Business trip at Singapore

Day 1-3
Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2012
Singapore

It was way back in August 2003 when I first went to Singapore. Airfares and hotels were heavily discounted back then since it was post-SARS outbreak. We flew via Singapore Airlines, no less, and stayed at a 4-star hotel, all for 225 USD for 3 nights.

Fast forward to 9 and a half years later and I got the chance to go back to Singapore, and this time, it was for free. My supervisor sent me there to attend a Low Cost Carrier conference - to rub shoulders with the CEOs of low cost carriers around the region, some of which are our clients.

For the first 3 nights, I stayed at  the avant-garde Studio M hotel. The room I booked was smaller than I expected but it was very cozy and elegantly-designed. The only real drawback was the tight space in the toilet room - there was not much leg room in it and I am only 5'6".

Studio M loft

Studio M toilet room

The 2-day conference was held on Jan 31 to Feb 1 at the Marina Bay Sands, the latest world-class integrated resort in Singapore which opened 2 years ago. The place is popular due to the impressive Skypark which connects the hotel's 3 towers. 

Marina Bay Sands hotel

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

After the conference, I treated myself to the ArtScience Musuem at the Marina Bay Sands complex to see a few exhibits - the Art of the Brick and Outside In.

The lotus-inspired ArtScience Museum

The Art of the Brick features Lego sculptures by New York-based  Nathan Sawaya. The awe-inspiring collection includes Yellow and a 6-meter long T-Rex dinosaur skeleton.

Yellow

T-Rex Dinosaur Skeleton

The Outside In Photograph exhibit showcases works by Magnum photographers. Mark Power's 'Sound of Two Songs' is an intimate account of a foreigner's impression of Poland. Jacob Aue Sobol's 'I, Tokyo' is a pictorial journal of his experience living in Tokyo.

Sound of Two Songs

I, Tokyo

Later that night, I met a few of my friends from Singapore to celebrate my birthday. It was nice to catch-up with old friends/ex-officemates, most of them I have not seen for a very long time.

Joanne, Hermes, Rica, Gen, Andrew, Mitch, and myself

Sunset at Boracay

Here are a few pictures I took of the sunset at Boracay. The combination of  sails, surfers, the grotto, and, of course, the sunset, is just wonderful to capture.

Early morning at Boracay

Day 4
Nov 11, 2012
Boracay

I, Susanne, and Reg woke up early the next morning to experience a different Boracay - peaceful and deserted.That was exactly what we got at 6 am in the morning - a Boracay I actually prefer.

After about an hour of picture taking (including a brief rain shower),  we headed to Lemon Cafe for some hearty breakfast. I ordered the cafe's omelette hoping to find one that can match Real Coffee's and I was not disappointed.

Estimated expenses:
3038 PHP - round trip air fare
1199 PHP - La Carmela de Boracay (voucher for 3 nights)
 100 PHP - terminal fee
  75 PHP - environment fee
 300 PHP - Transfer to hotel (from Kalibo airport)
  25 PHP - tricycle (hotel to dock)
  30 PHP - fast craft to Caticlan
 185 PHP - shuttle from Caticlan to Kalibo
 100 PHP - terminal fee
 300 PHP - Zorbing         
 500 PHP - helmet diving
 700 PHP - para sailing
1800 PHP  - Food (600 PHP per day)
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8352 PHP

Helmet Diving at Boracay

Day 3
Nov 10, 2012
Boracay

Early the next morning, our 3rd day, a few of us went to Real Coffee and Tea Cafe for breakfast. I ordered and ate the tastiest omelette ever. It was definitely a must-try. The place is also quite known for its calamansi muffins which tasted good as well.

Colorful kitchen of Real Coffee and Tea Cafe

Later on, we all tried helmet diving where we were able to walk a few feet underwater wearing helmets. The experience was worth it, but I wished there were more to see than a few unimpressive corals and just 2 fish species.

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the white sand and crystal clear water of the beach. One thing I discovered this trip was just how beautiful the sunset was in Boracay (more on this on another post).

On the way back to the hotel to freshen up, a few of us tried having henna tattoo. I was not sure what design I liked so I let the tattoo artist decide on this:

For dinner, we went to I Love Backyard BBQ at D-Mall. We ordered mixed seafood platter and chicked bbq. Everything was just delightful in the restaurant.

mixed seafood platter

Adventures at Boracay

Day 2
Nov 9, 2012
Boracay

We spent our 2nd day at Boracay with a few adventures. First stop was Parasailing, one thing I wanted to do for so long but did not since I knew it to be quite expensive (2,000 PHP) for a 10-minute ride. I was surprised to find out it was actually cheaper - only 700 PHP per person. While the view of Boracay from top was really good - I finally realized just how long the beach really was - the ride was unfortunately a bit uncomfortable. I felt that the vest was too tight - I felt like throwing up during the whole time (and an hour after) I was up there.

For lunch, we went to the nearby wet market to buy some seafood then asked  one of the many restaurants to cook them for us. Too bad nobody wanted to buy the expensive lobsters so we settled for the shrimps which were cooked to perfection.

After lunch, a few of us tried the zorb ride. I was disappointed at first to see that the drop would not be that steep and that the pathway was too short. Nevertheless, the ride was actually enjoyable even if it ended quickly.

Later that night, we ate dinner at Hawaiian Bar-B-Que, one of the best restaurants in Boracay, though I am biased as I love everything with pineapple or ripe mango. I ordered sun-ripened mango chicken BBQ and mango crumble for dessert.  As an added bonus, there was a fire dance performance nearby which was really impressive, and judging by the number of people who requested their pictures taken with them, the show was a success.

sun-ripened mango chicken BBQ

mango crumble

fire dancers

After dinner, we tried the night life at Boracay. We went to Epic Bar for a few drinks and a game of truth and consequence because no one seemed to like to hit the dance floor.

8 hours to Boracay

Day 1
Nov 8, 2012
Boracay

After 7 years, I finally was able to go back to Boracay. My friend and former teammate Lara (and her boyfriend Wes) went back to the Philippines after almost 2 years in the US and a few of us - Marianne, Susanne, Migs, Milton, Jay, Reg, and myself - decided to join her vacation in Boracay.

Our Zest Air flight was supposed to leave at 12:10 PM but we were only able to board the aircraft at 3:45 PM. And to make the matter worse that it already was, it took another hour before the  plane took off. It was already 8 PM when we checked-in at La Carmela de Boracay resort hotel at station 2.

La Carmela de Boracay

standard room at La Carmela de Boracay

It took us the whole day to get to Boracay but we were not about to call it a night. After dinner at Andok's, we decided to head to station 1 for a taste of the renowned Jonah's shakes so we can tick it off our list of the top 10 things to do in Boracay. If we knew how far Jonah's in station 1 was from our hotel, we probably would have thought twice - I have never imagined the stretch of Boracay was that long. But the shakes were good (a bit too sweet actually) so I guess it was worth the 30-minute walk.

the gang at Andok's

Jonah's

the sweetest mango shake @ Jonah's