Departure from Singapore

DAY 6

It's time to go home.

Airasia flights from Singapore to Clark was 10am. That's why we left the hotel as early as 7am. Because of our heavy luggage, we just hired 2 vans to take us to the airport. Each van can accommodate 10 persons and cost $50. Just ask your hotel about this for hassle-free airport transfer.

We took our breakfast after checking in. 

In Singapore, you can enjoy 7% Goods and Services Tax (GST) Refund for your purchases of $100 above at participating stores. 

1. At the shop, simply ask for GST and they will process the form and attached it it your receipt. If you will not ask, it won't automatically given. Good thing I already knew about this. 

2. At the airport, if you plan to check-in your purchases, apply your GST refund at the eTRS kiosk located at the Departure Hall (before the departure immigration). Just follow the instructions and you're done. 

3. If you plan to hand-carry your items, after check-in, proceed to the Departure Transit Lounge at the airport. There are also eTRS kiosk there but proceed at the counter immediately and present your receipts/invoices with the attached eTRS ticket. Remember, no eTRS no Refund. The guy before me was asked to present his purchases, maybe because he purchased electronics. The officer didn't require me though. 

4. Collect your refund. Just present your credit card and it will automatically credited within 10 days. In my case, I forgot my credit card in my other bag and my refund were in cash. I went to the next counter, the Central Refund Counter and collected my cash.

Changi Airport has many shops and restaurants. As we passed by the perfume station, we found out that it's much cheaper here than in malls. 

We boarded on-time but we didn't immediately fly because of the haze. After almost 45 minutes delayed, we were finally cleared to go. We experienced many turbulence as we enter the PAR.

Upon landing at DMIA, it was so windy.

There was a long queue inside the airport. There were only 2 immigration officers processing our papers. After clearing the immigration, upon collecting our bags, we were greeted by Airasia staffs. They do have a promo.  

High-5! AirAsia has been named the World's Best Low-Cost Airline for the fifth year running. To celebrate, they're giving away 2 pairs of free flights for the most creative High-5 moments shared with them.

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Where to Eat in Singapore

We ate whenever we were hungry. Foods in Singapore ranges from $3- $15 per person. In our case, we ordered different variety so we can taste them all.

When in Marina Bay Sands, we ate at Rasapura Masters Foodcourt.  They have mouthwatering foods from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and China. Gerry's Grill is here.

At Vivo City Mall, we ate at Food Republic.

We loved the Indonesian Chicken Barbeque.

At Serangoon, we ate at KFC. No gravy for the chicken :(

At Orchard road, we ate at Kabayan Filipino Restaurant at Lucky Plaza.

At Universal Studios, we ate at Starbot Cafe.

Leg of Turkey - $12

And our favorite.... Mongkok Dim Sum at the corner of Geylang Lorong 8. Foods were so yummy we actually ate here 4 times during our stay at Geylang. 

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Orchard Road, Chinatown and Clark Quay

DAY 5

Time for shopping for some pasalubong.

Our first destination is Orchard Road.  It is lined-up with malls and shops of high end brands. We went to ION to buy D&G perfume. If you want something Filipino, visit Lucky Plaza. There are restaurants there that serves Filipino cuisines. Jollibee is also located at Lucky Plaza. It's truly a haven for Filipinos.

After doing some shopping, we went back to Bugis to eat the $1 ice cream again.  We went back to the hotel to take a short nap. At around 4pm, we went to Chinatown. Pagoda Street and Smith Street are famous tourist spots. It's much cheaper to buy stuffs here than i Bugis. We got 36pcs Singapore keychains for only $10.

Then our last stop is Clark Quay, which lies at the mouth of Singapore river.  We were supposed to dine here but we found out that most stores were fine dining restaurants or those serving wine and liquors. This will not do because we were so hungry. We eventually bought sale shoes from Hush Puppies. We just took photographs and head back to Geylang to eat.

 Day 5 is to tiring. Shopping is so tiring. Walking is so tiring. But we enjoyed every minute of it.

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Ride the Movies at Universal Studios Singapore

Day 4

We spent our whole day at Universal Studios.  Our group was divided and the other half went to Jurong East. This time, we rode the Sentosa Express at level 3 near Food Republic.

We booked our tickets online and we grabbed the 3+1 MasterCard promo for $222. Regular ticket sale price is $74 for adult and $54 for child. There is 15-20% discount because it's the Great Singapore Sale.

The park opens at 10am so be there early to avoid long queue inside.

USS is divided into 7 distinct zones.

Map of USS

www.singapore-vacation-attractions.com

1. HOLLYWOOD

Upon entering you will find yourself in Hollywood.This street is lined up with shops and they say that it replicated the Hollywood in 1940's. Here you will encounter famous Hollywood actors and characters.

2. NEW YORK

After Hollywood, we turned right to New York zone. The attractions here are Lights, Camera, Action! by Steven Spielberg and Elmo Spaghetti Chase. You should not missed the Lights, Camera, Action! because it's so amazing. It's a 15 minute demonstration of a hurricane in New York City. This is also the area where the Sesame Street casts do their performance. Too bad, Elmo is not present.

3. SCI-FI CITY

Next is the Sci-Fi City. The main attractions here are the Transformer Ride and the Battlestar Galactica. We took the Transformer ride and it's so fantastic. It's another level of 3D ride. Though we queued for almost 40 minutes, the ride was all worth it!

Battlestar Galactica is a dual roller coaster. The Human and Cyclone. The blue one is the Cyclone and the red one is the Human. I didn't try to ride both because I'm scared of heights.

4. ANCIENT EGYPT

The main ride here is the indoor roller coaster called The Revenge of the Mummy. We also encountered the adventurer Rick and Evelyn O'Connell.

5.  THE LOST WORLD

Who would not know the famous Jurassic Park and Waterworld. The main attraction here are the Canopy Flyer and Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure. In Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, there's a chance that you'll get wet so bring a raincoat if possible. They also sell raincoats near the entrance of the ride.

In Waterworld, you will watch live action and stunts based on the blockbuster film Waterworld. It's like watching the film..LIVE. If you don't want to get wet, don't sit at blue and green benches.

6. FAR FAR AWAY

We watched the Shrek 4D Adventure. It was an amazing experience as you can feel the water sputtering and spiders crawling just by sitting in the theater.  There is also the Enchanted Airways which is a junior coaster and Donkey Live Show where you’ll be literally talking to a donkey.

 

7. MADAGASCAR

The last zone is the Madagascar. It's based on the animated movie. Because we were so tired, we didn't tried the attractions. While resting under the shade, I saw people lining up. I got curious and I also lined up without knowing what will happen. The suddenly all these characters we loved came out for a live performance. I found myself squeezing to get in the front row. After the show, line up for photo ops with Alex, Gloria, King Julien XIII and penguins Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private.

By the time we finished visiting all the zones, we were dead tired.  But the day was filled with fun and new experience for us. I'm hoping we can come back again. Highly recommended for family and friends. This is one of our best time in our Singapore tour.

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