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COMING SOON

Singapore Weekend #7

After being away from Singapore most weekends travelling, a weekend in town was a great opportunity to take full advantage of getting to know Singapore better. The German friends that I met in Cameron Highlands were also in Singapore for the weekend, so it gave me some company to explore with. 

On Saturday we met up for lunch and went for Xiao Long Bao for lunch at Paradise Dynasty. Xiao Long Bao is a type of dumpling that has pork and soup in it. At Paradise Dynasty they serve them in different flavors, which is unique to this restaurant. 

With full bellies we then headed to Mount Faber, which is a hill about 105 metres high and overlooks central Singapore. After exploring the lookout we headed to Henderson Waves, which is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. As the name suggests the bridge forms a wave shape as it passes above the busy highway. 

Merlion on the top of Mount Faber. 

The next stop on the busy day of exploring was Chinatown. I had been to Chinatown several times before, but it was a chance to act as a bit of a tour guide to the German friend who had not been. We explored Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Sri Mariamman Temple and People`s Park Complex. 

We capped off the day at one of my favorite Indian Restaurants, Banana Leaf Apollo, in little India. 

Sunday began with brunch in an area I had yet to explore, Holland Village. This area had a bit more of a suburban feel, with cafes and restaurants on most corners. 

Singapore is known as the 'Garden City', so Sunday we went to the Botanical Gardens to get a glimpse of the natural beauty of the city. The gardens are quite large and have a lot to offer. The flat grass space is great for picnics and children running around playing games. There are numerous little ponds that play host to a variety of birds. There are also numerous garden areas (hence the botanical gardens name) each with its own theme. There is the healing garden, children`s garden, marsh garden, etc.; all with plants fitting the theme. 

The highlight of the gardens, in my opinion, is the National Orchid Garden of Singapore. The Orchid garden is home to 60,000 orchid plants - consisting of 1000 species and more than 2,000 hybrids. The flowers and design of the garden is absolutely stunning and a must see sight for anyone visiting Singapore. 

The day was capped off a visit to the Pinnacle Towers. These are 6 residential towers which are linked together at the 50th story by sky bridges. The 'Z' pattern of the bridges, allows you a view of all angles and directions of Singapore.  

Overall, a great weekend getting to know Singapore more in-depth. It is starting to feel more like home.

River Hong Bao

I posted previously about my learnings leading up to Chinese New Year. This Sunday was Chinese New Year eve. I was in Kuala Lumpur, where not much was going on to celebrate, but when I came back to Singapore there was still time to celebrate. Monday and Tuesday were public holidays, but I learned that Chinese New Year goes on for what to 15 days. What goes on for those 15 days, i`m not really sure. On Tuesday I went to experience one of the Singapore Chinese New Year attractions called River Hong Bao. Held on a floating platform overlooking the Singapore skyline, Hong Bao showcases larger-than life lanterns depicting figures of Chinese myth and legend, handcrafted onsite by craftsmen from China.We walked around for checking out the lanterns, stage performances and booths.

My favorite lantern was the giant god of fortune. I saw a sign saying there was a fortune drop at 8:30 and thought I would go check it out. I didn`t really understand what it was, but as the time drew closer I saw people getting bags and umbrellas in the air getting ready to catch whatever was going to be dropped. If people were this eager to catch whatever was going to drop, it has to be good! Well when the clock struck 8:30 down came tiny pieces of glittery gold paper. People were going crazy to catch them, even though I didn`t really understand the significance of catching a piece of paper. I gave up before having my eye poked by an umbrella edge.

As the sunset the sky was lit up with fireworks with a back drop of the Singapore skyline. 

The night was capped off trying some interesting fried ice cream, where they essentially fry your ice-cream on an extremely cold plate to turn it from liquid to solid in a matter of minutes. 

I also couldn`t leave without getting my own Chinese artwork; a writing of 'Love' in Chinese.

Rain Only Adds to the Cameron Highlands

North east of KL lies the Cameron Highlands, a rural wonder in Malaysia. I figured if would be a good complement to a trip to the busy city of KL. Saturday morning I set off from the hostel to catch my bus to Cameron Highlands. The main bus terminal in KL is a bit outside of the city, so I grabbed the train to get there. After arriving at the train station and referring to my google maps instructions, I realized that the 15 minute wait time for the next train wouldn't allow me to reach my bus on time. So I manically rushed to grab a taxi to take me to the bus station. 

