Finally after 3 years, Sun Young will be visiting Singapore again. Her last visit was May 2014 with her husband and sister Ji Young. This time she will be coming with her son Ji Hoon, Ji Young and her sister husband Lim. They will be visiting Singapore for 7 days unlike the previous trip they only came 4 days.
They will be putting up at Jenny’s house as her tenant had moved out and will be empty till April. Therefore Sun Young made use of this good opportunity to visit Singapore again as she find Singapore hotel too expensive.
Before their arrival, many preparation had to be done, like cleaning and arranging the house, buying groceries, etc. Planning the itinerary was really difficult as I got to cater to their needs and mindful of Ji Hoon who is 3 years old and Ji Young the pregnant lady. I spend almost 1k being the host, why, you will slowly understand as you continue reading.
Their journey starts on 2 March, as the flight was at 10.40pm Korea Time. The flight keep delaying when transiting at Taipei, so I had to keep track of their latest arrival time using the Changi Airport application.
Day 1 in Singapore (3 March 2018)
Ting and I booked a car for the day to travel around as we knew they will be exhausted from the night flight. The driver Tuna was Ting ex-colleague and now a GRAB driver and he quote us $80 for that day. He is quite witty and like to bully Ting, when the 3 of us were alone we always had lots of laughter. Tuna ever went to Korea and study for 8 months, so he was our translator too. Tuna car service will be convenient for everyone as Ting and I stay in the West, while my guests stay at Tampines.
Sun Young and her group arrived around 8.30am. They were so tired from the waiting at Taipei and the adults had to take turns to pat Ji Hoon to sleep as he was so excited on the plane. We quickly headed to Jenny’s house, so that they can bathe and rest. The first thing they do when they entered the house was to switch on the air-con, they can’t stand the heat in Singapore.
We leave the house around 12.30pm to Yum Cha for lunch, it will be my treat to welcome them. We ordered lots of Dim Sum and was glad they like the food. After lunch we headed to Charles and Keith factory outlet located at IMM, they loved this brand so much. In the car, Lim suddenly mentioned he want to buy Bak Gwa, so we had to detour back to Chinatown. We spent an hour there, as they had a hard time deciding how much to buy as they find it expensive. Finally we depart to IMM, we went GIANT Hypermarket first to get Twining Tea, Instant Coffee and Instant Noodles. As usual on weekend, Charles and Keith will be very packed, this factory outlet sold previous design. I got hold of my friend membership details and entitle to 10% discount. Only Sun Young bought shoes and bags, while Ji Young got a backpack from Pedro.
Last stop of the day will be steamboat dinner and chilli crab feast at my house. I gather all friends whom Sun Young wanted to meet, she knew them when we visit Korea together. It will be easier for them to mingle around and foods, drinks and alcohol are easily available.
Day 2 in Singapore (4 March 2018)
I’m quite bad at direction and did not want my guests to go merry go round with me under the hot sun, so got Angela and Florence to be the tour guide. Angela is really good at direction, she straight away found “Blanco Court Prawn Mee” that Sun Young wanted to go. Sun Young said the prawn noodles is highly recommended in Instagram. It’s also our first time there, the soup is tasty but the noodles with chilli is salty.
After lunch we went to explore Haji Lane and Arab Street. It has many beautiful wall graffiti and it’s nice to see tourist taking photos in orderly manner. Few weeks before Sun Young visit, one of the famous Korea variety show “Salty Tour” came and shoot in Singapore. They went “#Selfie Coffee” which I had already planned to bring them there. It’s a unique café where you take your selfie using their camera and the photo will be printed on top of your beverages.
We ended the day by having dinner at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh located at Chinatown Point. The guests was amazed by the taste when the “You Tiao” is dip into the soup. We ordered 2 more bowls of “You Tiao” and also refill the soup quite a few times. They do not like the preserved vegetables and find the taste funny.
