Happy Tripper

Singapore - Transportation from Changi Airport

Posted by Carambs

I don’t commute here in the Philippines, mostly because it’s such a hassle.  But leave me in Singapore, and I’ll gladly commute and find my way around.   From the airport, there are 4 main ways to get to the city:

1. Train ($2 SGD) - The airport is the last stop of the East West Line MRT (green line).   Very affordable, although it’s a bit of a hassle if your luggage is big.
2. Public Bus - Also very affordable, but like the train, it’s a bit of a hassle if you have big luggage.
3. Taxi (approximately $20 SGD) - Though expensive, this is definitely the most convenient way to get to the city.  You don’t need to deal with other passengers, and you will be taken straight to your hotel.
4. Airport Shuttle ($9 SGD) - For me, this is the best option.  It’s relatively affordable, and more convenient than the train and bus because you are brought to your hotel.   There are 2 drawbacks though: the 10 minute wait in the airport, and the many hotel stops (unless your hotel is one of the first drop off points).  *Recommended by Happy Tripper

CitySights NY

Posted by ordnacin

Disclosure - The following is a sponsored review.

If you’re planning to take a vacation to New York and are looking for an affordable way to tour the city then check out CitySightsNY.

New York is a great place to go sightseeing with lots of famous landmarks, getting around though can be a problem. Walking is nice especially in Central Park but after a while your feet get really sore, the subway is kinda confusing (plus you only get to see dingy tunnels) and taxis can be quite expensive. This is where CitySights NY comes in, it’s a hop-on hop-off double decker bus sightseeing tour service in New York City.

A couple of years back my officemates and I went to New York where we rode CitySights NY’s Downtown Tour Bus. We got to go around New York City and visit Wall Street (surprisingly small), the Empire State Building, Chinatown, Little Italy, the debris of the World Trade Center and other NYC Attractions. What made it convenient is that if you like a particular area you can get off the bus go around that area then just get on the next bus (usually every 20-30 minutes) at no extra cost. My suggestion would be to ride at the top of the roofless double decker bus that way you have a good vantage point of where you’re going, the only thing was that when we went there New York was experiencing record low temperatures so we were freezing so be sure to bring heat inducing clothes if it’s the winter.

 

 

I was disappointed though that I wasn’t able to try their Liberty Helicopter - A Taste of New York Tour. Basically you get to go around New York in a helicopter and get an aerial view of famous landmark like the USS Intrepid, Chrysler and Empire State Buildings. It costs $69 for around 5-7 minutes of air time not cheap but I think it’s something one should do at least once in their lifetime. Oh well hopefully I’ll get the chance to go back in the future. CitySights NY has other tour services including cruises, shopping tours and day trips going to New York, Boston and Philadelphia. Oh and if you are looking at trying out their service book online as they give a $5 discount for online booking at http://www.citysightsny.com.

Kalesa Ride along Calle Crisologo

Posted by Carambs

I’ve had 2 posts on Vigan already - one on Vigan itself and one on Vigan Heritage Mansion. I just remembered that I have a video of our kalesa ride along Calle Crisologo. Here’s the view from the kalesa, which we rode on our way back to the Vigan Heritage Mansion:

50% Discount Off Northwest Airlines Tickets

Posted by ordnacin

Jet off with a friend on a U.S. vacation with this generous offer from Northwest Airlines. Simply purchase one ticket with your BPI WorldPerks^® MasterCard to enjoy 50% off the second ticket. Fly from Manila to any destination in the U.S. between now and December 15, 2007 and return by March 15, 2008. Seats are limited, so click here to book your dream getaway to the U.S. today!

Save 50% on a Companion Fare!

* Fares are valid if two passengers traveling together on the same itinerary. Tickets must be issue at the same time to qualify for this fare. Fares do not include fuel surcharges, passenger facility charges and any applicable taxes.

Easy Easyjet

Posted by Carambs

My friends and I were supposed to take the train from Barcelona to Paris. The idea was to combine our transportation and accomodation fees into 1. Hey, can’t blame us, the Euro is expensive! We tried to purchase tickets 2 days before our flight to Barcelona from an official representative, the Adventure International Tours, which has a branch in SM Megamall. For some reason, they couldn’t book tickets for us - though there were several seats left, the system kept resulting in errors.

We had to come up with Plan B.

We discussed our options - Easyjet and Ryanair. Mona already tried Easyjet the year before, so even if the schedule meant we will only have 1 1/4 days in Paris, we decided to go for it. The ticket was 189 Euro per person.

Mona purchased the e-tickets for the four of us. She made sure we had speedy boarding, which meant we had to pay an extra 3 Euro per person. This was reasonable, especially since Easyjet uses free seating.

Checking in was relatively easy. There were many open counters, so we didn’t have to wait long. The airplane was clean, the flight attendants were friendly, and the handling of the luggages was fine. Snacks were not free, but this is generally accepted with budget airlines.

When I go back, I will not hesitate to use Easyjet again. I think it’s even a blessing that we were not able to take the train. Yes, we spent more, but it wasn’t a tiring journey and we didn’t have to lug around our big bags.

Barcelona’s Bus Turistic

Posted by Carambs

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Bus Turistic, it’s very easy to be a tourist in Barcelona. It’s a bus tour with 2 routes that allows you to see the famous Barcelona tourist attractions and go around at your own pace. It only costs 19Euro for 1 day and 23Euro for 2 days (consecutive), and this is good for both the red and blue routes. All buses are double-deckers, and if there’s space on the second level, which is open, then you have all of Barcelona to take in.

The red route includes the following tourist attractions: Placa de Catalunya, Casa Batllo - Fundacio Antoni Tapies, Passeig de Gracia - La Pedrera, Sagrada Familia, Gracia, Park Guell, Tramvia Blau - Tibidado, Sarria, Monestir de Pedralbes, Palau Reial - Pavellons Guell, Futbol Club Barcelona, Francesc Macia - Diagonal, and MACBA - CCCB. The blue route includes on the following tourist attractions: Estacio de Sants, Creu Coberta, Placa de Espanya, CaixaForum - Pavello Mies van der Rohe, Poble Espanyol, MNAC, Anella Olimpica, Fundacio Joan Miro, Teleferic de Montjuic, Miramar - Jardins Costa i Llobera, World Trade Center, Colom - Museu Maritim, Port Vell, Museu d’ Historia de Catalunya, Port Olimpic, Parc de la Ciutadella - Zoo, Pla de Palau, and Barri Gotic.

View from the bus:

Because we only had 1 day to go around, we carefully chose the attractions we really wanted to see and explore. We went to Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s masterpiece. It’s a beautiful, majestic Church, which is still under construction 81 years after his death. Our second destination was Park Guell, also designed by Gaudi. Our third destination was Port Vell - of course we just had to shop.

After paying for the ticket, tourists are given a ‘kit’ which includes a guide/map, and earphones. You can connect the earphones to the bus, and you can choose from more than 5 languages. Each destination is briefly described, and information and tips are given.

When I go back, and I WILL go back, I will allocate 4-5 days to go around Barcelona, and will make sure that I go down and explore all of the destinations.