Upon reaching the bus station, I was overwhelmed by the crowds of people everywhere! You could hardly move a few steps without bumping into someone. I finally arrived at the information desk who told me I had to queue in the line to get my boarding pass. The line was easily 40 people deep, as I looked at my watch with 15 minutes until my bus departed. As I waited patiently, I attempted to ask others who looked as though they worked there if there was anything else I could do to make my 9:30 bus, only to be told to wait in the queue. 

It was 10:00 by the time I reached the front of the line, only to be told my bus had left and there was nothing they could do for me, I had to purchase another ticket. At this point I almost gave up on the next leg of my journey, but I had a friend from school planning to meet me in the Highlands, so I carried on. So to the ticket line I went, and got a ticket on the next available bus, which left at 1:45. 

Killing time is never fun, especially on the floor of a bus terminal, but some how I made it to board the bus at 1:45. The ride to Cameron Highlands was almost as painstakingly bad, with traffic and rain making a usual 4 hour journey just over 7 hours. On top of that on the ride up I got a message from the friend that was supposed to meet me saying tickets to the highlands were sold out for the day. 

Off of the main highway, the road up to the highlands is a winding one, with tress, forests and cliffs surrounding you on every side. After two hours climbing the hill out of the abis comes a town (Tanah Rata) that looks like it could have been plucked out of any Malaysian suburb. It was a welcome sight to my sore eyes after the painstakingly long journey. My first stop after stepping off the bus was food, considering I hadn't eaten barely anything since departing the hostel at 8:30am. A local roadside food stand did just the trick. The rain and cool air, made a cup of tea a welcome addition to the meal. After my meal it was on the way to find my accommodation. Walking along the main strip, I also wanted to coordinate a tour for the following day to make sure I saw the most of the highlands. 

I stopped at the first tour operator I saw to enquirer or availability, considering it was one of the busiest weekends of the year. After some initial conversation, two guys also approached the counter to enquire about a tour. We all decided to go ahead with booking and when asked where the pickup location would be, we all uttered the same hostel name. Queue hallelujah bells going off in my head, as I had met some new friends on this otherwise long lonely journey! After getting to know each other over some drinks, we headed to our rather unique hostel. 

The hostel was located down a remote road which lead into what felt like the middle of the jungle. The laid back atmosphere meant for a warm welcome to the hostel as guests and workers were gathered around a fire drinking and talking. After the long journey, all I wanted most was to go to bed but when they told me there were no more beds left (despite my booking 2 for myself and my friend) and saying they were going to set 2 beds up in the lobby I was anything less than pleased. They said they would see what they could do, and eventually set me up with a bed in the dormitory. 

Between the creaky beds and mosquitoes buzzing around my head, I didn't have a very good sleep, but somehow managed to pull myself out of bed around 7:15 to get ready for my tour. The little town of Tanah Rata had of all things a Starbucks in it! Now I've become used to seeing "American" fast food chains across my travels, but to think there would be one in the middle of rural Malaysia was quite astonishing. Guiltily I did indulge in Starbucks for breakfast, purely out of convenience and having to grab something to eat before my bus for the tour came. 

At 8:45 I was picked up in the tour van by Joe our driver and 8 other tourists ready to depart on today's adventure. Our first stop of the day were the tea fields of the Cameron Highlands. The Highlands are known for their tea growing prosperity but to the climate that the area offers. Looking our over the tea fields was amazing! 

After observing tea at its roots, we headed to the BOH tea plantation to observe the tea in processing and to taste the end product. BOH tea is distributed domestically and internationally, so check for it at your local store! 

 

After the tea, we headed into the Mossy Forest which is a natural environment that grows only at the highest elevations of Cameron Highlands and other mountain ranges across Malaysia. At such heights, low-level clouds in the sky driven by winds, blanket the forests with constant mist and moisture (or rain on this day) - creating an ideal biotope for moss, ferns, lichen and orchids. 

