Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

Siloso Beach, Sentosa Island, Singapore Daily: 7.30pm - 10.30pm 'Sentosa Island Lights' is an annual light-up festival held at the resort island off Singapore's southern coast. This year is the fourth installation, featuring lovable Sanrio characters at Siloso Beach. Prior booking is required to go for the event due to the need to limit the number of visitors during this COVID-19 pandemic, which can be done via the following URL: https://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/things-to-do/events/island-lights/

Changi Airport, Singapore Daily: 24 hours Jewel Changi Airport is a nature-themed shopping and entertainment complex within the premise of the world's beloved airport in Singapore. Officially opened on 18 October 2019, it covers a total gross floor area of 135,700 square metres. While it's not a new attraction to Singapore residents, I'm pretty much dedicating this post to our overseas friends who've yet to visit Jewel or simply miss the sight of it given the current travel restrictions.

Changi Airport Connector, Changi Airport Terminal 4, Singapore Changi Jurassic Mile is a shared walking and cycling path that features permanent display of life-sized dinosaurs. Stretching over 1 km, it's part of the 3.5 km Changi Airport Connector that links the airport and East Coast Park. I'm not sure why, but this year has seen dinosaurs popping up everywhere in Singapore.

78 Airport Boulevard, #04-280 Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore YOTELAir Singapore (3*) is a landside transit hotel located on the fourth floor of Jewel Changi Airport. I've always been wanting to check the hotel out, but probably wouldn't really think of spending money to stay there in a normal situation. Being grounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, has prompted me to do a number of staycations, so voila!

16 Ah Hood Road, Singapore Ramada by Wyndham Singapore at Zhongshan Park (4*) is a long name for a hotel, isn't it? Having a total of 382 guest rooms, the value-for-money accommodation is also equipped with a swimming pool and a gym. The hotel typically provides a shuttle service to and from Novena MRT station, but it's currently suspended during Phase 2 of Reopening.

10 Scotts Road, Singapore On 3 July 2020, the Singapore Tourism Board announced that it'd start to grant approval for hotels to allow staycations as the country moved to Phase 2 of Reopening. I found myself back at Grand Hyatt Singapore for my very first staycation during this COVID-19 pandemic. I've previously come up with a post  about my stay there before a few years ago.

8 Townshend Road, Singapore It's a pity that overseas travel continues to be off the cards for the rest of 2020. That, however, gives me the time and space to post on the various staycations that I've had thus far before the COVID-19 pandemic and during Singapore's Phase 2 of Reopening. Let's have a quick look at J8 Hotel, a boutique hotel situated not far from Lavender and Jalan Besar MRT stations, where I stayed at before the pandemic.

KUL-SIN (1h 5m) Airbus 320 ETD: 9.25pm (GMT  +  8) ETA: 10.30p m (GMT + 8) We've finally come to this post that shall put an end to the series on the short trip to Tokyo, Japan in search of early-blooming  sakura (lit. cherry blossom). It'd been a while since I last took a flight with Jetstar, and I finally did again for the short hop back to Singapore from the low-cost carrier terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.

720 Upper Changi Road East, SIA Training Centre, Singapore I know it's high time for me to put a closure to the Japan trip series with a quick post on my Jetstar flight, but before I do that, allow me to publish this post about the very informative guided tour by Singapore Airlines that I took part in last Saturday. Inside Singapore Airlines is part of the Discover Your Singapore Airlines trilogy, running over the last two weekends of November 2020.

Jalan KLIA, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia I've been to the main terminal of  Kuala Lumpur International Airport  (KLIA), which is the principal international airport of Malaysia, a number of times, but last year finally saw me going to its other terminal known as KLIA2 for the first time. Built at approximately MYR 4 billion (~S$1.31 billion) , KLIA2 is the world's largest purpose-built terminal for low-cost carriers.

NRT-KUL (8h 5m) Boeing 787-9 ETD: 11.05am (GMT  +  9) ETA: 6.10p m (GMT + 8) There was only one reason why I flew from Narita International Airport in Japan to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia instead of Singapore straight away: the amazing deal by Alaska Mileage Plan. Alas, the airline has decided to terminate the so-called '25,000 miles trick' for intra-Asia routes with a stopover in October 2019.

1-1 Furugome, Narita International Airport Terminal 2, Narita, Chiba, Japan Daily: 7.30am - 11.00am, 3.00pm - 7.30pm Japan Airlines prides itself in its Sakura Lounge that exudes elegance with warm and earthy colour scheme. At Narita International Airport Terminal 2, there's a Sakura Lounge in the main terminal building and another one in the satellite building. I know I probably should've checked out the former, but I really enjoyed the serenity of the latter as there weren't many people around.

