Cheap eats: Changi Airport Staff Canteen (Terminal 1)

It’s Food Friday here at YQ Travelling. Today, I will share where you can find the staff canteen at Changi Airport Terminal 1.

Usually, food at airport is expensive. However, among all the airports that I have been, Singapore’s Changi Airport has the relatively cheapest food.

If you don’t fancy fast food or restaurants at Changi Airport, I suggest visiting the staff canteen. Today, I will introduce the staff canteen at Terminal 1 because this is where I usually leave when I take AirAsia.

I find that the canteen can only be accessed from the second floor’s lift. Somehow, I could not find the elevator on the first floor.

Look for the toilet nearest to the AirAsia counter. Around the corner, there is a set of elevators to the basement. Head to Basement 1.

You will reach a large staff canteen such as this.

I find it surprising that many Indonesian tourists know of this relatively secret hideout for cheap eats. Every time I go, I see a table of tourists from Indonesians with their large luggage.

The food in the canteen is very similar to what you can find at normal hawker centers.

For example, this bowl of duck porridge is S$4. The same price as at the food court.

A normal cup of kopi (local coffee)

Have you been to the staff canteen at Changi Airport? Which is your favorite stall?

Singapore’s most WTF: Haw Par Villa

[This blog post contains some photos not suitable for children as they include violent torture scenes. However, nipples of merpeople have been censored. You are welcomed]

I visited Haw Par Villa some Sundays ago with D and M. It was my third visit to the “historical theme park”. I left with the same feeling I had the two other times I went: “What on earth did I just see?”

What is Haw Par Villa? Travel site Your Singapore has a nice description:

Haw Par Villa is like no other place in the world, with over 1,000 statues and 150 dioramas that dramatise Chinese legends and folklore. Founded on Chinese legends and values, this historical theme park has large, imposing statues from famous legends of old – featuring characters like Fu Lu Shou, Confucius and the Laughing Buddha.

If you have been to Singapore multiple times and have seen almost all of the tourist attractions, you should visit Haw Par Villa.

Previously, Haw Par Villa was in the middle of nowhere. Now has its own MRT stop, aptly named Haw Par Villa Station, so it’s very easy to get there.

You will definitely know if you’ve arrived at Haw Par Villa if you see concrete statues around. Yes, get yourself in there. Entrance is free!

After passing the gates, you will be guided by a bearded old man who points with two fingers. Further inside, a dancing Thai/Burmese person teaches a stance of Taichi.

Ten Courts of Hell

If you only have 10 minutes at Haw Par Villa, you must check out the Ten Courts of Hell so you know which court your worst enemy will go. (I now know which courts are reserved for me.)

It’s kind of funny how the crimes get repetitive but the torture scenes are always…fresh and creative.

Myths and legend

Besides the courts of hell, there are a lot of the statues in the villa is about Chinese folklore.

There is the usual Journey to the West (lower right) statues and also Legend of the White Snake (not in photo).

The place has a few signs around explaining the scenes so don’t worry about not understanding them. Heck, even I don’t understand much of it.

For example, I have no idea where these topless mermaids, clammaids and crabmaids come from.

Considering how conservative we are, it’s surprising how these sea creatures have nipples. I mean, male manga characters do not have nipples but these merfolks do? That is just crazy weird. Oh, I’ve censored the nipples in case anyone gets offended by bare-breasted women sculptures with weird grins.

Modern family

Besides folklore, there are also strange statues of good-and-evil. Here are a few photos of sins and what happens to bad people (or something like that).

(Click to enlarge)

The park/villa is quite big so be sure to have at least 45 minutes to look at everything. It’s also best to bring a few friends who can help you take photos.

PS You are not supposed to do what I did. Hat tip to J for the giraffe pose.

To end the post, I should like to teach you the dance of my people and a bonus video!

Photo credit: Mel

[Video music credit: Also Sprach Zarathustra by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0]

Things to know about Haw Par Villa

Nitty gritty: Haw Par Villa
How to get there: Haw Par Villa MRT station
Opening time: 9 am to 7 pm (Ten courts of hell officially closes at 6 pm but caretaker wanted to be off at 5.40 pm)
Who to go with: Friends, family.
Free entrance!!!

