saw was simply breathtaking. <3 The area was so picturesque and thankfully, it wasn’t crowded so I had a lot of opportunity to take photos. :) 

We also went to the Dongwu Silk Museum and to Wangfujing (again) before heading to the airport. :) The first ever store of Forever 21 will soon open there, btw!

Here’s my Topshop red coat that was I wearing all throughout the trip. I bought the coat on my birthday, as a gift for myself. There are a lot of good and nice coats from Topshop and if only I was rich enough, I would buy them all! Heck, I would buy the whole Topshop store! :p

And here’s a photo of my beloved homeland. I have to say that I was more excited going back to the Philippines than visiting Beijing. I guess it’s because it’s more fun in the Philippines! ;)

Beijing Trip 2011 — Day One                     

My mom and I wanted to go to Korea for Christmas but because I didn’t have the time to fix my visa, she decided to book us a ticket to Beijing, China to finally experience a real white Christmas. My mom and two sisters went to Beijing two days earlier and they told me that it wasn’t snowing in Beijing. Considering where the country is geographically located, I’ve always thought that it’s always snowing there during winter time. Turns out, it rarely snows in that country. At first, I was a bit disappointed because I’ve never experienced real snow before because I’m from the Philippines where it’s sunny everyday (Quoting Rachel Berry from Glee). But upon arrival, I was thankful that it wasn’t snowing at all because it was reeeeeeeeeeeeaally cold already.

Also, I had this perception that everything will be cheaper in Beijing because almost everything we own is made in China. Well, I was wrong. Everything was really expensive there and I wasn’t able to shop for anything except this cute owl thumb drive. There were some items that I wanted to buy but I was either half-hearted with the item or they weren’t worth the price I was going to pay for. 

Anyway, my first day at Beijing was Christmas Day and my family have decided to go visit the Beijing Zoo to see the Giant Pandas and other animals. We took the subway and it was practically the most stressful experience ever because they have a lot transit lines and it was quite confusing how to transfer to the other. 

Moving on, Beijing Zoo was big. I didn’t feel like it was a zoo, it was more of a really big park. I have to admit that their zoo, most especially the aquarium, was quite impressive. The management of Manila Zoo could learn a thing or two from Beijing Zoo because the animals, particularly the lion and tigers, were quite healthy and the area was fairly clean. 

And before I end this post, I just want to share to you a funny photo of me and a panda peeing:

Last December 24, I packed my bags and went on a 10-hour trip from Singapore to Beijing. My mom wasn’t able to book me a flight directly going to Beijing so I had to fly first to Manila and wait for about an hour for my connecting flight.

Since there weren’t a lot of people on the plane going to PEK, I’ve decided to visually document my trip.

Trips all throughout 2010 and 2011. :)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2)!

My in-flight chicken meal during the MNL-PEK flight. I know it doesn’t look much but it’s quite tasty. The in-flight meal during the SG-MNL flight was meh, btw.

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Last Tuesday night, I’ve decided to head to Singapore’s shopping district, Orchard Road, to do some Christmas shopping for my family and to capture the colorful lights and displays. I really didn’t want to go out that night but if I didn’t do it then, I might miss the scene. It could’ve been better if I took the photos at a later time that night though, so there would be less people but I was already tired from shopping and I just want to go home. Haha. 

There were some booths promoting good-will and love to all. One booth was giving free photo booth sessions, the other one is baby sitting kids while parents shop and the other has something to do with an elderly foundation. They had pretty designs outside, so I just couldn’t help but snap away. :) 

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