 

After enduring the rain of the Mossy Forest we drove back down to the main elevation to experience a Malaysian strawberry farm. I was a little surprised to see that the strawberry farm didn`t look much like the strawberry farms we have at home. The strawberry farms here are not in the ground, but instead planted on wooden platforms above the ground. Let me tell you though, this didn`t impact the taste! There was a range of strawberry products being sold at the local store, of which they let us taste some of the strawberry jam. It was verrrry good! 

After the last stop at the strawberry farm, I was in a rush to catch my 3:00 bus back to KL. The tour had run almost two hours over time which had me a bit worried about getting to the bus on time. Joe, our driver, promised me that we would get there on time, but with the traffic we were encountering I wasn`t so sure.

With many fingers crossed in the tour bus, we pulled up to the bus station at 3:02. As I jumped out of the tour bus and ran into the station I was told I was at the wrong place and had to go to the storefront not the station. Joe was nice enough to drive me up the road to the storefront, where I once again jumped out with a panicked look on my face to try and catch this bus. Upon arrival at the storefront, they issued me my ticket and told me that the bus was delayed. At that point my face finally turned from panic to relief, after almost an hour of worrying about trying to catch this bus.

About 20 minutes later, the bus pulled up in front of the storefront where I finally boarded and was headed on the way back to Kuala Lumpur. Although Cameron Highlands was a whirlwind journey, the sheer natural beauty is something not to be missed!

STEPH'S SUMMARY OF CAMERON HIGHLANDS

Who's the place for: Nature lovers 

Where to stay: Anywhere but DeNative Guesthouse. I would recommend staying within walking distance to Tanah Rata, as transport to get around is not very easy. 

Don't miss: Mossy Forest, full of unique nature to this part of the world 

Can skip: Strawberry Farm, as cool as it was to taste some of the products it wasn`t anything that unique. Most tour packages include this as a stop. 

My memorable moment: The view of the tea fields from all different angles 

My biggest tip: It`s chilly, so make sure you bring a rain jacket and some warmer clothing 

A Day in the Malaysian Capital

As I've mentioned before, one of the best things about studying in Singapore is being so close too many parts of South East Asia. You can get around to other countries by boat, bus or plane. This weekend was a long one, with Monday and Tuesday off, thanks to Chinese New Year. Late Sunday night I headed out of Singapore on a bus bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The bus left Singapore at midnight and after a brief stop to cross the border we arrived in KL at 5am. There isn't much worthwhile going on in a city at 5am, so our hostel was nice enough to let us crash on the couch in the lobby for a few hours before starting our trek around the city. 

The Friday stop of the day was heading to the Batu Caves just outside of the city. We took the commuter train which stops directly at the caves. This was the cheapest and was a really easy way to get there, despite a number of tour operators who may tell you otherwise. When we first reached the western edge of the caves we were greeted by a plethora of monkeys who were snacking on bread and fruit that had been left out for them. Ever since the "monkey incident" back in Penang, I've been a little leary about getting to close to monkeys, and this was no exception. After a bit of watching from a distance we entered the Raman cave. Upon entering we were astonished by some type of monkey parade happening, as a family of about 100 monkeys made there way down from the hilltop, across the top of the cave and scurried into the metropolis of the car park. After that experience, we entered the cave filled with statues depicting the battle of Raman. We walked around trying to interpret the story to not much avail. 

After our initial exploration we headed to the main cave, which is often on the postcards of KL. 

We hiked up the multiple flights of stairs, which were littered with monkeys left, right and centre. These monkeys aren't afraid of humans, thanks to the countless idiots who think it's good to feed the wild monkeys, so I found myself using my selfie stick as a type of defence mechanism at multiple points. 

Upon reaching the top, there wasn't quite as much to see as I had anticipated. You have to pay to go in exploring the caves, so on a restricted budget we decided against that and just observed the temple and natural beauty of the caves. After some final monkey observation we headed back down the stairs.

Once back in the city we looked around the Central market, Chinatown (Petaling Street) and some of the old buildings before landing in the Botanical Gardens. The gardens are a tranquil oasis from the busyness of the city. My favourite part was the orchid garden, which aside from the beautiful flowers also offered a picturesque view of the KL skyline. 

