Singapore: Skyline and Marina Bay at night

One of the most spectacular images of Singapore is the Singapore skyline at night. The best views of course are those around Marina Bay. And there are many ways to enjoy Marina Bay at night.

The first would be on foot. You could actually walk the entire length from Merlion Park, passing through One Fullerton, Clifford Pier (Fullerton Bay Hotel), Customs House, the Promontory, Marina Bay Sands, Art and Science Museum, the Helix Bridge which connects to Marina Promenade and Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay and back to the Merlion via Esplanade Bridge.

Another option would be a night cruise on the Singapore River where, aside from Marina Bay, you'll also get to enjoy the different buildings from various periods in Singapore's history along its banks.

But my personal favorite is from way up there of course! And you can take the Singapore Flyer or go to the top of Marina Bay Sands for a grand view of the Singapore skyline, which is what we did. We had drinks at Ku De Ta, a restaurant and bar on the roof deck.

Note also that there is a really nice evening Light and Water Show in front of Marina Bay Sands. Images are projected onto three large fountains in front of the amphitheater. Show times are: Sunday to Thursday (8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) / Fridays and Saturdays (8 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.).

How to get to Marina Bay
There are several MRT stations that you can take to Marina Bay. Raffles Place Station is closest to One Fullerton. Bayfront Station is below Marina Bay Sands. Marina Bay Station is also close and is located near the Promontory. Esplanade Station is closest to Esplanade (City Hall Station is an alternative). While Promenade Station is closest to the Singapore Flyer.

Thank you to the Singapore Tourism Board and Agatep Associates for their valuable assistance during my trip!

Singapore: Hawker food at Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok, Old Airport Road Food Centre & 126 搵到食 Dim Sum

Hawker food is an integral part of any real visit to Singapore. While there are some hawker centers that are popular with tourists, the locals can point you towards the 'famous' ones. During my recent visit, my Singaporean friends took me to many popular places to eat. Among them were Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok, Old Airport Road Food Centre and 126 搵到食 Dim Sum Restaurant in the Geylang area.

At the Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok at the Bedok Shopping Complex, we had Crispy Deep-Fried Yong Tau Foo and Mee Pok (麪薄) with fishcake, minced meat, pork slices and fish balls of course!

Since I'm a fan of satay, we drove over to the Old Airport Road Food Centre, one of the best hawker centers in Singapore, where you can get some really tasty satay from Chuan Kee Satay. You can get Pork Satay, Chicken Satay and Mutton Sattay here for SG$0.50 a piece.

I had also been craving for Char Kway Teow which we purchased from Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow which starts at SG$3 a serving. Char Kway Teow is a personal favorite, especially the one with cockles.

My friends ordered Big Prawn Noodle from Albert Street Prawn Noodle which starts at SG$5 a bowl.

For dessert, we got Tau Huay (豆花) at 51 Soya Bean. Note that they also have Durian Bean Curd which I was told is really good too.

Then there's Geylang, which is a famous and infamous for a lot of things, hawker food included. We visited 126 搵到食 (Wen Dao Shi) Dim Sum Restaurant, another 'famous' place for dim sum. Aside from the address number, the Chinese characters actually read wan tou sek (found something to eat) in Cantonese, and thus sounds like 126.

From pork buns and dumplings to chicken feet, they definitely serve really good dim sum there. Thanks again to my SSEAYP batchmate Ong Han Chong and wife Diana for the treats! More food posts to follow.

Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok
306 Bedok Road (Simpang Bedok)
Bedok Shopping Complex

Old Airport Road Food Centre
19 Old Airport Road

126 搵到食 Dim Sum Restaurant
126 Sims Avenue (near Geylang Lorong 17)

Malaysia: Mount Kinabalu for the non-mountaineer

Last year, I made it up to Low's Peak of Mount Kinabalu, which at 4,095 meters, is called the rooftop of Southeast Asia. This year, Ivan Man Dy joined the Pinoy Mountaineer Mount Kinabalu Expedition 2012. And congratulations are in order because he successfully made the ascent to Low's Peak. Here is his advice to non-mountaineers:

At 4,095 meters, Mount Kinabalu is one of the highest mountains in Southeast Asia. It is not the easiest mountain to climb especially for an urban rat and non-mountaineer like me. And the only reason why I even dared to scale this wonder is because I love highland weather and certainly, this mountain and her scenery did not disappoint. So how did we survive? Here are some tips to conquer Kinabalu if you're not a seasoned mountaineer.

1. Tone up your leg muscles. We haven't had a major hike for a long time but all our daily steps conducting tours for Old Manila Walks may have made our legs ready for this climb. We asked some first-time Singaporean climbers if this was their initial ascent. They said yes and added it was also to be their last. Do not even attempt this climb if you have never scaled a mountain. Wrong mountain to choose!

