My Singapore Trip

[United Army]

Me and my wife took a trip to Singapore Nov 9-12. I needed to restart my visa again and deceided to make a mini vacation out this trip too. We plan on going back again sometime soon.We took Cebu Pacific airlines and of course it was late from departing Cebu, but can’t complain the price was good only P9, 800 round trip for the both of us to Singapore. At the airport in Cebu we had to pay P1,620 each Travel Tax, ok I said. Then to another counter and pay some more, another P550 each International Airport Terminal Fee, now I was not to happy about this, but nothing I could do. Just glad I took extra Peso along.When we checked in with Immigration at the Changi Airport in Singapore I was given a 90 day social visit visa, but my wife was only given a 30 day social visit visa, somewhat odd but what the heck. Also it seems like the Immigrations Officers were looking for someone when our plane arrived there, my wife was asked while she stood in line if she was going to Malaysia or if she came from Malaysia and was ask if she was with someone and she said yes my husband and they the Singapore Immigration Officer stopped talking to her. They, for sure were looking out for a lady coming or going to Malaysia. It was sort of exciting but scary too at the same time. I exchanged $200 at the money exchanger in the airport and the rate was 1.271 and later I exchanged $100 on Orchard Road two days in a row and both times the rate was 1.25. So it looks like its better to exchange your money at the airport. I found Singapore one of the cleanest cities I have ever seen, not a speck of trash anywhere in the city, not even cigarette butts, very impressive. I only saw 5 police men during my 2-3 day visit and no security guards like they have here in the PH and the roads there were in super shape, not even one pot hole, what a change from Cebu. And very little smog, all the cars, trucks, buses I saw,..had no exhaust coming out of the tile pipes. And I live in Cebu, sometimes I wonder why…., yes is cheap place to live.Sites that we saw were:1. The Singapore Botanic Gardens..free admission2. The Artwork at Ritz-Carlton Hotel..free admission3. The Singapore Flyer S$29.50 each4. The White Rabbit, our meals… I had Pan Roasted Salmon S$29 and my wife had the Crispy Duck Leg Confit S$29, both dishes were well prepared and tasted out of this world, very, very good place to eat. And for dessert we had their Crepes Suzette S$18 also very, very good. And we were served by two Filipinos ladies would you believe, what a small world.5. Orchard Road is a must. What prices they have!!! and the food was very, very good there, allot of places to eat, we just walked around for hours.6. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is a must for sure, I call it a boat on top of the Hotel, S$20 each for admission to the observation deck.You can look all these sites up on Google if you interested in more info about them.You can get around the city of Singapore in a taxi for about S$10, that is the average price to get around anywhere in the city. The taxi from and to the airport was a little more between S$17-21 or so. Taxis were very comfortable with plenty of leg room in the back and they even take credit cards for payment, with a service charge of course. They do drive fast there about 90km or so, the steering wheel is on the right side of the cars and they drive on the opposite side of the road there too. We stayed at the Fragrance Sapphire Hotel, address: 3 Lorong 10 Greylang, the room was small, but ok, the noise from the hallway was somewhat loud at times during the night and woke us up several times, but the price was good about $70 per night or so, we borrowed a iron for our cloths and that was a big plus for us, since we went Go Lite on Cebu Pacific, no checked baggage and our cloths got somewhat wrinkled in our carry on. Cebu Pacific never checked the weight of our carry on carry luggage either, that surprised me.. Cebu Pacific also asked me for my onward ticket when I checked in with them for my departure flight from Singapore, but did not ask for one for my wife, even through I had one, just in case.Here is my story about the BB Stamp. We departed Cebu on 9 Nov, arrived Singapore 10 Nov. departed Singapore 11 Nov and arrived Cebu 12 Nov., at 4am. There were 4 Immigration Officers checking passports so I picked the one out that I thought would give me the best shot for getting that most wanted BB Stamp. I told my wife to please ask him for that stamp. So I let her go up to the Immigration Officer first and she turned in both our passports and papers (marriage contact, arrival immigration card and onward ticket out of the country). The officer asked her where is your husband and she pointed to me, I was behind that yellow line and then asked her if we had the same last name and she said yes. And that was it, I got the BB Stamp.….he really did not look at the marriage contact either. If anyone is thinking of visiting Singapore and if you have a chance by all means do so, you won’t be sorry. It is expensive there, unlike here in Cebu, just beware of that.Beside my plane ticket, and hotel reservation, I also spent $577 US Dollars, which came to about S$727.

