travel

Pet Cruise in Singapore

It has been almost one year since our pug – Mr Beef Pies – entered our lives. When he first came to our house in May 2015, he was still a shy dog, meekly sat in the corner looking at us with those huge gorgeous eyes. Now in less than a year he already considers himself King of the entire house and gets grumpy when we close doors on him or don’t give him his beloved foot scratches.

Mr Pies 2nd birthday was fast approaching and it was a bit of a struggle to think of some place extra special to take him for his birthday as we regularly take Mr Pies out to his favourite places like Sentosa, East Coast Park and Changi Village.

One of the places we have wanted to take him is Pulau Serangoon which is more popularly called Coney Island. It is a small island attached to the north of Singapore by a small bridge and features woodlands, a beach and views of Malaysia. There isn’t much on the beach apart from nature (although a mysterious cow lives on the island which you can read more about here / interesting, right?), but Mr Pies loves sand to play on and trees to wee on so it is like a theme park for him.

We had thought about taking Mr Pies there in a taxi one day, however some internet research told us there was a more interesting way. There is a company specialising in Pet Cruises that could take Mr Pies finally to Coney Island, so we thought that would be a great birthday treat for our special pug. Since Mr Pies birthday was on a work day this year, we arranged the cruise for Valentine’s Day which fell on a Sunday. This meant it was a romantic treat as well as a birthday one!

The Pet Cruise company is run by friendly Skipper Joe and departs from Punggol’s Marina Country Club. The vessel is a small motor boat and comes provided with free soft drinks and towels to make sure you stay hydrated when out under the sun. For Mr Pies’ birthday cruise we left at 11am and planned a 2 hour cruise from the Marina to Coney Island, with plenty of time for Mr Pies to run around on the beach and tire himself out. Coney Island is not the only option for your cruise destination. In addition, you could also go to Seletar Island which is even more isolated and uninhabited if you fancy a bit more privacy. Skipper Joe can also arrange activities like cycling or a seafood dinner to add onto your cruise.

The boat is a small and clean vessel, though as always, Mr Pies was a bit nervous of new things. He spent most of the time on the boat cuddled up beside us for his protection. He was a lot happier when we finally got to Coney Island where he got the chance to run around to his little heart’s content on the beach and play around in the water.

Skipper Joe gave us the option of doing some swimming behind the boat, but since Mr Pies was already quite tired we chose instead just to let him rest on the beach for longer.

It was a really great day for Mr Pies and he slept for most of the day when he got back home which normally indicates a happy pug. The Pet Cruise is a lovely idea for pawrents who want to do something a bit different for their Fur Baby. After the cruise, there are a few restaurants in the Marina that allow you to eat with your dog. We would recommend though that you pre-arrange transport to get from the Marina afterwards as it can be difficult to get a cab in this remote location.

So go ahead, treat your fur baby to a lovely pet cruise. You and your little bundle of joy will definitely love it.

Pet Cruise details:

Website: https://www.sites.google.com/site/petcruise88/home
Telephone of Skipper Joe: 9637 5009

Project 365: Week 1

Day 1: 01 January 2013, Thursday

It’s time to see my family off after a week long of bonding. This is the first Christmas and New Year that we have been complete since 2010. Sadly, like all things, it has to end. All I can say is, Stemei (that’s the name of our house) won’t be the same without them.

However, after seeing them off, we got a new addition to our growing family (of plush toys). No need for introduction as I am pretty sure you know him.

A bit childish, yes, but hey, we have to indulge the kid in us every now and again. Continue reading →

Koh Phi Phi is No Longer THE Beach

What Koh Phi Phi has promised in the movie The Beach is long lost in its current state. Its pristine, blue waters, powdery white sand, and breathtaking beaches are still there, yes, but it is marred by boarded-up shanties at the coast, drunken and rowdy (mostly British 😉 ) tourists, and hushed yet rampant island crime.

G and I are both beach bums and what best way to spend our honeymoon than under the sun, sand and seawater! We decided to head on to Koh Phi Phi, an island in the province of Krabi, Thailand as he has a friend working there in a dive shop. We decided to stay for a week in the island though most people who has been to PP would say six days is more than enough. We figured a week is just perfect to get that diving license and spend enough QT time by the beach.

Boats moored at Ton Sai Bay, Koh Phi Phi Don, Krabi Province, Thailand. Took this shot on our morning walk towards Long Beach on Day 02.

