updated: 3 or 4 days Singapore itinerary, a suggestion/guide

When you arrive in Singapore, pick up a map at a tourist information booth and find out if there are discounts offered for some restaurants and places of interest. Click and check the offers at Singapore Visitors Guide. If you have 3 or more companions and have many luggages, you may go to the transportation desk where you can hire a taxi van called Maxicab or MPV by SMRT (costs higher than regular taxi). Regular taxi costs about S$15-S$20 to the city. Or, you may want to take the train or bus. The train and the bus are the cheapest and most efficient mode of transportation in Singapore (less than S$2 to the city). Directions to the train or bus are easy to follow.

The most convenient and economical option is to buy a Singapore Tourist Pass at the Changi Airport MRT station. It is a 1 to 3 day unlimited bus/train pass that you can use to travel around Singapore. Click/visit the link The Singapore Tourist Pass to get more info, buy online and check outlets where you can buy.
Tip : check all your destinations via http://www.streetdirectory.com/. You may call taxi anytime from anywhere. Phone numbers are 6555-8888 or 6552-2222 or 6552-1111. Most, if not all, websites of all the places of attractions I am referring to has rates, promotions and an instruction on how to get there (look for the GETTING HERE menu).

Suggested 4-day itinerary:

Day 1 - Sentosa Island Resort, http://www.sentosa.com.sg/, you may check the website for events, promotions/discounts and schedules here. To get to Sentosa take a train (MRT) East West (green) line going to Harbourfront. If you were not able to buy Singapore Tourist Pass, you may purchase a card through machine or ticket counter. Once you have reached Harbourfront, you may refund S$1 at the ticket machine before you go out of the station. Take Vivo City exit and go the Sentosa counter at the top floor where you can avail promotional package which I will mention below. You will ride a train called Sentosa Express from Vivo City (http://www.vivocity.com.sg/). The cost of a return train ticket is S$3 valid for the whole day.

Packaged fun attractions can be bought here or through Sentosa Express ticket counter at Vivo City Shopping Mall.

Sentosa Express:

The Sentosa Express links HarbourFront, VivoCity and St. James Power Station to Sentosa in less than four minutes.

Operating hours:

First train - 8am
Last train - 10pm
Beach Station:

First train - 8.15am
Last train - 10pm

Ticket: S$3 per person (Adult and Child aged 3 and above)

Another way of getting to Sentosa is through Sentosa Boardwalk from VivoCity Shopping Mall waterfront promenade which ends at the Sentosa Visitor Centre. Entrance fee is $1.
You may also get to Sentosa through Sentosa Rider for $5 one way or $8 full day pass when you stay at Orchard area or Marina Bay area. Buy it here.
Shuttle bus is free when you are already inside Sentosa which will go around the island and to various attractions.
You will probably spend the whole day at Sentosa because there are about 30 games/shows/attractions including the laser show at about 7 pm. This includes the underwater world and dolphin show, cinemania, the merlion, etc. You may get Sentosa map with event schedule for free at the Sentosa visitors arrival center or when you buy a ticket at the Sentosa Express, VivoCity.

Day 2 - Escape theme park and Wild Wild Wet are in the same area at Pasir Ris, http://www.wildwildwet.com/, http://www.escapethemepark.com.sg/. You may reach the place by train via East West (EW) line going to Pasir Ris station. When you leave Pasir Ris station, you may walk to get there, pls check the map at the website of escape theme park.
In the afternoon you may go to Clark Quay where the Gmax Reverse Bungy is. You may call taxi or you may take the EW line train going to Joo Koon, get off at Outram station, change train, Northeast (NE) line, get off at Clarke Quay. From there you can walk to Gmax. Pls check the website at Gmax - Xtreme Swing, for more information.

At night, you can leave for the Night Safari. The website is: http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/, check if there's a promo available.

