Day 2 is also known as NGANGA SINGAPORE.

In order to save on accommodation costs, we decided to cross borders at night and just choose buses with reclining seats so we could sleep the whole travel time. From Pudu Sentral in Malaysia to Golden Mile Complex in Singapore, it only took us around 5-6 hours (immigration of two countries included).

We left KL at 12 midnight and arrived at SG before 6AM. Although we were lost for a lot of times and experienced several nganga moments, this, the morning of May 26, 2014 was the nganga moment that topped everything.

We arrived at Golden Mile with no SGD only with PHP and MYR. So kahit may pera kami, we couldn't do anything, we were so lost for words. Sobrang talino namin at hindi namin naisip 'yon. We walked to Lavender Station and asked the guy manning the ticket counter if there was a nearby money changer and there was. OMG, money changer at last! Until he continued his sentence and told us, "But they're still sleeping. They will open at 8AM." WTF. We saw an ATM in the MRT accepting Mastercard and Visa ganyan, so okay, pikit-mata sa international service charge, I entered my Eastwest Visa Card to withdraw SGD only that, I forgot my pin code. Shems!!!! My friend also tried withdrawing but the ATM couldn't read her card. Not sure if her bank needed an international activation whatsoever. So ang ending, wala pa rin kaming SGD. Nga pala, even if pareho lang ang oras natin sa Malaysia at Singapore, past 7 na sumisikat at lumulubong ang araw doon.

We looked like the suspicious-looking persons there so we went up the station and waited for the businesses to open. Yes, we stood there for two hours hoping for a Malaysian or Filipino person to pass by whom we could exchange our money with. Pero waleeeey! Hindi na namin alam gagawin namin but to wait and when it was almost 8 AM, we asked for the nearest money changer and the nearest they have there was in Golden Mile Complex. (Pero ngayong iniisip ko, tinatanong ko pa rin sarili kung bakit nga ba hindi kami naghanap ng upuan. Hahaha! ) Shems!!!!!!! Babalik kami doon tapos babalik kami sa Lavender Station ulit!!! For those who've been to BGC, the distance is like from Market! Market! to the Fort Strip or even a bit farther. Okay naman sana kaso bitbit kasi namin 'yung backpack and we haven't eaten anything in the last 10 hours.

So my friend's house was in Ang Mo Kio area so we rode the Eastwest Line Lavender Station (EW 11) to Jurong East (EW 24), transferred to North South Line of Jurong East (NS 1) to Ang Mo Kio (NS16). Umikot kami sa SG! My ghad!!!!! That MRT ride was the longest ride I've been to eveeeer! We took the loooong way to Ang Mo Kio only to find out that from Lavender (EW11), we could have alighted at City Hall (EW 13), transferred to the North South line of City Hall (NS25) to get to Ang Mo Kio (NS16). Diba, station codes pa lang, mas mabilis na puntahan? Isa pa, in SG buses and mrt just use one MRT card. It doesn't matter what line are you from, you just have to select your boarding and alighting points for your fare. Dyan pa kami nagkamali, we exited Eastwest line and entered again (another fare) to ride NS line.

Turista ka sa SG?! Nakapunta ka bang Ang Mo Kio? Nakita mo ba 'yung mga construction sites? Nakaabout ka ba ng Woodlands? ng Marsiling? ng Yo Chu Kang? Hindi?! Kami, oo! Nakita namin lahat lahat. Ikaw ba naman mag tour via MRT sa umaga. Ewan ko na lang. Yan na lang nga pampalubag-loob namin eh. One of the best ways to enjoy a foreign country is to live and travel like a local. Yan! Yan!! Yan!!!

After 10 years, we arrived at Ang Mo Kio station that is connected to a mall named Ang Mo Kio hub. We ate at Sizzling Pepper Lunch and this is priced s$10.00 with a sidedish and drink. Grabe, that feeling when you finally arrive at your destination after experiencing so much! Daming nangyari. The best 4 hours of my life that felt like forever. Huhuhuhu.

After washing-up and a little bit of rest, we were at it again. Hi my dearest ticketing machine bestfriend! Sa sobrang bestfriend namin nito, ayaw na niya ata kaming mahiwalay sa isa't isa.