Day 3 in Singapore (5 March 2018)
Brunch at Dempsey Hill to start the day. It’s more convenient to take taxi into Dempsey Hill, so we took MRT to Bugis as it will be cheaper than taking from Tampines. It’s a treat from them and I really enjoy the food. We ordered PS. Truffle Shoestring Fries, PS. Club, PS. Burger, PS. Spaghettini Bolognese and 2 Tiger Beer. After the meal, we went around Dempsey Hill taking photos.
Shopping time at Orchard Road and reunited with Ting. Only Charles and Keith attracted them, Sun Young bought another bag and shoes and Ji Young bought a pair of shoes for her baby girl.
I only booked Tuna car at night back home from Singapore Night Safari, but Ji Young had reached her limit. Sun Young do not want to take taxi to Night Safari and insists Ji Young can still walk. I really pity Ji Young and decided on my own to get Tuna car service, lucky he was available.
Entrance to Singapore Night Safari were free as I got the corporate card from my company, otherwise the entrance tickets is $45 per adults. We took the tram, enjoy the breeze and the ride. Ji Hoon got scared by the sound effects and the dark, but the adults had lots of fun.
Day 4 in Singapore (6 March 2018)
We started the journey late today, got Florence to accompany me. We had lunch at Din Tai Fung and it’s another treat from Sun Young. She asked me to make the choices so I ordered Sliced Duck in Crispy Spring Onion Pastry, Steamed Pork Dumplings, Steamed Shrimp Dumplings, Fried Rice with Shrimps & Eggs, Fried Rice with Fried Pork Chop and Fried Rice with eggs. To our surprise they prefer the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings. Florence concluded anything with shrimp they will love it.
I ballot the corporate card to Singapore River Safari and lucky me got it again. Since my parents had not visit there before, got them to join in the fun. We took train to Choa Chu Kang MRT Station and take bus 927. Decided to give the guests their own times, so we separated into 2 groups. My corporate card only entitled to take the river ride for free, so brought my parents and Florence to take the 30 minutes scorching hot and boring ride. Next, we went to meet the adorable pandans, Kai Kai and Jia Jia at the Giant Panda Forest, most important it’s an air conditioner place. We gather at Mama Panda Kitchen for snacks and drinks.
Today dinner was arranged by Cindy and Alan, they wanted to give them a treat as they bought gifts for their son. My GRAB app was giving me problem, but lucky there is a small GRAB kiosk outside the Zoo. Booked a 6 seater vehicle to Tanjong Pagar but came a van and we got to enjoy the spacious ride. Dinner was at Kko Kko Nara, it’s mine and Cindy favourite Korea restaurant. We ordered Combo Chicken Set, Kimchi Jungol, Yukgaejang (Spicy Beef Soup) and lots of beers.
Last minutes had to contact Tuna for his car services as they wanted to go Merlion Park. It’s my first time going there and I must say the night view is really stunning. The timing was nice and we get to watch the Marina Bay Sands Laser Show “SPECTRA” at 9pm.
Day 5 in Singapore (7 March 2018)
Will be spending whole day at Universal Studio Singapore @Sentosa. Maybank Credit Card was having 1 for 1 promotion and I bought 4 tickets to accompany them. Sadly, I fell sick on that day and had to call Ting to apply for half day leave to accompany them while I rest at a café.
My intention was to have dinner at Dancing Crab, but it operated at 5.30pm, didn’t expect them to end USS trip at 4.30pm. The guests were tired from waiting and Ji Hoon was clinging as he did not sleep the whole day, so decided to buy dinner back home. At the restaurant Lim make a big fuss when I told him don’t order so much as I don’t eat seafood. He is a typical male chauvinism and a spoilt child since he is the only child. He will not clear the utensil after meal, even at my house he will wait for his wife to clear. Even though he’s a little rich, but a stingy person. I got to hold back my temper as I don’t want to spoil the mood and they are my guests.
