I have never been to any of our neighboring countries – Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Philippines and Vietnam. Not that I don’t have the desire to explore these countries, but it is mainly because of the ideas I always have in mind regarding the weather, cultures and food in these countries which I thought are almost the same to ours. My bad and I was totally wrong. These countries have so much to offer and experience. Sometimes, I spend time reading journals and blog entries written by those who have travelled to these countries and was enchanted by their amazing stories. Watching great videos showcasing the beauty of natures, the modern cities, the people, custom and traditions, different diversities and many more have changed my opinion and have made me want to go out and explore these countries too one day. Too sad that the whole world is now being attacked by Covid19 and the tourism industry is facing a downfall.

Before Covid19 hit the world, I have had a plan to visit Singapore with my friends and we had tried our very best to find the perfect dates to travel. We discussed briefly where to sleep, what to eat and what kind of activities we wanted to do during our trip. Singapore is a small country but upon doing our research we were surprised to discover so many interesting things to do. We almost bought our tickets last year but we could sense something seemed off with all the sad news here and there. Due to the increasing number of Covid19 cases, we all had to stay at home and MCO lasted for months. Borders were closed and no one was allowed to travel out of the country. But fret not people !! Once Covid19 is over (which I pray hard it is going to end very soon), we are ready to spread our wings out again and fly high. One of the destinations that I have in mind is definitely Singapore.

I always believe that – you rule your trip and there is no right or wrong. You do you and just enjoy the trip to the utmost. Other than the plane tickets, budgets and insurance, there are few other important things that I will usually take into considerations while planning for a trip  – lodging, halal local cuisines and interesting places to visit. Well, these are totally up to our preferences while designing the trip. Since we cannot go out travelling at the moment, I just want to take this chance to share my plan and what I have found out while doing my research if I ever have the opportunity to visit Singapore.

credit : https://www.mandarinoriental.com/singapore/marina-bay/luxury-hotel

Accommodation / Lodging

Everything in Singapore is expensive and finding a good place to crash might be a bit tricky. But peeps, everything is now at the tip of our fingertips. Some would want the trip to be quick and fun. Some would love to have a sensational and relaxation escapism. You choose, you are the boss. If you have more, you spend more and vice versa. There is a lot of budget hotels in Singapore if you are on a tight budget. Spend a bit of time to scroll and find something that suits our preference. But if you prefer a luxury 5-star hotel, you can check out Mandarin Oriental Singapore or Sofitel Sentosa. I would love to spend a night or two at these hotels to enjoy my vacation and reward myself with a good stay. Choosing a hotel to stay in is important to help us design our journey. I usually commute by public transportations so it is crucial aspect to consider is to find a place in a location where I can easily get the access to the public transportation’s hub.

credit : https://www.rwsentosa.com/en/articles/insider-tips-to-universal-studios-singapore

Interesting Places To Visit / Activities

Singapore is indeed a small country but surprisingly has a lot to offer to tourists. Since it is going to be my first time visit, I would love to discover all the tourist-must-visit-places in Singapore. I have a number of places I want to go and I will share a few of them with all of you. I plan to cover the Marina Bay Sand, Gardens by the Bay and the Merlion Park. A trip to Singapore is not complete without taking a picture with the Merlion statue. Since my friends love shopping, we have to visit few famous spots to shop too such as the Orchard Road, Haji Lane (they have really good street arts and murals there – perfect to take pictures for Instagram) and not to forget the Chinatown Street Market where you can get to buy souvenirs at cheaper prices. To add extra hype to the trip, one day excursion to Universal Studio Singapore is needed. It is time to cater the hunger of our adrenalin rush by riding all the rides and have lots of fun exploring the theme park.

credit : https://recipesaresimple.com/recipe/singapore-chilli-crab/

Halal Local Cuisine

Food is essential and usually I will go find halal local cuisine to try. Though I love to eat, I am quite a picky eater. Being a neighbor country to Malaysia, I believe Singapore’s cuisines are not much different to our pallets and that excites me to try their food. I would love to taste their top halal food and I have some menus to share with all of you. The first and top menu in my list is the famous chili crab people have been talking about. We can find chili crab at almost all seafood restaurants available in Singapore and there are few restaurants are halal certified. Gosh !! The crabs are all looking so good and inviting. Next in line, I have the famous Singapore murtabak specifically from Zam Zam Restaurant to try. I have been reading review from many people who have tried the murtabak saying that it is so good. I am a big fan of murtabak and I am all in for this. Last but not least, I want to try eating bone marrow and ‘sup tulang’ at Haji Kadir Food Chain. I have never tried sucking out bone marrow even in Malaysia but dare enough to try once I am in Singapore. The power of travelling!!

Sharing all these points really make me want to travel again real soon. I miss everything about travelling especially the nervousness and excitement all together getting into new places and explore. 

Soon.. soon perhaps.

Till then, wait for me Singapore !!