Singapore Vacation with Mom & Jun 2008

 I booked our sightseeing package back in the Davao 3 months before our actual flight via www.octopustravel.com.  There was always fear when paying via credit card but this website is secured and safe to book your travel requirements. We were fetch by a van from our Hotel at around 1:30pm and took us to a park where tourist from other Hotels would meet for the sightseeing schedule.  The staff of the service provider were very efficient and organized.  They were coutreous and friendly. 

"City Tour" package includes a visit at National Orchid Garden, Singapore Gem Cutting Factory, a Temple at China Town, Merlion Park and Little India. 

The National Orchid Garden is quite interesting because you can see a lot of species of orchids from all sizes and colors.  As we walked around we passed by a tunnel-like path full of dancing ladies in bright yellow color and wow ...made me think, this could be a very beautiful place to hold wedding ceremonies. 

Driving past so many buildings the tour guide explains that those are the housing buildings for the Singaporeans and the buildings looked like the first class condos in the Philippines, to them it was just a version of a low cost housing. 

Next stop was the Gem Cutting factory where you can see different kinds of gem stones from its rare form cut and made into pieces of jewelries. 

A short visit to a Temple was done to show us the religious culture of the Singaporean.  Actually Singaporeans are a mixture of Chinese, Malaysians, British & Indians and according to the tour guide they dont call them by race, everybody ( the citizens) are called singaporeans (no color discrimination).  If this is really true then other countries should follow the examples of Singapore.                         

Merlion was the famous icon for Singapore Tourism,  you can see them prominently in every place of interest.

Our last stop was Little India but we didn't join the group since our hotel was just a few minutes walk in the area and we thought that we can see Little India some other days.  The reason why we are in a hurry was we were meeting my nephew Dwight for dinner and we need to freshen up before seeing him & his girlfriend Laila.

The whole trip was tiresome but it was worth the spent energy because we knew and learn about Singapore.

We had dinner at a fastfood (4th floor of a tall building) around Orchard Road, very near the Orchard MTR Station.

By 10:00pm we were back at the Hotel to have our rest.  Yes we had a good sleep, we weren't just tired but the beds at the hotel are comfortable.