[SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH & MANILA CATHEDRAL revisited]

Our 'visita iglesia' this year took us not down south but in Manila & QC.

We have been to these two old churches countless times before, back when we were still living in Manila. In fact, some cousins also got married here.  We had the chance to revisit the place  during the holy week respite.

San Agustin Church is one of four Philippine churches built during the Spanish colonial period designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

This Baroque church

[MISS DABBLER in PALAWAN]

End of last month, my eldest daughter got to discover Palawan with her college friends. It was her first time to travel without us. Save for the reminder or two that I gave her,  I think she had it easy when she asked for our permission regarding this trip.;) Why? Because for the past two years that she has been attending college away from home, she has proven to us that she is one responsible, independent girl who imposes limitations on herself. Besides, hubby & I believe this could be a chance for her to explore a world outside of the home she grew up in.

photo credit: YSAY LEE

I am now sharing with you her Palawan Diaries (Days 1, 2 & 3 in Puerto Princesa). 

Read on & hope you enjoy... :)

[SG part deux 2013 : UNIVERSAL STUDIOS]

Universal Studios Singapore was one of the 2 places we looked forward to seeing when we planned our trip to the Lion City.  Here's how our day tour went.

We never expected it to be that crowded. :( The line going to Sentosa via the Sentosa Express & the cable car was so long that hubby decided to get off the line & take a cab. But the first cabbie we approached refused to take us there. 

[SG part deux 2013 : MARINA BAY SANDS & GARDENS BY THE BAY]

It was a long stretch leading to the Marina Bay Sands hotel complex.

[SG part deux 2013 : ESPLANADE - Theatres on the Bay]

It was a 3-in-1 trip to Marina Bay on our second day. We had a planned meet-up with a former colleague & his family within the area. So, we decided to pass our time there to take in the sights.

ESPLANADE

We had late lunch at Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe in Marina Square.

[SG part deux 2013 : CRATE & BARREL]

Among the lifestyle stores that are inside the ION Orchard mall is CRATE & BARREL. It has an exclusive collection of home furnishings & housewares (classic to contemporary).

There are two Crate & Barrel stores here.

The one on Level 3 was where I got a lot of the pictures, thanks to the guy sales clerk who was manning the store. He allowed us to click away, no second thoughts, no conditions. ;)

[SG part deux 2013 : ION ORCHARD]

When we took the MRT at SOMERSET station & alighted at the next one, ORCHARD, this was the mall we entered into.

ION Orchard has become the 'centre of gravity' in the retail scene with spectacular frontage & cutting-edge designs & concepts.

It houses flagship stores of the world's best loved brands, like TOPSHOP, GIORGIO ARMANI, LOUIS VUITTON, DOLCE & GABBANA & CARTIER.

Aside from retail brand stores, there is a concierge, a food court, a supermarket, restaurants & cafes (casual & fine dining), furniture stores, an art gallery  etc.

Take a closer look at ION.

Facade.

 

[SG part deux 2013 : ORCHARD ROAD]

Orchard Road is Singapore's retail & entertainment hub. It is a major tourist destination, aside from it  being a popular shopping haven.

Retail malls, offices & hotels dot the area

[SG part deux 2013 : MORNING BUFFETS & EVENING SHUTEYES]

We spent 4D/3N in this hotel within the Orchard Road area.

This was our room during our entire stay, where we had  restful shuteyes all through the night. Comfort at its best.;) 

The room, particularly the toilet & bathroom, was always spic & span.

[SG part deux 2013 : CHANGI AIRPORT]

After 7 years of existence, CHANGI AIRPORT has been touted as the world's most-awarded 'Best Airport'. And for someone who has been here recently, I can say that this airport deserves the more than 420 accolades it has received. Tourists who make the transit here get the best in airport experience. 

Inside Changi & the reasons for the praises.

Arrival Area (Terminal 2)

The area is clean & well-lit.

