After an incredible month soaking up the sun in the Philippines, the end of our trip is getting closer and closer by the day.
But we are trying to push back the inevitable so we planned a couple of short stays before finally setting foot back in France. The first one is in Singapore.
Why Singapore ?
Singapore is a destination we would have never thought of for vacation but since we were in that area of the globe we thought why not check it out. Especially since the flight tickets from Manila weren’t very expensive.
Singapore is an intriguing city because of its modernity, its economic prosperity, but also the ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as the tall buildings and large parks. And especially since Maider saw the ” Crazy Rich Asians” movie, we had to stop there during our trip.
First, a 4 hour flight between Manila and Singapore.
An arrival full of contrast
We arrive late afternoon in what is, without a doubt, the prettiest airport we have ever been to. After 5 months in Southeast Asia, even the toilets seem luxurious here!
The contrast with the rest of the countries around is just incredible. The traffic is not an insane mess, there are no motorbikes or tuk-tuk or whatever crazy vehicle the locals can come up with on the road. Everything is well organized, the streets and sidewalks are clean and EVERYBODY speaks English… In short it feels great :).
We booked a room in the cheapest hostel we found (the accommodation prices are also a big contrast with the rest of the countries). Luckily the place is close to the Bugis Junction so all the major attractions are within walking distance.
We already notice the large shopping malls and huge buildings.
But also the tiny street restaurants that make for Singapore’s charm.
It is pretty crazy to see these little restaurants at the foot of the giant buildings.
We have diner in a nice restaurant serving Indian and Malay food. The prices here are super affordable. What a contrast.
Like the rest of Asia, the humidity is terrible. It feels even higher than in the other big cities on the continent. Meaning we will be sweating during our entire stay here (except inside the shopping malls where there is AC).
Unexpected reunion
The next day, for our first day in Singapore, we learn that a friend from Chicago is in town for the weekend! It is great and improbable to catch up with Paul around a coffee this morning. It is raining this morning so we find a nice covered spot. It was awesome seeing each other on the other side of the planet, even if it was only for a short moment.
Visiting the colonial district
Late in the morning we go towards the colonial neighborhood of Singapore, with its buildings from the 19th century, its museums and even a cathedral. It is a beautiful neighborhood, great to walk around.
We finish by the river where the older colonial buildings make way to modern skyscrapers.
Afternoon at Marina Bay
Until we reach the esplanade in the Marina Bay neighborhood. From here we see for the first time the famous Marina Bay Sands, this architectural wonder houses a luxury hotel, a shopping mall and many other things.
The sky is grey and stormy, which makes for unique colors on the building.
We walk past Merlion, symbol of the city.
It is a statue with a lion’s head and the body of a fish. This area is super touristic so we won’t stay too long.
We continue our walk along the esplanade, admiring from afar the Marina Bay Sands, and the skyscrapers on the opposite side of the bay.
The Helix bridge, another beautiful architectural feature, brings us to the foot of Marina Bay Sands.
Gardens by the Bay
Before going inside we decide to spend the afternoon at Gardens by the Bay, one of our favorite parts of the city.
This huge park lays over 100 hectares, with a futuristic forest and two huge domes.
We start by visiting Cloud Forest, inside one of the two domes. In here they recreated a tropical climate, with a 115 ft high mountain, covered in lush vegetation and where a waterfall drops from the top.
We spent almost two hours inside this dome.
We continue with the Flower Dome. In here we can find species of flower from all around the world.
When we get there, there is an exhibit centered around Holland and its tulips.
The middle of the dome is filled with tulips, which is beautiful.
We finish the visit at Supertree Grove, a grouping of 18 huge man-made trees covered in vegetation.
These look pretty insane. It looks like we are in the middle of the movie Avatar.
Here we climb on the OCBC Skyway, a suspended bridge linking several trees at 75 feet above ground.
From here the view on the different structures is amazing. The sky is finally blue, which turns everything much more pretty.
We can even see the Marina Bay Sands from here.
We fell under the spell of Gardens by the Bay, and despite staying over 4 hours, we didn’t even have enough time to see everything. We will come back in a few hours, at sunset, to watch the sound and light show at Supertree Grove.
Marina Bay Sands
In the meantime we go visit the Marina Bay Sands, the famous hotel, symbol of the city, known for its rooftop infinity pool that is 500 ft long. But to go for a swim you have to be client of the hotel.
So we will simply visit the shopping mall and the lobby.
The shopping mall is huge.
There is even a canal where you can go for a boat ride. A little bit like inside the Venetian in Las Vegas.