Or you may want to go to Suntec City Shopping Centre. There, you can find the world's largest fountain. There's a laser show at about 7 or 8 pm pls check website http://www.sunteccity.com.sg/ or you may want to ride Duck/Hippo Tours at Suntec (http://www.ducktours.com.sg/) from Suntec City you may walk to Esplanade, http://www.esplanade.com/, or ride Singapore Flyer from there you may go to Mustafa Centre , http://www.mustafa.com.sg/ or to Bugis Junction for shopping.

Day 3 - Singapore Science Centre (http://www.science.edu.sg/) or Snow City, (http://www.snowcity.com.sg/). They are on the same area. Pls check the website for other promotions. After that, you may go to Suntec again or Sim Lim Square (http://www.simlimsquare.com.sg/), the electronics and gadgets shopping mall of Singapore at 1 Rochor Road or Funan DigitaLife Mall (http://www.funan.com.sg/). Funan is accessible and short walking distance from City Hall MRT station. Everyone or any taxi knows where they are. Or you may want to go to Chinatown, (http://www.chinatown.org.sg/), best time to go there is from 5 pm onwards.

Day 4 - Universal Studio Singapore is also located in Sentosa Island, to go there from VivoCity take Sentosa Express and get off at the first stop. Other ways of getting to Sentosa, please refer to Day 1.

Universal Studio 1 Day pass costs S$66/adult and $48/child.

If you have more time, visit Jurong Bird Park. Entrance fee costs S$18/adult, $12/child. Extra $5 and $3 respectively, if you prefer to ride inside the park.

Budget hotels in Singapore

Here are links of budget hotels and hostels/backpackers accomodation, in case you need a place to stay in Singapore.

Singapore Budget Hotels - http://hotels.online.com.sg/budgethotels.asp

Value Hotel - http://www.valuehotel.com.sg/

Singapore Hostels - http://www.thebackpacker.net/travelhostels/singapore_singapore/index.htm

Fernloft Hostel - http://www.fernloft.com/

InnCrowd Backpackers Hostel - http://www.the-inncrowd.com/index.htm

Betelbox Backpacker Hostel - http://www.betelbox.com/

Citybackpackers Hostel - http://www.citybackpackers.com.sg

Enjoy your stay in Singapore, the first venue for the 1st F1 Grand Prix Night Racing (September 2008) and 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games (August 2010).

Suggested 3-day Singapore itinerary

When you arrive to Singapore, pick up a map at a tourist information booth and find out if there are discounts offered for some restaurants and places of interest. Check the offers in Singapore at http://www.visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/getting_here/offers_in_singapore.html. If you have 3 or more companions and have many luggages, you go to the transportation desk where you can hire a taxi van called Maxicab or MPV by SMRT (costs higher than regular taxi). If two or three of you are travelling, you may want to take a regular taxi which costs about S$15-S$20 to the city. Or, you may want to take the train. The train and the bus are the cheapest and most efficient mode of transportation in Singapore. Directions to the train or bus are easy to follow. Or, you may want to buy Singapore Tourist Pass to buy a day (2 or 3 days) bus/train pass, visit The Singapore Tourist Pass to get more info.

Tip: check all your destinations via www.streetdirectory.com. You may call taxi anytime from anywhere. Phone numbers are 6555-8888 or 6552-2222 or 6552-1111

Day 1 - Sentosa Island Resort, www.sentosa.com.sg, you may check the website for events, promotions/discounts and schedules. To get to Sentosa take a train (MRT) East West (green) line going to Harbourfront. You may purchase a card through machine or ticket counter and each of you can refund S$1 at the ticket machine before you go out of the station. When you leave Harbourfront station, there's a free bus going to Sentosa Island where you will get off at the Sentosa visitors arrival center. There's a S$2 entry fee per person but I think it's waive when you avail a promotional package which I will mention below. Shuttle bus is free from the visitors centre that will go around the island and to various attractions. An alternative and better route is through a train called Sentosa Express from Vivo City (www.vivocity.com.sg) at Harbourfront. You pay S$3 for a return ticket valid for the whole day. Please check the Sentosa website for updated ticket prices or ongoing promotions.

