Where It All Started...

"Go abroad once and the door to endless journeys will open" I'd heard people say this so many times. Sounded poetic, but I never really understood what they meant. Then came Singapore. My very first international trip. Unplanned, chaotic, a little reckless. And somehow, that messy adventure cracked something open in me that I didn't even know was there.

About a year ago, I went to this super clean, fancy "Asian Tiger" country everyone's obsessed with. And obviously, like every tourist ever, I took a million photos in front of all the iconic spots: the Merlion, Marina Bay Sands, those insane skyscrapers at Clarke Quay. All the classic tourist stuff.

But by the end of the day? I was exhausted. Like, dead on my feet tired.

And here's what's funny: out of all those picture-perfect selfies I took, the one that actually hits different is this super unglamorous shot of me just... pulling my suitcase. That's literally it. No epic background, no good lighting, nothing special. But somehow that one random photo captures what that whole trip really felt like way better than any of the Instagram-worthy ones.

So this whole trip started because my mom and I really wanted to visit her sister in Batam. We'd been wanting to do this forever, but the timing was never right and honestly, the flights were just too expensive. But then things finally aligned; my mom, who's a nurse, got a whole week of paid leave during Eid. We were so excited.

But of course, there was a catch. My dad? Not a fan of traveling, especially during peak season when everything's crowded and overpriced. Convincing him was... a whole thing. But we were determined to make this happen, no matter what.

So we pushed forward. Made it work. The entire journey from planning to actually getting on that plane. It was stressful, not gonna lie. But we did it.

And when we finally landed in Batam and got to see my aunt? All that stress just melted away. Every argument, every worry about money, every moment of doubt... it all felt worth it.

That's why this photo of me dragging my suitcase means so much to me. It looks super simple, I know. But to me, it's proof that we actually made it happen. That sometimes you just have to push through, even when things feel impossible.

"muka muka lelah" LOL.

Well, so let me tell you about our Batam stay and how we ended up making this random last-minute trip to Singapore. It was kind of chaotic, honestly.

This all happened during the pandemic, and everyone kept telling us getting into Singapore was basically impossible. E-hailing drivers, locals... everyone said the same thing: ferry tickets were hard to get, you had to book way in advance, it was a whole mess. We were pretty much ready to give up on the idea.

But I'm stubborn, so literally the day before we were supposed to leave, I just said screw it and filled out the SG Arrival Card form anyway. Didn't expect anything to come of it. But then, I'm not even joking, less than five minutes later, we got an email from the Immigration Checkpoint Authority saying we were approved. I couldn't believe it.

On the ferry, this helpful Indian guy started chatting with us and giving us all these tips about navigating Singapore. Turns out he'd planned his entire trip two months in advance. Meanwhile, we're over here winging it with zero preparation. But honestly, even with all his advice, I had no clue what we were getting ourselves into.

And here's where it gets even more ridiculous. I didn't set up roaming or buy a SIM card or anything. Yeah, I know. Not my smartest move. But whatever, we were already committed at that point.

So we got off at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, made it through immigration, and honestly? We were completely lost. Everything was so organized and efficient, it was kind of intimidating. We had no idea where to go, so we just jumped into the first empty taxi we saw and asked the driver to drop us at the nearest MRT station.

We ended up at Simei MRT station and started exploring from there. First thing I did was find a Seven-Eleven and grab a SingTel SIM card. But of course, the app couldn't detect my passport for some reason and I started freaking out a little. Luckily, this random stranger saw me struggling and just offered to share their internet hotspot with me. And then they disappeared before I could even thank them properly; like some kind of guardian angel or something.

So we got off at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, made it through immigration, and honestly? We were completely lost. Everything was so organized and efficient; it was kind of intimidating. We had no idea where to go, so we just jumped into the first empty taxi we saw and asked the driver to drop us at the nearest MRT station.

We ended up at Simei MRT station and started exploring from there. First thing I did was find a Seven-Eleven and grab a SingTel SIM card. But of course, the app couldn't detect my passport for some reason and I started freaking out a little. Luckily, this random stranger saw me struggling and just offered to share their internet hotspot with me. And then they disappeared before I could even thank them properly... like some kind of guardian angel or something.

As we kept riding the MRT, we met this super friendly staff member who spoke this mix of Indonesian and Malay (he used to live in Surabaya!), which made it way easier for my mom to understand. He told us to head to Clarke Quay, so that's what we did.

When we finally came out of Clarke Quay station, I just... stopped. The streets were so clean, everything felt so different. I had to take a picture because it all felt surreal.

This whole Singapore trip was completely spontaneous, no real plan, no itinerary, nothing. We were just winging it and honestly? That made it even better. Getting lost in a new city, figuring things out as we went that's where the best memories come from.

And you know what? This trip, my first time going abroad, it changed something in me. It gave me this confidence to just... go. To explore. To look for what makes each place special. I'll never forget it.

So yeah. If you're thinking about just booking that ticket and figuring it out later? Do it. The world's out there waiting ;)

Love,

Imelda