TRAVEL: Sara Shantelle goes to Boracay Island Philippines (PART 1)

Sara Shantelle goes to Boracay Island Philippines 

6 Days Trip over Chinese New Year Peak Season

PART 1

BORACAY - Chinese New Year is the only time, that my parents and I can travel as a family. Apart from Lora, being "stuck" in Sydney due to her PR Application, we usually travel as a whole during Chinese New Year. We only decided to go to Boracay Island, just 1 week before CNY. Hence, it was pretty last minute which resulted in more expensive hotels and air tickets. Luckily, this is the peak season and best time to visit Boracay. The weather was perfect, the crowd and atmosphere was awesome. Everyone was hyped up and filled with excitement!

HOW TO GET TO BORACAY?

There's 2 ways of getting there from Singapore. 

1. Tiger Airways - Direct Flight to Kalibo Airport

2. Cebu Airlines - 6 Hours Transit to Kalibo Airport

Obviously, we chose to go direct. 

It took us about 3 hours to fly from Singapore to Kalibo Airport. Then another 1.5 hours to take a van from Kalibo Airport to the Island Jetty, then take another 20 minutes boat ride to Boracay Island, then another 10 minutes van ride to our Hotel in front of White Beach. It took us a total of approximately 5 hours to get to Boracay Island and it's all WORTH IT!

Kalibo Airport was really an eye opener for me. As an ex air-stewardess, with 5 years of flying experience around the world, I have never seen an airport like this before. It was quite a sight. You have to see it with your own eyes to understand what I mean. The entire airport was rather chaotic and appears not to have any proper system in placed. Everyone was pushing their way in an disorderly manner without queuing up at all. Frustrations aside, we took 1 hour to clear the customs. 

Everything was a MESS, UNTIL you reach the BEACH FRONT!

It is highly recommended to buy a SGD$20 transfer from Kalibo Airport to your Boracay Island Hotel. This is to avoid the hassle of getting the transfer ticket which is available the moment you exit the airport. There are a few Boracay transfer booths at the exit area, they sell airport-island transfer tickets at around 700-800PESO. Then, you would also need to pay another 100-200PESO for their environment island fees, etc. 

Due to the last minute travel bookings, my air ticket costs SGD$450 per person but I found out that the rest of the people who were on the same plane as me only bought their tickets for SGD$200+. Moral of the story, please book your air tickets early to get a cheaper price!

As it was Peak Season, I could not find a decent hotel that was vacant for all 5 nights. Hence, we had to hop around the island, staying at 3 different hotels over the past 5 nights. Some of you may find it troublesome, but I thought it was a blessing in disguise. I was able to hang out at different parts of the island. I pretty much cover all the interesting places and beaches of Boracay during this trip.

The Beach House Hotel 

Boracay Island Boat Station 1

Balcony View facing Diniwid Beach

The first 2 nights, I stayed at Boracay Beach Hotel. Its at Diniwid Beach. This hotel is facing the beach front, but it is not fully built yet. You may consider staying in this apartment, after 6 months. If not, you would hear the workers start hammering wood at the edge of the waters at 8am in the morning. It is closer to Boat Station 1 and is walking distance from a really interesting place called The Spider House. My parents and I loved The Spider House, so much that we hung out there for 2 whole days chilling over delicious cocktails and enjoying the beautiful beach views. 

The Spider House Hotel Bar

Boracay Island Boat Station 1

http://spiderhouseresort.com/

View of The Spider House Resort & Nami

Boracay Island Boat Station 1

THE SPIDER HOUSE RESORT - This hotel establishment is really unique and interesting. Just watch my video and you will know why. You have to literally walk through a cave before you get into the hotel lobby and bar. The special attraction is that guests are able to jump off the wooden platform straight into the clear blue waters anytime. Talk about easy access to the clear blue waters and swimming!

I bumped into a very friendly Boracay Resident who dove into the water, with a huge splash. I learned that he is only 24 years old and resides in Boracay as a German Language International School teacher. I think it is an awesome way to travel around the world as a Language teacher. He has been staying in Boracay for over 2 years, and he's loving it! 

He gave me a mini tour along White Beach, as he was walking towards his football game, in the middle of White Beach. 

WHITE BEACH & CATHOLICS - While walking throught the rocks and caves to White Beach, I noticed a lot of Mother Mary Statues around the island. Most Phillippinos are Catholics. They have the highest percentage ratio number of Catholics in their country in the world. 

