When you Google ‘Singapore’ one of the first things that pops up is ‘is Singapore a country?’ Fair question. I really didn’t know a whole lot about this country (there’s your answer) before we decided to add it to our travel list. I just knew the important things, like the Singapore Sling was invented there.
Singapore was the perfect stop on our way to Cambodia. It was a gentle nudge away from all the modern conveniences of Australia (I’ll miss you, clean drinking water) as we ventured back to Asia for the remainder of our travels. EEK! And just like in Australia, Craig had a Friends reunion waiting for him.*
*Fun fact, Singapore has a Central Perk. We didn’t go. I don’t wanna talk about it.
Ginny is Craig’s high school friend. She (and her husband Cam) let us crash with them for four nights during our visit. Thank you! They were also super helpful in recommending things to do/not do during our short time. They were practically our free tour guides. Lonely Planet, you have some competition.
My three big takeaways during our four-night stay:
- Singapore is so dang new and shiny. I don’t know what I was expecting. But it had all the things and they all worked properly.
- It’s so damn hot. I totally understand the concept of the sun-brella. We were dripping sweat the moment we stepped outside
- Shit be expensive there. Want a beer? That’ll be $12.
Our first full day we walked to the gorgeous botanical gardens with Ginny, Cam and their adorable just-turned-one-year-old son, Hugo.
The park is massive and filled with people, yet not so filled with people that feel smothered, like one does on a hot day at Dolores Park in San Francisco.
So much green. Who wants to have a picnic…with wine? And cheese? Ok, we didn’t have a boozy picnic. But we did drink coconut water and eat delicious cupcakes. Is this a sign I’m growing up?
Within the massive grounds is the National Orchid Garden. And for just $5 a person, you can explore, and maybe get whacked in the head with a selfie stick.
What you don’t see in this above picture is a bunch of 20-something girls posing for their social media followers. I cropped that shit out. #NoFilter
Overall, the garden was gorgeous. But again, so hot. We actually found relief in the Cool House. Which I guess had plants that thrive in colder temps. Regardless, I was a big fan of this section.
After our green adventures, we walked towards the shopping center of Singapore. Not because we love shopping, but because we love food. My hanger kicked in before the recommended spot from our local tour guides, so we stopped at some random place that had ‘Brewery’ in the name. Craig was pumped. Hanger, gone.
That night, Ginny and Cam cooked up a storm. We helped by drinking and washing some produce for their delicious salads. I’m so glad Craig has nice friends that take care of us.
The next day, we hit up all the tourist spots. I will give Singapore major props for their public transportation. It’s fast, super clean, cheap and if you miss a train you don’t have to wait 20 minutes (I’m looking at you, BART).
Our first stop was the ArtScience Museum.
Let’s talk about the actual building. It was like some concrete flower. Or was it a giant UFO? Or perhaps an onion being peeled? See below (lower corner) and you make the call.
The exhibit we went to was called Future World and it was out of this world. By far one of the coolest things I’ve experienced, museum-wise. It had all the lights and all the colors. Imagine tripping balls and then going to a museum. That’s Future World.
So many cool rooms within this exhibit. My favorite, being the last. A room/walkway filled with dripping lights.
But they did more than just drip. Every few seconds there was a crazy light show. I definitely need this in our future home. Right, Craig?
After tripping faux balls, we walked to Gardens by the Bay. I’m pretty sure Avatar was filmed here.
While we couldn’t go on the actual walkways in the SuperTree Grove due to weather, we did go inside the Cloud Forest, an indoor garden recreating the conditions of a high-altitude rain forest.
Which made me think of the movie BioDome, with Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin.
Back to the Cloud Forest. It was pretty rad. So many levels of lush vegetation surrounded by a sky walkway with questionable-looking, see-through metal flooring.
After having our head in the clouds, we walked a few minutes to the Flower Dome (which is included in the ticket price). I’m going to be honest with you. It was meh. I just wasn’t floral-ed by it. Plus it was super crowded. So we walked quickly through it and busted out without a single photo.
We felt a bit over sightseeing for the day. So we took another Ginny-and-Cam recommendation and visited Level33, a microbrewery/restaurant with epic views of the city. Drink in the view and just pretend that you can afford to stay at the massive Marina Bay Sands hotel.
While the drinks may be pricy, the view is priceless.
Want a place with not pricy drinks? Try Loof. They do a tiered happy hour. So every hour during the three-hour promo, the drinks get a dollar more expensive. You bet your ass we got there right at the start. Plus, they also have a great rooftop setup.
Our third and final full day, we explored the Tiong Bahru neighborhood. It was a cute little area lined with adorable bookshops and boutiques filled with jewelry and home decor that made me want to throw my wallet at them. I even spotted a mystery book vending machine. I was tempted. But I have enough books on my Kindle.
In the same area, we stopped in for lunch at PS Cafe. We ordered a delicious mushroom pizza and pretty much had the entire, quaint-yet-chic cafe to ourselves.
It was so nice being in a super walkable city like Singapore. And walk we did. We took the train to our first stop of the day and then just walked everywhere else. If I had a Fitbit, it would be proud.
My overall impression of Singapore was positive (minus my bitching about the heat and the prices). I would definitely come back to explore more, even though I feel we checked all the big things off our list. I mean, there’s still the Friend’s themed Central Perk cafe I didn’t get to visit. But next time…
Thanks Ginny, Cam and Hugo for letting a couple of smelly backpackers crash at your home. And thanks Singapore for just being you, a clean and classy act.
Where do we go from here? Cambodia. The land of temples, genocide, and Angelina Jolie. The last two, completely unrelated.
Roam Mode 