 After some quiet time in the garden we headed to the business centre of the city where Menara tower sits. At the tower we climbed 276 meters to get a view of all of KL. The Menara tower is the tallest in Southeast Asia! I also was given a little taste of home at the top (CN tower is the 3rd tallest in the world in case you didn't know!).

After getting a view of the Petronas Tower from our skyline view, we walked over to the gardens that sit behind the Petronas Tower to get the best view. The Petronas Tower was once the tallest dual tower in the world!  

After a very long and packed day, another meander through Chinatown capped off the day. 

STEPH'S SUMMARY OF KUALA LUMPUR

Who's the place for: City lovers 

Where to stay: In the KL city centre, around Chinatown. Explorer Guesthouse was very good for budget accommodation 

Don't miss: Batu Caves! 

Can skip: Menora Tower: quite expensive for what it is. 

My memorable moment: All the monkey`s at the Batu caves 

My biggest tip: You don`t need more than a day or two to see the city, so you can keep your time here minimal if in a crunch. 

Bus, Train, Plane, Car, Boat, Tricycle, Boat, Tricycle, Jepney, Car, Plane - Welcome to the Philippines

Late Wednesday after class, I grabbed the last bus and then train to the airport. I checked in promptly 3 hours before my 3AM flight and grabbed some Starbucks to keep me going through the long haul. After a couple hours of wandering around the Singapore Changi Airport. I boarded the 3.5 hour flight to Cebu, Philippines. 

Upon arriving in Cebu, we hopped in a cab and headed directly to the Port to catch a ferry to Bohol. The short drive to the ferry was long enough to observe the craziness of Cebu city. The ferry terminal was not a lot better, with people everywhere and semi-organized chaos. Despite all that we caught the 8AM ferry and were on our way to Bohol. We arrived 3 hours later to the sunny paradise of Bohol. We weren`t staying in Bohol, so it was time to experience our first tricycle ride to Pangloa Island. Driving in the Philippines is quite manic. Honking is how you notify other cars of your passing. Riding in a motorcycle with a jimmy rigged side car on it was quite the adventure. 

We finally arrived safe and sound to our hotel Hidden Dreams Resort. After checking out the resort and grabbing some lunch at a local cafe, we took the 5 minute walk to the beach (Alona Beach). The gorgeous beach full of soft white sand and boats scattered along the shore line was the perfect place to spend the afternoon soaking in the sun and bathing in the ocean. 

A stroll along the beach found a plethora of masseuses eager to provide their services. As the sun was setting over the beach I enjoyed the wonders of Mary`s massage skills. 

After cleaning up after the afternoon oceanside, we headed back out to the oceanside to where restaurants had setup their daily catches and along the beach as well as tables and chairs to enjoy the plethora. Since seafood isn`t really my thing, I enjoyed a delicious grilled pork and vegetable kebab, all while listening to the sounds of the ocean and an acoustic set being played at the bar.  

The next morning we were picked up early by a driver to take us on a day of sightseeing. Our first stop was to pick up two fellow classmates at the ferry terminal. From there we were into Bohol to see some species that are only found in the Philippines: Tarsiers! These cute little Primates are nocturnal, but despite that we were able to see about 10 of them in the sanctuary. Tarsiers are officially an endangered species, so it was a treat to be able to get a glimpse of these little guys. 

After admiring the cuteness of the Tarsiers it was onto the Loboc River to cruise around on a . Once on the boat we were treated to a pontoon style boat. As we drifted along the river, we enjoyed lunch and took in the views of the clear blue water and foliage lining the river.

As we were admiring the surroundings, the boat stopped and pulled up at what looked to be a tribal village. As we were paraded off the boat and looked closer, we realized that the whole setup was a fake! It had all been built out of cement and the people were just dressed up in "tribal" wear soliciting money. This really isn`t the type of experience I look for when traveling, some fake culture setup to attract the tourists. Needless to say we were back on the boat pretty quickly, as to not to partake in the non-sense. 

After making our way back to the dock we were onto the biggest wonder in Bohol, the Chocolate Hills. There are at least 1200 hills for as far as the eye can see, which are covered with grass that turns brown during dry season giving them the name the chocolate hills. They were certainly quite the wonder to see! 