DAY 2 started at 2PM. Late na kameeeee. :(

You have three options should you prefer riding the MRT and LRT:

1. Buy ticket per ride (this ticket is called Standard ticket which could be used up to 6 times). You won't need to pay the deposit of s$10 and no need to reload your card. We used this card.
2. Buy the regular EZ link card and just reload your fare budget.
3. Buy the Singapore tourist pass link: here.

Option number 3 could actually be the best bet should you decide to spend your day roaming around SG and if you have s$30. We were supposed to avail one but upon thinking it over more, we decided not to since we didn't have enough time to go to other "places of interest" anymore.

We arrived at Chinatown! Yeheeeey!

From Ang Mo Kio (NS16) we alighted at Dhoby Ghaut (NS24), transferred to its Northeast Line (NE6) and rode until Chinatown (NE4).

Buti na lang sanay na sanay kami sa MRT at sa LRT sa Pilipinas, chicken lang ang pagsakay sa MRT at LRT ng Singapore. Except sa paglipat-lipat ng lines ha, once a lost kid parang always a lost kid ata ang peg namin. Huwag naman sanaaaa! I'm really confident that if one day I'll be in Singapore again, I can ride the MRT and LRT encountering minimal to no problems. First time kasi 'to. Alam mo na. hehehehe

Do you want me back, SG? Ayyy, kahit ayaw mo, I'll be back. :)))

You can shop/hunt for souvenirs here in Chinatown. It's like our Divisoria or Baclaran only a lot cleaner and safer. Sana ganito rin 'yung set-up sa'tin. I bought shirts, key chains, nail cutters etc. here and used my BPI Mastercard Prepaid (Soon! I'll write a post about it soon) without international service charge. 'Yung price na na-debit sa card ko was the converted amount of SGD to PHP. (The souvenirs I bought aren't included in a day's budget.)

I never really understood the tagline "Singapore is a fine city." until I went there. Lahat talaga ng mali mong gagawin, may fine! That's the reason why we always thought twice before drinking, eating, walking at sidewalks, crossing the street etc. Who knows, baka nasama pa sa experience namin doon ang "Bail Us Out Singapore" na thankfully wala naman. hehehe. Singapore, too, is a safe country. I heard that it has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. I forgot to say that I was shocked when I first rode their MRT/LRT because almost all riders were using their phones (Sosyal phones!), tablets and the lady seated beside me was even using her laptop. Stress! Sa Pilipinas, takot na takot akong ilabas 'yung phone ko. Doon, keriboomboom lang eh.

They also have several inns and hostels in Chinatown if you're looking for accommodations.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

We are practicing Roman Catholic but when we saw this Buddhist temple, we immediately went inside. This isn't the first time anyway that I've gone to one. This is a massive 5-story museum and it's free but we only toured around the first floor.

Each visitor is to light a free incense before entering the temple.

Not sure which is which but there is a Hundred Dragons Hall, Universal Wisdom Hall, Courtyard etc. in the first floor.

This is the Vairocana Buddha, the guardian of those born in the year of the monkey.

Vairocana Buddha represents the Dharmakaya, the true nature of reality, thus an embodiment of the highest wisdom.

When we left the temple, we went back to Pagoda street (the street on the first part of this post, not the one in the picture above), to convert our PHP to SGD for our budget on our second day in Singapore. Money changer in Chinatown gave us higher exchange rate (higher by a dollar than the first) then the money changer in Little India gave even higher exchange rate which was higher by 2 dollars I think.

Anyway, the road in the picture is named Southbridge Road.

Along Southbridge road, you can also see this Hindu temple named Sri Mariamman Temple that we weren't able to enter.
Given that there are different temples in the area, one may conclude that Singapore is a multi-religious country. What's amazing is that even if there may be a great difference in background, beliefs and ethnicity, you'd notice that the people remain to be peaceful- respecting the freedom of others in practicing the religion of their choice. Kasi kung sa aaminin man natin o hindi, may ibang lugar na chaotic dahil dyan. Mahirap minsan mag co-exist sa iisang lugar ang mga taong may iba't ibang paniniwala.

You just got to love the diversity of religious practices there. Di ba, there's more to the world than what we are aware of.

Presenting Chinatown's Food Street (Smith Street)
Don't miss this place when you're in the area!

Notice the high ceiling glass that has internal cooling spots. Sobrang okay dyan! Rain or shine. There's also a free wifi connection for those who can register. Binigo ako ng Globe Roaming ko kasi. -_-

I bought this Signature Wanton Noodle (s$4.50) at Joo Chiat Ang Moh Noodle House
This one's good! I just didn't like the vegetable included because of its bitter aftertaste.