Sentosa Express:
The Sentosa Express links HarbourFront, VivoCity and St. James Power Station to Sentosa in less than four minutes.

Operating hours:
First train - 8am
Last train - 10pm

Beach Station:
First train - 8.15am
Last train - 10pm

Ticketing: S$3 per person (Adult and Child aged 3 and above)

You will probably spend the whole day because there are about 30 games/shows/attractions including the laser show at about 7 pm. This includes the underwater world and dolphin show, cinemania, the merlion and other shows. You may get Sentosa map with event schedule for free at the Sentosa visitors arrival center or when you buy a ticket at the Sentosa Express, VivoCity.

Day 2 itinerary - Escape theme park and Wild Wild Wet are in the same area at Pasir Ris, www.wildwildwet.com, www.escapethemepark.com.sg. You may reach that place by train via East West line or Green line going to Pasir Ris station. When you leave Pasir Ris station, you may walk to get there, pls check the map at the website of escape theme park.

In the afternoon you may go to Clark Quay where the Gmax Reverse Bungy is. You may call taxi or you may take the train going to Boon Lay, get off at Outram station, change train, Northeast line (NE), get off at Clarke Quay. From there you can walk to Gmax. Pls check the website, www.visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/what_to_see/singapore_river/clarke_quay.html, for more information.

At night, you can leave for the Night Safari. The website is: www.nightsafari.com.sg/visitor/rates.htm, again there's a promo that you may want to avail. All the websites of the places I am providing you, there's always an instruction on how to get there. Watch out and click for the GETTING THERE title.

Or you may want to go to Suntec City Shopping Centre. There you can find the world's largest fountain. There's a laser show at about 7 or 8 pm pls check website www.sunteccity.com.sg or you may want to ride Hippotours/Ductours at Suntec (www.ductours.com.sg) from Suntec City you may walk to Esplanade, www.esplanade.com, from there you may go to Mustafa Centre, www.mustafa.com.sg

Day 3 - Singapore Science Centre (www.science.edu.sg/ssc/index.jsp) or Snow City, (www.snowcity.com.sg/AboutUs/getthere.asp). They are on the same area. You may show your Uniquely Singapore Passport for a $2 discount per passport if you are able to get one for each person. Pls check the website for other promotions. After that, you may go to Suntec again or Sim Lim Square (www.simlimsquare.com.sg), the electronics and gadgets shopping mall of Singapore at 1 Rochor Road or Funan IT Mall (www.funan.com.sg). Everyone or any taxi knows where they are. Or you may want to go to Chinatown, (www.rgs.edu.sg/events/Chinatown/main/main1.html), best time to go there is from 5 pm onwards.

Free calls to US and Canada

Attention US/Canada residents and regular callers to US/Canada. A company called iCall has allowed everyone with PC and broadband/DSL internet access to call US/Canada for free.

To good to be true? Find out by visiting its website and trying out this free service.

Free Calling Promotion

Free calling promotion of MediaRing Talk in Singapore has been extended until July 31, 2007. This is for first time users only. Keep on talking! :-)

Free VOIP Phone service

Is there really a free voip service? Yes and no. Check out Free VOIP to find out. On this site, you will find a summary of VOIP providers offering free VOIP calls but watch out for the fine prints.

On the other hand, MediaRing Talk has a free calling promotion for new users. However, free calls are only limited to 10 minutes per call but there is no restriction in calling the same destination multiple times. Unlimited free calls are only applicable to US, Canada, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, Taiwan and Australia. This promotion is only valid till April 30, 2007.

Xango, mangosteen juice - the miracle food supplement. Anyone?

