CutiCuti: Singapore Day 1 - Universal Studios Singapore, Sentosa Island

Assalamualaikum. Annyeong.

According to my plan, we were supposed to look around Sentosa Resort before entering USS. Since the theme park opens at 10a. That is; IF the coach departed from Johor as scheduled. But we could only plan, Allah determined everything. 

Nevermind that...I have set my foot upon USS ground, eventually. Be grateful for there are still people who don't get the chance to go. Selamat tiba pun salah satu rahmat...not to forget, the bright sunny day. Alhamdulillah.

 Hollywood zone. The first part to be seen upon entering.

Standing before the Hollywood alley.

Left turn at the end of the Hollywood road. We're greeted by the characters from Madagascar. Didn't take any pictures at this section though. Except the one above. Ngek.

Yippie! The Far Far Away Castle. Finally, beautifully standing before my eyes! It would be super great if we could stay until the Hollywood Dreams Parade...where the castle will be lighted with colorful lights. 

Photoop moment. We were there just in time...Shrek & Princess Fiona went out of the castle to greet their fans. 

At the main door of the castle. We queued for less than ten minutes for the Shrek 3-D film show. 

A little bit of introduction before entering the theater. Reward to those who have seen Ogre? Why Gingerbread looks so sad? Pinocchio locked & chained in a box? What did Shrek do to save his beloved wife & friends? 

The twenty minutes show is indeed entertaining. The physical effects that synchronized with the film make it more enjoyable. Moving chairs. Water sprinkle everytime Donkey sneezes. Wind blows. Spiders crawling at the feet. I enjoyed the show. Bunda was so into the show; reacted to every effects. 

It's time to enter the Ancient Egypt. Ready to meet the Mommies...

But the queue for the Revenge of the Mommy roller coaster ride was ridiculously long...we skipped the idea to ride. And luckily met these fellas. Is that Anck-Su-Namun; Imhotep's long lost love? 

A photo with the trademark at every zone is a must. Albeit the scorching sun, posing perlu maintain senyum lebar.

Sci-Fi zone. Meet my darling Bumble-Bee. Standing so sexy up there. Love love!

Bunda's favorite hero in Transformers. Optimus Prime! It's a robot. It moves & listened to instructions from the staffs. Cool, huh! 

Queuing for more than forty minutes for the Transformers: The Ride. A ride worth my waiting time!  Recommended big time! Seriously! And I didn't complain at all although the line was way too long. 

Brilliant way to entertain the bored us. The path leading to the departure area are filled with Transformers thingy. They made it look like we're in their ship. That's the sparks we have to protect in order to protect the earth. 

We proceeded to the New York zone...and found the Sesame Streets' famous characters were performing in front of the 'library'.

We met so many characters & that made us happy visitors! I never expected I will have the chance to meet Shrek, Fiona, friendly Ernie...let alone Elmo! I didn't care if I have to chase him all evening in order to get a photo together.

Hahaha come to think of it; I was either the first or the second in queue each time a character appeared for photoop session. Buruk perangai; mesti terkinja lari ndak ingat dunia. 

Lights, Camera, Action hosted by Steven Spielberg. The stage is set up to show how special effect in a movie were made. In here, the scene mimics a major hurricane hitting New York City. 

Sold for $3 each. Shedap!

Took out our bakcpacks from the locker...and it's time to bid goodbye to USS. We will visit again soon. Insya Allah. And that time I already know which ride to go first. Definitely the Mummy's ride. Never the Galactica. Be it the Cylon nor the Human ride. Yeah, I am that chicken for such ride! And also what shows to watch. We accidentally skipped quite a few exciting shows. Rugi! But for Lost World, we purposely skip the zone. 

Out from USS, there is this shop selling candies. Most colorful top vision. Varieties of candies decorated the tree outside this shop.

We rode the Sentosa Express from USS to Vivo City Mall. And later rode the MRT to Aljunied; the nearest station to our hotel in Geylang Road.  It is only 10 minutes walking distance to reach the hotel from Aljunied. 

 ****************************************************************************

Surau @ prayer room at Universal Studios Singapore is situated at the Sci Fi section. Near the Battlestar Galactica-Human entrance. Refer picture below; with the yellow box. If u're coming from the Transformers area, it would be on ur left side. U could take ur ablution at the toilet nearby. 

But please keep in mind; the surau has no partition for man & woman. It's rather small too; could only accommodate few people at a time. I didn't perform my solah here as it was a bit crowded when I went there.