Winner of YQ Travelling giveaway announced

Thanks everyone for participating in the first giveaway on YQ Travelling.

I’ve used random.org to choose a random number and have the name of the winner.

It’s Keith from Singapore.

Congratulations! I’m sending you an e-mail about the prize.

For the others who did not win this time, stick around because there will be more of such virtual luck draw/giveaways on this blog.

Until the next trip,

Yun Qing

Disappointing all-you-can-eat dinner at Garuda Padang Cuisine

[While researching for this article (i.e. checking out the website), I found out that the Far East Square branch of Garuda Padang Cuisine no longer has dinner.]

I love all-you-can-eat places especially if the prices are good.

When D and I were at Far East Square, we found out that Garuda Padang Cuisine had daily dinner all-you-can-eat promo. Two diners only need to pay for one person. I think it was S$30++ for two.

One night, we decided to try out the place. D called to make a booking but was told that no booking was required.

When we got to the place, we found out that it was order-all-you-want and not a buffet line of food.

Oh well, we ordered some dishes which came in really tiny plates.

While food in Indonesia is generally awesome, Garuda Padang Cuisine’s all-you-can-eat was disappointing.

The food had been out for a while so they were cold. Some of them tasted like they had been reheated one too many times.

The only thing I really enjoyed was the all-you-can-drink lime juice. It helped wash away some of the spice.

I guess it’s no wonder that they cancelled dinner at that branch.

More info Garuda Padang Cuisine:

Website: http://www.garudapadang.com
Branch: Garuda Padang – Far East Square
Far East Square #01-01
7-8 Amoy Street
Singapore 049949

Opening hours: 11:30AM – 3:00PM (Last order: 2:30PM) (Closed on Saturdays and Sundays)

Why I changed my mind about travel fairs

I used to think that travel fairs are only for people who want to buy packaged tours. Personally, I do not like packaged tours because all activities are packed too tightly and I feel that I am shepherded around. But there are times when tours make sense.

Instead of continuing my bias about travel fairs, I visited the NATAS Travel Fair last year to see if travel fairs are useful for the independent traveller. Kind of surprisingly, my answer then was “yes” since the fair helped me with two out of three questions that I had about travelling.

This year, I visited the NATAS Travel Fair again but this time without any real goals.

Surprisingly, I found the visit even more exciting. Even though there were a lot of people, it was really fun seeing people getting exciting about travelling.

I wandered around the booths and spotted Travel Guard travel insurance’s booth. They were having a 40% promo then. After asking for a quote, I did an Internet check and found that it was slightly cheaper than World Nomads. I did buy it in the end.

I also found many booths of hotels selling vouchers. If you are planning any trips, it’s good to head down to a travel fair and see which hotels are selling rooms at high discount.

In the end, I managed to grab a lot of travel brochures for China, a few tour ads for a colleague and loads of Japan-related leaflets from the Japan booths.

Have you been to a travel fair recently? How was your experience?

Singapore for museum lovers

I adore museums. There’s something about having pieces of art/culture/history arranged neatly in a central location with captions that makes me go weak in the knees. That, plus air conditioning during hot days.

I had the chance to visit 7 national museums (including one that is not listed as a museum) in Singapore last August.

I want to share my very biased list of which museums to go to (or miss).

Best museum in Singapore:
— Asian Civilization Museum

Best for general knowledge of Singapore:
— Singapore National Museum

Best for kitsch:
— Peranakan Museum

Do not go:
— Singapore Philatelic Museum

For WW2 history buffs:
— Singapore National Museum
— Reflections at Bukit Chandu
— Memories at Ford Factory

For art lovers:
— Asian Civilization Museum
— Singapore Art Museum

One museum to visit if you only have 1 hour
— Peranakan Museum

PS I have not included the Art Science Museum in the list because I’ve not been there. The entrance price S$28 (US$22.6) is just too expensive. Even the Lourve doesn’t charge as much €15 (US$19.8).

Asian Civilisation Museum

The best museum in Singapore in many of my friends’ opinion. Why? Because the collection is the best among the museums around here.

The collection features items from many parts of Asia. I particularly like the part on China and the ghosts guardians.

The museum is near the Esplanade and the Merlion. So if you’re around the area, drop by ACM.

It’s best to allocate about 1.5 hours.