Xango was introduced to me by my friend in the Philippines. He shared with me that this mangosteen juice contains a lot of nutrients more potent than Vitamin E and Vitamin C. So my wife and I tried it. Here are some interesting benefits that we derived from drinking it:

• My wife has insomnia, after drinking mangosteen juice (2 ounces twice a day) for 3 days, she's already asleep by 11:30 pm.
• I usually have migraine in the afternoon, after drinking mangosteen juice (2 ounces twice a day) for 4 days, I am totally headache free.

I was so amazed with the results so I did some readings and research. Here's what I found:

Mangosteen has been used by traditional practitioners of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines and Africa for its varied medicinal applications. These applications include:

• antimicrobial agent
• treatment for skin diseases
• anti-inflammatory agent
• analgesic (pain reliever)
• antidiarrheal treatment
• gastrointestinal aid
  

Dr. J. Frederick Templeman, a primary care physician, board certified in the US & Canada, with over 20 years clinical experience and a medical director of Phytoceutical Research states that the human body is a remarkable creation, capable of caring for and repairing itself - but only if it receives the necessary nutrients (raw materials) to do so. When a state of disequilibrium occurs, we can only assist the body in its efforts to restore optimal health.

There are a variety of measures we can utilize to help our bodies recover from illness. Improved diet, stress relief, and increased physical activity are a few things that can make a tremendous difference in our state of health. Sometimes even these are not enough.

Supplementation also plays a critical role in assisting the body to both prevent and combat disease. Which supplements should we take? Well, each of our bodies is different, so each of our needs is slightly different as well. If you think of your body as own personal laboratory, and you "experiment" with different supplements to achieve better health, you will soon be able to determine which products your body can use most effectively.

Dr. Templeman feels that natural supplements offering the broadest range of phytonutrients to the body are those you should consider first. In this regard, the mangosteen fruit possesses a wide range of phytonutrients, including xanthones. But xanthones are only half the story. The fruit also contains catechins and proanthocyanidins, both classes of polyphenols shown to have great nutritional value for the body. Mangosteen also possesses polysaccharides and sterols, two groups of compounds also thought to possess a variety of potential health benefits.

Dr. Templeman adds: "If you are in poor health, or are simply looking to lower your risk of disease, I encourage you to experiment with the mangosteen fruit in the laboratory of your own body to determine how it will put this amazing fruit to use."

In addition to what I've learned, the bulk of the nutrients comes from the pericarp or rind of the mangosteen fruit.

Here are some interesting research and results of preclinical studies which provide the evidence that these nutrients can be used by the body:

Atherosclerosis. Cathecin research on mangosteen has demonstrated the following in the area of atherosclerosis (the process of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin (a clotting material in the blood) building up in the inner lining of an artery. The buildup that results is called plaque.):

• Decreased liver production of LDL and VLDL (bad cholesterol)
• Protection of the LDL molecule from free radical damage (antioxidant effect more potent that Vitamin C)
• Decreased amount of absorption and digestion of dietary facts
• Normalization of endothelial cell function in the artery so that adhesion substances are not formed
• Inhibition of the growth factors that cause smooth muscle cells in the walls of arteries to grow abnormally and form plaque
• Inhibition of bacterial proliferation in the mouth that leads to gum disease and the possible infection of arterial plaque
• Dampening of the inflammatory response, which leads to plaque rupture and triggers the coagulation cascade that produces the deadly blood clot
• Inhibition of thrombin-induced clot information (the coagulation cascade)

Xanthone research has revealed the following properties:

• Antioxidant activity (surpassing that of Vitamin E) that protects LDL particles from free radical damage in laboratory studies
• Antibacterial action to prevent the infection of plaques
• Anti-inflammatory activity capable of dampening the inflammation, which can lead to plaque rupture
  

Proanthocyanidin research has revealed the following properties:

• Antioxidant activity to protect LDL particles from free radical damage
• Antibacterial effects
• Normalization of endothelial vasolidatory function in the arteries through the increased production of Nitric oxide
• Antithrombotic (anticlotting) effect
• Anti-inflammatory effect to lessen the probability of plaque rupture
• Regulation of adhesion molecule production by endothelial cells
  

