I had never been on a cruise ship before. I’m not even sure if I had seen one before. I had been on a ferry a number of times but many of them were short trips. I had spent a couple of days on a ferry once, when I was young, to General Santos City but there was nothing remotely [...]

There’s something about the smell of new books that excites me. Call me weird but I love putting my nose close to the pages as I flip them. I also love the feeling of my fingers running on the edges of the books and its virgin pages. It’s just addictive. Books give me life. That’s why when our very little [...]

After seeing the city from the Singapore Flyer, the group decided to have early lunch at the Singapore Food Trail, located at the base of the Wheel. The Singapore Food Trail is an open-air complex of food stalls offering a variety of Asian foods. But what really sets it apart from the other dining attractions in Singapore is the vintage [...]

The wake-up call came at 6am and my roommate and I were up in no time. After doing the morning rituals, we grabbed a quick breakfast at Fragrance Hotel’s cafeteria, went back to our room to get our bags and by 8am, we were already on our way to the Singapore Flyer. I had tried the Singapore Flyer twice before [...]

When my mom learned I would be going to Singapore for the third time, she handed me a list of things I should buy for her. When I looked at the list I knew exactly where to get them — Mustafa Centre. It was not difficult at all to squeeze this quick shopping stint into my itinerary because Mustafa is [...]

Whenever I ask any of my friends who are or have been to Singapore about accommodations, I always see Fragrance Hotel in their list of recommendations. I also receive emails from readers of this blog, asking for my review of Fragrance Hotel but I could not give an opinion because I was yet to try it. The popularity of this [...]

I don’t usually dine at the airport. I have always had this notion that airport food is ridiculously overpriced. I usually eat first at home or at a cheap restaurant near the hotel before going to the airport to save money. But since this was a sponsored trip, I was not complaining! The group crossed over to the Departure Check-in [...]

I was the first to arrive at our meeting place. My fellow travel bloggers and I agreed to assemble at the Airphil Express area at the NAIA Terminal 3 and I was the first one there. That’s how excited I was for this trip. The first thing I did was get several copies of the Departure Cards to save my [...]

I had never been on a cruise before. I had traveled by ship many times — to General Santos City, to Puerto Princesa, to Calapan, Mindoro. Although I enjoyed these journeys very much, I had never experienced being on board a cruise ship, with many luxurious amenities. That’s why I was thrilled when I received an invitation from Airphil Express [...]

Our first day at Anawangin Cove was totally lovely. But the meat of our trip really was the “leaving the cove” part! Murphy seemed to have hopped onto the boat with us. Murphy’s Law was just at work that day, proving just how poor a traveler I was! On the way to check out nearby Capones and Camara Islands, our [...]

When I first saw a picture of Anawangin Cove, I didn’t think it was taken in the Philippines. Primarily because of what looked like pine trees towering on the beach. I used to have this idea that pine trees in the Philippines were all in the highlands. I was so wrong. Anawangin Cove is a perfect proof of many cliches [...]

Let me talk about my college friend Mimay. To be honest, it’s weird that I call her a “college friend.” Although we shared the same batch, same college org and even same classes, we weren’t really close in college, looking back. She was busy doing theater while I was busy being emo. It was after graduation that we really became [...]

Singapore has a special place in my heart. It was the first city outside of the Philippines that I set foot on. My first time was almost two years ago and it was on that trip that I met some of friends. That’s why when I was thinking of a trip for me and my mom, it was easy for [...]

Here’s something I learned in my recent trip to Singapore. Tourists in Singapore can actually claim refund on GST (Goods and Services Tax) paid for items purchased from establishments that are participating in the Tourist Refund Scheme. Introduced in May 2011, the Electronic Tourist Refund Scheme (eTRS) allows tourists to get back the GST they paid on your purchases when [...]

One of the most easily recognizable landmarks in Singapore is the Singapore Flyer. This enormous ferris wheel gives passengers a great 360-degree view of the city. Standing 541 feet tall, this is the world’s biggest observation wheel and the tallest in the world, taller than the famous London Eye in Europe. While onboard one of the capsules of the Flyer, [...]