From Isarog to Singapore Part 2

At last! I finally found the time to blog about my one-week experience in Singapore :)

To start, let me give you a glimpse where I live :)

I live at Maysprings Condominium. It is located on the North area of Singapore, Bukit Panjang. The name says it all, it's the Bukid Area of Singapore. This is where my Auntie Let and Uncle Philip stays. I am staying with them. They used to stay at Holland Road but then they decided to buy a unit here instead because the old condominium was too big for them.

Here is the view from our floor. We're at the 19th floor by the way. Part of the facilities of the condominium is a swimming pool, a clubhouse and a tennis court. They also have a gym but I haven't tried them yet.

When night time falls, which is usually at 8:00pm (7:00pm here is like 5:00pm in the Philippines), the view from our floor is really nice. The lights from the cars passing by and the lights on the pool and the trees give me a serene feeling.

The interior of the house is also gorgeous. This is how it looks like :) (See picture below)

Uncle Philip bought this 3D TV which is about 42". Too bad, I haven't been able to try the 3D feature yet.

They really have a nice house plus the kitchen is so neat :) 






Moving on, really, the cost of living here in Singapore is quite expensive compared to the Philippines. Perhaps because I would usually convert the Singapore prices to Philippine prices whenever I would go to the grocery or just buy a top-up card. Eventually, I would end up buying nothing.

Anyhow, for those who would want to try their luck here in Singapore, you may find this helpful, hopefully. Am sharing this out of experience and of course, from the tips that I got from fellow travelers. I hope you would get something from it :)

First is transportation. Transportation is very convenient here in Singapore. The first thing that you have to do is to buy your EZ LINK card.

The card costs $12 with a $7 stored value. The $5 is the actual cost of the card which is non-refundable. You may purchase 'credits' or it's usually referred to here as 'top-up' at General Ticketing Machines at all SMRT Stations and Add Value Machines. The EZ Link Card can be used both on the bus and the MRT/LRT.

Note: Always check the remaining credits of your card. There are cases when the card is not accepted by the machine in the bus or the train if the value is $2 below.
Also, buses have designated numbers here. The numbers reflect the route of the bus. To better guide you, you can use STREET DIRECTORY for the directions (http://www.streetdirectory.com/) and I would also personally advise that you get a copy of the SMRT map, in this way, you can check the line that you should take. You may also check the map here -- http://www.smrt.com.sg/trains/network_map.asp

Second is the purchasing a prepaid sim. The most popular telecommunication company is SINGTEL (am using SINGTEL). The sim card would cost from $28-$50 with a pre-loaded phone credit. I bought the $50 sim and it has a $50 stored value plus a $10 bonus. International text would usually cost 18 cents per message, so it's quite cheap. Singtel also has a lot of freebies like when you top-up a $20 card, you'd get a $3 bonus. Also, incoming calls are not for free here in Singapore however Singtel offers a 10 or 20 day free incoming call if you top-up a particular amount.

As for me, I still have $46 as of today but I decided to buy the $20 top-up in case I ran out of credits. The $20 top-up card looks like this :)

Note: As soon as you get off Changi Airport, look for a store where you can buy a prepaid sim. It would be better if you have exchanged your money to Singapore dollars by then. They would also ask for your passport when you buy the prepaid sim.

Third is the board and lodging. I am lucky that I was temporarily adopted by auntie and uncle, everything is for free. However, if you will try to maximize the one month social visit pass, make sure that you have enough money with you. The usual rate for room rent is about $350-500 then you have to add up your meals per day. A decent meal may cost about $5-10 but a $2 meal is also available. Make sure that you have at least $1000 for you to survive in a month. Good thing if you have friends who can adopt you for the mean time while you're looking for a job.

I think that's all for now. I have to explore Singapore still. I am enjoying the place and am trying to see how it feels like to live here. I also experienced getting lost but GPS is good companion. If you can have a phone that has GPS then you're good to go.

Thank you for reading my blog :)

Bus Transport Contact Numbers

This might be useful :)

1. Aladdin Transit Corporation
Location: 1310 Espana Cnr. Galicia Streets, Sampaloc, Manila
Destinations: Cagayan Valley in Region in the extreme north of Luzon.
Telephone Number: + 63 2 743 8523; + 63 2 781 9168

2. Autobus Transport Systems Incorporated
Location: Dimasalang Street Cnr. Laong Laan Street, Sampaloc, Manila
Destinations: Baguio, Laoag, Cagayan Valley, Dagupan, Ifugao, Kalinga & Isabela provinces.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 735 8098

3. Baliwag Transit Incorporated
Location: 199 Rizal Avenue Extension, Cnr 2nd Avenue, Caloocan City, Manila
Destinations: Baliwag, Cababatuan in Nueva Ecija Province, San Jose del Monte in Bulacan Province. All in the far north of Luzon.
Telephone Numbers:

4. Baliwag Transit Incorporated
Location: 33 Edsa, Cubao, Quezon City.
Destinations: Baliwag, San Jose del Monte in Bulacan Province and Aparri and Tuguegarao in Cagayan Province which is in the far north of Luzon Island.
Telephone Numbers:

