Theme Parks: Halloween Horror Night 6 USS (Itinerary)

I have wanted to experience Halloween Horror Night in either Universal Studio Singapore or Universal Studio Japan. Despite the fact that I could easily get scared of thrilling things, I also enjoy and get excited to get scared out of my skin.

So when my friends asked me to have a trip together to somewhere close, like Singapore, I told my brother about it and he became very excited. Mainly because it means that we could go to Halloween Horror Night 6 this year in Universal Studio Singapore. I immediately booked the tickets for four of us through Klook app and I got a very interesting price much cheaper than original.

The night we looked forward had come and we arrived at the venue an hour early so we still had time for having some accessories for ourselves, I mean it was supposed to feel like an early Halloween party. The gate opened and we led to watch the opening scaremony show, I did not know how was good the scaremony for the previous HHNs but this year was blah. It was opened with a comical DJ and the song lasted for quite a long time, too long. This kind of show could not be enjoyed unless you were drunk.

The moment we entered the park, thick smoke and dim lights gave us chills and such an eerie feeling, totally different from what we usually see in the daylight. Since the hype of getting into the haunted houses was very high, we could not have much time to get to all haunted houses. We only entered two out of five haunted houses because of the very long queues and we only planned to stay there until midnight. But, I had a frightening yet exciting experience for my first time joining Halloween Horror Night. Even when I only tried few haunted houses, the scare factors and their actor performances were nothing like I have tried before, especially the Old Changi Hospital.

We ended the night feeling very tired, I guess because I almost screamed the whole time inside the haunted houses. My first experience was quite exceeding my expectations, so I am looking forward for another Halloween Horror Night next year.

My one-night itinerary:

Arrive an hour early – Queue in front of the opening gate – Get the map include the stage shows schedules and plan where to go first – Watch the Opening Scaremony show – Get into Puss in Boots Giant Journey – Enter Haunted House: Old Changi Hospital – Get into Revenge of The Mummy – Get into Transformer The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle – Take photos around Scare Zones: March of The Dead – Enter Haunted House: Hawker Centre Massacre – Watch the night parade Death March – Take photos around Scare Zones: Suicide Forest – Get into Canopy Flyer – Watch Scared Shrekless 4D Adventure – Shop at the souvenirs shops – End.

Ps. Since it was Halloween special, so my favorites were the haunted houses. Too bad I could not able to take photos inside the haunted houses.

*All photos photographed using Fujifilm XA2 & Google Nexus 5X

Public Spaces in Singapore

Singapore is a very unique country in my opinion. Though its space is tight and limited to accommodate its citizen, it is still managed to make such a practical green public spaces. And it still amazes me until now how they could get a spirit to do that, compared to my own country. Yes.

So when I went there again with my little brother to join the Halloween Horror Night 6 in USS, we decided to visit the public spaces and enjoy the manmade greens, the parks.

The very first spot we visited is Marina Barrage in Gardens by the Bay area. Yes, it is not a surprise anymore that Gardens by the Bay is my very favorite place in Singapore. It is actually a dam in Singapore built at the confluence of five rivers, across the Marina Channel between Marina East and Marina South. But the point of interest is the rooftop of the barrage, which boasts a large green space. You know, even something as mundane as a dam can be turned into a popular spot for recreational activities. And it immediately gets into my top list of favorite places in Singapore. I could spend the whole day just to enjoy the view of the city, as beautiful as only seeing people fly their cute kites there.

Okay despite I mentioned manmade greens before, Singapore Botanic Gardens is nothing about manmade. It is a 156-year-old tropical garden located at the center of the city, one of three gardens and the only tropical garden, to be honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I came to the place quite early in the morning and I never felt so refreshed with the smell of nature. The place is huge and the longest distance between the northern and southern ends is around two-and-a-half km. I successfully persuaded my brother to walk with me from the very north to the very south of the garden. He complained about it in the end lol.

My brother also has listed one place to become his favorite spot in Singapore, Jurong Gardens with Chinese and Japanese Gardens. They are located surrounding Jurong Lake quite close to Jurong Bird Park. Chinese garden connected to the adjacent Japanese Garden by a bridge. It is also a popular spot for the citizens for picnics or any other recreational activities. During the very hot summer day in Singapore that day, this place was perfect for us to spend and enjoy the day sitting and napping on the lake side. Yes, napping. We might stay in that place the whole day if it was not because of our stomachs that growled for food.

I know this post supposed to be talking about public spaces. But Singaporean cuisine is worth discussing. I have been a fan of kaya toasts and laksa noodles every time I visit Singapore. Kaya toasts, with its crunchy and sweet bread toasts. Katong Laksa, with its richer curry noodles soup. And, fried oysters with its juicy oysters melted in my mouth. Yums.

In the end, there are always things in this country that could amaze me. No matter how many times I have visited such a place, there will always new things coming out to be explored. I just need to know what and where exactly those things are.

I find peace where the sun kissed leaves dance in the melody of the cool breeze that floats through the air. ― Saim Cheeda

*All photos photographed using Fujifilm XA2 & Google Nexus 5X

Life is a Beach

I was stuck with works and mood swings when finally my boyfriend said he wants to visit me in Bali. It immediately lighted up my mood so I went to this gorgeous Island for a short vacation, with a mission to hunt beautiful hidden beaches.

