99 DHL Balloons

DHL Balloon

Bugis, Tan Quee Lan Street

Just taking the opportunity to share with everyone my Uniquely Singapore experience on the DHL balloon in Bugis, Tan Quee Lan Street. Not wanting to look like a *Suar Koo, when I return to Singapore in June 08', I decided to go for a ride on the cool air (helium) balloon.
*Suar Koo - Literally translates to Mountain Tortoise: Essentially means one who is un-worldly, similar to a frog in the well.

DHL Balloon:
JJ Rating: 5/5

That's right! A full 5 outta 5 for this attraction. I really hope Singapore Tourism Board keeps the balloon a permanent feature here in Singapore. I really think the balloon is a very smart idea! It only took 40 people and 12 hours to construct... and now look at the revenue it is bringing in! Priced reasonably at SGD$23.oo per ride and a subsequent ride (for night view junkies) priced at only SGD$13.00, it's definitely worth it.

Not that I enjoy pouring cold water over the Singapore Flyer, I feel that view-wise, the DHL balloon *would (cause the flyer's not completed yet) provide a more scenic alternative to the Flyer. Where else can you get such great unobstructed 360 panoramic views of Singapore (except swissotel.. haha) AND yet get to experience how cold and strong the winds can be in this 150m altitude environment?

Idiot's Guide to DHL Balloon.
Step One: Purchase Flight Tickets and 'Boarding Pass'









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Step Two: Check Boarding Flight Time









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Step Three: Allow friendly flight crew to check your tickets when entering boarding gate.








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Step Four: Catch the Flight!










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Step Five: Lift off, we have Lift offfffffff!!!!!!













The view to expect when you down there:


















The view to expect when you're up there!





There's even time for more 'private moments'..hehe...*sniggers*

Breath taking , beautiful, fresh.. literally *wink* .. depending on who you take with you..

Foodies Anonymous #1

Ok, I admit, I'm NOT a hardcore foodie. Neither am I an expert food critic. This is just a sample of the food I like.. which most people would find palatable.

FIN Seafood Cafe, Marina Square

Marina Square #02-226A/B6 Raffles Boulevard (S)039594

Heard that anyone could get oysters for only SGD$1/ piece every mon, Xiaoping and I decided to head down to our favourite hang out mall, Marina Square, which is just a 10 min bus ride/mrt ride down from my home. Sadly, we arrived there at 1400 hrs.. still too early for 'Oyster night' which starts after 1500 hrs.. But they were still reasonably priced at SGD$1.95. We chanced upon an INCREDIBLE OFFER for weekday luncheon at FIN:

This:

Mussels as Starters...

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Seafood Pasta ala Olio UP: SGD 11.90

+

Apple crumble for Dessert and free flow Coffee

=

Cost: SGD 8.00 !!!

As you can see from above.. it's a STEAL!! It's Criminal!! Food was quite good (despite everything being ready made) but as usual, service sucked BIG time. Waiters seemed pretty un-motivated, they don't smile or greet you. They ignore you and simply want you to just finish up and get out of their lives.. forever. Here's an interesting thought: I read from a Men's Magazine that in Singapore, Fresh Seafood is only delivered to the restaurants and various eateries twice a week: Tuesdays and Thursdays. Therefore, the BEST time to get seafood are on these days. The WORST time to have seafood is on MON.. simply because the seafood have been sitting in the refrigerator for a consecutive 4-5 days already. This makes me wonder.. Is that the reason why Oyster Night is on Mon?

DESSERT TIME!

One of my personal fav:

Tom's Palette

100 Beach Road #01-25 Shaw Leisure Gallery, Singapore 189702


(Shaw Towers)

Tom's Palette is a rather cool hang out place to be! Very cosy environment, the staff are friendly, service is good and personalised and you can to try all the ice-cream before you finally settle for 2 of your favourite flavours for only SGD$2.80 (small cup) or SGD$4.00 (big cup). I loved their local creation Tau Sar Piah Ice cream but when I went there on 090707, it was gone! Instead, I had Horlicks Ice-cream and Ed's Tea (tastes like Teh Tarik). Customers can also order ANY flavour they want by the Tub and they'll discuss with you if that particular flavour can be made and also the price of your request. Love the (liang cha) cooling tea that your grandma makes? Turn it into ice-cream then.. and double the chill.. with cheese!

Fans of the place can't help but leave traces of them being there in the very conveniently positioned Fan Board. Examples of 'Fan Art ':

Lastly, there's supper:

East Coast Lagoon Food Village

1220 East Coast Parkway

When I went there on 090707, a Mon night, many of the food stalls have already closed for the day. Only One recommendation from there:

Hwa Kee Barbeque Pork

Stall No 4, East Coast Lagoon Food Village

East Coast Parkway

They basically served pretty good Wanton Mee (steamed meat dumpling noodles), however, it the Char Siew is their selling point. Sorry, I'm not able to provide a picture of the dish because I was so hungry then I practically gobbled it up!

I also ordered a plate of sambal fried lala (clamshells) and sugar cane. Would have ordered BBQ Chicken wings, Stingray, Oyster Omelette and Hokkien Mee if I had the opportunity!

Tip of the day: when eating clamshells of any kind, be it hum or lala.. if the shell is UNOPENED, DO NOT TRY TO OPEN IT! The following images are graphic and explicit in nature. They should not be viewed by expecting mothers and the faint hearted...with cheese. This is what you get if you do:

EEW!! The single most harrowing experience I ever had in East Coast Park. The stall which I ordered this dish from was actually recommended by Channel U...

Farewell Dinner with Family 080707

That's it! My last and final weekend in Singapore *sniff* before.. Fri the 13th!!! Fri the 13th has never been scarier for me! It was a simple affair with my family, just dinner with my family and my grandparents, Ah Wu (on the left, in blue) and Gong Gong on the right in white.

Dinner was at Xin Xiang Seafood and Steamboat (in Hougang Ave 8), where we had seafood like steamed grouper, fishhead curry and a wide variety of dishes. Too bad they ran out of Crabs! No more chillie crabs *sigh*.

In the usual fashion, I was NOT given the chance to choose a restaurant that I want, OR even to order the dishes I WANT, not that I'm complaining though.. the food was up to standard.


I mean.. what can possibly be less Singaporean than this!? Dinner in a traditional typical Singaporean *Kopitiam Restaurant, under a Uniquely Singaporean HDB Block. Dinner like that costs us a mere SGD$99.90 for so many people (xiaoping took the photos, she was there too!) and considering we food we ate, it's a steal!


*(Kopi = Coffee; Tiam= Shop. Literally translating to 'coffee shop', a term used to describe cheaper, lower end restaurants, usually situated near or within residential zones where people typically have their everyday meals )

Monitor this space for the next episode: Singapore City vs Melbourne City