My visit to Singapore would not be complete without bringing home a few souvenirs back to the Philippines. And on the top of my list is of course the prized Starbucks Global Icon City Mug that I have been collecting for the past few years.

Being a small country, Singapore has only two varieties of the Global Icon City Mugs; the first one is the Merlion icon and the other, the Orchid icon. It’s good to know though that both of these are also available on demitasse sizes.

Unlike the mugs sold here in our country, I like the fact that the Starbucks mugs in Singapore are nicely packaged on cardboard boxes with the coffee store’s logo beautifully printed outside. I just wished they could’ve at least made it fit the mug snugly to avoid breakage.

I vow never to buy any Global Icon City Mugs from places that I haven’t been to unless one is given to me as a gift—no one should refuse a gift of course. And this is the case with the instantly recognizable seal of Singapore, the Merlion. It was previously given to me as a present by an old friend and I have no inkling that I would be buying its counterpart and mini versions personally.

Bearing the head of a lion and a body of a fish, the Merlion represents Singapore’s roots. The lion symbolizes the legendary animal that the country is named for (Singapura) and the fish reflects Singapore’s early beginnings as a fishing village.

The orchid mug on the other hand represents Singapore’s Botanic Gardens which houses over a thousand species of orchids. This type of flower has been associated with the country since 1859 and I wouldn’t have known that if not for this mug.

Skyscrapers dominate both backs of the two mugs, showcasing the immense growth that Singapore has achieved in a relatively short period of time. The orchid mug depicts a traditional Singaporean bumboat floating on a bay surrounded by skyscrapers while the Merlion mug showcases what probably is the Alexandra Arch Bridge found on Southern Ridges.

Besides the Starbucks Global Icon City Mugs, I also got a few ref magnets. Sold at $10.00 (Singaporean dollar) for five pieces at the eternally chaotic Bugis shopping district, I bought a few for pasalubongs and some more to further crowd our own fridge back home. Most of these are made from either rubber or metal but I personally favored the monochromatic colors of the metals compared with the festive hues of the rubber ones.

And last but not least, t-shirts! I was on the lookout for a shirt with some local phrases and found the perfect one, also on Bugis, for $8.00 (if my memory serves me right). I often hear Singaporeans ending their Singlish sentences in lah, and I guess this shirt explained everything in bold letters. It’s as simple as that lah!

 

THIS SINGAPORE TRIP IS MADE POSSIBLE BY:
AIRASIA PHILIPPINES – NOW FLYING DIRECTLY TO SINGAPORE
HOTEL AND TRAVEL PACKAGE BY AIRASIAGO
SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD

       THREE DAYS IN SINGAPORE TRIP ITINERARY & SUMMARY
       MANILA – CLARK – SINGAPORE | PERANAKAN LUNCH AT BLUE GINGER RESTAURANT | THE FLOWER DOME AT GARDENS BY THE BAY
       ABOVE AND BELOW GARDENS BY THE BAY’S CLOUD FOREST | FLYING HIGH AT THE SINGAPORE FLYER
       A NOCTURNAL RIDE AT THE NIGHT SAFARI | NIGHTS AT THE ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS HOTEL
       AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE RIVER SAFARI’S GIANT PANDAS | LUNCH AT SENTOSA’S TASTES OF ASIA
       AN EVENING WALK AT THE ORCHARD ROAD | ELECTRIC NIGHTS AT THE MARINA BAY | HAWKERS HUNT FOR A FREEZING BOWL OF CHENDOL 
       STARBUCKS GLOBAL ICON CITY MUG PLUS A FEW MORE | SINGAPORE – CLARK