[SG part deux 2013 : NEW FOOD TRIES]

One of the perks of travelling is you get to taste local food. In our recent trip to Singapore, we have picked up on, relished & fancied some dishes & beverages in the many places we have dined in.

***ICE KACHANG or AIS KACANG

Akin to our local 'halo-halo', this is an ice-cold dessert which contains jelly, red beans (kachang), sweet corn & attap chee (palm seeds) & topped off with a mound of shaved ice, multi-colored syrups & condensed milk. It is served in either a tall glass or  bowl. 

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT
subtle sweetness,
minimal toppings &
the almost granular snow ice
that melts in your mouth 

[hk sojourn 2011: AVENUE OF STARS]

Coming from The Peak Tower & Madame Tussauds Museum via the ferry boat ride, we reached this place modeled after Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The Avenue of Stars honors celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry.

[hk sojourn 2011: THE PEAK TOWER & MADAME TUSSAUD'S MUSEUM]

We took this ferry boat ride to take us to the Hong Kong island

[hk sojourn 2011: CITYGATE OUTLETS]

We took the Disneyland train going to Tung Chung, where the Citygate Outlets is. This is our initial stop where we had breakfast & made the rounds of the stores before taking the Ngong Ping cable car ride & village adventure.

The ticket machine

[hk sojourn 2011: NGONG PING 360 & NGONG PING VILLAGE]

After Disneyland, this became our next stop the following day. This was recommended by two of our close friends because they said it's worth the experience.

After taking our breakfast at McDonald's, we walked our way towards the NGONG PING 360 terminal at TUNG CHUNG.

[hk sojourn 2011: DISNEYLAND PART 2]

After taking that safari boat ride in ADVENTURELAND, we went to FANTASYLAND, a place where 'Disney stories come to life'. 

Jillian excitedly posed in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. 

[hk sojourn 2011: DISNEYLAND PART 1]

"One is never too old for Disney."

This is exactly what came to my mind when I decided to book our family trip to HK Disneyland the summer of 2011. Since my daughters just stepped out of grade school & high school, I thought of this trip as our graduation gifts to them.

I transacted online for our plane tickets & hotel accommodations. For the theme park tickets, ours were purchased at the main entrance upon our arrival at the hotel. As booked guests, we were entitled to reserved tickets. 

After taking a cab from the airport, we went straight to the park since it was  too early for check-in. We had  a look-see first of the area & took pictures.

[hk sojourn 2011: DISNEYLAND'S HOLLYWOOD HOTEL]

A close friend suggested for us to stay in one of the hotels inside Disneyland for convenience's sake.  Though the hotel rates are much higher inside the theme park, I decided to just go for it since I wanted this trip to be filled with good memories for the girls. =)

I booked  online for our Hollywood Hotel stay. Right after a short peek & some photo ops at the theme park entrance, we went straight to the hotel to check in.

The hotel's theme is Hollywood with all-things-Disney. Kids & kids-at-heart would love to be in a place like this. It brings out only happy feelings. ;)

Driveway entry.

[hk sojourn 2011: FLIGHT & AIRPORT SCENES]

This trip was taken by our family 2 years ago, our  graduation gift for the  girls.

After seeing so many bloggers' posts on their HK travels, I thought I might as well share our 4-day sojourn to that favorite shopping/leisure destination. 

This travelogue of sorts will be taken in a series. Starting off with our entry & exit points, the airports.

I booked our 4d/3n trip online thru Cebu Pacific. It was easy-breezy.

We had to be early that day.

[pre-Christmas holiday trip: EVERYTHING NICE & CAFE BY THE RUINS]

One of the things we look forward to doing during out-of-town trips is food-tripping. In our recent Baguio sojourn, we dined in 2 of the nicest cafes in the city.

EVERYTHING NICE CAKE SHOP & CAFE

It was our first time to dine here & so glad we did. ;) This Ayala Technohub-CJH shop was our first meal stop upon arriving in the city.