I spent the rest of the day, touring and exploring White Beach on my own, while my parents preferred to stay at The Spider House to have a relaxing time on their own. I had a foot massage at 350PESO, by the front of the beach. It feels fantastic to have a massage after walking around so much. I watched the beautiful sunset while sipping my Mango Fruit Shake and enjoying my relaxing foot massage. There are many stalls selling fruit shakes, you can get them at around 70-100PESO a cup.

Different Colours of the SKY during Sunset

SUNSET at White Beach Boracay Island

   

At night, we had dinner at Mama's restaurant, just right beside The Beach House Hotel. They served fantastic fruit shakes and margaritas! And guess what, a bottle cost of beer only around 50-70PESO (SGD$1.40). Now, you can afford to drink till you get drunk, every single day without feeling a pinch in your pocket!

MAMA's Restaurant & Bar
Boracay Island Boat Station 1

Beside The Beach House Hotel

I realised that people at Boracay are really friendly. My parents and I made another new friend! Meet Adam, an American from Los Angeles who has been traveling non-stop for more than 2 months. He is only 26 years old and loves traveling around the World. I wish I could travel as much as these people!

NAMI Restaurant 

Boracay Island Boat Station 1

Voted Best Restaurant in Philippines in Tatler 2013

Top of the Hill - Must take Lift

http://www.namiresort-boracay.com/ppc/index.html

NAMI Restaurant - An award-winning restaurant that is always crowded so do go early to reserve a table. They only have around 15 tables in total. The food is more expensive here but the view is priceless! You can see the entire White Beach waters while dining. It was a beautiful dining experience but beware of the wooden lift that appears to be quite fragile. You are in for a scary lift ride!

ANIMALS - There were many stray dogs and cats who were spotted along the beach. They enjoy the beach too!

PARA SAILING - I decided to go Para Sailing! It cost around 1500PESO each person, thats around SGD$42. I  managed to convinced my dad to join me. We had to take a small jet boat to the middle of the sea, then transfer to a para sailing boat. I did para sailing during sunset, as its the most beautiful during that time. It was a rather frightening experience but I managed to overcome my fear and I feel extremely proud of myself. 

Para sailing at Boracay Island
Boat Station 3

Video of Sara Shantelle on the Parasailing Boat

Don't be surprise to see many kids, doing this as well. I guess, they are not afriad of heights. I met this group of caucasian kids that live in China their whole life. I'm so amazed at how good they are at speaking Mandarin. I love their super long natural lashes and green eyes. Well, if you would like to have pretty natural looking lashes, you may try the Barbie Eyelash Extension at www.PrestigeEyebrow.com. I have my lashes done once every 3 weeks. It looks really amazing!

Sara Shantelle Para Sailing in Boracay

PARA SAILING - The view from up there is really magnificent. The clear blue waters, the orange, pink and purple sky line. Its like I'm in a painting! The ride was around 15 minutes long, you may choose to have your body dipped into the water, as a teaser. I bought a shirt that states "I love Para Sailing at Boracay at 350PESO", just to support their tourism in Boracay. The whole island survives on Tourism and it is no wonder the locals are extremely friendly to all tourists. Put on your best smiles!

This was how I spent my first 2 days in Boracay. Stay tune for the PART 2 of my Boracay Island Holiday trip!

Read about Sara Shantelle goes to Boracay Island Philippines (PART 2): 

Click Here.

For more information about Boracay Island - you may visit "My Boracay Guide".

Read about my Bintan Lagoon Resort Trip!

- CLICK HERE -

Follow me on Instagram: @SaraShantelleLim

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Sara Shantelle Lim's SGD$40,000 Birthday Bash 2014

Club Altimate at 1-Altitude (1 Raffles Place)

Candylicious Neon Party

PART 4

YAHOO! NEWS SINGAPORE
www.Yahoo.com.sg

Blogger Sara Shantelle Lim's S$40,000 Birthday Bash
Club Altimate at 1-Altitude

Featured on 2 June 2014
CANDYLICIOUS NEON PARTY 

Original Video Link: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/video/singapore-blogger-sara-shantelle-lims-080807098.html

Sara Shantelle Lim's Birthday featured on 98.7FM Radio Singapore
Video filmed by Billy from Vzuall Studio Productions

YouTube Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u0BGjVEEec&feature=youtu.be

SYDNEY - Temasek Club NSW Chinese New Year Dinner @ Palace Restaurant

SYDNEY - Temasek Club NSW Chinese New Year Dinner @ Palace Restaurant - I was invited to attend this dinner by Angela Lee the Vice President of Temasek Club NSW and it was a fantastic event organized by the Temasek Club Committee. The entire event was well planned and perfectly excited. I enjoyed the delicious dinner, the live singing performance, Lion dance, Lucky draw and Trivia games etc. There were several VIP Guests and even the Singapore High Commissioner - Mr Michael Teo attended this dinner event.

