I tried drinking Tiger Beer though, I must say I still prefer San Miguel Beer. I still prefer our beautiful beaches and friendly camaraderie, pinoy foods still rocks my appetite. I tried a few local dishes but afterwards I craved for that Filipino adobo and Kare-kare.

But there are a lot of things that I’ve noticed that Singapore is doing really well. The concept of high rise apartment is one. Which makes me think whether the British are the better colonizers than the Americans. With the Americans we got the concept of suburban living, problem was, it takes a lot of space and suburban setting only appeals to the higher middle class. Poor people cannot afford to buy a lot for 300 square meters and build a house on it. Well we have the high rise residential buildings, but we call them as “condominiums” and are priced in the millions.



Singaporeans, almost all of them live in these high rise apartment complex, that their Government and developers built to be able to meet the demands and afford ability of Singaporeans.


The cost of living is much higher in Singapore, but who cares as almost all of them got jobs, old people drive buses and cabs, others work in the tourism industry as tour guides, ticket seller, ushers etc. Everybody are busy doing their own thing. Okay some say its a 0% unemployment rate, some say its 4%, I guess 4 days is not enough to cover all of Singapore, but it left me an impression of how discipline and following every rules can prove useful in the development of one country.

Sentosa is a small island with theme park-like attractions that boasts a number of resorts, five star hotels, golf courses, the Underwater world, a butterfly park, dolphin shows, Fort Siloso, sheltered beach, Resorts World Sentosa and in 2010 will say 'oi oi oi' to the Universal Studios Singapore.


Going to Sentosa Island we took an MRT train that led us to VivoCity - a row of shopping malls located along a scenic harbor. From VivoCity we took a cable car from HarbourFront which also passes through Mount Farber with the whole ride taking less than 5 minutes. Inside the cable car I saw the bustling port with many ships lined up entering and exiting Singapore and also a wonderful view of the interchanging highways and towering skyscrapers around VivoCity.


"Sentosa" - a malay word which means "tranquility" or "peace". During world war II, Sentosa Island was a fortress abode of the British Army, it proved ineffective against the onslaught of rampaging Japanese Imperial forces that it became under the Japanese rule on February 15, 1942. The island then became a prisoner of war camp housing British and Australian POWs. The Pulau Blakang Mati beach then became the site of a horrendous killing fields where mostly Chinese and a some Malay and Singaporean men suspected of having anti-Japanese leanings were executed during the infamous 'Sook Ching Operation'  perpetrated by the Japanese Army.


After the war, the island became a military and training base of the British Royal Military until it was turned over to the Government of Singapore upon gaining its independence in 1967. In 1970's the Government decided to transform Sentosa island into a haven of tourism and commerce by constructing resorts to attract foreign and local tourists.
 

We first visited the Underwater World - an oceanarium that shelters more than 250 different species from different marine regions of the world. Here, I saw an abundance of marine life that includes, stingrays, sharks, eels, turtles and vibrant shaped coral reefs as well.


I've always thought that Singapore is a family oriented destination where one will enjoy a holiday in Singapore in the company of the whole family, children most specially. The attractions at Sentosa will definitely please young kids from the Underwater World to the Butterfly Park and the Dolphin Lagoon - where we watched a duo of 'pink dolphin' or the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins presented a well choreographed dolphin show.


To go around the island is very easy, there's a shuttle bus to take you around and cable cars that will take you to the other side of the island. We also took a ride in the open air cable car which was more exciting compared to the normal closed cable car we took from VivoCity to Sentosa.


The ride here was awesome as I was able to further see a 360 degree view of the scenery around Sentosa, from the beachside to the towering trees to a nearby park where visitors could also opt to ride a luge going on a downhill path.


We dropped by the three beaches around Sentosa; the Palawan Beach, Siloso Beach and the Tanjong Beach. The landscape and formation of these beaches were man-made to further attract appeal, however its ordinary for my taste, not the kind of beach you'd want to swim and lie around all day - There are a lot of more attractive beaches in the Philippines compared to the ones in Sentosa, but over-all the Island was a pleasant destination - and even better as I have mentioned, if you're traveling with your family or with children in tow.


Here are some of the highlights of Sentosa as I've captured on my point and shoot camera. I still eager to buy myself a DSLR camera. A Nikon perhaps.















I'm sure everybody who visit the country of Singapore will somehow by virtue of their curiosity will often lead them to Sentosa Island. It wasn't my ideal set-up of what an island should be. I'm more inclined to enjoy a laid back, sleepy hollow yet with magnificent beaches - kind of island - like the ones we have here in the Philippines.

However, its not something you'll regret visiting as a budding traveler I always try to seek other things to enjoy myself whether the place is in stark contrast to what I search for and in Sentosa there's just an adequate things to really like. I really enjoyed the pink dolphins and the Underwater world and a few other things.

The Chijmes ('chimes') and the Raffles Hotel are two popular landmarks in Singapore. We visited both places to learn more about its history over the course of the walking curiosity of my brother and I around Singapore on the second day of our 5 day visit.


Chijmes was first used as a Catholic convent called as the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ). Four French nuns who arrived in Singapore in 1852 used the complex's Caldwell House which was constructed in 1840, to set up the Catholic convent school in 1854. The vast complex presents a mixture of Neoclassical and Gothic style brought upon by the distinct features of the Caldwell House, which was designed by Gregory Coleman - an Irish Architect who designed many buildings in Singapore in the aftermath of its founding by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819, and the Gothic-themed chapel designed by Father Charles Benedict Nain which was completed in 1904.


