I Left My Heart in Singapore!
Everyone told me before I went, "Oh, Singapore's just another big city" or "It's good for 2 days, no more." But somehow I just knew I would love Singapore, and I scheduled 3 days anyway. Figured the city life would be a nice break in between mountains, caves, and volcanoes.
Just arriving at the airport was a breath of fresh air. Such order, such neatness, so many instructions on how to do things! I'd forgotten what it could be like. I found my way (quite easily, in fact) to a hostel on Lavender Road. I was so tired from a full day's work, I almost went straight to bed. But I sat on the couch instead and met a Korean girl named Heidi who lived 2 minutes away from where I lived in Busan (crazy), and another American guy named Mike. They were going to dinner and invited me along, and since they were both long-termers with experience in the city, I didn't hesitate to join. Because Singapore is such an expensive place, many people actually live long-term in hostels instead of apartments. At least 10 people were doing that here, incredibly.
We took the subway to Borgos St., which is huge for shopping and eating at cheap places. We found a cheap noodles place and then all had avocado shakes. I am so addicted to them now it's not even funny. Then we just walked around. Singapore is very hot in the day, but at night, it cool down and the streets are so nice to explore. We went through the Business District and Center. We went to Chjimes, which is a former Catholic Convent turned into cafes and shops. Beautiful Gothic style architecture and Christmas lights everywhere created a lovely atmosphere, but we didn't stop for long because we couldn't afford a drink! Alcohol is very expensive here - if you want to have a beer at a restaurant, expect to pay over $10, and that's cheap! Then we walked by the Raffles Hotel, the famous landmark of the Singapore Sling Cocktail, and it was so beautiful. I only wish one day I could stay there! The streets were slow, but we saw many joggers. I guess if night time is the only cool time, take advantage.
The next day I explored on my own. I walked first to Little India, and checked out a few of the smaller temples there. The temples were so colorful and vibrant, and most of the surrounding buildings were as well. I expected Little India to be more compact, but I had to walk quite a ways in between landmarks. Women in Saris shopped at small vendors, and I saw so many gold shops I almost felt like I had to buy some myself. It was getting really hot, so I had a snack of chapati and lime juice and soldiered on. I wanted to repeat some of the activities I'd done the night before (Chjimes, Raffles) because I hadn't had my camera with me (Stupid!) and I wanted to check the stores/museums that were
closed in the night. I took a slow meander through them all again, resting by fountains, and then ended up at Borgos Street again to find some great food and another avocado shake! Then I headed towards Marina Bay, but just as I arrived, my body collapsed from exhaustion. I'd been walking almost 6 hours in the heat, so I gave in and took the subway home.
The next day I went to Orchard Row, which is the famous shopping district. The street itself is worth looking at. Unique buildings are everywhere, with modern architecture in many forms...from regal to the bizarre. I told myself I wouldn't shop, but then I realized that I wanted to go out for a nice drink that evening...and all I had on me was shorts and tank tops. So I did in fact buy a dress (yay!).
After shopping and exploring the streets for a few hours, I went to the Botanic Gardens. The park itself was very nice, a beautiful oasis of green. The main reason I went was to explore the Orchid Garden, as I'd heard wonderful things about it. It lived up to its reputation for sure - one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever been to. They had several hundred species of flowers, including dozens and dozens of rare types of orchids. I had
to resist taking pictures of every single one! The time got away from me, so I took a bus and then switched to the subway to get home - look at me, a native already!
I quickly showered and put on my new dress, since I'd made a date with one of the long-termers in the hostel to get a sunset drink at the fancy Swiss Hotel. The bar and restaurant were on the 72nd floor and had a great panoramic view of the skyline. I only had one glass of wine...for a whopping $20!! Geez, who can afford to drink here?! After enjoying the sunset, we took the subway to Marina Bay and found some cheap Korean food. Bibimbop for din din!
Marina Bay has a fantastic boardwalk that circles the small bay/lake. It gives you superb panoramic views of the skyline from all sides. The evening air was so cool, and it felt great to stroll around and admire the interesting architecture. My favorite buildings were the beautiful Fullerton Hotel, The Esplanade, which is in the shape of the durian fruit, the lotus-shaped Singapore Museum, and the spaceship-like Marina BayCasino and Resort. We also walked across a bridge that looks like a double helix with blue lights at night. Yes, as you can imagine, it was a brilliant evening. Around midnight we went back towards the hostel, picked up some beers at the 7-11, and sat on the rooftop with a few other colorful characters until the wee hours.
