GENTING DREAM CRUISE TOUR: FUN THINGS TO DO ON BOARD!

I got the privilege of experiencing a trip on the world class Genting Dream of Dream Cruises, and I was totally blown away. From Singapore, we traveled to Bintan Island, Indonesia, but before docking at our destination, we got a grand tour of what you can experience at the amazing ship! Also, we experienced that "Fly Cruise" Service that made our trip hassle free! The Genting Dream is filled with restaurants, shops, casinos, activity centers, including a pool area that is home to five waterslides! You're definitely in for a fun filled trip with friends or family when you ride the Genting Dream!

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CENTRAL PERK AT SINGAPORE!

I am one of the biggest fans of the TV Series "Friends", so I was totally stoked to find out that I would be visiting Central Perk in Singapore, just in time for Friends' 25th Anniversary! I had so much fun taking pics at Central Perk, Monica's Apartment, Chandler and Joey's place, and so much more!

SINGAPORE DAY 3: THE GRAND FINALE AT IKEA!

THE PICKIEST EATER IN THE WORLD AND THE IKEA GRANDE FINALE from richiez168 on Vimeo.

          For our "Last Supper" in Singapore, I scheduled a visit to Ikea. Rina and Chaikka were both eager to check out the awesome furniture they had, but I could care less about their lamps, sofas, and what not. I was there for one thing, and one thing only: The Swedish Meatballs. Little did I know that, with the help of my friend Nina,  I would discover another dessert that I would add to the Best Thing Ever List!

SINGAPORE DAY 3: THE PHANTOM OF THE FOOD OPERA

Constipation is not fun. (kidding)

        After getting rained out in Sentosa, we took a Shuttle bus from the Imbiah Station to take the token trip to Orchard Road. Just like Sentosa, I honestly don't get the big deal about Orchard Road, and why it's a "must see for every tourist". Then again, it could be the bitterness of my wallet talking. I mean, it's got all these High End shops and all, but nothing anything you can't find in Greenbelt 5. (Sorry Fashionistas of the world, but I'm totally clueless about these things, so I mean no offense.)

       As you saw in my Sentosa post, i took pix with almost every statue I could find in Resorts world.. So maybe I shouldn't be one to judge when I saw people taking pictures in front of a Dolce and Gabbana or a Louis Vuitton. 

    To me however, the true awesomeness of Orchard Road is not found on the surface, but four levels below the famed street. At Basement Four of Ion Orchard Mall, is a gastronomic paradise that every food lover should not miss.. Food Opera. 

SINGAPORE DAY 3: THE DEFAULT TRIP TO SENTOSA

Whenever I take a picture with Rina, I always hold her tummy, 

just so our baby knows that he/she is included in the picture.

        When you ask someone about the places to go to in Singapore, it's very likely that he or she would tell you that a trip to the Lion City would not be complete without going to Sentosa. That was the logic of Rina and Chaikka when we set our trek there for Day Three. Considering Sentosa is dubbed as "Asia's favorite Playground", so you can imagine our excitement when I was planning the things that we could do there.

          But looking at the park map that I got from the hotel, and studying the attractions, I was starting to think that Sentosa wouldn't be as fun as I thought It would be, especially since we had just come from the awesomeness of Universal Studios.

        I did bring up that concern to the girls, but they were steadfast in their decision to go to Sentosa. They did have a valid point though.. Everyone they asked said they should go to Sentosa, and how often will they be in Singapore, so why not make the most of the chance. 

      Outnumbered, I just went along for the ride, hoping for the best. 

    Now, I've never been one to say "I told you so!", but... Rina and Chaikka?  If you both are reading this..

   I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!!!

SINGAPORE DAY 3: ON TOP OF THE WORLD, IN THE SINGAPORE FLYER!

THE PICKIEST EATER GOES TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD! 

from richiez168 on Vimeo.

          I'm afraid of heights. I think that's why God didn't make me tall. Wait, I take that back. I'm not afraid of heights, per se. I'm afraid of Ferris Wheels. Strange, no? So what exactly would possess me to take a ride on The Singapore Flyer, the tallest Ferris Wheel in the entire world? Well, the girls said they wanted to do it, so I had to man up or be left behind. Besides, the ticket was a package deal with our Duck Tour, so I'd be wasting money if I skipped it.

            And I'm glad I did, because the view of the city was absolutely breathtaking, that every tourist should not miss!        

SINGAPORE DAY 2: ONE NIGHT AT MAKANSUTRA GLUTTONS BAY

"Glutton's Bay" could very well have been my birthplace.

