flip'n travels

we ultimately believe in providence

and this is the answer to our blog a month ago
http://flipntravels.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/calling-sponsors/

ladies, gentlemen (and everything in between)
presenting…

“THE” BACKPACK

I got the Terra 60, Marco. I named it after the historically popular explorer.

Monette got the Terra 40, baptized as Dora, named after another famous, well.. ex(gulp)plorer

CAVE BLACK NORTH FACE TERRA

“the 77 cm x 35 cm x 22 cm piece of heaven”

Here’s a quick rundown of the reasons why we are so loving this: Sabre 6, 420D rip stop nylon, High-volume capacity, Easy-to-use adjustable Opti-Fit suspension strap, Verti-Cool back panel PE sheet, Aluminum V stays Adjustable torso, Top-loading Sleeping bag compartment, Trampoline divider, Stretch woven side and front stretch pockets, Zip mesh pocket in lid Lash points, Trekking-pole tool loops, Side water-bottle pockets, Side compression straps, Adjustable sternum strap with Safe-T whistle.

I swear, it’s like Christmas morning in the middle of typhoon season. I am absolutely going to sleep with this bag on my bed.

HUGE, BIGGEST, GINORMOUS, BONGANG-BONGANG Thanks to The Travel Club Trinoma and to Maynard Bulosan of Uniglobe Travelware Co., Inc.

I’m the kind of person who would fall asleep watching Saw series. Cliches and lame copied scenes would enrage me. And post-movie anorexia happens if a film involves cheap CGI, stupid scripts and John Lloyd Cruz in it.

I watched UP yesterday. It was my first time to watch a full length 3D film here in the Philippines. I was kind of expecting a (well) fun Sunday afternoon kiddie film, but to my surprise, the first 10 minutes of the film already struck a nerve right on.

Ho-M-Gee Ho-M-Gee Ho-M-Gee! This is so me!

Carl’s childhood scene is so me. The vintage aviator goggles and hat, the travel scrapbook and the mock explorer’s headquarters made me feel like I’m actually the character on the screen. An additional latex and body lotion would really make it my own biography.

Scenes from the film were conceptualized from the rock valley of Tepuis in Venezuela (I know, Venezuela also got fascinating sites other than their a truck load of Miss Universe crown collection). The Character of Carl is partially based on the grumpy but sweet Spencer Tracy. I never made a research about the film before watching it, so I was surprised that it turned out to be a good watch. PIXAR did it again. It would awaken the long dead childhood dream of exploring the world, your ultimate fantasy adventure you once wrote to Santa Clause–or tooth fairy–or Oprah. It should be on top of the page when you google the phrase “life long adventure.” It definitely deserves to be the first animated film to open Cannes Film Festival.

Now I have a new answer when someone asks me: “If you’re a movie, which one are you?” I’m sorry “Inday Bote,” time to step back!

Hail the seat sales! My ever coveted visa is ready but my bank account is in no shape to take a US tour. But if you guys are fit for the ultimate American dream vacation, then you must take advantage of this…

Imagine? Fares these low and buy one take one at that! A bit over US$800 and you and a companion can suck in the California sun or mine gold at Vegas. Please note that quoted prices are exclusive of US$75 fuel surcharges, passenger facility charges and any applicable charges.

So what in the world are you waiting for? Log on to www.nwa.com/ph and use your BPI WorldPerks Mastercard. Select you booking classes by September 30, depart on or before December 15, 2009 and complete you travel by March 15, 2010 to enjoy this fantabulous offer!

With great power comes great responsibility. And like Singapore, greatness can mean a lot of restrictions. No wonder the place is spic and span! We Filipinos should learn a thing or two from them…

Going cold turkey in Singapore

First on the list is smoking. Our vacation lasted for 10 days and knowing this, I should have brought with me a ream of cigarettes but because our point of entry was Singapore, I had to ditch the plan and bring with me two packs which I had to open upon arrival just to make a point that I do not intend to sell them or something. One cannot bring more than one opened pack of cigarettes in the country! There is a total smoking ban in all enclosed places including public transportation and bars. I cannot imagine drinking without cigarettes! And even if you are outside, there will only be designated places for smoking usually marked with a yellow line with a sign that says “smoking zone.” Otherwise, you choke up SGD$1000 as fine. The horror…

Jay-walking, spitting, littering and even drinking and eating in public transport are prohibited. Heck! You are not even allowed to bring Durian inside buses and trains. Pedestrian walks are easily available and traffic rules are expected to be observed to the dot. Jay-walking will cost the offender SGD$300 and up to 3 months in jail while snacking inside the bus will cost you SGD$500.

Signs like this are commonly seen in public places like park, streets and train.

Another controversial restriction is chewing gum. It is not sold in stores and you cannot bring it as you enter the country. Since 2004, only chewing gum of therapeutic value is allowed to be sold upon showing your ID and brought into Singapore. Just so you know, leaving a stagnant water in your backyard/office, jaywalking, leaving your bicycle unlocked and feeding birds are some of the 40,000+ offenses that are punishable by law.