I started up the holiday with an unexpected event happened in Ngurah Rai Airport. So, I ended up alone on my first day in Bali while my company would get there the day after. And I found out being solo on a trip was not so bad after all, I walked around Seminyak area close to my hotel and managed to see such a stunning sunset in Double Six Beach.

The next day we finally managed to meet and directly went to this beach on my list, Gunung Payung beach. It is located not far from Pandawa Beach that has already being famous. We got into the place before mid-day and we were so lucky for having the beach to ourselves most of time. This beach gets into my favorite for now since it is still pristine with beautiful gradation color of water and soft white sands. It was all I need to enjoy such a life.

The only complain was it needs a bit of a walk down through around 300 steps of stairs to get into the beach, but it was definitely worth it. Just be prepared to get out of breath when it is time to climb up back to the top, like I did.

After few hours staying in that beach, we headed to this famous beach club named Sunday’s Beach Club. This place is located on a hidden beach under a cliff. The beach club is part of The Ungasan Clifftop Resort and is located in the namesake village of Ungasan. It is the perfect place for spending the rest of the day like a boss, swimming, eating, reading, relaxing, and talking. I could do it all the whole day without any complains.

The next day was for another hidden beach, Tegal Wangi beach. We ended up in this unique beach in the southern part of Bali. Its name was adapted after the temple perched on top of the limestone cliff that overlooks the coast. I never see such a breathtaking sea scape with stony barriers to the ocean view like this beach. Because of its beauty, no wonder I saw several pre wedding photography sessions there.

One interesting thing about this place, that it is located in a close distance with Rock Bar Ayana Resort. So, imagine the fact that I could enjoy the same beautiful view like if I were sitting at the Rock Bar but for free. Remember, the grassy headlands are borderless and while they provide breathtaking panoramic views, they can be quite hazardous during strong winds, and the sea waves are def not for swimming.

And we ended that day by visiting this gorgeous hippie beach club called La Laguna, located just in front of Kayu Putih beach. I never had visited such a place as lovable as this. I totally fell in love with this beach club and would definitely come back here again the next time I went to Bali. Every corner in this place was just pretty. What made my visit even perfect was the sunset I saw on Kayu Putih beach that late afternoon. It might be the most beautiful clear sunset I have ever seen.

Stunning.

Set with cushioned deck chairs in a secluded calm beach, there the last beach I visited in Bali on the trip, Geger Beach. This place might be the beach where I enjoyed and relaxed the most, dipping into the calm water, playing with sands, back to the deck chair to read, and of course eating with much affordable price than other places in Bali. Who would not love that?

And the other important thing of this trip is the moment I spent with my beloved ones.

I never get bored to visit Bali. It offers the beauty of the sea in every corner of this island, from the ones that has already famous to the ones that are still pristine and serene. I would not forget the most beautiful sunset that I have ever seen in La Laguna that late afternoon, the photo itself already tells thousand words of what I feel that day.

In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth. ― Rachel Carson

*All photos photographed using Fujifilm XA2 & Google Nexus 5X

Airport Feels

I have experienced several long layovers at the airports. Not most of them were fun, but they made me a better trip planner in a conclusion. I have learned how to enjoy waiting for hours and how to make a decision in a limited time.

One time, when I was about to have my flight back home from Kansai International Airport in Osaka, I learned how crowded this airport is. I was very lucky to get to the airport many hours before our scheduled departure time. Because the queue in front of the departure gate was very long winding like a snake, it took me one and a half hour of queue just to enter the gate.

Another unforgettable experience was during my trip to Hong Kong. When I was about to have my flight back home, I got into a little argument with my friend. I realized how much I need to control my emotion in every situation since even I already checked-in early that time, because of the drama, I got into the departure gate very late. Hong Kong International Airport is a huge airport. I need to take a train to get to the boarding gates area and after getting off the train I still need to walk quite a distance to get to my boarding gate. Because I was in a rush, I did not notice the announcement that my flight was boarding from different gate number. And yes, in the end I missed my flight. Therefore, I bought another flight ticket and needed to wait another night at the airport for my flight. Terrible.

The best experience for having a layover is when I was in Changi Airport Singapore. No wonder Changi wins the first place consecutively in The World’s Top Airports based on The Skytrax Worlds Airport Awards. Changi offers the best facilities for all passengers, especially for transit passengers. I still have yet to find an airport where I could feel like home just like in Changi.

I have explored almost every corner that every terminal in Changi offered during my layovers. Sunflowers Garden and Free Singapore Tour facilities win my heart. Especially the free tour, it is the best option offered to enjoy a glimpse of Singapore landmarks for transit passengers with at least 6 transit hours before the connecting flight. They have several tour timings schedule a day and lots of people are interested, with limited seats, first come first served.

The excitement of going and arriving, the sadness of separating and in the same time, the happiness of meeting the loved ones, and the relief of coming back home, they are all mixed become one in this place. Steven Nwaokeke once said, an altar is like an airport where spirits take off and land. Cheers.

*All photos photographed using Fujifilm XA2