          I was so sleepy during our Duck Tour drive around the city, that I can safely say that I can't really remember a lot of the things our tour guide said. I can't recall the story of the war memorial, nor do I remember the name of the tallest hotel in Singapore. But what was clear as day, was that he said, "Food Lovers, you can't leave Singapore without going to Makansutra."


        Just like Food Republic, Makansutra was among the many recommendations that my friends suggested to me when i asked for place to eat in Singapore. According to our guide, Makansutra is a popular food center that features a collection of the best "Hawkers" in the country. He had me at "Food Center'.

       This post marks the first time I'm going to be doing a "Video Review". I'm a bit new to this sort of thing so you're going to have to forgive me if it's not any good hehe.. See the video here:

THE PICKIEST EATER VISITS MAKANSUTRA SINGAPORE! 

from richiez168 on Vimeo.

SINGAPORE DAY 2: OUR AMAZING DAY AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS SENTOSA!

             As I mentioned in my first Singapore Post, our whole point in going to Singapore was to be able to go to Universal Studios. I think we went at just the perfect time too, because had we gone a couple of months earlier, a lot of the rides would not have been opened yet. If anyone has plans on going to Universal Studios in Singapore, I strongly suggest you head off to their official website and purchase your tickets online. Also, I even more strongly suggest that you avail of the "Express Pass", which allows you a separate lane, away from the peons-err.. I mean, from the other guests of the park. Long story short, If you have an Express Pass, you go to the front of the line. 

         Buying the ticket online cost me SGD$66 + Express pass SGD$30 = SGD$96 or PHP 3,296.79 each. 

         Kinda steep for one day at a theme park, don't ya think (Times two for me cuz i treated Rina)? But the moment you get on that monorail to Sentosa Island, and you see the entrance to Resorts World, The question of "Is it worth it?" suddenly rings into your head one more time. The look of excitement on Rina's face helped answer the question for me. 

        Abso-friggin-lutely.

SINGAPORE DAY 1: MY FIRST TIME AT A VICTORIA (FOOD) COURT

Instead of "Shhhh".. the girl in their logo goes "Buurrrrpp..."

        After our Night Safari trip, we got home at around 10:30 pm. Rina, Chaikka and I were totally exhausted, but starving at the same time. In the end, our hunger prevailed (As it usually does) and we decided to shake off the fatigue and trek down the mean streets of Geylang for some thing to eat. 

     In my opinion though, the so-called "Mean Streets of Geylang", looks closer to Makati's Legazpi Village than it does to Tondo, which was my first perception of it when I was told that I would be staying in Singapore's "Red Light District". I imagine any gangs that would come our way would look more "Sharks and Jets" from "West Side Story" than they would "Blood" and "Crips", but that's just me. 

     Throughout my entire stay there, we were never even approached by a street urchin (in fact I never even saw one) or pimp or prostitute (wait, should I be insulted? Do I not look rich even for them!?). 

      Before we left the hotel, I asked our hotel receptionist for her opinion on where to eat, and she said, at this hour, our best options would to walk out the street and to pick from the places we're open. I said the only thing I wanted to be sure of, was the place was clean. She said with a smile, that should be the least of our concerns, because Singapore has a very strict health code or something, which was good to hear. 

     Practically everyone who had given me advice about Singapore before my trip, told me that you can basically choose any restaurant on the street, and expect an awesome experience. I had no doubt in my mind that the food would be good, but I'm just a bit finicky with cleanliness. I'll be honest with you - when people told me to go to the Hawker places of Singapore, images of  rat infested local carenderias entered my mind. But our Filipina receptionist even assured me, "It's cleaner than the food  courts of SM".

     So there we were, walking down the streets of Geylang, watching guys oogle middle aged women in low cut blouses, but running away the moment the girl makes eye contact with them, when I saw a sign that caught my attention. Perhaps there was an air of familiarity with the name that intrigued me.. 

        Victoria Food Court.

SINGAPORE DAY 1: JUNGLE FEVER AT THE NIGHT SAFARI SINGAPORE

The Pickiest Eater In The World At the Night Safari In Singapore 

from richiez168 on Vimeo.

         While we were waiting for our Duck Tour craft to arrive, the tour staff (comprised mostly of Filipinos by the way) suggested we check out the popular "Night Safari". Honestly, I'm really not into the whole "Zoo" thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm no animal activist or anything like that, but recently I've become more aware and more sensitive to their plight. My trip to Sun Weh was a real eye opener for me. Although I was sure that the conditions of the animals at the Night Safari were far better than the Animal Prison Camp of Sun Weh, I still thought twice about it. Of course any attempt at a protest was easily thwarted the moment my pregnant wife said, "Ah basta, I want to go!".  