From there we made 2 more stops that day. The first at Baclayon Church, the oldest church in Bohol. Second, at Hinagdanan Caves, filled with a lagoon and stalactites coming down from the ceiling. 

With all the sightseeing done for the day, it was back to our hotel, where we quickly picked up and headed to the beach for another sunset massage. We followed that with another beachside BBQ dinner and some drinks before heading to bed, as we had to be up early the next day.  

On Saturday, we were up bright and early and headed down to the beach to catch a boat to Oslob. I am not one who does well with boats, due to my persistent sea sickness. So when we showed up and saw a catamaran made out of wood I was less than thrilled. The whole 2 hour ride I just stayed focused on the excitement ahead and somehow I managed to make it to Oslob without anything "coming up". 

The reason we were headed to Oslob was to swim with whale sharks! The shallow bay in Oslob has become famous for attracting whale sharks to feed. Instead of explaining the amazing experience, here is a video of our experience with the Oslob whale sharks. 

After swimming with the sharks the 5 of us piled into a tuktuk (the motorcycle with the jimmy rigged side car) and headed to our hotel. The hotel was situated right on the water with amazing views of the ocean. 

After a little relaxation from the already exhausting day, we then hopped back into a tuktuk to our next sightseeing destination - Tumalog Falls. When we had asked at the hotel reception about getting to the falls, they said that the tuktuk will drop us off at the bottom of a hill and we could either walk to the falls from there or hire a motorbike to take us to the falls. When the tuktuk dropped us off, we started the talk with the motorbike drivers yelling after us that it would be a long walk. We laughed at their tactic to try and get us to hire them and proceeded with our walk. 

After the first hill came another and we continued trekking up hill for about another 15 minutes before one of us pulled out our phone to see how much further it would. According to the map we weren`t even a quarter of the way there. Despite my legs screaming to turn back, we continued to push uphill for another close to 40 minutes, before we reached the falls parking lot. From there is was another 10 minutes downhill until we heard the falls. Let me tell you the falls was worth the trek up. Because it was almost closing time, we had the entire place to ourselves to take in the magnificent view. 

The trek down was a lot less gruelling as it was downhill and we had a little rest stop along the way. Along the path down there we stumbled upon a village, where the locals were out drinking and enjoying some music. So we stopped along the way to enjoy some drinks and get to know the locals. 

After our trekking adventure to the falls we enjoyed some food in Oslob (which is a very small town) and some drinks oceanside at our hotel. 

The next day started super early, as I got up to watch the sunrise from the balcony of our hotel. 

Despite the early wakeup I caught up with sleep in the lounge chair at our hotel before we had to leave to head back to Cebu City.

Cebu City is typically about a 4-5 hour bus ride from Oslob, so we aimed to leave the hotel at about noon to allow some time for sightseeing in Cebu before catching our late evening flight. The hotel staff had informed us that we could catch the bus back to Cebu from our hotel simply by flagging one down out front. After trying for about 1.5 to flag down a bus, with them all being full, we thought it was time to reevaluate our plan on how to get back to Cebu. With the help of our hotel we found a driver that would take us back to Cebu. 

The ride was going smoothly for about the first 3 hours until we hit traffic. From there the ride stopped in its tracks. As we crawled closer into the city, now into the darkness, we were greeted by fireworks, road closers and mobs of people. There was some sort of celebration on that was the cause of our extended traffic delay. 

After 8 hours in the car, we finally reached the airport without any sightseeing stops on the way. We were okay with that and just grateful to get there in time to make our flight. 

It was quite the whirlwind journey around the Philippines, but what a great experience it was! 

STEPH'S SUMMARY OF PHILIPPINES (CEBU, BOHOL, PANGLAU, OSLOB)

Who's the place for: Beach and nature lovers 

Where to stay: Depends on the type of experience you are looking for, but Down South 118 in Oslob has the most spectacular view of the ocean. 

Don't miss: Swimming with the Whale Sharks in Oslob 

Can skip: Lombok River Cruise, not very good food and not a whole lot of culture 

My memorable moment: Swimming with the Whale Sharks  

My biggest tip: You don`t need more than a day or couple hours to see the main sights of Cebu, so spend most of your time seeing the beautiful nature and beaches surrounding the city.