I left the next day, and funnily enough, after I told people I'd just come from Singapore, everyone said, "Singapore is incredible!" and "I didn't have enough time there!" Go figure.
Just arriving at the airport was a breath of fresh air. Such order, such neatness, so many instructions on how to do things! I'd forgotten what it could be like. I found my way (quite easily, in fact) to a hostel on Lavender Road. I was so tired from a full day's work, I almost went straight to bed. But I sat on the couch instead and met a Korean girl named Heidi who lived 2 minutes away from where I lived in Busan (crazy), and another American guy named Mike. They were going to dinner and invited me along, and since they were both long-termers with experience in the city, I didn't hesitate to join. Because Singapore is such an expensive place, many people actually live long-term in hostels instead of apartments. At least 10 people were doing that here, incredibly.
We took the subway to Borgos St., which is huge for shopping and eating at cheap places. We found a cheap noodles place and then all had avocado shakes. I am so addicted to them now it's not even funny. Then we just walked around. Singapore is very hot in the day, but at night, it cool down and the streets are so nice to explore. We went through the Business District and Center. We went to Chjimes, which is a former Catholic Convent turned into cafes and shops. Beautiful Gothic style architecture and Christmas lights everywhere created a lovely atmosphere, but we didn't stop for long because we couldn't afford a drink! Alcohol is very expensive here - if you want to have a beer at a restaurant, expect to pay over $10, and that's cheap! Then we walked by the Raffles Hotel, the famous landmark of the Singapore Sling Cocktail, and it was so beautiful. I only wish one day I could stay there! The streets were slow, but we saw many joggers. I guess if night time is the only cool time, take advantage.
The next day I explored on my own. I walked first to Little India, and checked out a few of the smaller temples there. The temples were so colorful and vibrant, and most of the surrounding buildings were as well. I expected Little India to be more compact, but I had to walk quite a ways in between landmarks. Women in Saris shopped at small vendors, and I saw so many gold shops I almost felt like I had to buy some myself. It was getting really hot, so I had a snack of chapati and lime juice and soldiered on. I wanted to repeat some of the activities I'd done the night before (Chjimes, Raffles) because I hadn't had my camera with me (Stupid!) and I wanted to check the stores/museums that were
closed in the night. I took a slow meander through them all again, resting by fountains, and then ended up at Borgos Street again to find some great food and another avocado shake! Then I headed towards Marina Bay, but just as I arrived, my body collapsed from exhaustion. I'd been walking almost 6 hours in the heat, so I gave in and took the subway home.The next day I went to Orchard Row, which is the famous shopping district. The street itself is worth looking at. Unique buildings are everywhere, with modern architecture in many forms...from regal to the bizarre. I told myself I wouldn't shop, but then I realized that I wanted to go out for a nice drink that evening...and all I had on me was shorts and tank tops. So I did in fact buy a dress (yay!).
After shopping and exploring the streets for a few hours, I went to the Botanic Gardens. The park itself was very nice, a beautiful oasis of green. The main reason I went was to explore the Orchid Garden, as I'd heard wonderful things about it. It lived up to its reputation for sure - one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever been to. They had several hundred species of flowers, including dozens and dozens of rare types of orchids. I had
to resist taking pictures of every single one! The time got away from me, so I took a bus and then switched to the subway to get home - look at me, a native already!I quickly showered and put on my new dress, since I'd made a date with one of the long-termers in the hostel to get a sunset drink at the fancy Swiss Hotel. The bar and restaurant were on the 72nd floor and had a great panoramic view of the skyline. I only had one glass of wine...for a whopping $20!! Geez, who can afford to drink here?! After enjoying the sunset, we took the subway to Marina Bay and found some cheap Korean food. Bibimbop for din din!
Marina Bay has a fantastic boardwalk that circles the small bay/lake. It gives you superb panoramic views of the skyline from all sides. The evening air was so cool, and it felt great to stroll around and admire the interesting architecture. My favorite buildings were the beautiful Fullerton Hotel, The Esplanade, which is in the shape of the durian fruit, the lotus-shaped Singapore Museum, and the spaceship-like Marina BayCasino and Resort. We also walked across a bridge that looks like a double helix with blue lights at night. Yes, as you can imagine, it was a brilliant evening. Around midnight we went back towards the hostel, picked up some beers at the 7-11, and sat on the rooftop with a few other colorful characters until the wee hours.I left the next day, and funnily enough, after I told people I'd just come from Singapore, everyone said, "Singapore is incredible!" and "I didn't have enough time there!" Go figure.
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