Planning to get high? You might want to postpone that till you get to Amsterdam. Singapore treats drug possession, trafficking, manufacturing, importing or exporting more than 15 g of heroin, 30 g of morphine, 30 g of cocaine, 500 g of cannabis, 200 g of cannabis resin and 1.2 kg of opium extremely severely. A maximum of 10 years in jail or a fine of SGD$20,000 or both await the offender. You can also get charged if they find traces of illicit drugs in your system even if you took them prior to going into the country and also, if drugs are found in your possession even if you were not aware if it.

Illegal entry, overstaying your visa, vandalism, robbery, molestation and rape (sex with a girl under the age of 16 regardless whether there was consent or none) merit caning punishment. Note to Pinoys: Bribing does not work in Singapore. You can get charged for corruption.

Caning is a corporal punishment still retained in Singapore where fit male criminals under 60 years of age can be sentenced to a maximum of 24 strokes of the rotan (rattan) cane on the buttocks. The punishment is mandatory for over 40 offenses, mostly violent crimes, but also some immigration violations and acts of vandalism (look up Michael Fay).

Crimes such as murder, kidnapping, unauthorized possession of firearms and drug trafficking are punishable by death.

In the first world island at the southern-most tip of the mainland Asia, life is busy and fast paced. People move faster, eat quicker and travel from point A to B in a break-neck speed. Even the escalators in public places runs faster than the usual escalators would run. I’m not kidding! I lived the past 8 years in a country so laid-back that when I rode the Singaporean escalators, it made me grab the side rails for dear life.

The malls are inter-connected like a web laid across the city. So we opted to walk rather than taking the cab. With a limited time and so many things to do, we were running like headless chicken.

And yes chicken is the appropriate word, literally. It has been the theme of our food trips in Singapore. The meals that we had were really good and I must say, Singaporeans really know how to do their chicken right (sounds a bit off, but there’s no better phrase to express it).

Whenever I visit Singapore, I always make it a point to eat the two best chicken meals in town. Chicken Rice and Clay pot Chicken. Chicken Rice is Singapore’s national food/meal (McDonalds comes in next). It’s preparation is very simple. You boil the chicken and use the stock to cook the rice. Most hawker stalls serve this in different variety of cooking styles and preparations. My favorite happens to be the simplest, the chicken meal is served with garlic and chili paste (SG$2.50), perfect with a glass of pure sugar cane juice (SG$1). This meal is so popular they can put it in their coat of arms.

The clay pot chicken on the other hand is one rich meal savored and glazed with black soy sauce and oriental spices cooked on a clay bowl. One of the best clay pot chicken that I tried is from Moi Lum Restaurant along Maxwell Road (SG$6). This glazed chicken-topped pot of rice is usually in huge serving. I’m a man and I know if a meal is huge enough to fill a hungry bloke, and their serving is indeed, huge.  Check-out Moi Lum’s Menu, CLICK HERE

after a minute or so…

Hawker places are really popular among locals and tourists alike. It’s their version of carinderia and you can find one on every street across the city. With a very short time we cannot afford to book, wait and spend several hours for a fine dining meal (Or, we simply can’t afford… fine dining restaurants in Singapore, hehe!), so a hawker place is always a life saver for backpackers.

TIPS WHEN EATING IN A HAWKER STAND

‘Chope’ – It’s the Singaporean slang for reserving the table. It is ideal to reserve one specially during lunch time. You wouldn’t want to eat on your tray standing, so chope a seat by leaving a packet of tissue on the table.

No VISA or Mastercard – your cards are as good as Adam Lambert’s genes (READ: Useless) for hawker stalls don’t accept card payments, so be ready with your cash.

“Having here or Take away?” – don’t be confabulated when you hear Singaporeans use this phrase. It simply means “For here or to go?” (“Dine-in or take-out” for us Pinoys). Other popularly used singlish words would be “Same-same” which essentially means item of the same value or price; and when vendor or mall sales clerk say “finish already,” it means they ran out of stocks of the item or product that you are looking for.

Popular hawker centers are the ones at Tiong Bahru, Newton and The Esplanade.

Then the time for our Starbucks fix came. Just like in Macau, Starbucks shops are sporadically spread across the city. We were looking for one and it has been like the greatest quest to find the Holy Grail. From Esplanade we searched the perimeter and couldn’t find one, so we walked all the way to Raffles and across. After an hour and several kilometers of walking, we finally found one in Suntec Mall. Finding that al fresco Starbucks is a “choir of angels” moment for me and Monette.  Only to find out later that there’s a plethora of coffee shops, including Starbucks, in Merlion park, right across Fullerton Hotel. It’s a bridge away from where we started.

Lesson learned: Don’t look too far, maybe the one that you are looking for is right under your nose the bridge.