When You Say Nothing At All - Lea Walker

I love Windows Live Movie Maker! :)  And you tube, of course. hehe

I made a video using the pictures I've taken from our vacations in the Philippines and outside the country (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam).

The song in the background is my version of When You Say Nothing At All. :)







                                                                 Lea C. Walker
                                                           leawalker.blogspot.com
                                                         www.davaoproperties.com

Malaysia...

Our day started early. The bus driver had to pick us up early from the hotel because it's Singapore's election day, therefore it's a holiday. A lot of people might be travelling to Malaysia and the immigration office might be busy. So to avoid a long line, we made sure that we're at the border earlier than most.

Before reaching the border, we had to stop for fuel. There were several porches parked at the gasoline station, so all of us went down and posed with those gorgeous cars. haha.. Kinda cheap huh?! Oh well, it was fun... And nobody knows us anyways! haha...

Our visit to the immigration office was fast. We just handed our passports, had our baggages checked and then we went back to the bus already. Then we reached the border. The bridge connecting Singapore and Malaysia, reminded of the San Juanico Bridge connecting Samar and Leyte. (Will share about that trip sometime in the future...)
After crossing the bridge, we stopped at the first restaurant we saw. I guess the driver and Mr. Singh (our tour guide) know the owner, that's why we were brought there.

I was amazed that they have fried "bolinao" there! :) Since we had no idea what most of the food were, we had to keep on asking. The boy with his little english, kept on telling us "potato" , on most of the fried "something" there.. lol Only to find out that one those "somethings" are fried bananas. hahaha I just found that really funny. I guess, that's the only english word he knows... It was difficult to know exactly what that was because it looked like "empanada".. In the Philippines, you would assume that it's meat with vegetables inside. But abroad, it can be a lot of other things right? Things that I might not want to put in my mouth.. John told me that I will go hungry when we do our Asian trip later this year because I'm so picky. I told him that I cannot eat something I do not know. I'm sorry, some food there looked different. When we go to a fast food in our country, the food looks delicious right? Whether it tastes delicious or not, is everyone's guess.. hehe. But they surely look delicious. But one look at the food there, I know I wouldn't want to taste them. So I try to stick to things I know, specially when I'm very hungry.

The bus trip to Malaysia was a long journey. It's like travelling from Davao to Cagayan De Oro. It's at least 6 hours. The good news though is that their roads are impeccable. It's so clean and wide. And it does not need repairs (hehe.. unlike in our country).. It won't need it for a very long time , I believe.
The view reminded me of Agusan because of the Palm Tree Plantation. For hours, that's what you will see. Kinda boring I guess for some people. But for me, any new experience, is exciting.











Lea C. Walker
www.davaoproperties.com

Singapore's Tourist Destinations 2

At Oceanarium, Sentosa Underwater World, Singapore

The first time I went to Singapore was in 2007 with my husband, John. I remember wondering why there was still daylight even at 8:00 in the evening. In the Philippines, 6pm is already dark. Singapore is just a 4 hour trip from Davao so I did not expect the difference. :)

We stayed there for a week so we were able to visit several places. We took our time enjoying every bit of it.

I've learned that the best way to familiarize yourself in a new place is to walk. We stayed around Orchard Road so we were able to visit several malls.


But what really interested him was Sim Lim Square. This building houses at least a hundred shops selling computer stuff... :) While he was busy at Sim Lim Square, I explored at the nearby Bugis Market. Unlike John, I am not a computer geek :) So shopping for computer gadgets isn't my thing.

I am so glad I walked towards Bugis Market because I love the place! I bought several trinkets and tshirts for pasalubong. I can't believe how cheap they were considering the quality of the products I bought. I found also a jade bracelet and pendant . (which by the way still looks nice until now - did not fade at all) I bought them both for 10 singapore dollars. That's about P350.00 pesos only. Not bad right? :) I think that's the technique, enjoy browsing the available products at a local market. And haggle with a smile! :) Believe me, you can never go wrong!

The next day was our scheduled trip to Sentosa. This island used to be a forest but Singapore developed it into a sprawling mega theme park with famous attractions such as the Underwater world, cable ride, etc. I loved the Dolphin Show! They looked so cute when they playfully cooperated with the people and the show incharge. :)




The ocean park was amazing. :) The walk through tunnel made me feel like I was really underwater watching the fishes. What I love the most were the colorful school of tropical fishes. The sharks looked scary and I'm glad that I'm not really in the water with them... hehe. Then there's dugong , stingrays, giant crabs, etc.

Of course, sentosa trip isn't complete without the cable ride, right? LOL... I have fear of heights. I hate it, i hate it, i hate it... But being the adventurous me, I couldn't let this opportunity pass without knowing how it feels to be in a cable car. John asked me several times if I was sure.. I kept telling him (or myself?) that yes, I was sure! haha

The moment we entered the car, there was no looking back... If I looked pale, I think the other tourist infront of me looked like she's drained with blood. And then I realized that it wasn't that bad, after all.. I was told not to look down, but I couldn't help it. The view was so beautiful!