5. BLTB – Batangas Laguna Tayabas Bus Company
Location: Edsa Pasay City
Destinations: Calamba in Laguna province, Nasugbu in Batangas province, Lucena in Quezon province, Legaspi in Albay province, Naga in Camarines Sur province and Sorsogon province. BLTB will also travel into, Leyte & Samar.
Telephone Numbers: + 63 2 833 5508, + 63 2 833 5501, + 63 2 913 1525

6. Dagupan Bus Lines
Location: New York Street, Cubao, Quezon City, Manila
Destinations: Dagupan, Alaminos, Lingayen in Pangasinan province and further north to Baguio City and Benguet province. Both these provinces are in central Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: + 63 2 727 2330, + 63 2 929 6123, + 63 2 928 5639, + 63 2 727 2330, + 63 2 727 2287

7. Dangwa Tranco Company Incorporated
Location: 1600 Dimasalang Street, Sampaloc, Manila.
Location: 832 Aurora Boulevard, Cubao.
Destinations: Both terminals have bus transport Philippines to Benguet province and Ifugao Province in the Cordillera Administrative Region in the northern central area of Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: + 63 2 731 2879, + 63 2 410 1991

8. Dominion Transit
Location: New York Street, Cubao, Quezon City
Destinations: The provinces of Abra, La Union and Ilocos Sur on the north west coast of Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: + 63 2 741 4146, + 63 2 731 4180

9. Farinas Transit Company
Location: Laong Laan cnr and M dela Fuente Streets, Sampaloc, Manila
Destinations: The city of Vigan in Ilocos Sur province and the city of Laoag in Ilocos Norte province on the north western Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: + 63 2 731 4507, + 63 2 731 4375, + 63 2 743 8580

10. Five Star Bus Company

Location: Aurora Boulevard, Pasay City, Manila
Destinations: Dagupan and Bolinao in Pangasinan province, Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija province in the north of Luzon island.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 833 8339, +63 2 833 3009

11. Franco Frederico Lines
Location: Sampaloc Manila.
Destinations: The provinces of Ilocos Sur & Ilocos Norte in the north of Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 731 4473, +63 2 731 2584

12. Inland Trailways Incorporated
Location: Edsa, Pasay City, Manila.
Destinations: The city of Legaspi in Albay province, Lucena City in Quezon province, Naga City in Camarines Sur province and Sorsogon province all in the southern end of Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 833 6280.

13. JAM Transit
Location: Taft Avenue, Pasay City, Manila.
Location: New York Street, Cubao, Quezon City.
Destinations: Batangas, Quezon and Laguna provinces south of Manila.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 541 4409, +63 2 924 7712, +63 2 831 4390.

14. JB Line Bicol Express
Location: Aurora Boulevard, Pasay City.
Destinations: The city of Legaspi in Albay province, Lucena City in Quezon province and Naga City in Camarines Sur province in southern Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 833 2949.

15. Maria de Leon Transit
Location: Corner Gelinos and Dapitan Streets, Sampaloc, Manila.
Destinations: City of San Fernando in La Union province, Vigan City in Ilocos Sur province and Laoag City in Ilocos Norte province all on the north western coast of Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 731 4907.

16. Partas Transportation Company Incorporated
Location: 816 Aurora Boulevard, Cubao, Quezon City.
Destinations: To the city of Baguio, Benguet province, Bangued in Abra province, Laoag City in Ilocos Norte province, San Fernando in La Union Province and the city of Vigan in Ilocos Sur province. All in the north west coast and Cordillera mountains of Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 725 7303, +63 2 724 9820.

17. Philippine Rabbit Business Lines Incorporated
Location: Edsa, Quezon City.
Destinations: The city of Bangued in Abra province, Laoag City in Ilocos Norte province, City of San Fernando in La Union Province, Tarlac province and Vigan City in Ilocos Sur province all provinces are on the north western coast of Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 734 9836, +63 2 734 9838

18. Philtranco Service Enterprises Incorporated

Location: Edsa, Pasay City.
Destinations: south to Daet in Camarines Norte province, Legaspi City in Albay province, Lucena in Quezon province, Naga in Camarines Sur province and Sorsogon province all to the south of Manila on the southern end of Luzon.
Also travels via ferry across to Samar Island and through Leyte and onto Davao City on Mindanao Island.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 851 8077, +63 2 851 8078, +63 2 851 8079

19. Tritran Transit Incorporated
Location: Edsa, Quezon City, Manila
Destinations: Batangas and Quezon provinces to the south of Manila on Luzon Island.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 925 1758, +63 2 925 1759

20. Victory Liner Incorporated
Location: Edsa, Pasay City, Manila
Location 713 Rizal Avenue Extension, Caloocan City
Location: Edsa, Cubao
Destinations: Olongapo and Iba Cities in Zambales province, Tarlac province, San Fernando in La Union province, Baguio City, Benguet province, Alaminos, Bolinao and Dagupan cities in Pangasinan province and Tuguegarao and Aparri towns in Cagayan province. All in the north of Manila on Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 833 0293, +63 2 833 5019, +63 2 361 4665, +63 2 741 1439, +63 2 361 1506, +63 2 361 1510

21. Viron Transportation Company Incorporated
Location: Corner 1209 Blumentritt and Dapitan Streets, Sampaloc, Manila.
Destinations: The city of Tarlac, Dagupan City in Pangasinan province, San Fernando in La Union province and Vigan City in Ilocos Sur province all in the north of Luzon.
Telephone Numbers: +63 2 741 6588