As we finished exploring the theme park at 530p & still have few hours more to perform our jama'; thus we decided to straightaway go to our hotel. Since Bunda & Ms A seem to be out of energy; I forgo the idea to stroll around the resort area. Insya Allah, next time I will take my own sweet time to do the leisure walking. 

I also found a passable spot to perform solah in the theme park. The tent where we took picture with Shrek & Fiona; is secluded from the crowds. Not many people pass the pathway. The tent is behind the building situated opposite the Far Away Castle. Next to the small fountain surrounding the frog statue. Maybe there are few other spots but this is the only spot I managed to scanned. And it passed my own piawai. 

eryantierdabdulkarim

CutiCuti: Johor Bahru to USS by Odyssey

Assalamualaikum. Annyeong.

Johor Bahru to Universal Studios Singapore by Odyssey Coach!

We woke up pretty early that morning. Excited for the trip. It's been my wish to visit Universal Studios Singapore. Well at the very least, to take a photo before the infamous revolving globe at the entrance area of the theme park.

Alhamdulillah. Dream came true. And to top it up, I went there with Bunda. Double bliss.

Always fall in love with the morning skies...sunrise never failed to amused me. As Tune Hotel is situated near Danga Bay, the view from the lobby was pretty awesome. 

But Odyssey let me down that morning. Not good for first impression. I didn't know who to blame nor did I know where to put the blame. We were told to gather by 715a in front of the hotel entrance. By 730a, there wasn't any glimpse of coach at all. People started to get bored by 8a. I could hear all sorts of griping & complaining. Bunda started to 'throw her tantrum' as well. I pitied those parents with little kids. Hours of waiting with nothing entertaining; definitely wasn't a great idea for them. 

The buses finally arrived quarter to 9a. Again, silly thing happened. As if they've just started running the business, everything seem too chaotic for me. We were asked to fill in the form for seat booking during the time we exchange the voucher to boarding pass. By logic they should already have the number of people who will board the bus. But two buses weren't enough to accommodate number of people waiting. After so much dillydallied, we finally departed from Johor at 10a. 

Fortunately, the immigration processes at both checkpoints didn't take long. 

For less than twenty minutes, we arrived at Johor Bahru CIQ. The coach driver dropped us here (picture above) & waited us at the exit point. We can just leave our backpacks/foods etc in the coach since we're still in our country; and there's no baggage screening at this point yet. Next time, I would like to try to go to Singapore by car. Insya Allah.

On board the coach; crossing the causeway to Singapore. I can see the city from here already. Adrenaline pumping up more. Poyo!

The driver dropped us once more at the side of the road & we had to walk to Woodlands immigration building. This time, we have to bring whatever things we brought from Malaysia. They will be screened before we left the building thus it is best not to bring any prohibited items with u. 

Everything settled at one go. Down from the escalator, coach is already waiting for us at the parking bay. The upside of taking chartered coach instead of public bus, perhaps. Since we entered Singapore on the weekend, traffic was a bit slow. We only managed to arrived Sentosa World Resort at 11-ish. Despite the hassles earlier, I thanked Allah for we arrived safely. 

Out from the coach. This is how the basement looks like. We got on the escalator pointing to Universal Studios. Anyway, for those going back to Johor on the same day, u will need to be at the parking bay where the driver dropped u during arrival...15 minutes before 7p. 

The escalator will take u to this view. Tadaaaaa...USS' revolving globe before my eyes! Truly a dream came true it is. But first thing first; I warned myself. Before the jumping with joy kinda poses...let's find the most important place. Lockers room! We have super heavy & huge backpacks with us; exploring the park wouldn't be great with them. Yes? And photos will not look good either. 

Typical me, I did my own research where the lockers room is situated before the trip. I downloaded the resort's map; sekian! From the escalator, the lockers room is behind the globe. Next to Hershey's shop & Universal That's A Wrap gift shop. As we have three backpacks, we chose for the big locker. I don't know about the rental fee for the small lockers but for the big ones; it cost us $20 for a day. U can also opt to rent it for two or four hours. Rate is cheaper.

Time to pose...and pose...and pose. Ignoring the grumbling tummy. We only took light breakfast at the hotel hence explain the famished tummy. Cik Err was here! Finally! A photo of mine before the globe.

And another pose...albeit the sea of people, I managed to have my picture taken with no stranger in it. Makaseh Bunda.