2. Join a tour group. It's much more fun especially if the group gets along well (this is a hit or miss). But also, it makes a lot of things easier. Logistics are taken care off, food is prepared, tips shared, camaraderie formed. To the budget traveler, this might be less than ideal (and pricier perhaps). But for any climber, the convenience and security is godsent. There was even a pre-medical check before the ascent (Watch out for Pinoy Mountaineer Mount Kinabalu Expedition 2013).

3. Go 5-star (if budget permits). And by this I mean, splure a bit and make it easy on yourself. Invest on a good pair of shoes. Buy (or rent) a mountain stick or trekking pole. These are things that you'll be glad you have when you start feeling the pressure. And yes, get yourself a porter (RM8 or roughly Php110 for every kg). Even if you are only carrying 5kg to the top, that will feel like 20 as you start your ascent. Pack light to save and leave the weight to your porter guide!

4. Go slow. There are points when you start huffing and puffing and questioning yourself if you can make it. Don't rush, remember, there are probally some people slower than you. Charge up by eating good trail mix (chocolates and peanuts go well with each other). Drink water. Take a few minutes rest or even siesta (I did) in the trail stops. Stop and smell the roses. Just make sure you reach the base camp before dark and be sure to rest really, really well!

5. It's a long way up. And down. Yes, you made it up. Now is equally the challenging part of going down. Essentially, you start your ascent to the summit (approximately another 840 meters up, this like climbing to Tagaytay from the lowlands but higher) at 02:00; then are expected to be back down for breakfast in the base camp by 10:30. Then you begin your descent to the starting point and may reach it at 17:30 hours depending on your speed. So for Day 2, that's more than 12 hours of ascent and descent in one day. Be prepared for this!

All in all, it was very challenging climb. The highland weather was perfect, views were stunning and the buffet-style food, lovely. If you can stand walking 8.7 kilometers up and two days worth of leg muscle pain (don't forget to bring muscle pain killers), then this climb is absolutely worth it, even for an urban rat like me.

To get updates about next year's Mount Kinabalu climb, e-mail info@ivanhenares.com. Here are photos from last year's Mount Kinabalu climb in the Ivan About Town Facebook page.

Manila: Rowing the Pasig River with Manila Boat Club (Sta. Ana)

Have you ever considered rowing? Now that the Pasig River is getting cleaner, you might want to try rowing there one of these days. The historic Manila Boat Club in Sta. Ana, Manila encourages interested individuals and groups to try rowing as a sport. I've actually visited the club twice already. And I definitely enjoyed the rowing experience.

Founded in 1895, the Manila is said to be the oldest existing club in Manila. The building at its current site was opened in 1932. But some of its boats date back to its early days (when the club was located on Manila Bay and later Nagtahan and Isla Provisor) and are thus over a hundred years old. Indeed, the club has a rich heritage.

Inside the Manila Boat Club are squash courts, which in 1970, were the very first to be opened outside military bases.

The new officers of the Manila Boat Club are slowly reviving interest in rowing and are encouraging interested individuals and groups to try it out by visiting the club. Of course, you might want to consider becoming a member of the club if you're interested in the sport. It's best to arrive before sunrise or late in the afternoon to avoid the heat of the sun, especially this summer. They have instructors who can teach you the basics of rowing.

Rivers provide a different view of the city. In fact, most cities around the world consider their rivers as showcases of fine architecture. Manila used to have its most beautiful buildings by the Pasig River. And rowing is one way to see the city in a different light.

If you're interested to try out rowing at the Manila Boat Club, please contact the club president Quintin Pastrana at qvpastrana@yahoo.com. Row, row, row your boat!

Manila Boat Club
2442 Havana Street
cor. Del Pan Street, Sta. Ana
Manila, Philippines

Singapore: Adaptive reuse of heritage buildings along Jalan Besar

Jalan Besar is a street in Singapore that has been gazetted as a conservation area. I actually enjoyed walking along Jalan Basar from my hostel along Lavender Street, admiring the old but colorfully-painted buildings that have been adaptively reused for modern needs.

Here are some photos from Jalan Besar showing the many things you can do with a heritage building. As can be seen from the photos, old buildings need not be torn down to be economically viable. Despite the scarcity of land in Singapore, they have strong heritage conservation rules, especially since their preserved ethnic neighborhoods bring in the tourists.

Many of the buildings have restaurants, hawker stalls or even KTVs and night clubs.

I noticed there were also many hardware stores, stores that specialize in home fixtures and interior design including lighting and paint shops. One even had an Internet shop.

Regardless of what businesses are there today, the important thing is that these buildings will continue to survive because of strong heritage laws in Singapore and the new lease to life these new enterprises have brought to these buildings. And note that this is just one street. Singapore has many conservation areas. Those in Manila who say land is too expensive for heritage conservation should make a trip to land-scarce Singapore and see how its done.