Hello, Singapore.
September 24th 2018 06.46. We arrived bleary eyed at Changi Airport after almost 13 hours in the air, good preparation for some of the long journeys ahead. I’m not expecting magical tinted windows or Scandi Noir to keep me entertained going forward, however.
We caught some pretty great views of container and oil ships illuminating the Singapore Strait as we flew in, our first glimpse of the many illuminations that are on offer here.
I won’t bore you with all the details, but we checked in to our first hostel and took a sleepy wander around the city. The temperature and humidity is immediately noticeable at about 29ºC and 76% and we soon find ourselves heading to a gas station store for an ice cold coconut water.
Singapore is a city filled with a plethora of Southeast Asian and Indian cultures. In fact, nothing about Singapore exhibits singularity and even the towering skyscrapers are contrasted by sandy beaches and jungle-like forests, all packed into just over 700km² . We’re currently staying in Little India, an area with an unsurprisingly large Indian community. The streets are narrow and filled with stores selling everything from clothing and accessories to cascading shelves of fresh fruits and vegetables. Bicycles and minivans are the preferred mode of transport here and you have to stay vigilant when crossing the street, a frequent occurrence given that most pavements don’t often make it more than a few meters before becoming part of a shopfront.
Smartphones are by far one of the most common sights here in Singapore and it’s hard not to find yourself in the background or foreground of a photograph or millimetres from a rogue selfie stick being carelessly swung. It’s easy to see why, however, with so many interesting things to photograph.
Food
A Singapore post wouldn’t be complete without mentioning food. Singapore is home to some great foods with Indian, Malaysian, Thai and numerous other influences. While restaurants are relatively high in price, Hawker Centres offer delicious street-food style meals for $2–4 and have become our staple of affordable eating here.
Eating is also a huge part of Singaporean culture and people can be seen dining together on almost every street. In contrast, there is a strict no eating or drinking policy enforced on the MRT (Metro) and even in stations in an effort to keep them clean. We were also happy to learn that the offensive-smelling Durian is also completely banned from them. Some of the delicious things we’ve had (that we’re able to recall) have included:
- Laska: A delicious noodle soup with spices and coconut milk.
- Pau Buns: Much like the popular Bao bun, these come in sizes small to unfathomably large for the price and are filled will everything from Char Siew (Pork) to salted egg yolk.
- Chendol: On paper, a combination of shaved ice, coconut milk, green rice-flour jelly, palm sugar and red beans sounds strange but this actually makes for a surprisingly delicious and filling desert.
- Teas, coffees, juices and other super sweet drinks. We were surprised to learn just how much of a sweet tooth Singapore has. Many popular drinks are, whilst exciting and very tasty, heavily sweetened with sugar syrup. We did however enjoy some local tea (Teh) and coffee (Kopi). Singapore’s coffee is brewed in large spouted jugs with a cotton strainer and has a characteristic richness and acidity.
- A few more classic dishes including Roasted Duck with noodles (with the duck carved from one of the numerous roasted ducks hanging in the stall window) and a sneak-peak of Thai food to come with classic Satay Chicken skewers, freshly grilled in front of us.
Sights
Singapore is full of great things to do and many of them are free or very affordable. Our highlights from our time there are:
Treetop Walk
Situated out of the centre of the city, the treetop walk is a huge bridge suspended across the treetops of the MacRitchie Trails, a beautiful area of forest bursting with flora and fauna. The trails lead you in many directions and the length of the hike can vary greatly depending on how adventurous you’re feeling. We spent a good 4–5 hours exploring and were lucky enough to see Squirrels, Macaques, Monitor Lizards, Tree Snakes and numerous exotic birds.
Price: FREE
Cloud Forest & Flower Dome
These glasshouses are one of the few things we paid to see. These two huge biodomes are a great escape from the hot city and are instead kept at a surprisingly cool 23ºC to 25ºC. The Flower Dome is an exploration of flora from all across the world. As a cactus and succulent plant lover, their collection is very extensive and arranged beautifully. The Cloud Forest is nothing short of spectacular and features a complete indoor waterfall and tower of flowers and vegetation as tall as the building itself.
We recommend visiting the Cloud Forest in the evening as we found there were relatively few people inside and the lighting adds an air of excitement and mystery. The dome is also misted at intervals throughout the day, including the final misting at 8pm which makes for some beautifully mysterious scenes.
Price: S$28 from the ticket office, but can be purchased from Klook for just S$23.
Light Shows
I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you everything about this one as we absolutely recommend you just go and see for yourself. We showed up without any prior knowledge and were rewarded with some beautiful surprises. There are multiple locations for these shows, the first being Spectra at Marina Bay. At 8pm and 9pm, the bay is illuminated much to the wonder of everyone watching. Get there early (bonus points for bringing dinner from a local Hawker with you) and head outside the shopping centre towards the bay to find the seating area.
The second light show is situated inside Gardens by the Bay, beneath the huge tree sculptures at 7.45pm and 8.45pm. Grab a space in the middle and lay down to enjoy the illuminations to their fullest.
Price: FREE
Marina Bay Sands
Now, this isn’t in everyone’s price range, but we were lucky enough to treat ourselves to a night away from our hostel snorers and smelly backpackers to enjoy a night of luxury. We have to say, the room and hotel facilities weren’t particularly impressive given the price and we were rather disappointed to learn that we would need to be far better off to afford the full luxuries of Marina Bay. Nonetheless, the infinity pool was as impressive as expected and watching the sunrise over the city whilst swimming in an pool with seemingly no edges whatsoever was a once-in-a-lifetime experience we’ll never forget. Sadly, the pool is hotel guests only, but the skypark bar can be accessed for a fee (around S$20) which offers the same view of the city rooftops, just drier and with more edges.
Price: 🙈
Palawan Beach, Sentosa
Our first week was a lot of orientation and adjusting to life on the road, so we took a much needed beach day on the small island of Sentosa. As well as being home to many theme park like attractions, which are less of our cup of tea, it also boasts a number of picturesque beaches. Palawan Beach is also home to Palawan Island, a tiny sub-island connected by a small rope bridge. The island takes its place in fame by being the southernmost point of continental Asia. We’re hoping this will one day come up in a pub quiz. The beach also offers some great views out into the Strait. To get there, simply take the Sentosa Express from Harbourfront MRT (head up the escalators in the VivoCity shopping mall) and get off at the end of the line then follow the signs down to the beach.
Price: S$4 for the Sentosa Express return ticket.
