It started as a sunny late morning from our Cebu Pacific flight on December 28, 2024. As my mother and I walked down the elegant corridor of Changi Airport's Terminal 4, we were preparing for something extraordinary: an overseas Christmas vacation, which I embarked for the very first time after spending the yuletide holidays every year in my home country, the Philippines.
This is actually my sixth time visiting Singapore, having been visited there for the past five times every two years from 2013 to 2019, and in 2022. But, for the first time ever, I'm sharing with you my experience.
Notes:
- This blog is the second (Day 1) of five parts of our 2024 Singapore Year-End Trip, spanning from Days 1 to 4. See these links for our flights, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4.
- Exchange rates between currencies are: 1 Philippine peso = 0.017 USD and 0.023 SGD.
Arrival at Changi Airport
Of course, every vacation starts with your arrival at an airport. Changi Airport, Singapore’s main airport, is located at the eastern tip of Singapore. It has four passenger terminals; our flight landed at Terminal 4. AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, VietJet Air, and Jetstar are examples of current budget airline operators; joining them are full-service operators Cathay Pacific and Korean Air.
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| Terminal 4's arrival banner above the immigration counters. |
Changi has been recognized as one of the world's best airports, and has been on top of Skytrax's rankings from 2013 to 2021. Doha's Hamad International Airport emerged as Changi's rival for the title in 2021; the latter would lose its crown to Hamad in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Fetching us was my aunt. She has been a permanent resident there since 1999, and is currently working as a nurse. Since she and her husband rented a public housing lot in Tiong Bahru, this eliminated the need for us to pay more for our hotel accommodation — which is one of the most expensive in Southeast Asia.
Changi operates a complimentary inter-terminal shuttle bus service between Terminal 4 and the other three terminals, free of charge. We first rode a bus to Terminal 2.
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| The newly renovated departure hall of Terminal 2, completed in 2023 after a lengthy three-year renovation. |
Much has changed since my last visit to the departures hall of Terminal 2 in 2019; it was cordoned off from 2020 to 2023 due to renovations. New features include "The Wonderfall", a digital, four-storey waterfall and a famous spot for photos. Along with new interior designs, I would say that T2 looked better this time around. My mom and my aunt then looked for photo spots on Christmas decorations, as well as a Hello Kitty image.
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| The Wonderfall, a mesmerizing feature at Terminal 2! |
We then rode the Skytrain to Terminal 3. The T2–T3 Skytrain service gives you a close-up view of the Rain Vortex, the centerpiece of Jewel Changi Airport. Upon arriving at Terminal 3, we went to a Hello Kitty carnival, but we exited immediately in fears of getting lost. The carnival was organized in commemoration of the character's golden jubilee, and is located at the terminal for bus coaches at T3, just near McDonald's.
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| The Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi Airport just keeps mesmerizing me. |
After a long walk back, we arrived at Jewel Changi. I first took this opportunity to take a picture of myself at the Rain Vortex. Soon after, with our baggage from our arriving flight, we took a lift down to the restaurants.
After a lengthy lunch, we then headed to my aunt's house in Bukit Merah for S$29 (US$21.43, 1,260.87 pesos). We then rested at home.
Wings of Time
Because December coincides with Singapore’s rainy season, and our assumption that the sunny weather would continue through the night, we decided at the last minute to watch Sentosa's nighttime spectacular, Wings of Time.
Wings of Time is a nighttime spectacular show featuring Shahbaz, a prehistoric bird, journeying with Rachel and Felix through many dimensions of time, from modern Singapore to the beginning of time. Launched in 2014, this show was produced and developed by ECA2 of France. It runs twice daily, at 19:40 and 20:40. Standard tickets are priced at S$19 (US$14, 826 pesos).
I first watched this show in June 2017, three years after its first show. In its early years, a ten-minute pre-show would commence where some cast members would take the setting of a singing class with audience participation. A few years later, this pre-show was eventually removed, leaving only the two cast members portraying as Rachel and Felix playing as "live" characters at the start and end of the show. After the show returned in May 2022 following a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the live character setup was removed, and new sparkling machines were added. People were then reportedly allowed to sit closer to the main stage. It was during this time that a new attraction was being constructed: the Central Beach Bazaar.
The show was further modified to add a projected singing class setup before the main show itself.
We availed our seats for the second show following a supposed "mix-up" of tickets. The first show was fully booked. My aunt bought us tickets for the first show online, but as a standard procedure, you must present your online tickets to a Sentosa staff, where you will receive a valid physical copy of your ticket that you will use upon entering Central Beach Bazaar. It is best to book your tickets in advance, then claim your tickets in the morning.
After the first show concluded, it began to rain while we were eating dinner at an outdoor restaurant.
After the show, we rode the Sentosa Express back to the mainland before riding a bus back to our condo.
See the next part of this five-part series here.
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