Hello Singapore! I am Max Sia and I won a 4 Days 3 Nites trip to Manado, Indonesia with my wife Jennifer Soh, thanks to Class 95’s Discover Asia with SilkAir contest!

Day 01 : Manado, here we come!

We couldn’t sleep well as we were excited and couldn’t wait for our trip up to Manado. We boarded Flight MI-274 at 0925hrs for a 3 hrs 15 mins journey. The Captain and crew greeted us excitedly, and even announced our presence on board. We were caught off guard, but it was a pleasant surprise. The crew were friendly and fun, even the Captain, Mr Razali and First Officer, Mr Raj, came out to introduce themselves to us. We really felt like VIPs and we took photos to remember this moment. The leading stewardess, M/s Norie, showered lots of attention on us and I must say that we were very impressed with the service and attentiveness of the SilkAir crew. Excellent attitude, excellent service. First Class!

We arrived at Manado’s Sam Ratulangi Airport where the hotel had sent a driver to pick us up from. When we arrived at Sedano Hotel, a 5-star holiday resort, we were welcomed by the staff with their warm, nice smiles. Our room faces the majestic volcanoes, Mount Lokon and Mount Mahawu, it was simply awesome! We spent the rest of the day exploring the resort and chilling out. The hotel staff were really helpful in arranging external tours like snorkeling for us, even though they have an internal travel agency situated there.

Day 02 : Bunaken Island Diving & Snorkeling

We went snorkeling from 8am to 5pm at the world famous Bunaken Marine Park, with the La Rascasse Dive Resort operators. Did you know that Manado is one of the top 5 diving spots in the world?! It was a first for us, snorkeling in the open sea, so the experience was scary but with filled with lots of discovery and excitement. We went snorkeling at 3 different dive spots. The view below was breathtaking, with plenty of marine life, corals, and all kinds of fishes which were in all shapes, sizes and colours.. It was like visiting a whole new world!

Day 03 : From Waterfall to Volcano Top (The best day of the trip!)

We were fortunate to have be-friended a local guide, Mr Sinyo while we were there. He rented a car and took us around Manado. We set out bright and early, making the first stop to get blessings at Asia’s largest Statue of Jesus Christ at Citraland, Tomohon. The statue is called “Jesus Christ Blessing”. Next, we headed out for a Waterfall trekking at Kali Village. After trekking for 30 minutes in the forest, we were greeted with a spectacular view of a 60 meters tall gushing waterfall – The Tapahan Telu Waterfall! Next, we drove on to Lake Linow. The special thing about this lake is that it changes colour at different times of the day. Depending on when you are there, you may see a green, blue, orange or brown lake! We then headed for our next stop – the biggest lake in North Sulawesi, the Tondano Lake. En route, we drove through the Minahasa Highland countryside, and witnessed the simple, peaceful and happy lifestyle of the locals.

The highlight of the day however, was trekking up an active volcano, Mount Mahawu. We trekked all the way to the tip of the volcano! It was scary but in all, a very exciting experience, being able to see the mouth of the volcano. To top it off, we reached it’s 1324m peak at sunset! The view was gorgeously breathtaking and the moment felt magical. We ended the day with a seafood feast at City Extra Restaurant. This restaurant is frequently patronized by government officials for its great food. We indulged in the local delicacy, the Coconut Crab, weighing in at 1.1 kg. We’ve never had anything this delicious!

After dinner, we sat with Mr Sinyo revisiting our experiences during this trip. My wife and I came to the final vote that Manado was absolutely amazing. And the fact that at the beginning of our trip, we were admiring the view of the volcano from our hotel room, and nearing the end, we were peering down it’s majestic mouth. Completely unbelievable, and hands down, our best holiday ever!

Day 04: Sayonara

We checked-out of Sedona in the morning and want to take this chance to thank M/s Jilli, Sisca, Jari and other staff that were so friendly and attentive. They made our stay in Sedona a joy.. We had a great time and were very reluctant to leave.

Boarding SilkAir MI273, the leading stewardess, M/s Evelyn Lim, was very sharp and immediately recognized us, as I was wearing THE Class 95 T-shirt. Our experiences with the SilkAir crew to and from Manado was nothing short of amazing and we will not hesitate to fly via SilkAir in our future travel plans.

All our travel pictures are already posted, do check it out ya! Class 95 and SilkAir, you guys are too generous. We were truly lucky to have won in this contest.

My wife and I would like to say: “Thank you Class 95 and SilkAir. And of course, HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY CLASS 95!”