Went back to Pagoda street because it is where the MRT station is so we could transfer to Little India.

The street of Little India called Serangoon Road.
Chinatown is NE4 while Little India (also commonly known as Tekka) is NE7.

Aside from sight-seeing, the main reason why we went here was the Mustafa Centre. It's like our Dutyfree. Hulaan mo!! Hehehe. There are lots of things to buy in the whole area but we went there for the chocolates.

I bought around s$30.00 worth of chocolates in cash, that's around P 1050.00. So all-in-all pala, our budget for two days touring in Singapore was P 3,000.00 compared to the P 4,000.00 that I put in the main page of this backpacking adventure link: here.

After our souvenir shopping, we wanted to go to another "shopping district of SG" called Bugis Street but because we were carrying a lot of things that time, we opted to skip it and just travel back home. Uyyyyy, palusot. :)))) Ayaw lang mapa-gastos. Hahahaha. Balik na lang ako for you, Bugis. Wait ka lang.

We went back to Ang Mo Kio and ate our dinner here at a nearby hawker place. We ordered steamed chicken rice for s$3.00. Not sure if this chicken is also the well-known Hainanese chicken. Medyo na- wrong order. Tignan mo 'yung dugo. -_- Yes, it was good and okay especially when dipped in its sauce except 'yung ibang parts because of the blood. Shems. But the rice was good though. Enlighten me pls, ganyan ba talaga?

While eating, we shared our table with a local named Charlie. We really think that he is one of those who clean the tables because the Auntie kept shouting at him in Chinese while he just continued conversing with us. In SG, even pensioned senior citizens continue to work! It kind of felt weird to see senior citizens cleaning after us but since it's the practice, nasanay din. Some work not because they need to but because they want to or some continues to work to supplement their income because of the high living expenses there but one thing's for sure, gamit na gamit ang human resources and that's a good thing. Gumagalaw at hindi ini-aasa lang sa iba o sa gobyerno ang buhay. Anyway, back to Charlie, he only knows two things about the Philippines. One is President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda Marcos whom he referred to as the number one woman in his generation. Second, Filipino shirts look good because of the floral designs He might have seen Mayor Lito Atienza somewhere. hehe. Naturally, he bragged about Singapore and kept on asking us if we enjoyed, we told him yes and that we were only staying there for two days, and he told us that we should have stayed longer.

Okay, Charlie, babalik na lang akooooooo!

We decided to stay in Ang Mo Kio Hub for a few minutes before heading home.

Matcha Latte Regular Size
Forgot the price but this was between s$5.00 - s$10.00

Papilay-pilay na kami when we were in Ang Mo Kio hub, our feet hurt so bad already because of too much walking until we saw this picture of Lee Min Ho. Hahahaha.

"Uy, si Lee Min Ho!!!" Akala mo andun talaga siya ehh.
Sabay napatakbo kami ng mabilis, took a picture "with him" not minding the people looking at us. #fangirlproblems

Hayy, Lee Min Ho, you're an effective energy booster and pain reliever. hahahaha. I think that I can even join a triathlon and win if you're the trophy. :))))

Bus ride to back to home.

End of Day 2. :D

The rest of our backpacking adventure link: here.

P.S. Google+ created a timeline (with pictures and locations) of my trip to Malaysia and Singapore. Link: here.

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This part of Incheon's Chinatown with the arch is kinda similar to the Chinatown in San Francisco. Only it's Korean restaurants in the former and stores in the latter. But yea, with the picture of the arch you get similar feel. Or are Chinatowns all over the world like this?

South Korea Travel Sim? Purchase yours here.

We tried to follow the subway instructions in getting to this part of Incheon but we got lost that what was supposed to be an hour of travel from Seoul turned out to be around two hours. There's a confusing line in Noryangjin area so we kinda boarded the wrong train and had to go back and there's also a confusing instruction in the trains that go to this area that we had to alight at a station and transfer. I already forgot what happened exactly but yeah, we got lost for a bit.

Okay fine. This is not the first time I've eaten jajjangmyeon 'cause I bought a pack of the instant one last year to bring back to the Philippines but I didn't like it all. But a lot of kdrama characters like eating jajjangmyeon so I wanted to try the "real" one.