Nitty gritty:
Website: http://www.acm.org.sg
Opening hours: Monday 1pm- 7pm; Tuesday-Sunday 9am-7pm (to 9pm on Fridays)
Entrance fee: S$8 (Discounted admission on Fridays, 7pm – 9pm)

National Museum of Singapore

If you want a good look at this museum, you’ll need at least 2 hours for the permanent exhibition on Singapore’s history. There are two routes on the audioguide: story telling and history telling. I like the story telling since it’s very different from how other museums show their collection.

If you have an hour, the collection upstairs about Singapore’s food, fashion, film and photography is a good place to kill time.

The travelling exhibitions are usually top-notch. I loved the Pompeii exhibition and the Museum of Orsay collection.

Nitty gritty:
Website: http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/
Address: 93 Stamford Road S(178897)
Opening hours:
Singapore History Gallery 10am to 6pm, Daily
Singapore Living Galleries 10am to 8pm, Daily **Free admission from 6pm to 8pm **Last admission at 7.30pm
Entrance fee: S$10

Singapore Art Museum (SAM)

When I first visited the Singapore Art Museum, it was full of rather boring and depressing art pieces. I regretted paying my entrance fee and swore never to come back.

But I did come back because of the free entrance on Friday night. The art work were better and there were more things being exhibited.

The main building (picture in the photo above) was a boy’s school. It’s rather fun imagining how it would be studying at the school.

The cooler exhibition is at the new “wing” at 8Q, which is just a corner away. Things are more exciting at 8Q.

The exhibition at 8Q is more interactive as you should be part of the art pieces. Exhibit A, B, C, D:

Nitty gritty:
Website: http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/
Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 10am – 7pm Friday 10am – 9pm (Enjoy complimentary entry on Friday evenings from 6pm – 9pm)
Entrance fee: S$10 (Free entry on Fridays from 7pm – 9pm)

Peranakan Museum

If you like bursts of colors, the Singapore Peranakan Museum is where you should go. Everything about it is beautiful.

Let me try to explain what Peranakan is. (Or you can click on the link there to head to Wikipedia.) Once upon a time, men sailed from China to what is now known as South-Southeast Asia (yes, I made up that term). The men who settled down here and married local women. The children would grow up in a mix of two cultures–Chinese and local–and thus the Peranakan culture was born.

To be honest, this museum is not my favorite museum in terms of content. It does show you how the daily lives of Peranakan is like with reenacted locations of the house filled with furniture. But somehow, it felt like it was trying to commercialize the concept of “Peranakan”.

Unlike the Pinang Peranakan Museum in Penang, everything in this museum has a little note explaining the scene. That’s a bonus point for the museum, I guess.

Nitty gritty:
Website: http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/
Opening hours: Monday 1pm to 7pm; Tuesday to Sunday: 9am – 7pm (to 9 pm on Fridays) (50% discount on admission charges on Fridays, 7pm – 9pm)
Entrance fee: S$6 (Free entry on Fridays from 7pm – 9pm)
Asian Civilisations Museum & Peranakan Museum Joint-ticket** S$10

Check out part two where I introduce the lesser visited museums: Singapore Philatelic Museum, Reflections at Bukit Chandu and Memories at Ford Factory.

Chilli Padi Nonya Café at Heng Mui Keng Terrace: My fav high tea buffet in Singapore

My favorite place for a budget high tea in Singapore is the Chilli Padi Nonya Café (Heng Mui Keng Terrace). Its high tea buffet is only available on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays is only S$8.80+ per person (less than S$10 after tax).

I visited the Chilli Padi Nonya Café once when it was still in Bugis. The spread then was OK and the noodle dish was a Penang Assam laksa.

Then the café moved from the populous Bugis to the in the middle of literally nowhere Heng Mui Keng Terrace.

The first time I went to the Heng Mui Keng branch, it took me a long while of searching and a phone call to the café to find the place.

The café was huge but the place was very very empty. Compared with Bugis branch, it was practically a ghost town.

Unless you are in a large group, there’s no need to make a reservation.

Food selection at Chilli Padi Nonya Café

The Chilli Padi Nonya Café serves Peranakan food which is unique to Southeast Asia. (Don’t believe the propaganda that the Peranakan Museum tells you. Peranakan culture is not only in Singapore.)