LUCKY DRAW - I won an AYAM Brand Hamper :)

I booked one table under my name and invited 9 other friends to join me. We were seated at table 17 and I was happy as the numbers "1" and "7" are my lucky numbers due to my birthday falling on January 7. During the Lucky Draw, both myself and Stefanie who sat beside me won prizes. I won a huge AYAM Brand Hamper and Stefanie won a $80 Palace Restaurant Dining Voucher. What a great way to start a brand new year! I hope I would continue to be lucky during the rest of the year of 2014.

I managed to have my first "Lo Hei" and the YU SHENG was extremely fresh. I really love the raw salmon and the taste of the special condiments mixed together with it. We had loads of fun tossing the ingredients and reciting best wishes for good luck. It was a 10 course dinner which was filling and extremely delicious. Special thanks to my friends who attended the dinner with me: Tourmaline Tan,  Stefanie Lin, Lynn Chyeah, Claire Jumay, Huei Lay, Nabil Mustafiz, Chris Tseng, Dojee and Richard Eu. We had a fantastic time together and hope to see all of you soon :)

Frasers Property had a whole table to themselves and I was glad to catch up with my ex-bosses Dr Stanley Quek (Chairman of Frasers Property Australia) as well as Mr Marcus Chang (Director of Greencliff). I used to work for Frasers Property part-time as a receptionist at Central Park Sales Gallery when I was studying my Masters of International Business in University of Sydney.

Photo with FRASERS Property - Dr Stanley Quek (Chairman) & Mr Marcus Chang (Director of Greencliff)

Below are more photos taken throughout the entire night. I was also glad to have met up with Mr Eric Yeo who is the President of Temasek Club NSW. The Best Dressed Award I would definitely give it to Nabil Mustafiz who was elegantly dressed in a well-tailored suit. He's truly a very fashionable lawyer!

Left: Mr Eric Yeo (President of Temasek Club NSW)                            Right: Nabil Mustafiz

The Vice-President of Temasek Club NSW - Angela Lee was stunning in her Orange Ted Baker dress!

From Left: Stefanie Lin, Angela Lee, Lora Christelle Lim, Lynn Chyeah

Nabil Mustafiz, Lora Christelle Lim, Chris Tseng

From Left: Tourmaline, Lynn, Lora Christelle, Stefanie, Queenie

Left: Dojee, Lora Christelle, Richard Eu                      Right: Jonathan, Queenie, Lora Christelle

It was a huge event where around 200 people attended. The event had many sponsors such as Frasers, SCOOT, Stamford Tyres, AYAM Brand, Overseas Singaporean Unit, Silver Spoon, Palace Restaurant, Reebonz, YEO's and some individual sponsors as well.

The event also helped raised AUD$1157 for 2 Charities - Save the Children Australia and Josephites.

Great work to Temasek Club NSW Committee for organizing such a fabulous Chinese New Year Dinner and getting so many great sponsors! All of us had a wonderful time at the event.

Lora's Dress is bought from Cambodia and the white flower pin is from H&M

Wishing all of you a very Happy Chinese New Year and good luck for the year of the Horse in 2014!

♥ Lora Christelle Lim ♥

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SYDNEY - Chinese New Year Potluck Dinner & Tourmaline's Housewarming Party

SYDNEY - Chinese New Year Potluck Dinner & Tourmaline's Housewarming Party @ One Central Park - We had a small gathering at Tourmaline's new home at One Central Park, Chippendale which is conveniently located opposite UTS. The funny thing was that I was the one who recommended the apartment as I have plans to buy an apartment there but she beat me to it by moving in quickly. One Central Park is a new development by Singapore's FRASERS Property. More info can be found at http://www.centralparksydney.com/

Tourmaline informed me to make salad and I tried my best to make one but the eggs turned out oddly shaped as I think my knife was not sharp enough. I should seriously invest in a proper egg cutter.

