Going Home was a toughie

Unlike all the flights I've been with, the Trip to Singapore has the most unforgettable firsts...

SG was my first overseas trip.
Staying in The Inn-Crowd Hostel was my first non-private accommodation.
The trip to SG graced my new passport with the first ever immigration stamp.
I missed my flight.

I missed my flight was the highlight of the entire trip. It gave me a lot of learning where the lessons were tough and there were no short cuts.

The Go Lite ticket only allowed 7kgs of hand-carry baggage.  My backpack weighed ~11++kg...Just because I couldn't afford paying a whole lot more than an arm for the excess baggage, I went to the rest room to figure my game plan...

The Weight Obstacle--I changed my shirt.  Instead of wearing the adidas microfiber shirt, I wore a 100% cotton shirt and put on my jacket even if the temp's at 30 degrees.

I took out iPpie and the camera for me to hand carry including the tripod. I went back to the weighing scale and it tipped at 5.++ kg. That was fantastic! I told myself. hehehe. I breezed through the check in...and there I was at the waiting lounge...

 

meetings and missing

After a very long day exploring Singapore, I went home (The Inn-Crowd) to crash. I have new roomies! She just came out of the shower and was wearing only her undies! (the perks of being a backpacker's hostel guest)... :D Her partner came and...(I'mma leave the rest of the details out...)

The next morning I was up very early to meet Des before leaving. Des used to be a co-analyst before she moved to SG in search of greener pasture.There was a bag of local goodies from a friend back home that I needed to deliver. Delivery boy lang ang peg LOL!

Si Des, ang QA analyst turned OFW sa SG

Hitting the road early in the morning, I hopped on the train to Tampines Station from Bugis. Des was waiting for me in front of Guardian convenience store at the train station. We exchanged pleasantries and walked towards the mall adjacent to the train station. It was nice seeing a friend where you are the foreigner. We talked about life as an OFW and our plans...

The hurried trip to Sentosa Island

The original itinerary was to head to Sentosa Island as early as seven in the morning. And since I had a birthday hang over, I woke up late and was out of the hostel at around nine! To top the very late out of schedule gala, I got off the wrong train and stop! I spent more than half of the day getting lost along the Marina Bay...(no regrets though).

The rain kept me from moving on from the Marina Bay.  I didn't have much time to ride the Flyer. :( I took the train at the Bayfront Station and went on a 1-hour journey(end to end) to Vivo City.

Sentosa Island as seen from the viewing deck of the Vivo City

 Vivo City was nice. I love their viewing deck,. It's overlooking the Sentosa Island which can be reached via a bridge/boardwalk, monorail and cable cars!

Gardens by the bay [Bay South Garden]

On a shoestring budget, my birthday treat to myself was full of fun and (mis)adventures. Jumping off at the wrong stop has never been this right. After discovering that the Sky garden is a difficult climb, my wandering feet led me to a trail under the bridge where I discovered "a world of wonders"...one of Singapore's National Gardens-The Bay South Gardens.

I discovered it by accident.  It was never in my "supposed" itinerary. I was contemplating on crossing the river to the Singapore Flyer.

The Singapore Flyer

Yep! just right across the river...Something caught my attention when I turned to the other direction. Huge tree-like contraptions and glass domes.

Flower Dome

The curious me could not resist the desire to discover. Wandering by the bay I found the answer.

Gardens by the Bay has a diverse range of vegetation from every continent except Antactica of course! (unless there's been a newly discovered patch of vegetation underneath the ice).

There are two domes. The Flower Dome, which obviously houses the various flowers across the globe in a controlled environment. They have a thousand-year-old olive trees from Europe!

The second dome is quite interesting.  Its the Cloud Dome. No. It's doesn't house clouds. LOL. It's the vegetation from the highlands and a 35 meter man-made waterfalls.

Super Trees and the ultra modern dome

The Garden has Super Trees! These are the trees of the future! LOL. Nah! They're man-made nets of steel. Dramatic vertical plant displays. There's a 22-meter high Skyway too that links some of the Super Trees together so you can have a bird's eye view of the vast garden. These Super Trees are more spectacular at night when they light up!

Some BIG tutubi!

The Dragonfly Lake.It's right across the Marina Bay Sands and ilang tumbling from the Bayfront MRT station! Cool and peaceful place.

Other things to see in this HUGE garden.

A loner bull in the midst of a grass land

Tribal masks

The Insect Colony

Spitting lion?

some sort of a Zen garden

"Whether you're looking to get up close with exotic species in the Cooled Conservatories, marvel at towering vertical gardens or learn about the intricacies of plant life in the themed gardens, there's plenty to see--perhaps more than you can fit in a day!" [Gardens by the Bay]

Gardens by the Bay
18 Marina Garden Drive, Singapore 018953
www.gardensbythebay.com.sg

Sentosa Island