The cable trip was short and beautiful. Even if i'm scared of heights, it didn't bother me as much. But of course, I told myself that since I've hurdled it, I will never, ever try it again... Or so
I thought .. But that's another story... Sometime in the future , I'll tell you about it.




One of the experiences that amazes me is the fountain of wealth. We were told that one has to go around the fountain 3 times and make a wish. I didn't know if it will come true or not, but what am I to lose if I try it right? :) Looking back now, I believe that most of what I prayed/wished for really came true. Maybe it's destiny , written in the stars, however you may call it and maybe the fountain of wealth has nothing to do with it, but it worked for me. :)


SINGAPORE ZOO:


I've never been to a zoo that big. The whole place according to wikipedia is only 28 hectares. But when you try to walk through it, it seems massive. ha ha.. That was one of the best experiences I had during the trip. For the first time , I've seen a polar bear. :) A gorgeous white tiger. A romantic giraffe.. hehe.

Singapore is such a fun place to visit when you want to go on vacation. Everything is tailored for the tourists' satisfaction. So it's easy to get a tour of the island even if you have no prior bookings. Just get a leaflet from the hotel receptionist and they'll gladly help you book the tour you want to join.. Plus the place is so clean and safe! :)

I'd go there again, given the chance, anytime...

Singapore's Tourist Destinations

On our 2nd day in Singapore, our travel guide gave us a City Tour. First stop was the Merlion Park. Walking towards the merlion park, we passed by this beautiful garden and crossed a victorian type bridge which I found perfect for picture taking. :) Of course, every vacation isn't complete without pictures right? So I looked for a place where I could get a good angle of the bridge. Then, a tourist boat passed by which made it so beautiful to me. :)

                                
Our tourist guide explained that the government people decided to take down the "daddy" merlion so they can replace it with a hotel. So what's left now is this baby merlion.

The Merlion place is surrounded by big buildings famous for their architectural design. I love the Marina Bay Sands hotel whose amenities are housed on a shiplike structure on top of the 3 hotel buildings. Then, there's "The Palm", which is Singapore's library and science center , I think? hehe... I should have listened more to our tourist guide huh?

                                                            
                                     Beautiful right? Whoever built this is a genius, as far as I am concerned. :)

These are some of the modern buildings around the Merlion Park.



On our way out, I saw this gorgeous watch tower!


                                                         

SINGAPORE GEMS AND METAL CO.

After visiting the merlion park, we were brought to a gem store. Their products , made of different gemstones were very intricately carved, they look so astounding!




                                                                

  


National Orchid Garden:

Our last stop for the day was the National Orchid Garden. I love it, specially their souvenir store which sells a gold plated "adjustable necklace".. :) I love their orchids, but since I come from Davao, our orchids here are one of the most beautiful flowers on earth! I'm exaggerating I think? haha... But who haven't heard of waling-waling? Davao is famous for that!

                




Exotic Flowers








Ahhh.. this is why I love travelling. There are so many things to see, it seems like a lifetime, isn't enough to explore all of them...






















































   

Universal Studios

In my previous blog, I mentioned that we went to Universal Studios. The last time I was in Singapore, US wasn't there yet. So I "sort of" wondered what's in store for me when I get there. Of course, I searched online about the place. :) And so I knew that there's Hollywood, Jurassic Park, Battlestar Galactica (which I love, except the last part of the series - it became a little O.A. for me..) , Ancient Egypt , the Land of Far, Far Away, Madagascar , etc. It's different though when you are there. So I'll try to share with you my experiences... one by one. :)

HOLLYWOOD:

Ahh.. the world of entertainment! I loved watching their shows. The actors, actresses and their singers are commendable. It's like watching "That's Entertainment" (the show I watched from our neighbor's TV when I was growing up) .

John and I with Betty Boop

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA:
This Sci-Fi show will always be a classic one for me. Who would ever forget the battle between the humans and the cylons? That's what the 2 roller coasters at the BG station represent. One for the humans and one for the cylons (the robot enemy of the humans, for those who haven't watched Battlestar Galactica...)


The red mannequin at the back of John is known as SIX in the series , Battlestar Galactica. :) Check the cylon in the tshirt being held by John, scary huh?! Can you imagine being hunted by that? Gawd..


ANCIENT EGYPT:
The statues they built here are awesome! It's like being in a pyramid in Egypt.






















JURASSIC PARK:

These are mostly rides for the children. If you want to take the boat ride, do not forget to bring a raincoat. The water looks brown, that's why.. :) The children, I'm sure, will not care. haha They're in the world of Dinosaurs , after all!

John with the dinosaur. LOL

The Dino ride... I know my nephews will love this!









THE LAND OF FAR, FAR AWAY:
I am sure all of us have heard of SHREK , right? This is it! Their kingdom... :)

MADAGASCAR:

So now you understand why tourists flock by the millions to Singapore. This "entertainment package" alone rakes in at least 100,000 visitors on a monthly basis! 

I'll blog more of our Singapore trip next time.. For now, I hope you enjoy my travelogue! :)




Lea C. Walker
www.davaoproperties.com