What is nice though, and affordable for our budget, is the food court. There are many food courts all over Singapore, these are called hawkers here.
These hawkers are part of the cultural identity of the city. These food courts sell food from all over the world for very affordable prices. Here you can find Chinese, Malay, Indian, Thai or Indonesian cuisine. And even inside the super luxurious mall of Marina Bay Sands there is one.
So we grab diner here before making our way to Gardens by the Bay to watch the show called Garden Rhapsody.
Garden Rhapsody, light and sound show
The show is absolutely gorgeous!
We are sitting, watching these different Supertrees change colors.
The show lasts 15 minutes and we love it.
We walk back to our hostel, and the way back by night is superb.
The Helix bridge is lit in red.
The view on the Marina Bay Sands is incredible.
We will stop many times on the way back to admire the view.
We are exhausted when we finally go to bed. We walked almost 12 miles today.
Haji Lane
The next day we start by visiting Haji Lane, a very trendy street in Singapore.
Located right next to the Malay district, this little street is filled with independent clothing shops, art galleries or hip coffee shops.
It is still early in the morning so most of the shops are closed. But Maider loves these colorful houses and takes hundreds of pictures.
It is a good thing the shops were all closed, going on a shopping spree would have been way too tempting for Maider otherwise. With the end of the trip getting closer, she is anxious to start buying new clothes again.
Malay district Kampong Glam
We continue our walk towards Arab Street and Kampong Glam, in the Malay district, where once again the colorful houses are ideal for picture taking.
From here impossible to miss the beautiful Mosque.
It overlooks the surrounding pedestrian streets that are filled with nice restaurants. We really enjoyed this colorful and lively neighborhood.
Little India
From here we leave towards Little India, which is as you can guess, the Indian district. We walk 30 minutes, which isn’t that easy given the 90% humidity level.
We have never been to India, so we can’t tell you if it feels like India. But in terms of colors and smell we did get transported.
We visited the Hindu temple of Sri Veeramakailamman.
Before stopping at the Tan Tend Noah house, certainly one of the more colorful houses of the city.
We then wandered around several markets before ending in Tekka Center, the main hawker in the district. Here of course a majority of Indian cuisine. And it was delicious. Here the tourists and the locals come for lunch or dinner. We loved it.
Chinatown
During the afternoon we went to visit Chinatown, another important district in Singapore.
This is most definitely the cleanest and classiest Chinatown we have ever seen. Once again very colorful, with plenty of restaurants and souvenir shops.
There are also a few temples. We visited the Buddha Tooth Relic temple.
It is huge and stretches on 5 different floors.
Late afternoon we walk to Marina Bay where we sit and grab a beer. And despite the Happy Hour special, the beer here is 7 times more expensive than in the Philippines…
Spectra show at Marina Bay
Before watching a 15 minute light and water show in the bay.
The show mixes lasers, music and water effects for an incredible spectacle.
It is amazing !
We will go for dinner in another hawker, on the esplanade this time, from where we can admire the Marina Bay Sands and the buildings on the other side.
Local breakfast
The next morning we allow ourselves to sleep in late, before going to taste the typical Singaporean breakfast.
This traditional breakfast is made of kaya toast (grilled bread spread with salted butter and coconut jam), with a soft boiled egg with soy sauce and black pepper. Delicious !
Orchard Road
We will then go for a walk around Orchard Road, the main shopping street in the city. It is here that you find the biggest brands and shopping malls.
A little bit like the Champs Elysee in Paris, this shows Singapore’s dynamism and modernity. We don’t plan on buying anything but it is impressive to see all these huge brands and their flagship stores.
Even more incredible is Emerald Road, right next to Orchard Road, with its classical Chinese style houses right next to the modern looking buildings.
Our stay in Singapore now comes to an end. We fell in love with the city, where plenty of different cultures interact and live next to one another. Despite the modernity and all these new buildings, the city kept its own identity with the hawkers all over the city for example. Where it is still possible to eat delicious food for very cheap. Adding the many public parks to all this makes for a city we could really see ourselves living in some day.
Morning at the airport
The next day, our flight leaves in the afternoon, but we decide to go to the airport early.
Indeed, the airport is a tourist attraction by itself, and was voted best airport in the world for the past 7 years. So we had to see for ourselves.
Between free massage chairs, a rooftop pool, a free cinema, a few indoor gardens, playing areas for the kids and of course the highest indoor waterfall in the world, we can only agree that this is by far the best airport we have ever been to. And there is plenty enough to do during a long layover.
In the afternoon we board our flight to Ho Chi Minh, where we have a layover before flying to Dubai, our last destination before the end of our trip.