Last minutes I had to contact Tuna for his car service as taxi only allows 4 person and I want to ensure they go home safely. When we reach Tampines home, as usual we wanted to send them to the doorstep but Lim stop me said they want to sleep. This was where I confirm he was unhappy with me, as he keep nagging at his wife and Sun Young in the car. I felt sad as I had done so much, like cooking rice every morning for Ji Hoon, top up the beers in the fridge and spend so much money during their stay in Singapore, the car service is not cheap. I just want respect and appreciation. Ting ask me to stay cool and sleep early as I didn’t have enough sleep the past few days and said everything will be over soon.
Day 6 in Singapore (8 March 2018)
With a dishearten heart, Ting and I will be bringing them to tour around Singapore for the last time. I booked full day Tuna car services to save time travelling via public transport. Itinerary and timing was arranged nicely and tickets were bought, but Lim make changes last minutes. He made lots of last minutes changes and if I didn’t booked the car how is he going to do everything in 1 day. I had warned them beforehand that they will not be able to make it to both Singapore River Cruise and Gardens by the Bay at night. They said no worries everything will be under their control, so we went ahead with their plan. I had to keep reminding myself, OK, stay calm Racheal, they are my guests.
They wanted to have lunch first at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, so we went to East Coast Park outlet. The restaurant is not open for business yet, yes it’s my fault for not checking the operating hours as I was totally dishearten by all these drama. We went to the one at Clarke Quay and Sun Young insist she paid for the lunch, Ting told her we will pay by dutch to be fair. Sun Young gave in and said she will paid for the dinner as it’s their last day.
It’s my first time dining at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant and now I know why the restaurant is so famous among the tourists. The food is really delicious but expensive. We ordered 1 chilli crab, 1 black pepper crab, Deep Fried Mini Bun, Cereal Prawns and Mee Goreng. From what we observed only 3 Singaporean are there, that is us and the rest are foreigners.
They wanted to take the river cruise in the evening, so after lunch we had free time. Asked Sun Young what she like to do or visit, she said Charles and Keith. We went to Liang Court outlet but it’s not satisfying to her as the store is small so Tuna suggest we go Marina Bay Sands one. Sun Young bought another bag from Charles and Keith and a pair of shoes for her husband at Pedro. I also bought 1 handbag from Pedro, found the design to be unique and was tempted to own it.
We took the Singapore River Cruise at 5pm. During the cruise ride, Jenny called me to ask me what happen the day before. Vent out all my frustration to her for 35 minutes and told her to come for dinner to ease my burden. Jenny came at 6.20pm, she help me entertain the guests and ask me get some rest.
The guests wanted to go Lau Pa Sat for dinner. It was not in the itinerary as I find it very expensive as the stalls mark up the price to earn tourists money. Xingyi join us for dinner and to bid farewell to Sun Young. Since it’s our last night together, we ordered lots of food and 3 jugs of beer to eat and chat. Sun Young told us to order satay and prawns from stalls 7 & 8, as it is highly recommended in Korea search engine. I also ordered barbeque sting ray and “La La” to let the guests try. They love the satay and “La La”, so we ordered more to match with the beers.
It was already 9.30pm when we realised, Gardens by the Bay was already closed. Sun Young told me to bring her there, saying she’s fine to hang around outside and take photos with the beautiful light. Got Jenny and Xingyi to join in the fun, so the 3 of us squeeze behind the MPV and was laughing all the way there.
There is one month open date from the date of purchase for the Gardens by the Bay tickets, will be bringing my parents there since we never went before.
Day 7 in Singapore (9 March 2018)
Changi Airport Terminal 2 is the last journey for this whole trip. Booked Tuna car services for half a day, as we need to go back Tampines home again to pack my stuffs and go back home. Fetch them at 9.30am, as they need to reach the airport at 10.30am. It’s always sad to bid farewell, even though there were unhappiness in between.
Goodbye Sun Young, Ji Hoon, Ji Young and Lim. Hope to see you again either in Singapore or Korea.