      Word of advice to all you men out there- and I don't care how tough you think you are:

      Do NOT mess with a pregnant woman. 

     Please watch the video before you proceed.

SINGAPORE DAY 1: I HAVE PLEDGED MY ALLEGIANCE TO FOOD REPUBLIC !

I'm applying for citizenship as we speak

      As soon as Rina, Chaikka and I hopped down from our Duck Tour Amphibian craft, we entered one of the Towers of the perplexing Suntec City Mall. As I mentioned during my first visit there just a few hours earlier, the place is really hard to figure out, not just for a tourist, but for a human being in general, so I didn't want to go on any more long walks. Being the notorious sleepyhead that I am, I actually just really wanted to go back to our "hotel" to rest for an hour or so before we head off for our next stop. Rina and Chai though, understandably, wanted to go around to possibly do a little shopping. 

    So there I was, in a foreign country, completely drained of all energy at four in the afternoon, due to my being awake since two in the morning. As I entered the mall doorway, I was trying to think where I could muster up the strength to troll around the busy shopping mall. 

    And Just like that, I saw the huge sign that would light a fire under me, and give me the strength I needed to carry on (*tear*).

   In big bold letters, the sign said, "FOOD REPUBLIC". 

 (*Snappy Salute*)

SINGAPORE DAY 1: BY LAND AND SEA ON THE DUCK TOUR!

THE PICKIEST EATER GOES ON THE DUCK TOUR IN SINGAPORE! from richiez168 on Vimeo.

 

      As soon as we arrived in our "hotel" in Singapore (I use quotation marks because.. well.. if you saw our room, you'll know what I mean) I spoke to the resident "Tour Specialist" for suggestions on how to go around the city. (We didn't really have any plans on how to go around, so we thought we'd just wing it, since everyone was saying that Singapore is so small, its easy to get to where you need to go) If I wanted a quick tour of the city to give me an idea of the places I could go to in the next few days, he strongly suggested I go on a "Duck Tour". 

    Our starting point was the Singapore Flyer arcade and we would end in Suntec City Mall. 

SINGAPORE DAY 1: FIRST STOP - CHEN FU JI NOODLE HOUSE!

Bring it on, Singapore!

         Since we were traveling to a country we were unfamiliar with, for the first time in my life, I found myself totally lost when Rina and Chaikka asked me, "Where are we going to eat?". All I knew was that we had to be at "The Singapore Flyer" by 1:30pm to start our tour. Where that was, and how long it would take to get there, I had absolutely no clue. I asked our receptionist Charmaine, (who after our 15 minute English dialogue, ended our conversation with a very Filipino, "Salamat po, ingat po kayo!") what would be the best place to grab something to eat before we went to the Flyer. She suggested going to Sun Tec City Mall, because we would find a lot of choices there, and we could easy grab a cab en route to the flyer. 

    As mentioned in my earlier post, everything you've heard about Singapore is true. It's sparkling clean, it my four days there, not once did I find myself caught in any form of traffic, and whether you're commuting or driving, there's a strong sense of discipline among its people.

      We got to Sun Tec City Mall at around 11:30am, and started going around, trying to find a place to eat. I wasn't really impressed with the choices, especially since Charmaine made it seem like it would be a food paradise. (I would later find out that she wasn't lying, but that's a whole other post) Since were were pressed for time, we couldn't explore the mall, so I had to make a choice right away. 

     With the clock ticking, and my wife and her sister's stomach growling, I decided to go with Chen Fu Ji Noodle House - The restaurant with the best tasting noodles I would try in my short stay in Singapore.

THE PICKIEST EATER'S SINGAPORE SWING!

 The Pickiest Eater In The World Goes To Singapore 

from richiez168 on Vimeo.

      During some time in November 2010, I was alerted about one of Cebu Pacific's half off sales. (But aren't they ALWAYS on sale?) It was perfect timing too, because Rina's sister Chaikka, had stayed over the house and got excited at the thought of going out of the country for the first time. Our first target was Hong Kong again, but since we had already been there for our honeymoon, Rina and I thought it make more sense to go to a country we had both never been to before.  Rina has one requirement when traveling out of the country: there HAS to be a theme park, while me, my only requirement is that there has to be awesome food.

       Given our criteria, there was really only one other obvious choice- Singapore.