The food selection for high tea is rather limited. But some of the dishes are so good that it’s actually worth going there just to gorge on them.

My most favorite dish is the curry laksa. You take some of the thick noodles, put it in the strainer and let it soak in the hot water a while.

Then, you put the noodles into your bowl and pour the coconut milk-filled curry gravy. DO NOT put your noodles directly into the curry gravy. (I’m looking at you middle aged man who went on Feb 17.)

The taste is divine!

My second favorite dish is the kong ba bao (which unfortunately doesn’t have a Wikipedia entry).

You need to DIY with this dish. There is a steamer of white fluffy Chinese bun skin. Take one of this.

Take a fatty slice of the kong ba which is next to the steamer. Take a slice of lettuce so your mom won’t nag you.

Once at your seat, put the meat and lettuce into the bun. Eat while warm.

The kong ba is seasoned so well that I do not mind the fatty bits at all.

My third favorite is this: Pai tee which is a a little dough cup which you fill with braised turnip. Yummy!

Pai tee translates as “top hat”. Isn’t that the cutest name?

Other yummies

Desserts

Nyonya and Malay kuih (roughly translated as cake):

Mango pudding

Tropical fruits. Yes, we consider fruits as part of desserts and is a perfect end to a meal.

Coffee and tea: The kopi (coffee) is kind of weak. The tea is stronger. Both goes well with the evaporated milk they have at the side.

How to get there?

Chilli Padi Nonya Café
29 Heng Mui Keng Terrace
#06-21 (Ground Level)
Singapore 119620
Tel: 6872 2982

How to get to Chili Padi Nyonya NUS Heng Mui Keng Terrace — Click for bigger image

Actually, the address tells you NOTHING because it’s rather difficult to get there.

I have discovered an easier way to get to Chili Padi Nyonya at NUS.

Stop at Pasir Panjang Road’s Heng Mui Keng Terrace or Opp Heng Mui Keng Terrace.
Walk into NUS, take the right at the first round about.
Walk up passing Sheares and Kent Ridge Hall and Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
At the top, you will see a building. The entrance to Chili Padi Nyonya Cafe is there.
Bon appetit.

Have you tried Peranakan food? How was your experience?

My cheongsam from Hoi An

My Chinese New Year cheongsam. I’m sure there was something in my eyes.

During the Chinese New Year, I finally got to wear the cheongsam I got tailor-made in Hoi An. It had been in my wardrobe ever since I flew it back with me from the Vietnamese town.

Hoi An, Vietnam, is famous for its tailors. You literally (yes, in the literal way) cannot walk down a street without passing at least 2 tailors. (Well, not too literally if you’re passing paddy fields.)

Nguyen, you know her from my KL trip, also raved about tailors in Hoi An during one of our Facebook chat sessions. She said I must get at least an outfit done when I am there.

Frankly, I’m not a shopper of clothes. Clothes store make me yawn maybe because I rarely find things my size which I find flattering.

But I thought about getting a qipao (aka cheongsam) made–especially after I saw what Steph from 20-Something Travel got for herself–although I was not sure when I would actually wear it.

Allure of the cheongsam

The perfect image of a lady in cheongsam features a tight fitting dress and curves in the right places.

The not-perfect image of a lady in cheongsam features a loose-fitting dress with curves that suggest pregnancy. That, my friends, was what my dress turned out to be.

My tailor

I got my cheongsam made at Future. It’s at the street junction of Cua Dai road and Tran Hung Dao. (photo below)

When we were picking out the cloth, the shop owner suggested a black cloth. I explained that I might wear it for a wedding. After looking around, we both agreed on the cloth with blue background with green shiney embroidery.

The lady got my measurements and told me the dress would be ready the next day. I believe it was US$35 for the dress but I have a really bad memory (should have jotted it down!)

I picked up the dress the next day. When fitting, I realized that there were places which were slightly loose. Suddenly I became paranoid that she thought I was making it for my wedding and mistook my bloated stomach from the night before as a growing baby. (It was probably my overactive imagination though).

I felt too embarrassed to tell her that I wanted some parts of the dress to be tighter. I reasoned that I would probably grow into the loose spaces if I keep on eating with my healthy appetite.

