TravelhackRR

Rambi and I had planned a trip around Southest Asia last 2011 and come February this year, we were extremely excited that it was finally happening. In planning our itinerary, we followed a clockwise manner in determining the order of the countries we wanted to visit. We booked the flights and hotels in advance to save on cost so for the actual trip, we’d only have to worry about food and tours.

Now when traveling, he and I limit our bags to one backpack each for carry on, and no check in luggage. This saves us time since we don’t have to wait by the carousel, plus promo fares from LCC’s don’t allow luggage for check in unless you’re willing to pay extra. Lucky for us we’ve mastered the art of packing and managed to fit 3 weeks worth of clothing in two backpacks, with a little room left for souvenirs. We also had to limit our liquids (toiletries) to 100mL bottles.

Singapore was the the first country on our list. While I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about this leg, I was nevertheless eager to see old friends who moved to SG to work. Rambi tagged his Mom along so she could take time off to relax and go sightseeing.

On February 9, we arrived at the NAIA Terminal 3 at 4:30AM for a 6:25AM flight. They started boarding by 5AM and the plane was ready to take off by 5:20. The line at the immigration booth was so long that by 5:10, they opened a new gate for our flight’s passengers.

A little past 9AM, we landed at the Budget Terminal and bought tequila for our friends at Duty Free on the advice that it’s so much more expensive everywhere else. We took a cab to the Marina Bay District where our hotel, the Conrad Centennial, is located. Fancy, I know. Gotta thank the boyfriend for that. The hotel gave us a room upgrade upon checking in. I fell onto the fluffy bed and I didn’t want to get off. Everrr. But we were scheduled to meet Rambi’s friend, Andrew, so I had to force myself to part with my newfound love.