Tourmaline made really delicious honey baked Char Siew and Sambal prawns. Claire and Lynn brought egg tarts and a chestnut cake which tasted rather unique. After a delicious dinner and drinks, we started playing Blackjack aka "21" with Lynn's Hello Kitty poker cards. We had a enjoyable time and I won the most money as I was made the banker during the last 3 rounds and luckily I had "Blackjack"! We used real candy sweets as chips but there was one person who was silly enough to eat the candy which immediately became a loss of 50 cents. We were laughing so hard it was hilarious!

Oh yes, earlier in the day I went for a Real Estate Property Seminar at Sofitel Wentworth Hotel and I learned quite a great deal. The big difference between Positive and Negative Cash Flow and how to make money without having to invest your time in exchange for it. It was an entire day seminar by Property Guru - Dymphna Boholt who went from Zero to become a global real estate millionaire with a portfolio of $3.5 million in less than 18 months. More info at http://www.dymphnaboholt.com/

Lora's Sequin Nude dress is newly bought from FOREVER NEW 

My cute Prince Royale wishes all my Blog Readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year of the Horse!

Remember to buy fresh flowers to welcome the freshness of the New Year with abundance and colors!

Lora's Korean white tutu dress is newly bought from Sydney's Chinatown, YSL Clutch & Salvatore Ferragamo heels

On a different day, I also had a small cozy dinner at Wagaya Japanese Restaurant with my girlfriends Lynn and Mei Foong. I guess you can't have Chinese food everyday and after all, sushi is still my favorite!!

♥ Lora Christelle Lim ♥

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SYDNEY - Celebrating Chinese New EVE 2014 @ Waitan Restaurant ($10 million dollars)

SYDNEY - Celebrating Chinese New EVE 2014 @ Waitan Restaurant - As I'm in the midst of applying for my PR in Sydney, I forfeited my air ticket which I bought to return back to Singapore. I really miss my family and Prince Royale in Singapore but celebrating Chinese New Year with my friends in Sydney has been very much enjoyable too. I celebrated Chinese New Eve with my Lumiere apartment neighbors who have become my very good friends and we visited the most talked about Asian Restaurant - Waitan Restaurant in Chinatown. 

Waitan Restaurant

Address: 405, Sussex Street, Haymarket, Sydney

Phone: 02-82181000

Opening hours: 6pm -12 midnight

Website: www.waitan.com.au

www.au.timeout.com

WAITAN Restaurant - This swanky new 2-storey Asian restaurant is newly opened after around $10 million dollars worth of investment on Sussex Street in Sydney's Chinatown. The restaurant is a joint venture between Singapore's TungLok group and China based Xiang E Qing Group. It is the first of an International Chain of Waitan restaurants with plans to open another in Sydney, New York and Melbourne. Occupying 2500 square metres over 2 floors connected by an escalator, the restaurant boosts 3 bars, a members only lounge and 14 private dining rooms with Karaoke sets. The entire place is dimly lit and decorated with red Chinese Silk lanterns to create a teahouse atmosphere/opium den. Waitan's executive chef - John Rankin has previously worked for top award-winning restaurants such as Quay, Astral and Sean's Kitchen.

www.dailytelegraph.com.au

Lavishly decorated with faux opium beds, a cozy cigar room, a library and Chinese antiques and paintings, it's like stepping back in time to the Shanghai era due to its Oriental flair. Dubbed as the Chinatown's version of "Club IVY", a private membership costs a hefty sum of AUD$10,000. Interestingly, the restaurant also features Sydney's largest circular table spanning 5.2 metres and able to sit 32 people around it. If you wish to impress your guests, there is a one off $50,000 bottle of cognac. Talk about drinking in style or excess!

All thanks to my beautiful girlfriend Anna Tran who suggested that we have a lovely dinner at this posh restaurant with luxury interiors. It was an enjoyable dining experience with delicious food and of course, the wonderful company of friends. The cocktails were interesting and yummy too! I had a Lychee Mocktail :)

The total bill for 6 of us was around AUD$300 which includes food and drinks. It was a reasonable amount to dine at a luxurious Asian restaurant with fine dining ambience. We ordered a few dishes to share which includes their Sichuan Mo Po Tofu wok fried with pepper sauce ($18), Crispy Seafood Noodles, Nasi Goreng jamon serrano, fried egg ($23), Sweet & Sour Pork, lastly their famous signature Peking Duck ($88) which is baked in open wood fired oven with oak wood and cherry wood for 60 minutes which results in the smokey and crispy skin duck. The Peking Duck was served in 3 separate dishes:

First Course: Crispy duck skin: Duck skin dipped in a special sauce or white sugar

Second Course: Duck meat: Wrapped inside a handmade pancake along with fresh shallots and cucumber, topped with a special sauce.

