Singapore Welcomes 2017 with World-Class Concerts, Shopping and Dining Events

An exciting line-up of rock concerts, dining and shopping events to satisfy different passions await visitors to Singapore this 2017.

 Headlining the roster of adrenaline-pumping concerts are Grammy^® Award winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Metallica with their Metallica Worldwired Tour 2017, happening on January 22 at the Singapore Sports Hub.

The legendary Guns N' Roses will play in Singapore for the first time at the Changi Exhibition Centre on February 25 for their Not in This Lifetime Tour.

British rock band Coldplay will also return to the Singapore Sports Hub on March 31 and April 1 for their A Head Full of Dreams Tour, which has already played to 2.5 million people across Latin America, the United States and Europe.

Grammy^® Award winning English singer and songwriter Sting rounds out the concerts for the year with his 57^th and 9^th Tour at the Singapore Sports Hub on May 28.

Other artists to watch out for in Singapore are British rock band Bring Me the Horizon (February 2, D’Marquee), American rock bands Journey (February 10, The Star Theatre) and Yellowcard (February 12, The Coliseum).

Dining and shopping pleasures

Aside from a vibrant concert scene, Singapore hosts an array of lifestyle events that allow visitors to indulge in their passions.

From March 16 to 21, the Singapore Cocktail Festival, Asia’s largest celebration of cocktails, will feature pop-up bars in a 5,000 sqm cocktail village for mixology workshops, trade events, tours, and a showcase of best-in-class cocktails from some of the best bartenders from around the world, climaxing with the awards ceremony for Asia's 50 Best Bars 2017.

From March 23 to 26, international flavor meets local taste as street food traders from all over the region merge with Singapore’s very own in Eat the World Singapore, a unique festival that celebrates exotic food from the finest ingredients around Singapore and Southeast Asia, with influence from ethnic cuisine.

Food lovers can have a gastronomic experience in Singapore with a feast of global and local dishes, from exquisite fine dining to delightful hawker fare. At the World Gourmet Summit from March 20 to April 16, diners can indulge in fine cuisine, great wines and unique dining experiences from all over the globe, while the Michelin Guide Street Food Event, which rolls out on April 14 and 15, will bring together the best street food and hawker establishments listed in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore.

Get ready to take shopping to a whole new fun and exciting level with the inaugural Orchard Road Style Festival, happening from March 10 to April 8. The month-long festival will see fabulous fashion alongside thought-provoking art and design, great music and delicious foods, presenting unique experiences to visitors along Singapore’s most well-known shopping belt.

Go on a 10-week shopping spree with the Great Singapore Sale 2017. The island-wide sale event of the year offers great deals on shopping, dining and entertainment, starting on the last week of May until the first week of August.

Marvel at Asia’s only curated exhibition of the finest jewelry from around the world, at the Singapore JewelFest 2017 in Ngee Ann City, or witness the bold creations of international and local fashion designers at the Singapore Fashion Week 2017, Singapore’s premier fashion event which will be held at the National Gallery Singapore. Both events are slated to begin in October.

Whether you and your loved ones are planning to rock with Metallica or Guns ‘N Roses, satisfy your senses with world-class cuisine, amazing cocktails and gastronomic treats, or seek out unique shopping and fashion experiences, Singapore is the place to go this 2017.

So mark your calendars and plan ahead for your trips to fully appreciate the experiences that Singapore can offer. For more details on upcoming events and activities, please visit www.yoursingapore.com.

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Flower Dome at Gardens By The Bay in Singapore

Everything about Gardens by the Bay amazes me. The architecture, the supertrees, the landscape, the light show at night--wherever you focus your camera it will produce perfect photos, no need for filter! It's like going to the world of Avatar, the Lost World or any futuristic Hollywood movie.

I highly recommend this place as the no. 1 must-visit attraction in Singapore, better than the theme parks. And the best thing about it is that all the garden area is free, there's no admission fee!

There are two humongous domes in Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, measuring more than 1 hectare each: the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. Let me take you to the Flower Dome first. If you love flowers and amazing architecture, this place is heaven. 

Considered as the world's largest columnless greenhouse, the Flower Dome houses 30,000 plants from over 150,000 species. It's fully air conditioned inside (24/7) to simulate the cool-dry climate of South Africa, California and parts of Spain and Italy. 

It's divided into 9 gardens: 

1. Baobabs and Bottle Trees - African Baobabs, Drunken Tree and Ghost Tree 

2. Succulent Garden - Tree Grape, Wooly Cactus and Century Plant of Maguey 

3. Olive Grove - 1,000 year old Olive Tree, Turkish Fig and Pomegranate tree 

4. Californian Garden - California Lilac and Manzanita 

5. South African Garden - King Sugar Bush, Bird of Paradise and Aloes 

6. Australian Garden - Queensland Bottle Tree, Kangaroo's Paw and Grass Tree 

7. Mediterranean Garden - Stone Pine, Cork Oak and Dragon Tree 

8. South American Garden - Chilean Wine Palm, Chilean Puya and Monkey Puzzle Tree 

9. Flower Field - plants from different corners of the globe

Here are some snap shots to give you an idea on how the Flower Dome looks inside:

At the center of the dome is the Flower Field which reflects different seasons, festivals and themes. This month, I think the theme is "Mid-Autum Festival" with a country feel with the addition of barn animal statues that make the flowers even more postcard-pretty:

I heard the Flower Field will change this August with the theme "National Day and Hari Raya" in celebration of Singapore's 50th anniversary as a nation.