1-1 Furugome, Narita, Chiba Formerly known as New Tokyo International Airport, Narita International Airport is the busiest airport in Japan by international passenger count and international cargo traffic. Also known as Tokyo-Narita, the airport is actually located outside of the capital city in Chiba Prefecture, approximately 60 km to the east of central Tokyo.

2-8-1 Nagao, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan Daily: 10.00am - 6.00pm Here's a surprise entry that I initially didn't include in the list of posts for the 2019 Tokyo trip. Opened on 3 September 2011, Fujiko F. Fujio Museum is dedicated to the work of the renowned artist most notably known for Doraemon, my no. 1 favourite cartoon character. I actually visited the museum back in 2013, but since I'm not sure when else will I have the chance to write about it, I've decided to come up with the entry today.

Transit Area, Changi Airport Terminal 3, Singapore I know I haven't finished writing about the short trip to Tokyo, Japan, but for today, I shall write about the fun and memorable experience of dining onboard one of Singapore Airlines' grounded Airbus 380-800 aircraft. Running for two weekends only, at least at the point of writing, Restaurant A380 @ Changi is part of the Discover Your Singapore Airlines trilogy, which also comes with a few activities to keep guests occupied prior to the meal.

Tokyo City, Tokyo, Japan We are still on Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, the core of which is the most populated urban area across the globe. It encompasses a total of 23 special wards, 26 cities, 5 towns and 8 villages. In  Part 1 , I wrote a little bit on Shinjuku, Shibuya and the outside perimeter of the Imperial Palace near Tokyo railway station. Let's continue from where we left off, followed by Odaiba and Asakusa, in Part 2.

Tokyo City, Tokyo, Japan Originally a fishing village named Edo, Tokyo is the capital city of Japan. It's said that the Greater Tokyo area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, having approximately than 37.4 millon residents as of 2020. It's, of course, not possible to capture every single part of central Tokyo in two posts, but I shall bring you through some of the places that I passed by during my latest trip there.

5-20 Uenokoen, Taito, Tokyo, Japan Daily: 5.00am - 11.00pm Ueno Park, which is officially named Ueno Onshi Park, is a spacious park located right next to Ueno railway station in central Tokyo. It was established in 1873, making it one of Japan's five oldest public parks. Besides being a highly popular spot to view sakura (lit. cherry blossom) trees, it also houses a few temples, museums and a zoo.

Katsushika, Tokyo, Japan We all know that Tokyo isn't the place to seek the old charm of yesteryear, but have you been to Shibamata? The old-fashioned neighbourhood that's situated near Edo River, the natural border between the metropolis and Chiba Prefecture, has stood the test of time, offering a respite from the fast-paced city life.

11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan Daily: 7.00am - 4.00pm (winter) or 5.30pm (spring/fall) or 6.30pm (summer) Thanks for staying tuned to my coverage of Shinjuku Gyoen, one of Tokyo's largest and most popular parks. In Part 2, we shall look into its French formal garden and greenhouse. As a recap, Part 1 covers about mainly Mother and Child's Forest, Japanese traditional garden and English landscape garden.

11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan Daily: 7.00am - 4.00pm (winter) or 5.30pm (spring/fall) or 6.30pm (summer) Shinjuku Gyoen is a large national park under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan that covers an area of 58.3 hectares. Spanning across the present Shinjuku and Shibuya wards of Tokyo, it was originally the residence of a feudal lord known as Lord Naito of Tsuruga during the Edo period.

2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan [Temple Grounds] Daily: 24 hours [Main Hall] Daily: 6.00am - 5.00pm Senso-ji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple, is Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple. The construction of the temple was completed in 645. It's dedicated to Kannon Bosatsu, the Bodhisattva of compassion. Formely associated with Tendai Buddhism, it became independent after World War II.

[Main Park] Inokashira Park, Musashino, Tokyo, Japan Tue-Sun: 9.30am - 5.00pm Welcome to Part 2 of Inokashira Park Zoo that has been around since 1942, featuring the Main Park that's bigger in size compared to Lakeside Park that I've featured in Part 1 . Why did I decide to show an image showing a picture of an elephant instead of the actual animal as the cover photo of this post? Read on to find out more.

[Lakeside Park] Inokashira Park, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan Tue-Sun: 9.30am - 5.00pm First opened to the public in 1942, Inokashira Park Zoo is taking care of more than 170 animal species. It's divided into two sections: Main Park in Musashino and Lakeside Park in Mitaka. This post features the latter, which my BFF and I visited first. It's inhabited mainly by water birds, as well as fishes, amphibians and reptiles inside the aquarium.