The convent ceased operation and held its last religious service in 1983. The place was abandoned and consecrated until  a five year conservation and face lifting of the place was implemented. Present day, the old convent school has now become a place filled with food retail and beverage outlets, courtyards, covered walkways, a garden and a place known for its unique ambiance. Both the Caldwell House and the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapel were declared as national monument in 1990.




The courtyard where special events can be held are spacious. The high beams and front facade projects some similarities with buildings found in India, no wonder since both Singapore and India were once colonized by the British and the architectural designs of both countries were drawn by British and Irish architects and engineers during the time of both nation's tenure as part of the British Empire.


We had a fun time spending a couple of hours at Chijmes, reading about its history back from the old days of British rule until its transformation to a commercial and historical landmark of today. Our walk then took us to another known Singapore landmark, the Raffles Hotel.


Raffles Hotel is a colonial styled hotel in Singapore which was constructed in late 1887 by the four Sarkies Brothers who were of Armenian descent and was named after the founder of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles. It is one of the most popular hotels in the world and is known for its lavish decoration, royalty-like accommodation and has a scenic garden and courtyard as well as a Victorian-styled theater.


The hotel was used by the Japanese during world war II and was renamed to "Syonan Ryokan" and after the war was used for a short time as a base for transporting prisoners of war. The hotel continued operation a few years after the war and was declared as a national monument in 1987.


We took a few pictures around the hotel, tried to order drinks but found out it was rather expensive for a bunch of thrift drifters like us, so we just hang around for a bit and pretended what it was like to stay in a hotel like this. The rooms I think ranges from 400 Singaporean Dollars to as high as 4,000 SG $. Unless you got aplenty of cash to burn, then your only option is to drop by Raffles hotel without checking in haha.


We took our late lunch on a small cafeteria a mere walking distance from the Raffles Hotel, where the two cafeteria servants were Filipinos. I remember one of them telling us that we're lucky because we're in Singapore just to travel. I felt a bit of guilt finding out that theirs was for the long haul as OFW's and they really miss their families back home. However, they are happy to see us and we're happy to see them and we all wished each other the best. They in fact told us not to miss Sentosa Island, which we visited the next day.


Other facts about Raffles Hotel: (from wikipedia):

• Raffles Hotel is reputedly where the sole surviving wild tiger in Singapore was shot and made extinct. Some stories place this event in the Long Bar. Raffles itself claims the tiger had escaped from enclosure at a nearby "native show" and chased underneath the hotel's Bar & Billiard Room (a raised structure) and shot to death there on August 13, 1902.
• Raffles is where the Singapore Sling was invented. The cocktail was invented by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon between 1910 and 1915.
• Raffles is the setting for Murakami Ryu's novel and film titled, Raffles Hotel. The film was shot on location.
• The site of the hotel was originally the location of the oldest girls' school in Singapore (1842), now called St. Margaret's. It was founded by Maria (Tarn) Dyer, the missionary wife of Samuel Dyer.
• The hotel was featured as a Japanese stronghold in Medal of Honor: Rising Sun.
• Raffles Hotel was the subject of Paul O'Grady's Orient for Carlton Television.
• The hotel featured in episodes of the BBC's Tenko.
• Long Bar is featured in Peace Arch Entertainment's "UberGuide" television travel series as one of the top ten bars in the world.

Still part of our five day trip to Singapore, we visited Jurong Bird Park - a bird enclave landscaped park located at the western part of Jurong Hill. Built in 1971, Jurong has now become one of the most popular bird parks in the world that boasts more than 46 hundred birds representing 380 species, 29 of which are considered endangered.


The free-flight aviary gives the birds the utmost freedom of flying and frolicking with each other in the vast area of the park which was measured at approximately 202,000 square meters. 


The image above are that of the Pink Caribbean Flamingos  - each specie of birds seems to have their own favorite place in the park and you will often see them grouped together with occasional mingling moments with the other kinds of birds. They have like a homeys of their own but fortunately, no bird gang wars has been reported since its opening. Birds are generally peaceful specie and they co-exist well with each other.


The park has different section that caters to each bird exhibits, like the African Wetlands - which include some species found in Africa as well as a lake that houses a number of African fish species. Others exhibits includes; the Birds or Prey Show (falcons, eagles and hawks) , Birds N Buddies Show (flamingos, pelicans and hornbills), Flightless Birds (composed of rheas, ostriches, cassowaries and emus),  South East Asian Birds Aviary (bird species found in this region), Lory Loft (a 9 storeys high walk-in flight aviary for lorikeets and Lories), World of Darkness (houses nocturnal bird species and features a reverse lightning system) and a few other interesting section that showcases other species of birds.




Jurong bird park is generally a quiet and calm place to relax and have a relaxing time with nature, add up the wonderful opportunity to know more about certain behaviors and characteristics of the different kinds and species of birds. 




 I enjoyed our brief visit in this place and I'm sure it will delight the children more, making Singapore truly a family friendly destination.





There's a Panorail on a monorail system inside where visitors can hop into a small train that runs through an aviary and gives visitors a chance to see the birds at a closer distance. There's a small gift shop near the entrance and a few restaurants and beverage outlets. We went to Jurong Bird Park by taking an MRT train to Boon Lay Station and taking a bus from Boon Lay Bus Interchange which is a mere walking distance from the MRT Station.