Sterol research has revealed the following properties:

• Normalization of lipid production to prevent the excessive formation of LDL
  

Polysaccharide research has revealed the following properties:

• Antibacterial effect
  

Cancer. Cathecin research in the area of cancer has revealed:

• Protection of DNA from damage by free radicals and other mutagens
• Repair of damaged DNA before cancer begins
• Inhibition of the inappropriate production of growth factors which promote cancer
• Inhibition of the proteolytic enzymes, which cancerous cells produce to invade normal tissue and to mestatasize
• Protection of skin from UV damage
• Inhibition of the production of pro-inflammatory mediators which promote cancer growth
• Chemoprotection (by unelucidated mechanisms) from many different types of cancer
• Anti-tumor effect by the induction of apoptosis or cell death in cancer cells
  

Xanthone research in the area of cancer has revealed:

• Protection of DNA from damage by free radicals
• Induction of apoptosis (cell suicide) in tumor cells of several types of cancer
• Anti-tumor efficacy (in vitro) of garcinone E (a mangosteen xanthone), surpassing the effect of five commonly utlized chemotherapy agents
  

Proanthocyanidin research in the area of cancer has shown:

• Inhibition of the production of protein-dissolving agents produced by cancer cells to invade normal tissue and to metastasize
  

Inflammation. The body's non-specific response to virtually all insults (such as infection, trauma, radiation damage, allergen irritation, etc.) is inflammation. Characterized by swelling, redness, heat and pain, most inflammation is short-lived and an important part of the healing process. However, too often inflammation does not shut off when it should and can continue for weeks, months, or years (chronic inflammation). When this occurs, the inflammation itself (which can be painless and therefore silent) becomes a serious health threat.

Although not a disease per se, chronic inflammation has been implicated in the development of many health problems including cancer, arthritis, diabetes, skin disorders, heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases (such as MS, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's), lung disease, inflammotory bowel disease (Crohn's, ulcerative colitis), ulcers, gastritis, GERD, allergy, kidney failure and even psychiatric disorders like depression, autism and schizophrenia. And this list is not complete because other illnesses have been shown to involve inflammatory states as greater or lesser causatory or exacerbating factors.

Cathecin research in the area of inflammation shows:

• Ability to chelate iron and copper, two metals frequently involved in the production of free radicals
• Excellent antioxidant activity that even exceeds the antioxidant power of vitamin C
  

Xanthone research in the area of inflammation shows:

• Antioxidant capability which exceeds that of vitamin E
• All 43 mangosteen xanthones have antioxidant capability
• The capability of blocking the most common inflammatory cascade (arachadonic acid to prostaglandin E2) at the genetic level (COX-2 blockade)
• Antioxidant effect in an animal experiment that equaled the power of the drug dexamethasone and exceeded the effect of the drug Indomethacin
  

Proanthocyanidin research in the area of inflammation shows:

• Effective inhibition of the proinflammatory enzyme COX-2 (again at the level of the COX-2 gene)
• The ability to inhibit the formation of copper-linked free radicals
• Chemoprotective effects on cells threatened with inflammatory damage
  

(Ref. - Mangosteen, the gift your body deserves by J. Frederic Templeman, M.D.)

The above mentioned illnesses are only a few of what mangosteen can do and help our body. You may do your own research by searching mangosteen in the internet or you may visit http://www.mangosteenmd.com.

To sum it up: XanGo (Xangosteen in Singapore) juice is a food supplement that has an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-tumor and cancer prevention properties. It also strengthens the body's immune system. Backed by research, http://www.mangosteenmd.comand http://www.researchmangosteen.com.

Should you need more information, visit http://www.mangosteen.sawit.net or email: vida@mangosteen.sawit.net or call Vida at +6591085489.