Musashino and Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan Inokashira Park is an expansive park located in western Tokyo that was declared open in 1917 as the first sub-urban park in Japan. Spread across an area of around 38 hectares, it straddles two cities - Musashino and Mitaka. In addition to a zoo, it's also home to the highly sought after Ghibli Museum that was officially opened in the last quarter of 2001.

6-6-1 Toyosu, Koto, Tokyo, Japan Mon-Sat: 5.00am - 5.00pm Toyosu Market is a wholesale market built on reclaimed land at Tokyo Bay. It comprises an auction seafood market, a general wholesale seafood market and a market selling fruits and vegetables, each housed in a separate building. First opened to the public in the last quarter of 2018, it has replaced the historic Tsukiji Market as the largest seafood market in the world.

2-11-2 Nihonbashi, 5/F Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan [Pokémon Center] Daily: 10.30am - 9.00pm [Pokémon Café] Daily: 10.30am - 10.00pm First opened to the public in March 2018, Pokémon Center Tokyo DX is the largest shop selling Pokémon-related merchandise not only in Japan, but also across the globe at the point of writing. Measuring about 1,300 square metres, it also also features the world's first permanent Pokémon-themed café.

2-1 Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan Daily: 24 hours One of the largest city parks in Tokyo, Yoyogi Park is located adjacent to Harajuku railway station and not far from  Meiji Jingu . Before turning into a park, the site had seen a few recorded historical events, beginning with the first successful powered aircraft in the Land of the Rising Sun taking flight on 19 December 1910.

1-1 Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan Daily: 5.00am - 6.00pm Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the deified spritis of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. Completed in 1921, it was built to commemorate the pivotal role of the emperor in the 1868 Meiji Restoration that saw Japan rapidly industrialising and adopting Western ideas and production methods to progress further.

5-3-20 Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan During the booking stage, I recall that the hotel rates in Tokyo had already increased quite a lot on average for a stay after mid-March. After weighing my options, I decided to go for Hotel Listel Shinjuku, which is located about 15 minutes away from Shinjuku railway station and 10 minutes away from Shinjuku-sanchome subway station by foot.

SIN-HND (6h 30m) Boeing 777-200 ETD: 10.25pm (GMT  +  8) ETA: 5.55a m (GMT + 9) Even though I've been to Japan a couple of times, last year saw me flying with Japan Airlines, the flag carrier of the Land of the Rising Sun, for the first time in my life. Having its headquarter in Shinagawa, Tokyo, the airline was founded in 1951, but it was only two years later that it became the national airline of Japan.

Level 3, Transit Area, Changi Airport Terminal 1, Singapore Daily: 3.00pm - 11.00pm Welcome to the next Japan travel series! While my current job doesn't allow me to fully experience the full bloom of  sakura  (lit. cherry blossom) in the Land of the Rising Sun, I was thankful for the opportunity to be able to catch some early-blooming ones in March last year. Before flying off from Terminal 1 of Changi Airport, I spent some time at British Airways Lounge.

PEN-SIN (1h 25m) Boeing 737-800 ETD: 12.15pm (GMT + 8)  ETA: 1.40 pm (GMT + 8) As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely crippled the global airline industry. I wonder how's the progress of the Silk Air fleet upgrading before the full-service regional wing of Singapore Airlines is merged into the parent company in the future. Would that short hop from Penang, Malaysia to Singapore be my last Silk Air flight?

Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia Today's short post, as well as the next one that's going to be equally short, shall be the end of the Penang trip series. Previously known as Bayan Lepas International Airport, Penang International Airport was opened in 1935. Besides being the oldest airport in the country, it's also the third busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic.

George Town, Penang, Malaysia George Town is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang, which is also the third most populous city in the country. It was the very first British settlement in Southeast Asia. Its historical core, retaining a unique town landscape and multi-cultural heritage, has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008.

Bukit Bendera, Penang, Malaysia Located approximately 9 km to the west of George Town, Penang Hill is a popular hill resort comprising a group of peaks, the highest of which is 833 m above sea level. The most developed peak visited by most people is known in the local language as Bukit Bendera (lit. Flagstaff Hill). My group rode on a funicular to reach that peak.

Gurney Drive, Penang, Malaysia Today's short post is on Gurney Drive, a popular seafront promenade in George Town. Even though my group didn't really spend a lot of them there and neither did we actually get to enjoy the view of the sea, I think it's still worth mentioning about the globally known hawker centre as a separate post.

Jalan Balik Pulau, Penang, Malaysia Daily: 8.30am - 5.30pm The largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia is located in Penang, in the suburb of Air Itam (lit. Black Water) that's located approximately 6 km from the city centre of George Town. An important pilgrimage centre for Buddhists from Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, Kek Lok Si roughly means 'Temple of Supreme Happiness'.

