When we went twice to Singapore last year, Mon shared if we could go back early in the 2023. He wanted to treat his parents to a quick vacation overseas, which would be their first ever trip out of the country. We thought of Hong Kong (which we have not visited since 2011), but the several testing requirements turned us off.

Nothing make’s a child more happy than to eventually have the opportunity to do this for their parents. So off to Singapore (again), we go!

At NAIA Terminal 1

Our flight to SG was around after dinner, but we reached the airport around 2:00 pm. Traveling has always been erratic, a hit or miss that one time, you clear everything in about an hour, then the next, it would take around three. We did not want to gamble and we’d rather that we arrive early and just wait it out.

We reached NAIA Terminal 1 with the check-in counters still closed, and we waited for the wall showing the flights to eventually show us where the counter would be. As soon as they announced where, we already queued despite it not being open within the next hour.

We were unsure how the immigration process would go for someone who’d be flying overseas for the first time. They, however, were asked only two questions: who they were traveling with, and when they are flying back.

After the security checks

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Prelude

(I think it is much better to do a one-time post, instead of the usual multiple posts in our previous trips. This way, I have everything in one go.)

Months before the pandemic began, we had travel plans that did not push through. We already booked tickets to Beijing and Phuket, but had to cancel these trips as I had to transition to a new role towards the end of 2019. We thought it would not be wise to go on leave when I barely started. So, au revoir tickets.

Then COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill.

A lot of travel plans were put on hold as we were all not sure what we were dealing with. Traveling surely was the last on everyone’s list. The young and old, healthcare workers and the common people were falling left and right like flies. It was a grim time.

Even as the world began to open up last year after the vaccines started rolling out, we were still apprehensive to travel again. Earlier this year, however, we already began having more confidence. More people were doing it. The tourism sector, which took a big blow in the past 2 years, was also going to great lengths to gain people’s confidence.

So, ready to fly? Yes? Yes!

Even back in 2021, we already knew that our first trip would have been to South Korea this July (i.e. inclusive dates from July 4 to July 11). We had to eventually reconsider this.

We have been to South Korea in September 2011, December 2012 and December 2016. Granted September was supposedly early autumn, it did not feel like it as it still felt like summer that time. The last two December stays were obviously winter. We thought that perhaps spring or autumn would have been better. Spring has already passed, but autumn this year sounded perfect to us.

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singapore

First trip 2023. Third time SG.