I’m not complaining that the dressmaker wasn’t good. I’m saying that as a customer, I wasn’t even sure of what I want so that was the main problem.

At least I can still wear it when preggers

If you are heading to Hoi An, remember to get something tailor made! Just make sure that you know how the end result should be and not be like me.

Tips to maximize your trip to Genting

Genting Highlands is a hill resort located about an hour away from KL Sentral. It’s popular among gamblers who visit the casino and families who visit the theme park.

[Note to Singaporeans, Genting is not pronounced “jen-ting” like “generation”. It’s more like “guh-n-ting”. Here’s an audio clip here.]

Purchase Genting Go pass at major bus terminals

If you are heading to Genting for a day trip or for even for an overnight stay, do consider getting the Go Genting Golden package.

The package is sold at various important locations: KL Sentral, Pudu Sentral, 1Utama, Terminal Gombak and Hentian Kajang. (The package is RM58 for the first four departure locations and RM63 for the last.)

The package gives you same-day return bus transfer, same-day return cable car and either an Outdoor Theme Park ride pass or buffet lunch.

Considering that the 1-Day Unlimited Ride Pass for Outdoor Theme Park is RM54 for adults, the package is really bang for your buck (or ringgit, in this part of the world).

Plus the cable ride is amazing.

Be flexible with Go Genting pass

Even though there are various time slots, the Go Genting packages can be sold out for certain timings. (Most likely the early morning slots from popular departure points such as KL Sentral.)

This happened to us. We were at KL Sentral before 8am and there was a sign saying that the next bus will leave at 12.30pm because earlier tickets were sold out.

Instead of heeding the taxi drivers’ advice to take his car, I called up the Pudu Sentral ticket counter and checked that they have tickets for 8.30am. We bought a taxi coupon from the official point and zipped to Pudu, with plenty of time to spare for our ride.

Go early and get back before last bus

Queues at the theme park can get long on weekends. To be sure that you can test out all the rides before sundown, go as early as possible.

Similarly, you don’t want to be stranded up on the mountain with no bus back to KL. Check the bus timing!

Book a room on Saturday

If you are staying at the hotel for a night, choose Saturday because the park closes at 10pm then.

I didn’t know of this when I booked the room and found out only when we were there. It was a very pleasant surprise. We ended up leaving only after 9.30pm.

Check in early

IF you do book a room, you don’t have to wait until 3pm to check in for First World Hotel.

The self-check in kiosks allow you to check in rooms that are available. They even have a sign with the number of available rooms.

Bring your own food or instant noodles

Food at Genting is expensive. If you want to save money, bring your own food.

Consider bringing instant noodles. You can get hot water when you go up the hotel room floors.

Eat at food court

At First World Hotel, head to to 2B where there is a Kopitiam food court.

The claypot stall sells fairly reasonably-priced food that is quite tasty.

Do you have other tips for Genting? Share in the comments.

YQ Travelling giveaway: Win a S$100 Jetstar voucher

[Giveaway has closed!]

Welcome to the first giveaway on YQ Travelling.

Last year, I won some Jetstar vouchers in a competition. I want to give away one of the S$100 vouchers to you my lovely reader.

What do you need to do?

Just sign up for my newsletter and you will be in the running for the S$100 Jetstar voucher.

For those who already have signed up for the newsletter, you will automatically be included in the draw for the voucher.

The giveaway is open for 2 weeks. Last sign up date and time is March 2 11:59PM GMT+8.

After the closing date, I’ll select one winner using http://www.random.org/. Winner will be announced on the blog on March 3.

This giveaway is not affiliated with Jetstar. The prize was not given by Jetstar for this giveaway. I am giving away one of my Jetstar vouchers.

Terms and condition:

Anyone can enter the competition as long as they provide a valid e-mail address in the newsletter sign up.
To be in the giveaway, you must sign up by March 2 11:59PM GMT+8.
Winner will be contacted through e-mail and must claim the gift in 7 days. If not, another winner will be chosen.
Winner will need to book the ticket themselves.
Voucher expires on June 8, 2013; must be redeemed in one booking.
While giveaway is not affiliated with Jetstar, booking queries should be directed to Jetstar.
I have rights to change the T&C when needed (hopefully not!)

What are you waiting for?

Tag: travel