Meanwhile, kids will be delighted to see some familiar scenes from nursery rhymes in one corner of the Flower Field.  Like Mother Goose...

...and Humpty Dumpy.

Here are the flowers that caught my attention:

And here are the plants that I've seen for the first time:

Although Durian is Singapore's national fruit, they give a spotlight on mangoes:

By the way, if you get hungry while strolling inside the dome, there is a cafe in one corner called "Pollen."  It's a little hidden though, so you need to search for it.

And before you leave the Flower Dome, check out the interactive wall to learn more interesting facts about the plants, flowers and trees from around the world.

Awards won by the Flower Dome include World Largest Glass Greenhouse from the Guinness World Records 2015, Award for Outstanding Achievement at the 20th Annual Themed Entertainment Association Awards 2014, Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism at the Singapore Experience Awards 2013 and a recognition at the International Architectural Awards 2013 in Chicago.

BBC calls it "A living wonder in Singapore" while FoxNews.com dubbed it as one of the "10 best indoor gardens in the world."

Standard admission in Flower Dome is S$28 (around PhP 900.00) for adults and S$15 (around PhP 500.00) for children 12 years old and below. It includes entry to the nearby Cloud Forest. Both domes are open from Monday to Sunday at 9:00am to 9:00pm. Last ticket sale at 8:00pm and last admission is at 8:30pm daily.

My hotel offered discounted tickets for S$23 so I was able to save $S5. Be sure to ask your hotel's reception because most of them are offering discounted tickets to most of Singapore attractions like the Night Safari, Universal Studios, Adventure Cove, etc.  

Flower Dome
18 Marina Gardens Drive,
Singapore
Tel. (065) 6420-6844
Email: travelagents@gardensbythebay.com.sg

How to Get There:

Alight at Bayfront MRT Station (CE1/DT16). Take Exit B and follow the underground link way. Exit and cross the Dragonfly Bridge or Meadow Bridge into the Gardens by the Bay.

Cebu Pacific Air flies daily from Manila to Singapore and vice versa, daily from Clark to Singapore and vice versa, four times weekly from Cebu to Singapore and vice versa, and thrice weekly from Davao to Singapore and vice versa. Check out their website for the cheapest Philippines-Singapore flights! Also follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for promo updates.

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Dubai: Where to Go and What to See

Since I've seen the John Lloyd Cruz movie "Dubai" in 2005, I included this exciting destination in my travel bucket list. This year, that dream became a reality.

Considered as the global city and business hub of the middle east, Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates or UAE. It is located at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, as well as sharing sea borders with Qatar and Iran. Although the city is known for its world famous infrastructures and skyscrapers, Dubai does not derive much of its wealth from oil industries compared to its neighboring cities. The main revenues that drives its economy come from tourism, aviation and financial services.

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U-Bike in Taipei: A Bicycle Tour of Your Own

If there's a country in Asia where you can find the most number of cycling enthusiasts, it's probably Taiwan. The friendly Chinese territory has long been at the forefront in advocating for cycling as not just a cheap means of transport but also as an environment-friendly lifestyle choice.

In Taipei alone, the government allotted 200km of dedicated bike paths. And along that path and in some train stations you will find U-Bike, a bike-share system where you can rent a bicycle for NT$5 for the first 30 minutes, and NT$10 for every succeeding 30 minutes.

Each U-Bike station is like a vending machine for bicycles, you'll need to deposit money by entering bills or coins into a machine and it will issue a card key which you can use to unlock the bicycle of your choice. You don't need to return the bicycle to where you got it, you can return it to any U-Bike station that you'll come across.

U-Bike has been in operation in Taipei since 2009. Last year, YouBike's more than 6,000 two-wheelers were taken on more than 22 million trips by locals and tourists alike making Taiwan the bicycle capital in Asia. To solidify this title, the Taiwanese government is prepping up a bicycle highway across the whole country!

So if you're visiting Taipei soon, get a better sense of the city with your own bicycle tour. Don't be afraid of getting lost because bike paths are connected to train stations, just don't wander outside these paths. Plus you gain tremendous satisfaction in knowing that you'll be able to burn all those calories from eating dim sums, noodles and other Taiwanese cuisines.

Cebu Pacific Air flies a direct service from Manila to Taipei and vice versa. Check out their website for the cheapest Philippines-Taipei flights! Also follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for promo updates.

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