SINGAPORE (Budget Trip)

This will be the last post on our little adventure about three months ago. 

Our next stop was Johor Bahru. We got off at Larkin Sentral and then took a taxi to Johor Bahru. The taxi driver was so kind with helping us finding an affordable hotel. We were very lucky because we found a really nice hotel with great price for two nights. After getting our rest, we dressed up and went out to look for food and we ended up at this one night market. A really long night market. So much to see and the prices of the clothes sold are dirt cheap compare to here. 

Before this trip, my friends and I did a lot of research on how to get to Singapore through bus from Johor. There are a lot of helpful tips on the internet (we even managed to get free ride to the airport, thanks to whoever shared the tip on the internet!) So with the information we had, we headed to JB Sentral. Took our breakfast, asked people where to get the right bus, hopped on the bus, got off at the immigration centre, took another bus and then it's Singapore! I'm really sorry but I don't know how to elaborate more on the how-to. I think doing a lot of research and braving ourselves to ask people helped a lot. There was this moment when we were looking for the Merlion Statue and we actually got off at the wrong place and we almost lost. Thankfully, this one guy helped us. He even took out his phone and searched for the map and showed us the exact place. See, asked away! I don't know what to say about Singapore except for its superb transportation system and its cleanliness. It was a short but memorable adventure. 

This trip had been wonderful and I'm looking forward for another adventure in the near future.

Malacca Part II ( Budget Trip )

On our second day, we checked out from the place we stayed in for a night at around 9am ( because check out time was usually at 12pm ). We left our belongings under the supervision of the hotel's receptionist so that easier for us to move around.

We planned to feed ourselves first but the shops around there were not open yet even though it's almost 10 in the morning. So we went on with exploring the town. First stop was A Famosa! Growing up I remember seeing pictures of this historical landmark on television, books and newspapers. Finally, I got to see it through my own eyes. But what I didn't expect was it's actually not the size I thought it were. I mean, it used to be a port that protected Malacca from enemies, isn't it? So I imagined it to be tall and big. Mighty looking. Blame on my expectation.

Then, we hiked up a bit to see the St. Paul's Church and the Dutch's Graveyard. We were lucky to get there early before the other tourists came. We had the whole place to ourselves and we are free to take pictures without people suddenly walk by and also not feeling awkward posing for the camera. Plus, the silence got me imagining how the church were back then. In fact, I was imagining how Malacca used to look like the whole time I was there. Inside the church, there are old tombstones being displayed. The tombstones are actually from an old burial vault that were excavated in 1930 and then affixed to the church's walls. Might not be a good idea to visit the place at night :)

Our next stop was the Maritime Museum ( Flora de Lamar ). The museum was a replica of the Portuguese ship which sank in the coast of Malacca while on its way to Portugal. I know some people think museum is boring and stuff but I like it. A lot. If not because of time constrained I could spend hours in there. There are a lot of things we could learn about the early history of Malacca. There are also collection of ship models being displayed there. If you are a history enthusiast then this place might just right for you. Plus, the interior design of the museum was also interesting. We also went to the Samudera Museum near the Maritime Museum. Not many people there compare to the Maritime Museum, I don't know why.

From there, we headed for a lunch and then the Taming Sari Tower. If you are afraid of height, then think twice because well, you might just fainted. Hehe. Nothing much to say about this one. If you are keen to see the view of the Selat Melaka then this is how. Go to Taming Sari Tower. After Taming Sari, we then went to see the Stadhuys but it was close at that time. But it's alright since we had seen much of the historical city. We went back to Jonker Street and bought some souvenir. We walked some more and saw few other interesting things there ( like the Kling Mosque ). Because it was almost two, we decided to grab a taxi and headed back to our hotel to get our stuffs then to Malacca Sentral again and off to Johor we went.

The Dutch's Graveyard

St. Paul's Church

The Maritime Museum

Collection of ship models. Can I have one? They're so cool.

Details. Details. Details. 

Lesson learned from Jonker :)

Till then :)

SCHOOL BASED EXPERIENCE PHASE III

First SBE - SK. Delayan, Sook, Keningau

Second SBE - SK. Keranaan, Ranau

Third SBE - SK. Pekan Tuaran, Tuaran

We have one more SBE and my friends and I are considering  Tambunan. I've never been to Tambunan so it's a chance to see and explore new place. Anyway, back to what I intended to share here. So far, I think our third SBE was the most relaxing. Maybe because we did so many fun things after school hours. Usually, it was just the four of us but this time we had more friends at the same school and it was more fun. Getting to know future teachers from different colleges was also part of the fun.

On our first day, after school we went to this one pagoda/temple I don't know which one they used for that place. This pagoda/temple is located in the heart of the Tuaran's town. From above we can see the whole view of Tuaran town. Plus, the design was also mesmerising. Made me appreciate architecture even more. But I was a bit disappointed cause clearly some people did not appreciate the place (judging from the vandalism that happened there).

We also took the opportunity to go to the Upside Down House. We were told that it was the fifth upside down house in the world and the first in Malaysia so, of course, I was excited even though all we saw are a house and things being upside down :) 

                                           

Next up, we went to Tuaran's Crocodile Farm. I don't like crocodiles. They're scary. Being so close to them was like a nightmare but I came out alive so maybe they're not that scary after all. Well, we did ran like a total scaredy cat one time. Still, I had fun.

                                           

The highlight of that week was witnessing sunset at Dalit beach. It was breathtakingly beautiful. If you happen to be looking for a new place to see sunset and never been to Dalit beach then I suggest you to go there.

It was a week well spent and I'm happy that I got to experience and see new things. Looking forward for our next School Based Experience :)

See you on next post :)