Hello Singapore, hi Malaysia

Categories abroad, I Travel
Colorful colonial era shop houses in Singapore

Airphil Express and Star Cruises invited us bloggers for a familiarization cruise tour from Singapore to Malaysia aboard the latter’s Super Star Virgo, a full service cruise ship. It was a lot different experience, another different way of traveling. And it was good. In a few days, I’m off to two other international destinations within Southeast Asia: Singapore and Malaysia. This is just after two weeks after visiting Hong Kong for five days!

Going down at Singapore's Changi Airport. CLICK TO ENLARGE
Whew! And it doesn’t get better if it’s unscheduled as all these trips are all upon the invitation of AirPhil Express, the country’s newest budget airline.

It’s been three years that I’ve visited Singapore where I was selected as one of the participants in the Southeast Asian Photography Workshop. The island state is also known as a tourism hub, according to Wikipedia.

But we won’t be lingering long there. In the itinerary given by AirPhil, we will be on a cruise to Port Klang in Malaysia aboard the Superstar Virgo. Now before you think that this is all leisure, nope, its all work for me as a travel blogger. Period.

A night at the Esplanade

Almost a decade since I’ve visited Malaysia, the last and only one was while in transit from Bangkok (training at Nokia Thailand) to Singapore with a few days stop over at Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur. Memories of that trip? The vintage taxis of Ipoh, char kway teow, birdwing butterflies (Trogonoptera brookiana) that I was able to collect, Petronas Towers and being duped by a taxi driver in KL. And of course, D24 durian that had me craving for more in one of the fruit stands in Kuala Lumpur.

But on hindsight, I’ve been raring to go on longer trips, not just for a few days but multi-country visits that span for weeks or months. If only visas are no problem, I would have visited Europe long ago with a sidetrip to the UK and Ireland with its expansive and beautiful landscapes aboard one of mobile caravans via caravan insurance platform. This is surely a different way of traveling that is not present here in the Philippines.

Well I guess, that has to wait for a few years. For now, Singapore and Malaysia will suffice.

I'm a Travel and Architecture photographer, blogger and writer based in Cebu, the Philippines.

A true blue Cebuano, I make stunning images and meaningful stories. My work has been published in various coffee table books as well as local and international publications including Geo (Germany), Sunday Times Magazine (London), done photo assignments for Mabuhay and written posts in Smile.

My personal Photography work has been exhibited around Asia and Europe including Paris in France, Germany, The Netherlands, South Korea, China and around the ASEAN regional capitals.

I am a peripatetic traveler and have been to all 81 Philippine provinces and abroad.

Check out my portfolio site at StanCabigas.

4 thoughts on “Hello Singapore, hi Malaysia”

  1. Sounds like an exciting trip. I’m very jealous. Have a blast!

  2. Very exiting trip!

  3. good luck with the visa thingy. i, myself, figured in such a difficult position, but that’s life. there’s no point being stuck in a place, you can always move around where you are, right?

  4. @chris, zniht, it was my first cruise! rather exciting!

    @karl, well, there will always be other countries that require no visa and equally interesting

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