[Klook Link] Universal Studios

Universal Studios Singapore link: here.

M&M's World, Las Vegas, USA link: here.

Hershey's Chocolate World, Las Vegas, USA link: here.

Anyway, we didn't enter the Universal Studios theme park anymore and decided to just walk around Sentosa that afternoon. 

Batam, Indonesia Tour from Singapore link: here.

We headed straight to Sentosa from Batam. We left our luggage at Harbourfront Ferry Terminal for the whole afternoon while touring around Sentosa. 

This is what you'll see from the third station of the train that runs from Vivo City to Beach Station but it's actually just walking distance even if you alight at Waterfront Station. We only stayed here for a bit and walked to the Universal Studios entrance. 

EDIT JANUARY 2020: It was announced that this Merlion Plaza will be/was demolished to make way for new construction/attraction in the area.

There's no M&M's World here like the one you'll find in Las Vegas and New York but as for the Hershey's Chocolate World, the chocolate options and pricing are similar but their branches in the States have more "art pieces" just like the Statue of Liberty that is made from chocolate. 

You'll find the regular Hershey's chocolate and these bars above that are perfect Singapore souvenir for people who love eating chocolates - may be a bit pricier compared to the grocery but this is a tourist attraction so you also kinda pay for the place... like most of the times.

You have the option to mix and match kisses chocolate if you don't want to settle for the prepacked ones. 

Before we went out the store, someone approached me and asked me to answer a survey. In return, he gave me a chocolate bar which was more delicious from all the chocolates I bought. Haha. Wanna know why? 'Cause it's free. Hahaha! 

Can't miss taking photos with this one. 

Reese's is my favorite among the three. <3

We transferred to Candylicious, which is obviously a store for candy. 

Their version of M&M's World inside Candylicious.

 The tubes of M&M's are my favorite part about this shop. Lol. That's mainly because I'll take chocolates over candies anytime.

[Klook Link] Universal Studios

You can secure/purchase tickets beforehand but you can also buy onsite.

[Klook Link] Batam Fast Round Trip Ferry Tickets (Harbourfront Terminal Departure)

It's easy to get here since Harbourfront has its own MRT station so even if you have all your luggage with you then travelling to the Ferry station won't be that much of a problem.

Our ferry schedule was to leave at 8 AM. All the instructions were in the voucher so all I had to do was present my voucher and exchange it for the ferry tickets.

Passing through both immigration (Singapore exit and Indonesia entry) was a breeze since a lot of people do this. You can opt for a day tour but we decided to stay the night just so we can enjoy Batam more.

In the immigration counter, we were only ask about the length of our stay and that's it. There's also a currency exchange counter in the terminal so we had our Singaporean Dollars exchanged to Indonesia Rupiah before starting the tour.

[Blog Link] Batam Indonesia Day Tour

[Blog Link] Overnight at Crown Vista Hotel, Indonesia

[Klook Link] Batam City Day Tour from Singapore

The next day, we were dropped off again at Sekupang Ferry Terminal 'cause we had to catch the ferry back to Singapore.

There is a mall opposite the ferry terminal and they're connected via bridge way. You can find a lot of stores there and I noticed that a lot were on sale. Just make sure you have enough Indonesian Rupiah with you. 

The ferry wascomfortable and the sea wasn't rough in from and to Singapore.

 After  walking around Gardens by the Bay, we headed to Marina Bay Sands Area. 

Gardens by the Bay link: here.

Marina Bay Sands Afternoon link: here.

Marina Bay Sands Morning link: here.

Two links above are from my posts back in 2014 during my first time going to Singapore. Style of travelling and blogging were different then so... :))

I've always wanted to see this oculus and I'm glad it's working this time. We roamed around the mall before going out to see the night lights. 

This mall has a lot of high-ends shops/ boutiques and there's also a food court if I'm not mistaken. 

Although it looks small, going to the other side (Merlion Area) is actually a long walk so we decided to just visit the Merlion on another day when we alight at a train station near it.  Anyway, what I like about this area are the night lights from the building. 

At one side you'll see the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and on the other, you'd see several high-rises as well. There's a Singapore river cruise you can avail while on this area and there's also a fountain show at night. 

River cruise tickets link: Singapore River Cruise

 Merlion

I recently realized that we have a similar view here in Manila when you're in Harbor Square Plaza. Pwede na. Not bad.

Something like this in Busan, South Korea?

You can go to the Bay 101 at night. 

I wanted to go earlier and go inside the Gardens by the Bay 'cause this was when I haven't seen Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) in real life yet. Meron kasing exhibit dito before na meron Cherry Blossoms and it was ending the day we went to this area. Anyway, we weren't able to make it earlier so sa labas na lang kami nag stay. 

While there is an entrance fee if you go inside the exhibits, walking around is free. During my first trip in Singapore, ito 'yung nagpa-wow talaga sa'kin kahit nakita ko lang 'yan nung umpisa habang nasa bus kami. :))

OCBC Skyway

There's a fee if you want to walk along that skybridge. Would've bought tickets if we had enough time.

Ganda talaga at night

We waited for the light show and then transferred to Manila Bay Sands area. 

Singapore is not a huge country and most of the tourist spots are just walking distance from each other. However, for some people who don't like long walks then going around would be a problem 'cause even riding the subway would mean a lot of walking. I think they have a hop on, hop off bus you can avail if you're in SG though - that would be a better option 'cause the walks will be lessened significantly. 

We arrived at the Singapore Cruise Center/ Harbour Front MRT before 7 AM because we needed to get the ferry tickets at 7:00 AM. I had the voucher printed beforehand so claiming the boarding pass was a breeze. 

Passed through Singapore immigration and then boarded the ferry to the island of Batam, Indonesia. I believe they have the option to check-in your luggage but since ours were only hand-carries, we had them with us during the whole ride.

I was asleep almost the whole ferry ride but it lasted for an hour. There's a one-hour time difference here (+7UTC) so that, in itself, was actually something interesting already. lol. You know, crossing countries and time zones! :))

Seeing Batam, Indonesia from the moving bus and learning from our tour guide was interesting as well. 

Despite the bulkiness of this, we bought two packs of their crackers because it's delicious. It's also an afternoon of free tastes, btw. 

Above are just some of the food served on our table during our lunch in Golden Prawn restaurant. 

This 3D museum called The Illusion is included in the package.

I guess, the reason why some people are put off by this Batam Tour is because you're basically touring around the businesses in Batam. It's a day of listening to people selling you something and making you feel like you have to buy.


But no one's forcing you to so that's okay... and you can just walk and look around the establishments if you don't want to enter. I actually saw a park where small/replicas of Indonesian houses outside a clothing store and you're free to walk around that area should you not want to enter the store.

BUT

For the included whole body authentic Balinese massage, the convenience of a two days transportation, day tour, the sumptuous seafood feast during lunch, ala carte dinner, breakfast buffet, overnight hotel accommodation, two-way fast craft ferry ride, and additional stamps to my passport? I am convinced that I got my money's worth for this 2D1N Batam Island Tour. 

The breakfast was included in the rate as well and we were driven to the ferry station at 12 NN... passed through the immigration of Indonesia and after an hour, we were back in Singapore! +8 UTC! 

There's a luggage storage in Harborfront center so if you want to walk around Vivo City or Sentosa, then that's fine too. Just don't buy a Universal Studio ticket since you're arriving late in the afternoon already. 

I, however, have been inside Universal Studios a few years back so for this time, walking around Imbia Station and Waterfront Station were okay. Libre pa kung hindi bibili. :))