A must enter place for hunger people like us. For Muslims, there are only two stalls with Halal sign available. They situated next to one another. From the entrance, take right. The stalls would be on ur left side. I had nasi lemak with chicken for early lunch. While Bunda & Ms A had mutton briyani. Don't question the price; it's in the theme park remember. Tourist spot. 

View from inside the so-called food street. Unique concept with numbers of stall selling variety of foods to choose from. 

Brilliant effort...instead of using polystyrene or plastic material which obviously is non-degradable, Singapore opted for a greener world. It's a biodegradable product! Talk about conserving the environment for future generations. 

Done with our meals...we entered the theme park. Hooray! The awaited moment had arrived. It's weekend thus the crowds. 

Anyhow, it's a wrap for now! Stories & pictures inside USS will be updated in the next entry. Insya Allah.

eryantierdabdulkarim

CutiCuti: First Day in Johor

Assalamualaikum. Annyeong.

Kesinambungan from previous entry.

After checking in...we immediately went to the Odyssey office to exchange our voucher with the boarding pass & immigration card. Settled there, we went up to our room. Refreshed ourselves...performed our jama' & were ready to go out for lunch. It's already 3p, no wonder the tummy started singing off tune. Asked the receptionist to call the taxi for us. Few minutes of waiting, taxi arrived...and off we go to City Square. 

Initially we planned to have late lunch at Lat's Restaurant but since booking is needed prior going, we cancelled the plan & proceeded to the nearest mall from TH. 

View outside the hotel's lobby.

Since I booked only the basic room...we have to rent the towel. The rental comes in package with soap & shampoo. But knowing me, soap if forever a foe to my fussy skin. It will become dry & itchy. That's why I always bring my own shower cream when I travel. Anyway, for this towel+soap+shampoo package it costs us RM 6.00 each. That red sling pack is urs to take home. Jadi ulu macam kami, we hesitated at first whether can we take it or not. 

Perlu ok posing di situ...trip pelancong kan. After all, this is my second time to Johor Bahru after 15 years! The last time I went there, I didn't do any sightseeing. Nor did I stopped by to any shopping mall. City Square is just a 10 minutes drive from the hotel. It is situated in the heart of Johor Bahru. Connected with a bridge to the newly built Johor Sentral. Those who wish to go to Singapore can board the bus from the CIQ Immigration building opposite Johor Sentral. Before boarding the bus make sure sudah cop pasport ah. Insya Allah, next time I will try this method. 

We immediately entered the first restaurant we encountered. Obvious enough, huh. Lapar tahap gaban! 

Trio ladies trip it was. Enjoying our scrumptious meals at Season Cafe, City Square Mall. Their baked rice is worth trying! Penuh cheese!

After the late lunch...we wandered around the mall. The idea to visit Hello Kitty world popped out but Bunda straightaway rejected it. She suggested to just go back to our hotel & recharge for tomorrow's activity.

But I don't remember how the idea to go to the Johor Premium Outlet attracted her. We took taxi from the hotel to this place. Quite a distant I must say. JPO is surrounded by oil palm plantations & highways. Harus ada no. taxi because taxi don't just randomly roam around here. Unless kau bernasib baik, ada orang yang memang turun di JPO. Return taxi fare to & fro Tune Hotel - JPO cost about RM 60.00.

Fine, this I have to admit. I've successfully gained extra weight after coming back from this trip. Filling up the tummy was the main agenda. Sekian terima kasih. Pasal tu first place diterjah soon after we reached JPO was the food court. Kununlah minum petang...kununlah!

Cosy juga food court di JPO. Tempted to try the Korean dishes, Lele Penyet Jawa, Tom Yam Thai...subhanallah nafsu nafsu. Worry not, I managed to ignore that ridiculous appetite. Told myself, there will definitely be heavy dinner when we're back from JPO. Macam ndak makan setahun bah gaya. We settled for roti bakar & ice cham instead. Alhamdulillah gaya tembolok ndak berleluasa.

When I reached the hotel that afternoon, my eyes caught the signboard that I couldn't simply neglect. Tanam azam dalam hati akan dinner ikan bakar superb sedap that night. Harus dilaksana nanti kempunan ok. The next day akan cross over tambak Johor, bahaya kalau ndak terampit.

Brownie-us. Sudahlah dari KK matching PINK bersama. 

Superb dinner. Love the ulam²an...and the sambal belacan to the max! I went back to our room with happy tummy. And I hit the sack pretty early; excited kau mau jelajah negara si Merlion the next day!

eryantierdabdulkarim

CutiCuti: From KK to JB

Assalamualaikum. Annyeong.

