Tag Archives: trip

Beijing Zoo and The Temple of Heaven

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It was my second time in Beijing, so I didn’t go to see the Great Wall and the other more famous places again. As my son was with me, we went to the Beijing Zoo instead.

As it was winter many of the animals, like the bears were asleep in the middle of the day.

But there were still those that my son were able to see wide awake!

Apart from the animals, the view inside the zoo was quite nice.

In the afternoon, we went to The Temple of Heaven, and I really enjoyed walking around the beautiful and quiet grounds.

My husband and my son at the entrance to The Temple of Heaven
Young Chinese women dressed as empresses

It was cold at -5C, but I loved walking around this place and I’d go again, in winter or fall, if I have the chance.

Singapore Trip Part 3: Flower Dome and Cloud Forest

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It was my second time at the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay and I don’t regret going again. There were so many beautiful flowers, and I took several photos and I’ll post a few of them here. Let me know if you know the names of any of them.

Singapore Trip Part 2: Transportation and Connectivity

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Oxford Hotel, where I stayed in Singapore, is a 3-minute walk to the Bras Basah MRT station; it was quite convenient to take the MRT instead of calling a taxi. I bought a card from the 7-eleven store at the station. It costs 10SGD, but the card has 5SGD that one could use.

Bras Basah Station, Queen Street

You can easily top up your transportation card using either cash or bank card in a machine right at the station.

A selfie hahaha

Some MRT stations have escalators that move too fast for me. My young friend who’s Chinese but has been studying in Singapore for about 5 years, said she likes it. I’m old.

From and to the airport though I took a taxi as I didn’t want to drag my luggage with me.

Connectivity

One thing I really liked about being in Singapore is how easy it is to connect to the internet. There’s free Wi-Fi wherever you go. In the Philippines and in China you need to have a SIM card to connect to Wi-Fi as the provider will send you a code. But in Singapore you get free Wi-Fi hassle-free — in the hotel, malls, parks, airport.

Now you might think what would you need a Wi-Fi for when you’re traveling? Well, if you don’t have a SIM card that will allow you to make calls when you need to make calls, having Wi-Fi will let you do just that using WhatsApp or WeChat or whatever it is you’re using.

And of course, if you don’t like asking people for directions you can always use an app to help you find your way.

Singapore is truly tourist-friendly.

Update: Right now I’m in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and you can have free Wi-Fi even without a SIM card. (July 25, 2023)

Next post: Flower Dome and Cloud Forest

Singapore Trip Part 1: Churches

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In June I went to Singapore for a conference where I presented a paper. It was my second time in Singapore; the first time I went in 2016, I only stayed 2 days and didn’t get to see much of the city. This time I stayed 5 days, and had more time to walk around and visit places.

I’ll be writing about my trip and share photos I’ve taken. This is the first part, and it’s about the churches I went to.

I stayed in a hotel along Queen Street, which to me is like the church street as there are several churches so close to each other. The hotel I stayed in is right next to the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. I arrived at the hotel around 3pm and was able to attend the mass at 6pm.

Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Mass at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul

On the third day, after an afternoon of going around Bugis Junction which is a 10-minute walk from the hotel, I passed by St. Joseph Church which is also in Queen Street and saw that the lights were on. It was almost 6pm. When I went in, the mass was about to start, so I stayed.

St. Joseph’s Church, Queen Street
St. Joseph’s Church
St. Joseph’s Church
Statue of St. Michael the Archangel (Patron Saint of my city in the Philippines)

Then on Saturday after the conference ended at around 4 P.M, I took the MRT at Esplanade station (the conference was at The NUSS Graduate Club at Suntec City Tower 5) and got off at Bras Basah Station (just one stop) which is a 3-minute walk to the hotel. When I passed by the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, I learned there was a mass at 6 PM, and so I attended mass again.

That was 3 masses in one week. It was so long ago when I used to go to mass several times a week. But the proximity of the church just made attending mass so convenient. In China I would have to take a 45-minute bus ride and 30-minute ferry ride.

No, it’s not just churches I visited in Singapore. I did go to some exciting places, and I’ll write about those places in the next post. I need time. Time is a luxury.

Have a lovely day!

T.

Fear, Fascination and Autism

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There are many things that can make Eli, my 8-year-old son on the spectrum , happy and very few that terrify him. To neurotypical adults, it would seem silly to be scared by the sound of a hair or hand dryer, or a blender or coffee grinder or a drill, but these are sounds that have a different effect on my son and other autistic kids like him. Thankfully, the noise from crowds don’t bother him anymore, and the hair dryer we have at home does not bother him as much as it did before. If we use the coffee grinder, he would just leave the kitchen.

Still there’s so much I envy my son for — one of which is his lack of fear of things that terrify most people I know, from tiny creatures like cockroaches or spiders to pythons. When we went to a zoo in Bohol last week,our guide showed us this yellow python. Thinking my husband was holding Eli’s hand, I couldn’t help screaming when I saw him already inside the cage with the guide. He was the only one inside the cage with the guide who showed him how to pet this beautifully yellow python. None of us adult tourists dared to go in, but Eli did and seemed to really enjoy touching the snake.

Eli also loves the ocean. Unfortunately he doesn’t know how to swim yet. Just like me and my husband, Eli can sit (or stand) on the beach for a long time just looking at the waves or the horizon. The ocean is mesmerizing. He is most calm when he is on the beach. On our last evening in Bohol, he and his father watched the sunset until it got too dark to see anything on the ocean, but I guess he was listening to the sound of the waves, and that too is mesmerizing.

But Eli has no sense of the danger of the ocean especially for people who cannot swim. And if no one is watching him, he will just keep walking towards the water. From what I’ve read, most autistic kids and adults are drawn to water, and in fact when an autistic person goes missing, the first area rescuers would search is a body of water.

The “fearlessness” of our autistic kids may be admirable sometimes, but we also have to remember that fear is one way we, humans, protect ourselves from danger, and if our “fearless” kids are not aware of the dangers that their fascination with certain things poses, it will not be good for them.

Have a lovely and safe Sunday! 💕

T.