[Old55]

Thanks for the detailed Singapore info. Seems you guys had a great time. Could you add a few more details for the Singapore Flyer? What is that?We hope visit in 2012 with Filipino-Chinese friends who live there.

[United Army]

Thanks for the detailed Singapore info. Seems you guys had a great time. Could you add a few more details for the Singapore Flyer? What is that?We hope visit in 2012 with Filipino-Chinese friends who live there.

Just do a Google on it, and the website will pop up.

[Jake]

Thank you for that extensive field report about your Singapore adventure, especially about your major concern on BB stamp.We are also happy to hear that both of you are all smiles now. Young marriages are always a work in progress.......Respectfully -- Jake

[Old55]

The Singapore flyer is a huge ferris wheel............. very cool a must see.My link!

[Jim Sibbick]

Thankyou!I thought your report was good too!Your terminal fee and travel tax are exactly what I expected you should pay!You did not mention about your ACR-I card or Emigration Clearance Certificate.Did you require an Emigration Clearance Certificate to leave the Philippines and is your ACR-card still useable?Regards: Jim

[United Army]

Thankyou!I thought your report was good too!Your terminal fee and travel tax are exactly what I expected you should pay!You did not mention about your ACR-I card or Emigration Clearance Certificate.Did you require an Emigration Clearance Certificate to leave the Philippines and is your ACR-card still useable?Regards: Jim

Yes I had to get a ECC and turned it in at the airport when I departed Cebu,and no one asked me for my ACR card so I still have it.

[Jim Sibbick]

Thankyou!I thought your report was good too!Your terminal fee and travel tax are exactly what I expected you should pay!You did not mention about your ACR-I card or Emigration Clearance Certificate.Did you require an Emigration Clearance Certificate to leave the Philippines and is your ACR-card still useable?Regards: Jim

Yes I had to get a ECC and turned it in at the airport when I departed Cebu,and no one asked me for my ACR card so I still have it.

Thankyou!

[Art2ro]

Looked like an expensive turn around trip to Singapore! My wife and I did a 3 day turn around trip to Bangkok, Thailand 6 yrs ago to avail the BB stamp. We just arrived yesterday yesterday from a 2 month vacation in Northern California and the weather was great! Anyway, my wife got her Dual Citizenship in San Francisco during our vacation, but I didn't because I didn't have all of my documents with me. Upon our return, I got the BB stamp and my wife got the regular resident stamp. BTW, we even got to meet up with my buddy Jake while on our way to San Diego to visit some friends! We pigged out at the IHOP, my favorite place for breakfast! Too bad we didn't have time to get some tennis in since we were just passing through Jake's neighborhood and what a nice place too, tennis court just outside his front door steps! Singapore will be on our list next time to visit.

[United Army]

Looked like an expensive turn around trip to Singapore! My wife and I did a 3 day turn around trip to Bangkok, Thailand 6 yrs ago to avail the BB stamp. We just arrived yesterday yesterday from a 2 month vacation in Northern California and the weather was great! Anyway, my wife got her Dual Citizenship in San Francisco during our vacation, but I didn't because I didn't have all of my documents with me. Upon our return, I got the BB stamp and my wife got the regular resident stamp. BTW, we even got to meet up with my buddy Jake while on our way to San Diego to visit some friends! We pigged out at the IHOP, my favorite place for breakfast! Too bad we didn't have time to get some tennis in since we were just passing through Jake's neighborhood and what a nice place too, tennis court just outside his front door steps! Singapore will be on our list next time to visit.

Good to hear , yes my wife got regular resident stamp also.