ADDRESS :
Yum Cha Chinatown
20 Trengganu Street (Off Temple Street), #02-01, Singapore 058479
Operating Hours:
Monday – Friday, 10.30am – 10.30pm
Sat, Sun & PH, 8am – 10.30pm
Chinatown Exit A, take a short walk on Pagoda Street, turn right at the junction to Trengganu Street, 5 minute walk.
Blanco Court Prawn Mee
243 Beach Road, #01-01, Singapore 189754
Opening Hours : 7am – 4pm
By MRT: Alight either at Bras Basah or Bugis MRT Station
#Selfie Coffee
11 Haji Lane
Opening Hours : 11.30am – 10pm
Song Fa Bak Kut Teh
133 New Bridge Road, #01-04, Singapore 059413
Chinatown Point
By MRT: Alight at Chinatown MRT Station
PS. Café (Harding Road)
28B Harding Road
Singapore 249549
Din Tai Fung
Many outlets in Singapore, Google for the location J
Kko Kko Nara Restaurant
68 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088489
Jumbo Seafood @Clarke Quay
Riverside Point, 30 Merchant Road #01-01 / 02
Riverside Point, Singapore 058282
Lunch : 12pm – 3pm (Last order at 2.15pm)
Dinner : 6pm – 12am (Last order at 11.15pm)
Lau Pa Sat
18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582
Monday – Friday : 7pm – 1am
Saturday & Sunday : 3pm – 1am
IMM
By MRT: Jurong East MRT Station
Orchard Road
By MRT: Orchard Station
Singapore Night Safari
80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826
Operating Hours : 7.15pm – 12am (last admission 11.15pm)
By MRT : Choa Chu Kang MRT Station, then take bus 927
Ang Mo Kio MRT Station, then take bus 138
Khatib MRT Station, take Mandai Khatib Shuttle (have to pay, refer to web)
Woodlands MRT Station, then take bus 926, operated on Sundays & PH only
Marsiling MRT Station, then take bus 926, operated on Sundays & PH only
Singapore River Safari
80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826
Operating Hours : 10am – 7pm (Last admission 6.30pm)
By MRT: Khatib MRT Station, take Mandai Khatib Shuttle (have to pay, refer to web)
Choa Chu Kang MRT Station, then take bus 927
Ang Mo Kio MRT Station, then take bus 138
Woodlands MRT Station, then take bus 926, operated on Sundays & PH only
Marsiling MRT Station, then take bus 926, operated on Sundays & PH only
Merlion Park
One Fullerton
1 Fullerton Road
Operating Hours : 24 hours
By MRT :
- Take to Raffles Place
- Take the exit towards United Overseas Bank Plaza and from the middle of the plaza, you’ll see the Fullerton Hotel. Merlion Park is behind the hotel
Universal Studio Singapore @Sentosa
Operating Hours : 10am – 7pm
By MRT & Sentosa Express :
- Take to HarbourFront station
- Exit E to VivoCity and proceed to level 3 to board the Sentosa Express. Alight 1 stop later at Waterfront station
- Walk straight till you see Chili’s Restaurant on your right. Turn right and head towards the Universal Studios Globe
Singapore River Cruise
40 minutes cruise through the city centre
Operating Hours : 9am – 11pm (departs every 30 minutes)
Last boat departs at 10.30pm
Boarding Point : Proceed to Clarke Quay Jetty River Cruise ticketing counter (Next to G-MAX Reverse Bungy Jump)
* Not allowed to re-board the boat once disembarked
Gardens by the Bay
18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
By MRT :
Via Circle Line or Downtown Line
- Alight at Bayfront MRT Station (CE1/DR16)
- Take Exit B and follow the underground linkway
- Exit and cross the Dragonfly Bridge or Meadow Bridge into Gardens by the Bay
Via East-West Line
- Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT Station (EW15)
- Take Exit C and head towards bus stop no. 03223 located at International Plaza, Anson Road
- Hop onto bus no. 400 and alight at bus stop no. 03371 along Marina Gardens Drive