And where else do I need to try this dish if not at the Port of Incheon, the place where it was first introduced in Korea.

Usually people would order sweet and sour pork with this but due to budget constraints (lol), we decided to order jajjang with fried rice and jajjangmyeon.

The "real" one tasted delicious tho I'd take the one with noodles anytime. The noodles were kinda like udon but thinner and more chewy. The thick sauce is made with black bean sauce. I can't describe it now but there's one thing that I'm sure of; it truly is one your perfect comfort food. Afterall, it's the food for those with a lonely heart. HAHAHA.

Trivia: for single people in Korea or for a person who's love wasn't reciprocated on March 14, April 14 is considered a "Black Day" - a date meant to celebrate the sorrow and loneliness of being single. HAHAHAHA

Buddha stands with two balls over his head, one for riches and one for happiness.

Yey daw sabi ni Buddha baka busy pa si someone in making himself/herself a better person for you. HAHAHA. Ako, di naman ako nagmamadali. :))) Charot!

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Must Try Spelunking and Caving! (And Ziplining!) in Palawan.

After having our lunch, we left Sabang Port and proceeded to another ecotourism attraction in PPS, Ugong Rock Adventures.

I did not see this coming so it's a good thing that I was then wearing my Sandugo sandals because it made the trek a lot easier! Or was it all in the mind? Hehe.

It is a community-based ecotourism project initiated by ABS-CBN's Bantay Kalikasan and I forgot what the other association was. Lelz. Ang tamad ko maghanap ng infos. Hahaha!

This was the orientation area where she explained the activities we were about to experience. Aside from the activities, what made Ugong Rock Adventures special is that almost all the staff are senior citizens but they don't look like it. Mas healthy pa sila sa'kin. haha. E syempre sa'kin ko pa talaga na-compare. Haha. Pero seryoso, sobrang nakakabilib lang.

Gear Station

Wearing helmet and gloves while doing the activities is a must.

Here's the cave entrance.

Ugong Rock is a limestone hill/formation and from the word itself, it got its name from the sound (some of) the stalactites produce when you hit them with your knuckles. Not all stones there produce the sound, meron lang iba na parang hollow and then may vibration pag 'yun nga, kumatok ka sa bato.

Our guide pointing us several rock formations inside the cave. There was a Buddha formation in the ceiling and...

And don't even ask me what my reaction would be if I had to go there alone. Hahaha.

This rock formation is the evidence that this was formed million of years ago when the place was still submerged underwater. There is a similarity between this rock formation and those you'd see in El Nido. Kasi after million of years din, 'yung mga nasa ilalim ngayon na part dun sa Small Lagoon e maging ganito rin ang itsura.

Small Lagoon Link

Spelunking Area.

Hayyy, maliit na bagay! Chicken! Wala na bang mas difficult pa rito? hehehe. Jk.

I've already experienced caving twice when I didn't have a blog yet but we can always make new memories so I can put other adventures here, diba?

When I saw that some of the passageways were narrow, I was like, "How should I fit in there?!"

Well, apparently I did. Sexy pa pala ko!... pag naka-sideview. hahaha!

This made me miss mountain climbing. It is almost a year since Mt. Pulag happened.

We started from the bottom, now we're here!! <3

Love the view on top of the Ugong Rock Formation!!!

For the last three days, I was just looking at these limestone cliffs/mountains/forests (whatever you call them) and then I was able to climb one! Hihi!

So this is what it looks like from the top.

Claiming more adventures. hehehe.

EDI WOW TALAGA, TIIIIIIIN. :))))

From the viewing deck, you have two options.

Zipline your way down or do caving again passing through a different and easier route.

I decided to do caving since I've tried several ziplines already.

By the way, I like to try South Cotabato's Seven Falls Zipline someday!! Yes, universe? Yes? Yes!! Hahahaha. Someday!! Bet ko rin talaga Lake Sebu.

Photo op on the way down.

I wanted to show the narrow passageway but I totally blocked it. See, kasi maliit nga 'yung daan. hahaha!

Staircase on our way down.

Our guides were the ones showing us where to have our photos taken and they were so patient. Hehe.

Glad we made it back down safe!

Life, more caving and spelunking pls!!

Bye, Tagabinet, Puerto Princesa City.

Prior to going there, I didn't know that such place exists but it's a good thing that it's one of the sidetrip options after doing the Underground River Tour.

