Sidetrip to Singapore

What merely excites me in stepping to Singapore for the 2nd time around is the Universal Studios Singapore. Way back in 2009, the USS was just an undergoing construction as shown below:

photo taken last September 2009

But since it's hubby's first time to SG, I served as his tour guide now and I guess that's what makes it more enjoyable this time. We arrived in SG at about 6:40pm aboard Airasia from LCCT, Kuala Lumpur. From Changi Airport, we decided to take regular taxi to Admiralty Woodlands to our cousin's house where we'll be spending the next 4 days for free.

It was roughly an hour ride since Sembawang is at the other far side of the airport. Nevertheless, we enjoyed sight-seeing around SG while I introduce to hubby the wide organized streets and the fabulous lighting and architecture of the buildings around.

We started our tour the next day (our 5th vacation day) using our re-loadable MTR card, starting at Marina Bay Sands, Gardens at the Bay. The view could have been a lot more stunning at night since it was very gloomy the time we arrived at 9:30am and come lunch time it was already raining in Singapore so we spent the wee hours strolling inside Marina Bay Sands.

Next stop is the Resorts World Sentosa, took MRT to Harbourfront station then stop over at Vivo City until the rain stopped falling. We decided to take the Sentosa Boardwalk for 1SGD.

We're supposed to watch the Songs of the Sea but the weather was not really cooperating for its raining very hard come 7pm so we decided to go back to Vivo City and had dinner.

Our 6th day is a whole day splurge at Universal Studios Singapore..Bought our one-day pass at 75SGD each

The last vacation day was spent on a walking tour at Raffles to see the Merlion, the Fullerton Hotel, Esplanade up to the shopping center Orchard Road.

Sleepless in Malaysia: Day 3

Day 3: Cameron Highlands

Road trip to Cameron Highlands by Unititi Express took us about 4 hours (from 8:30am to 12:30noon). My husband was sleeping all throughout the trip, while I took the opportunity to take photos and sight seeing thru the bus' windows the surroundings outside.

Hillview Inn, the guesthouse we booked for our overnight stay was just walking distance away from the bus station in Tanah Rata. Hoping to get a half day tour offered by the Inn, but because of the not-so-welcoming rain upon our arrival, we opted not to take the tea plantation tour instead make a DIY walking tour of the downtown which was fortunately a wonderful sight to behold.

I didn't step in this town during my first visit in 2009, so I never knew that Malaysia has a place like this far from the hustling and bustling city of KL. The mere very cold temperature and fresh mountain scent makes it the most striking attraction of this place. Apart from its naive and historic setting, Tanah Rata hosts a quiet number of restaurants, shops, travel agencies, banks and hotels/inns that are offers a wide variety of convenience for tourists like us. Surrounding TR are English-inspired building structures that feels like you're living in a private village in Europe. So I missed Colmar but this place is far more lovely I think..

 The village is surrounded with food stalls complex so we can never starved in this place which really amazed me. We ate early dinner at a restaurant with Pinoy crews we met while we were looking for something luscious to eat.

we had lunch at Rosette Cafe with a Filipino female crew who helped us order a decent meal that was within our budget and satisfying to a Pinoy's taste.

Down the village, our eyes was strucked by this Tudor-style Good Shepherd Convent atop a hill and so we went up despite the cloudy sky and misty raindrops.

After strolling around the town, we went back to our Inn and spent the rest of the night resting and enjoying the cold weather which we can seldom experience back home in Manila. Overall, Cameron Highlands is a refuge for people like us who wants to de-stress and have at least days of peaceful solitude...this is the perfect place for honeymooners like us for it feels like very close to the heavens and beds of roses :-)

 that's our room up there with serene lights

 view from our room

Now to review Hillview Inn...

We could have chosen a different place to stay for a night for there are a number of guesthouses, inns and hostels surrounding the Tanah Rata village which are more economical and tourist-friendly. The only reason I booked this inn was its pretty facade structure and the surrounding green trees that makes it looks more of a vacation house rather than a business house. We were given a room with the best view of the village and surrounding hills, however, reasons for my disappointments are as follows:

1. For a cost of RM160 for a night seems like a luxury for a typical non aircon room for two (one won't need aircon anyway) with CR and tv. The room was spacious and the view from the window and veranda is lovely anyway, but no more than that.

2. The lobby attendants/crews were not really friendly and helpful..When you attempt to ask something at their lobby it seems like you're talking to the air, they are not listening and seems to be busy surfing on their computers; we we're having problems fixing the  shower for hot water upon our arrival and reported with them for several follow ups but it was just addressed after 3 hours of waiting (wondered if they have lots of guests for a low season like that).

3. We booked the bus back to KL the next day for a more affordable fare which they kept us waiting outside the inn for several minutes with all our luggage with us beside the road while its almost raining outside they hadn't even bothered to attend to us before the bus arrived.

If I will ever return to Cameron, I'll definitely try the other hostels downtown aside from Hillview. But I'll definitely give a 100% thought of returning to this place to try the tour to BOH tea plantation and other sites that we have missed on a day stay to Cameron, very soon hopefully.

 I just took photos of the Tea Plantation on board the bus back to KL 

Next day at 10am we have to head back to KL to catch our 5pm flight to Singapore for another 4 days vacation. End of day 3.