36 Jalan Sungai Ujong, Penang, Malaysia Housed in a preserved 4-storey pre-war building, Kimberley Hotel George Town (3*) is strategically located in the historical core of the capital city of Penang, which has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has got a total of 116 rooms, some of which can accommodate up to four guests.

SIN-PEN (1h 25m) Boeing 737-800 ETD: 7.00pm (GMT + 8)  ETA: 8.25 pm (GMT + 8) From today onwards, I shall write a short series of my family trip, which actually didn't happen recently, to Penang, Malaysia when my siblings were all back in Singapore during their university holiday. Together with my BFF and his mother, we flew with Silk Air, the full-service regional wing of Singapore Airlines, in the Economy Class.

CGK-SIN (1h 50m) Airbus 320 ETD: 1.30pm (GMT + 7)  ETA: 4.20 pm (GMT + 8) We're going to reach the end of July 2020 soon, and I've finally come to the last post on my December 2019 trip. To return to Singapore from Jakarta, Indonesia, my BFF and I flew with Batik Air in the Economy Class. To think about it, it's been ages since I last took the pretty unreliable Lion Air, a privately run low-cost carrier that's the parent company of Batik Air.

Jakarta, Indonesia Jakarta is the capital and the largest city of Indonesia, which is also the world's second most populous urban area after Tokyo, Japan. I suppose the focus of this post isn't really on the expanse of the city, which I haven't had the chance to explore a lot myself, but I shall also cover two relatively new modes of public transport: Soekarno-Hatta Airport Rail Link and MRT Jakarta.

Jalan Pintu Satu Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia Daily: 7.00am - 10.00pm In the recent years, I've been trying to explore Jakarta bit by bit. With the MRT system in place now, I started toying with the idea of visiting places I wouldn't even think of going previously. It was thus my first time at the main stadium of the city, which was formerly known as Gelora Senayan Main Stadium.

Jalan Sungai Gerong No. 2, Jakarta, Indonesia After sending one of my BFFs off as he'd need to fly back to Singapore earlier, my other BFF and I made our way to the heart of Jakarta via the relatively new Soekarno-Hatta Airport Railink. Liberty Hotel Thamrin (3*) is a few minutes' walk from BNI City railway station and also located directly in front of one of the entrances to Dukuh Atas BNI MRT station.

Jalan Raya Bandara Soekarno-Hatta, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia Transitting for a few days in Jakarta, Indonesia before flying back to Singapore after a trip elsewhere has almost become an annual December routine for me. My BFFs and I'd earlier decided on a branch of Ibis Budget (3*), which is located approximately 3 km away from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, for a good night's rest.

ICN-CGK (7h 20m) Airbus 330-300 ETD: 3.40pm (GMT  +  9) ETA: 9 .00pm (GMT + 7) Here's another post on Asiana Airlines. My BFFs and I'd continue our journey to Jakarta, Indonesia with the same Airbus 330-300 aircraft in the Business Class cabin. Has anyone flown on its Boeing 747-400 and/or Boeing 767-300 aircraft? Sadly, the airline has chosen to retire both models.

Near Gate 26, Terminal 1, Incheon International Airport, Incheon, South Korea Daily: 5.00am - 12 midnight Asiana Airlines runs three Business Class lounges - Central, East and West - at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport in South Korea. My BFFs and I went to the Central lounge during our layover. It's not exactly the nearest to the gate for our next flight, but we went ahead with the first one that we saw.

KIX-ICN (2h) Airbus 330-300 ETD: 10.50am (GMT  +  9) ETA:  12.50pm (GMT + 9) Formerly known as Seoul Air International, Asiana Airlines is a Skytrax 5 Star Airline at the point of writing, which history can be traced back to 1988. It's the second largest airline in South Korea behind Korean Air, the flag carrier of the country. Did you know that it also fully owns Air Seoul, a low-cost carrier?

Near Gate 15, Terminal 1, Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan Daily: 7.00am - 11.00am As my BFFs and I'd be flying out of Kansai International Airport with Asiana Airlines in the Business Class, we were granted access to ANA Lounge at the airport since both airlines are Star Alliance members. I'd harboured a high expectation for the lounge, but did I eventually leave feeling satisfied? Read on to find out.

1 Senshukukokita, Izumisano, Osaka, Japan Colloquially known as Kanku, Kansai International Airport is located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay. It was opened in the last quarter of 1994 to relieve overcrowding at the original Osaka International Airport, which is now known as Itami Airport. The latter only handles domestic flights now.