Day 2 - City Tour, Thursday, Dec 25 2008

Singapore's symbol ~ the Merlion

(top half is a lion & bottom half is a mermaid)

Early on Christmas morning, I was sitting in the Starbucks adjacent to my hotel. I overheard a man telling the Starbucks staff how he put flour footprints on the carpet so his kids would think Santa had come! Was kinda cute...

By 09:30 I started with my first tour - the City Tour. The buildings are awesome - I love good architecture! I mean, check out this building (on the right) ... it's like a knife, right?!

Day 1 - Christmas Eve in Orchard, Wednesday, Dec 24 2008

Orchard was THE area to be in on Christmas Eve....

Just take a look at these pics! Even though it was raining,
there was no way I was going to sit in my hotel room ~

Häagen-Dazs ice-cream....DIVINE!

Day 1 - Dinner, Wednesday, Dec 24 2008

I was dying to eat Indian food. So a few minutes away from my hotel, I found a restaurant called Bombay Woodlands Restaurant. I had Bhel Puri ~ puffed rice, papdi, onions, peanuts, potatoes and chilli in a blend of chutneys topped with sev. ....and a cup of masala tea. I was in heaven!

With every spoon that I had, I knew that the only person who would appreciate the moment was my mum!

Day 1 - My hotel, Wednesday, Dec 24 2008

I stayed at the Orchard Parade Hotel ~ it was the perfect location,
because Orchard was definitely the place to be on Christmas eve!

At night

The lobby

My room

View from my balcony

Day 1 - Arriving in Singapore, Wednesday, Dec 24 2008

The hotel I had to book my ticket at

My friend told me that there's a bus that goes to Kuala Lumpur (KL) from Singapore. When I checked into my hotel, I booked 2 tours for the following day - 1) A City Tour and 2) Sentosa Island. The 2 gentlemen at the concierge desk helped me so much with booking tickets to KL.

I had to go to the Concorde Hotel to book the ticket with Luxury Tours. Some people advised me to book a one way ticket - it works out cheaper. And when I arrive in KL, I can book a ticket back. I was hesitant to do this, because what if I couldn't get back to Singapore in time to catch my flight back to Korea?! Well, it was a chance I was willing to take!

Day 1 - Leaving Korea, Wednesday, Dec 24 2008

Hotel booking desk at Changi Airport

Getting to the airport isn't just a matter of calling a cab. From my apartment, I need to get a cab to take me to a certain bus stop. Most of the flights I've taken have been early morning, so I have had to find a cab around 05:30.

Once I get to the bus stop, I have to wait in the ice cold for the airport limousine (bus). Depending on how friendly the driver is, I have to lug my luggage up the stairs onto the bus.

Anyways, an hour later I arrived at Incheon Intl. 6 hours later, I arrived in Singapore.

I didn't make any hotel reservations before I left. A friend advised me to book my hotel from the airport - apparently, the rates are MUCH cheaper.

I did just that. It was Christmas Eve, and as one can imagine...prices were very high.

I chose to stay at the Orchard Parade Hotel, and was *very* lucky to get such a good deal. A few minutes later, I took an airport/hotel shuttle and off I went.

It was raining when I landed~

Pre-Travel Notes

I had some time off at the end of December, and I remembered what my friend, Brian told me - "If you have time off, just travel..."

I looked at various options and decided on going to Singapore. No one was available to travel with me. There was no way I was going to let a week go to waste, so I went ahead and booked ONE ticket to Singapore! This was going to be the first time I was going on holiday...alone!

I booked it at the end of November but I was so busy with work that I didn't think much about it. School closed on Monday, December 22 2008 and I was leaving on Wednesday, December 24.

After finishing work early on Monday, I went to KEB (Korean Exchange Bank) to convert my currency. It was only after this that I really started to feel like I was 'going away'.