Holiday~

So yes, I have been a tourist for the past 5 days. Friday and Saturday saw me pretending to be one in Singapore and I hit some of the usual spots with my friend. I know, not very interesting but this is more for me to remember what I did.

Fri: Airport-home-Orchard-Vivocity-Chinatown (only for dessert, but that was closed so we walked around and went to the Rooftop Bar

Sat: Chongpang for breakfast-Asian Civilisations Museum-Fullerton-Merlion (haha)-Esplanade-Raffles City-Chijmes-City Space-Night Safari

Sun, Mon and Tues: Bintan!

Now for pictures :)

Cute snack at Taka Cold Storage!

Dinner at 黑社会，a newly opened restaurant at Vivocity. The view is not bad, interesting decor, complete with menus hidden in mahjong-table-like recesses. They give a free appetiser of fried dough sticks and cucumber/carrot strips. Haha. We had XO seafood fried rice, shimeji mushroom noodle and rose tea. Good! PS the teapot can be refilled with hot water. Also, the staff are habitual liars so if they say something comes in very small portions don't believe them!






By the way, the Asian Civilisations Museum is really not bad and you all can consider visiting if you need a cultural fix. Be sure to time your visit when there's a free tour going on to get the most out of it. Interestingly, most of the exhibits are not about Singapore (maybe that's why its not bad?)

Here are some cute cats by the Singapore River, our very own Merlion (smirk!) and the Esplanade, otherwise known as Durians or Housefly Eyes.



Dinner at Chijmes - Hog's Breath Cafe. Fries were very good... bet they were fried in animal fat :p Vegetable oil doesn't give that kind of taste.



After dinner drinks at City Space:



Peach Schnapps not nice. Singapore Sling is as usual, way too sweet and cough-mixture-like. If you have the chance, go on a Sat night at 9 to listen to the jazz singer. Love her voice! Puts me into dreamy mode (the alcohol helps)

Next up, the Night Safari. Hasn't changed much, and I still like the capybaras best. It was terribly crowded on a Saturday night. During the animal show, the compere was looking for volunteers and asked "Do we have anyone from India?" -loud uproar of patriotic voices-. She then asked "Do we have anyone from China?" -madly waving hands- Seems like a good indication of where our tourists come from. Haha. Took a picture of a very cute little girl - I think she's pretty enough to take part in those kid pageants.








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Sun and onwards was spent at Bintan! Departed from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. Food scene/entertainment options there are dismal so you might really consider lunching somewhere else or bringing a book to read while waiting. Lots of construction going on too.



We got picked up and driven to our resort - Mayang Sari Beach Resort. Price-wise it was pretty similar to Bintan Lagoon but a lot more expensive than Nirwana Gardens, about $60 difference. The reception area was simple with some tacky Christmas decorations, but we were served some yummy pineapple juice while waiting to check in. We got the Seaturtle No. 1 chalet! Got the sea-facing chalet which, in my opinion, is worth the money if you are going to a beach resort. Better than I thought it would be...















Spent the afternoon lying in a hammock with a book, but I never got down to reading the book cos lying there and looking at the blue sky and listening to the waves was already intoxicating :) Some interesting sights on the beach:





Dinner was at the Kelong restaurant, which lies on stilts. We had Gong Gong (sea snails) and crispy sotong for dinner. After dinner drinks at the Calypso Bar. The bartender, named Jesse, was very nice. Had really sparkling white teeth too.











Next day, we had a massage at Pasar Oleh Oleh, some tourist town outside the resort area. Got picked up in a nice SUV (I love SUVs!) and were subjected to some fantastic contortionistic moves. They also did the spine and neck cracking thing which is super scary!!! Finished off with a nice hair wash. Shops were nothing to rave about though. All of them selling variations of each other with high prices to boot. Lots of them are owned by the same company too. BAD shopping.



Here are some pictures of Nirwana Gardens, the sister resort:

Verdict: Nice, with lots more facilities than Mayang Sari, but also lots more screaming kids. Mayang Sari has no pool so if you wanna swim in one you need to take the bus over here. Don't really see the need for a pool when you have the beach right in front though. The beach at Mayang Sari is way bigger and nicer.







Dinner was at Mana Mana Beach Club. This is the cheapest of the lot but I didn't get to see the actual cabanas which are not so near the beach, I think. Listed the prices for water sports in case any of you are interested. They did serve a yummy thin-crusted pizza which is made on the spot by their own chef. Recommended!







Wasn't long before it was time to pack up and go :( Got driven to the ferry terminal, and the hotel's service was really good cos they found out I left my camera charger behind and got someone to rush it over before the ferry left. The resort guy also told me to try out the Indra Maya villas next time, and I'd get a discount for being a repeat customer. The villas have their own private pool and come with the use of a buggy so you can drive around on your own. Shiok leh! He said it costs about $500+ a night, which, when divided among 4-5 people, is even cheaper than Mayang Sari. Next time must go! A-L gang interested or not??

Back to Singapore and then saw my friend off at the airport. 姚蓉姐姐要好好照顾自己,睁开眼睛看路! 相信阿玲会好好看着你的...嘻. 下次再来玩.谢谢你千里迢迢的飞来看我!

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The mundane life begins again. Bah!