For only P 550.00, you're able to hit three birds with one stone; 1. you're able to challenge yourself and experience these kinds of activities 2. you're able to help the locals with their livelihood 3. you're able to help in the conservation of nature. Yes to all, diba? :)

P 200.00 for spelunking and caving
P 350.00 for one-way zipline

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Gotokuji (Lucky Cat) Temple in Setagaya, Tokyo

We found out about the existence of this temple in Setagaya when we were reading the lines included in the Tokyu Line 1-Day Pass. When were deciding if the pass going to Yokohama is more cost effective than purchasing a one way ticket onsite, we saw a Maneki-neko photo in one of the maps that shows the routes of the said pass.

This temple is around 10 minutes from Miyanosaka Station via Setagaya Line which is included in the Tokyu Line pass.

Klook Link: Purchase Unlimited Subway Rides in Tokyo here.
This can be used at subway lines in Tokyo. Take note that this isn't accepted in JR lines.

Klook Link: Purchase Tokyu Line 1-Day Pass here.
This can be used going to Yokohama. It's cheaper than availing a per way ticket plus we were able to visit Gotokuji Temple on the same day since Setagaya Line is a part of this pass.

Tokyo, Japan: Claiming Unlimited Subway Ride Tickets and Tokyu Line 1 Day Pass in Shibuya (via Klook reservation)

Japan Travel Sim? Purchase yours here.

Follow Google Map to get here. This is fairly easy to locate from the train station.

Entrance Fee: None

The Buddhist Temple is quite huge. There are Pagodas and a cemetery in the vicinity.

The entire temple is quite huge but we didn't walk around that much because of the heat and time constraints.

Don't we all wish for this? 💗

Thank you, Universe for giving us the chance to heal our 2020 heartbreak! Tokyo trip finally came true after three years and three months of waiting. 💖

Maneki-nekos are believed to make wishes come true and bring good fortune.

You've probably already seen a figurine 'cause this is quite famous especially in business establishments.

Actually, the funny thing was in September 2022, we went to a Japanese-Themed Food Park in Cebu, Philippines. In there, we saw huge statues of Maneki-neko and we were telling each other that we should make a wish and manifest a Japan trip - we flew to Japan in July 2023. It's just amazing to experience a wish coming true, you know. I continue to blog for this. A lot of my posts especially from years ago are cringy so I don't usually re-read them. But sometimes, they'd include some wishes and hopes so I backread to get a glimpse and be reminded of how I felt back when I was constructing the post... I am thankful but I cringe every.single.time. 😂😂😂

Cebu, Philippines: Sachiko's Little Kyoto

Maneki-Neko figurines on the left side of the photo above.

I copied this from the website of JR Rail Pass so we can get a brief history about the origin of these figurines.

The story behind Gotokuji’s waving cat:

Many westerns mistakenly believe that Maneki-neko are waving, and some even think that the cat is washing its face, reflecting the Japanese belief that this action signals the arrival of a guest. However, its waving paw is actually meant to be beckoning people towards the figurine.

The most popular legend about the origin of the figurine takes place at the site of the Gotokuji temple in the 17th century when a poor monk is said to have lived on the site with his pet cat.

A samurai lord is said to have been traveling in the region during a large storm when he took shelter under a large tree near the temple, only to witness the cat waving to him with one paw from inside.

Curious, he got closer to investigate the strange cat, when the tree behind him was suddenly completely destroyed by a bolt of lightning. Grateful to the cat for seemingly saving his life, the lord became a patron of the temple and rebuilt the crumbling structure in honor of the lucky feline.

Nowadays, visitors to the temple offer representations of this cat to a god or Buddha in an act of hono or ‘offering’, as this is believed to make wishes come true and bring good fortune to those who leave a Maneki Neko behind.

Source: Birthplace of Maneki-Neko

The shop was closed when we went there so we weren't able to purchase and leave our own in the temple.

The areas where the figurines are isn't huge. It's along the pathway around this temple.

They're crowded but they're so cute.

Three Story Pagoda

This was summer and it was hot so we didn't walk around the temple a lot. We took this photo while going back to the gate.

I have seen photos from this Temple that were taken during the Autumn Season and they were breathtaking. This temple has a lot of maple trees which leaves turn yellow, red, and orange during Fall. Also, visiting this during Spring or Autumn should be more comfortable because of the lower temperature.