CutiCuti: Singapore Day 1 - Gardens by the Bay

Assalamualaikum. Annyeong.

Life's been busy at the cafe these days, I'm totally exhausted the moment I reached home. I wanted to complete my Johor-Singapore trip asap but I ran out of idea everytime I started to scribble something. 

Tonight, I regained the rajin mood hence the new entry. I really hope I could finish this before the laziness attacks. Right...shorten the intro already Bie!

As I've mentioned earlier, we left Sentosa Resort by Sentosa Express. The train service is free within the resort but will need to get a ticket if u're coming from the Vivo City Mall. According to my itinerary, we shall take the train from Waterfront Station (USS) to Sentosa Station (Vivo City Mall, Level 3). From there, we took the mrt Harbour Front Station (Vivo City Mall, Level 1) to Outram Park where we change the line before alighting at Aljunied Station. 

Because we'll be using the train to commute around the city, we decided to buy the EZ-Link card. It's available at every counter at the station for $12.00. Non-refundable $5.00 for the card & $7.00 for top up. This card has the same concept as the Touch&Go in Malaysia. It can be used for the MRT, bus & taxi. 

I booked this hotel through booking.com few months before the trip. Suggested by one of my bestie who had stayed here several of times. She recommended this hotel but reminded me that the area where this hotel is located is considered as the Red District among the local. The area is safe as long as we mind our own business. Hours of walking during the day & night definitely won't spare us extra energy to ruin their normal night activity. What we need the most is a room to refresh & rest. Lantaklah apa ayam-dan-ikan mau buat di luar sana...

One of the many Hotel 81-s in Singapore. The one we stayed at located in Geylang Road; Street 16^th. Hotel 81 Palace. We took merely 10 minutes of walking from the station to reach the hotel. I saw few mamak restaurants along the way. And not only one but two 7-Eleven shops near the hotel. I know I won't starve to death if I suddenly get hungry in the middle of the night. 

Unlike most of the hotels here in KK, this hotel has quite strict rules where one room can ONLY occupied two adults. Any extra guest would be charge. Period. No negotiation. Yes, annoying to the core. Hanya seorang extra ok! Tapi kedekut space ndak da ampun!! So instead of $90.00 per night; we paid another extra of $20 for additional bed-towel-toiletries-mineral water-3in1 drinks sachets-etc-etc.

Anyways, after checking in our room...it's time to refresh. Tea time in the room only. Hotel sikit punya mahal, harus guna semua facilities semaksimumnya, ok. 3in1 drink yang disedikan perlu habis before check-out. Sila jangan membazir. Buns & breads we brought from Johor never tasted that good. Kalau kebulur semua sedap.

After Maghrib, we resumed our journey. Destination is to Gardens by the Bay. Thanks to the travel-blogger who blogged about this place. I immediately fell in love upon seeing the night view of the Garden that she photographed. The beautiful pictures truly captivated my heart & ever since then; I can't wait to have myself standing below the skytrees. We took the train from Aljunied to Bayfront station. The nearest station to reach the Garden. Out from the train, there are already signboard telling which way to go. So no worries of getting lost.

On the bridge...crossing the man-made lake to the skytree groves. Singapore Flyer could be seen from here. 

Dup dap dup dap jantung when I saw this from afar...few more metres to reach the ground where the skytree groves are planted. Sungguh drama!

Few giant canopy structures stand several metres tall. Fascinating indeed. 

The OCBC Skywalk linked the three outer rim structures. One requires a ticket for the entry. 

Gardens by the Bay divided into seven different parks. And I purposely want to only visit the Supertree Grove. Insya Allah murah rezeki next time who knows I might visit the other six parks. 

Alhamdulillah. We arrived just in time for the light show to start. I wasn't sure if the show is up every night but I am glad I got the chance to see by myself the light show performance. Bunda & Ms A enjoyed the show; mesmerized some more. We are three happy tourists. 

In my favourite hue! Love love.

Marina Bay Sands hotel as a stunning backdrop. What a memorable evening. 

The foodcourt situated behind the supertrees. 

Luckily there's one lot with Halal logo...we had our light dinner here. It is similar to KFC but the taste...sedap gila ok. Gravy for the mashed potato is delicious. Bunda said the fried chickens are crispy & juicy. Kah sebab kami lapar maka semua pun nampak bersinar di mata.

Singapore city view at night. Indeed a concrete jungle the city is.

Next, it's the Marina Bay Sands shopping mall. We were supposed to walk upon the bridge connecting the Gardens to Marina Bay Sands hotel; before reaching the mall. But Bunda was too afraid because of the height. I was determined to force her to just walk; and deal with her acrophobia when it suddenly drizzle. Nampak sangat Allah marah sama kau, Bie. 

So we went back to the mrt station & used the underground passage to enter the MBS mall.

It only took little thing to amazed me; most of the times.

MBS mall facing the Merlion Park. Separated by the Singapore River. This we will visit the next day before going back to Johor. 

Can only afford to stand outside this glass building...and verangan. Annyeong!

Lotus building situated outside far end of the mall. Near the Helix Bridge. Ntah kenapa malap jak bridge malam tu. Tujuan lintas MBS was mainly to see the Helix ala-DNA bridge!!! It was supposed to be lighted baru nampak macam spiral DNA tu. Fuh adalah sungguh sebal di situ! Siapa rajin superwalkertapaki, boleh lintas Helix to go to Merlion or Esplanade. 

Frust tertonggeng...we headed back to the mall. And saw Maybank building! lighted in pink! Terubat kesebalan. Masuk mall, walked towards the mrt station....masa untuk pulang. Kaki perlu rehat. If it's only me ndak palah, ni ada dua lagi wanita yang perlu aku fikir kekuatan stamina mereka. Trip non-solo; sila jangan selfish Bie!

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