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Postcards from Kho Phi Phi, Thailand

I’m done with my postcard-sending bit of this holiday and sent out two (2) postcards to two ‘lucky’ friends! 🙂

The last postcard I sent was when we were travelling to Chiang Mai. So to share a bit of my holiday to friends and loved ones, I’m gonna make this my ritual every time I’m travelling. So give me a shoutout if you’ve received a postcard from Phi Phi, yeah? 🙂

If you want postcards sent over from my future travels, drop me a line and email me your mailing address. 🙂 I can still send a few from Koh PP, you know. 😉

Arab Street in Singapore – A Must Visit

When in Singapore, don’t miss a visit to the Arab Street and its neighboring lanes like Bussorah St., Haji Lane and Baghdad St.

In these streets you’ll find great fare, cute shops selling anything and everything that you can think of (cute Japanese bikes, handmade postcards, physical store of a blog shop, etc.), and great views. It’s the only place (I think) in Singapore with graffiti (wonderful graffitis – the artsy stype). The Perenakan houses also adds to the charm of this area.

When there, try visiting Alaturka, a Turkish restaurant at Bussorah Street or the nearby hawker center Kampong Glam.

Photo by iamjoyceee • Instagram.

February Travels

I am a newbie traveler. I fell in love with traveling when I first went overseas, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2008. It wasn’t a great destination but it was good enough to convince me that getting lost in the crowd, haggling for good buys, discovering great treats, listening to locals speak their own language and that feeling of anonymity are experiences worth repeating. Over and over again, no matter how trivial it is.

After that, I have planned birthday trips and I hope this will continue on until the day that I physically can’t travel anymore.

2009 – Hong Kong (1/2 day)

2009 – Macau

2010 – The Move to Singapore

2011 – Batam, Indonesia (Although it’s a post-birthday celebration)

2012 – Home

So, where to on 2013? 🙂

Day 26 Before my 26th – New Blog Site

I have no birthday wishlist this year. I never got most of what’s in my list anyway, so why bother making one. And besides, turning 26 is not as monumental as stepping into quarter-life (I believe that I will be able to celebrate my 100th) or being a debutante at 18 (I never had this big 18th birthday celebration-which most girls are dreaming of) or starting living life at 40 (most middle-aged people convince themselves that life begins at forty-maybe, maybe not). Twenty-sixth birthday is just so unspecial for me as it follows after my  25th, which I made a big deal of just because.

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How I Accidentally End Up in Singapore PART 2

Will post soon. 🙂

How I Accidentally End Up In Singapore PART 1

It was supposedly a Vietnam-Cambodia-Vietnam trip. But since I can only get a day (only ONE day) off, I only booked a round trip ticket to Vietnam forgoing the side trip to Cambodia to see the Angkor Wat. Thinking that maybe I can go there next time, this time I would be coming from Bangkok. Hmmm, tempting. And because I am subscribed to the Seat Sale Alert of Cebu Pacific, last May 27, I booked myself (and my officemates) a flight to Vietnam from August 19 to August 22. With much enthusiasm, I announced to them and to the world that “We’re going to Vietnam, for two AND A HALF days, for only 3.5k.”

We overlooked our return flight. Instead of 1am, we all thought that our flight back to Manila is at one in the afternoon!

And so, we all thought that we were leaving in the afternoon of the 22^nd for Manila. Although this isn’t my first time to fly nor my first time to fly in the wee hours of the morning, it really didn’t cross my mind that they use MILITARY TIME (as if I haven’t been in ROTC for two years as an officer! Boo me). Of course, I know they use military time, but somehow, it was ingrained in me that I’m spending two and a half days on vacation (partly maybe because I WANT it to be that LONG) and that somehow, for me, it would be unwise to go overseas for only two freakin days. Do I make sense?
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Birthday Trip Itinerary

This is a long overdue post. It started with a whim of wanting to travel alone. And of course, an alert in my email from Cebu Pacific that they were having a grand seat sale.
And because it’s November (money coming in because of  “bonuses” and my credit card still has enough balance to accommodate the whim) I bought tickets to Hong Kong and Macau. A birthday gift/birthday trip for myself.

Planning stage was quite easy. I asked advise from traveler friends, et al, on where to go and what best to do in Hong Kong and Macau. I followed the advice of some but mostly my itinerary was made out of gut feel. 🙂

First things first: Budget.
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