Singapore and Malaysia has always been in my bucket list and the place I always I wanted to visit. I was lucky enough that my family have decided to have vacation in Singapore for 3 days and a 1 day tour in Malaysia. This was the first family trip we had since 2013, which was quite a long time ago.
SINGAPORE
The So clan
From left - My sister Grace, Me, My mother Rolly, My aunts Anita and Ana, my cousins Janet and Jeannie
I have heard so many positive things about Singapore. I would say 80% of what I heard are all true. The people in Singapore are nice, polite and very helpful. Most of the people speaks both English and Mandarin Chinese. The surroundings are very clean. It is definitely a wonderful city to go to. A few local Singaporeans have told us that there are many people who come to Singapore to work and they never want to leave Singapore anymore as the living standard and lifestyle are very good, although it is quite expensive to live in Singapore but it is very safe and diverse,
SINGAPORE: STATUE OF MERLION
The Merlion
The Merlion can be seen in posters, tourism advertising, signs, Merlion cookies and many more as Merlion is the national personification of Singapore. The Merlion is in a mythical creature with a lion head and a body of a fish. When you walk pass by the Merlion statue, you can feel the wind breeze with a bit of water splash from the mouth "fountain" of the Merlion statue. Take some time to walk around the park and take lots of pictures with the Merlion statue in different angles.
The Statue of Merlion
SINGAPORE: MARINA BAY SANDS
Overlooking Marina Bay Sands and The Merlion Park
The Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort in Singapore located in Bayfront Avenue. It has 2,500 rooms, the largest atrium casino in the world that consists of 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines, 2 large theatres and an infinity pool with panoramic view.
The Marina Bay Sands
SINGAPORE: SIN SWEE KEE
Sin Swee Kee is located in Seah Street. This restart offers one of the best Hainan Chicken in the city. It is a must to try their chicken when you visit Singapore.
Sin Swee Kee, one of the best chicken restaurant in Singapore
Dining at Sin Swee Kee
SINGAPORE: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Universal Studios is located in Sentosa and it is one of Singapore's top attractions for tourists. There are many attractions, shows, souvenir shops, food stall and fast food restaurant in the park. The price for Child aged 4-12 is S$56, for Adults aged 13-59 is S$74 and for Seniors aged 60 and above is S$36. My favourite attractions/ shows are the Transformers Ride 4D, The Puss in Boot Giant Journey and the Steve Spielberg "Lights, camera, action!" show. Universal Studios is one of the best amusement park I ever been to.
The Universal Studios Singapore
Inside Universal Studios Singapore
Attractions & Shop at Universal Studios
From Left- Minions Mini Mart, Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase, The Revenge of the Mummy and Far Far Away Land (Shrek 4D)
Attractions at Universal Studios
From Left top - Jurassic Park, Madagascar, The Puss in Boots and Sesame Street Live Musical Show: When I Grow Up
One of the best attraction at Universal Studios, Transformers 4D Ride
I found Audrey Hepburn
SINGAPORE: Ser Seng Herbs Restaurant (PASIR RIS)
Ser Seng Herbs Restaurant is located in Tai Thong Crescent in Pasir Ris. This restaurant is famour for their traditional Turtle Soup and Black Chicken Soup. Yam rice is also highly recommended when you order any soup to match with the delicious meal.
Black Chicken Soup with Yam Rice
SINGAPORE: CHINATOWN
Chinatown has plenty of food stall and night markets that sells souvenirs and goodies to bring home to your hometown before leaving Singapore. You may bargain with the shop keepers and they will definitely offer you a cheaper price with other reasonable deals.
MALAYSIA
Getting to Malaysia from Singapore is easy. All you need to do is take a bus or rent a van to get there by passing the border to Johor Bahru. It is only 1 hour car ride to Malaysia. The custom check is quite easy as all you need to do is sit down the car and pass your documents through the side counter. We decided to book a van with a Malaysian-Chinese driver to tour us in Malaysia for one day with the price of S$300.
The Palace of the Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor
People are prohibited to enter the palace, so you may only take pictures outside the gate
MALAYSIA: JOHOR PREMIUM OUTLETS
Our first stop is at Johor Premium Outlets, where all the famous brands such as Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Victoria Secrets, Gucci, Armani, Adidas and many more are open for sale with special and add ons discount.
Selfie with the So family in Johor Premium Outlets
MALAYSIA: SOON HUAT BAK KUT TEH
Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh is located in Bedok, Johor. This restaurant is a mixture of both Malaysian and Singapore flavours of Bak Kut Teh (Pork Ribs Tea), their signature dish. The food was very delicious and their staff were very attentive and polite. The Bak Kut The was very unforgettable and you may ask for soup refill for free whenever you wish to have more soup.
Yummy food
From Left top - Stir Fry Vegetables with Fried Garlic, Tofu and Fish Fillet and Pork Bone Soup
MALAYSIA: LEGOLAND
Legoland Malaysia is located in Iskandar Puteri in Johor. We did not manage to get inside Legoland as we only have limited time and we just simply had a quick drop by and took pictures. The price for Legoland is RM126 for adults ages 12-59 and RM102 for child ages 3-11 and seniors ages 60 and above.
The Legoland Malaysia
Made out of legos
MALAYSIA: DC COMICS SUPER HEROES CAFE
The DC Comics Super Heroes Cafe is located in Puteri Harbour in Johor. The Cafe shop includes figurings, superheroes posters, life size superheroes figure models around the shop and T-shirts with superheroes symbols for sale.
MALAYSIA: RESTORAN TODAK (ORANG ASLI)
Orang Asli is located in Johor Bahru. It is located in the seaside and you may select your own fish, crab or lobster to cook for your meal. The food was deliciously cook, however the service was quite poor and slow. We were lucky to have our guide/ driver Roy to dine with us and to help us translate as some of the waiting staff are not able to communicate in both English or Chinese Mandarin.
Seafood restaurant by the sea
SEAFOOD!!!
Local seafood dishes
From Left Top - Steamed Fish, Spicy Stir Fry Shrimp with Fried Garlic, and Crab
Group picture with our driver & guide Roy
Overall, the 4 days trip was very unforgettable. It is the best family trip I ever had and hopefully this will become a yearly trip for us to bond. I will definitely go back to Singapore and Malaysia to visit the places I haven't been to.
Yours Truly,
Michelle Chan