Third Course: Duck meat with skin: wrapped inside a handmade pancake along with fresh shallots and cucumber and duck, topped with a special sauce.

I highly recommend this beautiful Waitan restaurant for special occasion dinners with a group of friends  or family. A lovely restaurant for an Asian cuisine dinner with a relaxing ambience to set the mood. A must check out place especially in Chinatown, Sydney Australia!

Lora's Silver dress is from FOREVER NEW

Not forgetting that I also met girlfriend Queenie who is expecting a baby soon. I'm feeling so excited for her :)

♥ Lora Christelle Lim ♥

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Chinese New Year Celebration - The True Meaning of "YU SHENG" and How to "LO HEI"

Chinese New Year Celebration - The True Meaning of "YU SHENG" - The most popular dish or favorite among everyone is the "Yu Sheng" where the enthusiastic toss of ingredients to a great height using chopsticks creates much excitement. This dish is associated with the increase in abundance, wealth and prosperity. The higher the toss, the better the luck. The tossing of ingredients is called Lo Hei which means to "rise" (Hei) which makes it of vital importance for businessmen.

鱼生 (yúshēng) is a raw fish salad which consists of shredded vegetables, condiments and a variety of sauces. It is normally served on the 7th day of Chinese New Year also known as 人日(Ren Ri) the birthday for humans. But in today's modern society, this dish is eaten and celebrated among friends and loved ones throughout the entire festive season. 

The dish is absolutely delicious and it remains popular due to the auspicious meanings behind all its ingredients. Most chefs would agree that the best "Yu Sheng" would be one that is made with the freshest ingredients. While there are many variants to this dish, the general rule will be to recite well wishes while tossing the ingredients. 

Below is a short summary from Darren Sim's Blog on how to enjoy a dish of Yu Sheng with the associated meanings and well wishes to recite at the same time. 

12 steps to Lo Hei (Good things to say)

1. All at the table offers New Year greetings. 
   恭喜发财 (Gong Xi Fa Cai) meaning “Congratulations for your wealth”
   万事如意 (Wan Shi Ru Yi) meaning “May all your wishes be fulfilled”
2. The raw fish is added, symbolising abundance and excess through the year. 
   年年有余 (Nian Nian You Yu) meaning “Abundance through the year”
3. The pomelo or lime is added to the fish, adding luck and auspicious value. 
   大吉大利 (Da Ji Da Li) meaning “Good luck and smooth sailing”
4. Pepper is then dashed over the ingredients in the hope of attracting more money and valuables. 
   招財進寶 (Zhao Cai Jin Bao) meaning “Attract wealth and treasures”
5. Then oil is poured out, circling the ingredients and encouraging money to follow in from all directions. 
   一本万利 (Yi Ben Wan Li) meaning “Make 10,000 times of profit with your capital”
   财源广进 (Cai Yuan Guang Jin) meaning “Numerous sources of wealth”
6. Carrots are added to the fish indicating blessings of good luck. 
   鸿运当头 (Hong Yun Dang Tou) meaning “Good luck is approaching”.
   Carrot (红萝卜) is used as the first character 鸿 also sound like the Chinese character for red.
7. Then the shredded green radish is placed on the fish symbolising eternal youth. 
   青春常住 (Qing Chun Chan Zhu) meaning “Forever young”.
   Green radish is used as the first character 青 also sound like the Chinese character for green.
8. After which the shredded white radish is added – prosperity in business and promotion at work. 
   風生水起 (Feng Sheng Shui Qu) meaning “Progress at a fast pace”
   歩歩高升 (Bu Bu Gao Sheng) meaning “Reaching higher level with each step”
9. The condiments are finally added. First, peanut crumbs are dusted on the dish symbolising a household filled with gold and sliver. 
   金银满屋 (Jin Yin Man Wu) meaning “Household filled with gold and sliver”
10. Seasame seeds quickly follow symbolising a flourish business.
    生意兴隆 (Sheng Yi Xing Long) meaning “Prosperity for the business”
     
11. Deep-fried flour crisps in the shape of golden pillows is then added with wishes that literally the whole floor would be filled with gold.
    满地黄金 (Man Di Huang Jin) meaning “Floor full of gold”
     
12. All toss the salad an auspicious 7 times with loud shouts of Lo Hei and other auspicious New Year wishes.

♥ Lora Christelle Lim ♥

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