Alhamdulillah. My recent short getaway ended blissfully. Second out-of-town ladies trip for Yours Truly. Poyo!

I purchased the Air Asia ticket few months before the trip. It was indeed an impromptu decision. Was checking randomly on the promotion tickets offered when I accidentally stumbled upon the super triple cheap fare. I didn't think twice. Clicked clicked clicked, filled the form & made payment. Voila! Two return tickets to Johor Bahru with Bunda. And yeah, Singapore came in mind the moment I decided to purchase the tickets. Main destination is definitely the Universal Studio that I've been meaning to visit ever since it was opened few years back. 

After finalizing the itineraries; I proceeded with hotel bookings, coach & entrance tickets purchasing. Knowing me, Bunda wasn't surprise when I told her that I bought flight tickets to Johor for both of us. All she said was

"Remind me the date so I can arrange the pekerja earlier"

And so...after months of waiting & planning, the day eventually arrived. Syukran Allah for the opportunity. On the 22^nd Feb, we together with a friend of mine departed to Johor at 10a. Arrived Senai International Airport after two hours & a half on board. Out from the arrival hall, I bought the coupon for airport taxi at the counter near the main door. A 20 minutes journey to Tune Hotel, Danga Bay from  the airport cost RM 44.00.

As we arrived early from the 2p check-in time, we wandered around the lobby & outside the hotel killing time taking random pictures. Lucky I've made the payment via online booking; thus we were able to check-in thirty minutes earlier. 

Very helpful counter people they are; answering every ridiculous questions we threw. Not ridiculous as in nonsense lah but there were too many what-s, how-s & where-s questions. Not to forget we asked for maps as well. Talking about tripping tourist? Whatever! Cuba ndak dilayan, harus terus aku cop annoying counter people. 

I chose this hotel despite it's not so cheap price because we have to catch the coach to USS very early the next morning. Sekali harung beli when making booking for the hotel. Excuses! It's more likely that I was too lazy to search for any cheap hotels nearby...which I found out later; there are a few actually. Located only spit away from TH. Offering cheaper rate! Malu bertanya sesat jalan. I have few Johorien friends, also friends who've been to Johor many times before yet I was too snob to ask. Serve me right. 

View from outside of Tune Hotel. Tabah menawaf luar kawasan because girlfriends who will be going to USS via the same method as mine next month requested a brief explanation about how-to-exchange-the-voucher for Odyssey coach to Universal Studio Singapore works. Note the rectangle yellow line...that's where the Odyssey office is. In between the 7-Eleven store & Compass Coaches office.

Zoom in. It's selca session bersama si Err. Sekian. This is the place where u need to exchange ur voucher for the boarding pass to USS situated right next to the hotel's lobby. It's very impossible to miss it. But remember, u could only get ur pass after checking in at the hotel. U will be given a voucher in which u shall bring to the Odyssey's office. Exchange it with the boarding pass & jot down ur details on the form at the counter. Kunun tu untuk book slot time padahal the only available slot time is 730a for departure from Johor & 730p departure from USS. 

Immigration card is also given. Fill in the form the night before...to avoid any chaos early in the morning. Isi siap²lah supaya ndak sawan kena panic attack time orang lain sibuk mau board coach. Sana mau pinjam pen bagai, sesak nafas ok!

One boarding pass is for the members in ur group so please make sure the number of pax written on the pass is correct. Else, kau nangis darah the next morning bila kena deny from boarding the coach. Date tu pun penting. Please double check the boarding pass before leaving the office. As they will close at 5p, any amendment or inquiries shall be made before that. For those arriving Johor after 5p; sila email or call pihak Odyssey for further details. 

The bestie always wonder how the TH's room looks like. Here! Our room for one night; standard twins room. We didn't take the coach back to Johor as scheduled for we booked a hotel in Singapore. Bunda wanted to spend at least a night there. 

And I said...what's the point going there if I didn't take the chance to see the Garden by the Bays by myself?! Ndak kan malar layan syok sendiri through gambar orang lain, kan?

p/s If u plan on visiting Tanjung Puteri Harbour; where the Lat's Restaurant, Legoland & Hello Kitty World are; u can get the information from the Odyssey office as well. Or if u wish to explore the place by urself, u can ask further details at the Tune Hotel's reception counter. But if u're going with kids,I suggest u to take the coach. Less hassle. Less headache; definitely.

eryantierdabdulkarim