A Double Dose of Singapore!

Since starting Part II of my quest for all seven continents, I have been lucky to have two three-day stints in Singapore. The two experiences were dramatically different, a consequence of traveling solo vs. traveling with family. I can’t say that I preferred one over the other because the goals of each trip were very different. My time alone in Singapore was meant for sightseeing and experiencing as much of the city as possible. I did just that.

Singapore: November 2011

You could find elephants painted by different artists all over the city; it reminded me of the Hearts of San Francisco :)

After a lot of flying (LAX-SEA-NRT-SIN), I arrived at midnight in Singapore and spent the night sleeping on a bench in the airport. I stored my bags (full of gifts for the family in Indonesia) and set off for the hostel with just my pack. I shared a room with four other people in what seemed to be an upstairs apartment now converted into a hostel. I did my best to see everything in the few days I had in Singapore. I went to the zoo and wandered down orchard road marveling at the malls the first day.

Cutest animal at the zoo: Asian Small-Clawed Otter

Weirdest animal at the zoo: Proboscis Monkey

The next day I wandered around the City Hall area, the Botanic Garden, the National Orchid Garden, Little India, Chinatown, Clark Quay, Suntec City, and Marina Bay. I even managed to catch a free mini-concert at the Esplanade (Singapore’s answer to the Sydney Opera House) auditorium. On my last day, I spent a day exploring the manmade beaches of Sentosa:

and hunting for the one Singapore food I had been told to try: Laksa.

Laksa is a coconut-milk based soup with noodles and seafood; I know some people love it, but trying it once was enough for me. I think the broth is better suited for rice or bread – something that can soak up all the rich coconuty flavor. I didn’t think much of all the “must-try” foods in Singapore actually. Chicken Rice:

is a Hainanese style chicken where the boiled chicken’s tenderness and juiciness is overshadowed by all the gross skin and bones.

Ya kun kaya toast:

would be okay except they put a tablespoon of butter between slices making it, well, gross also. Food is cheap in Singapore though – I think I spent less than $5 for every meal and had really good yong tau foo, beef ball noodle soup, deep-fried squid balls, and Indian curry.

Yong Tau Foo

Singapore makes a good impression. The city is clean, well-run, and easily navigateable. Much to my delight, Singapore might be one of those cities where it’s actually true when they say “you can’t get lost.” If I was ever unsure of where I was or where to go, I usually only had to look up to see a sign pointing me in the right direction. I also liked the few locals I interacted with: On Sentosa island, for instance, I was laying on the beach when the person next to me (about 15m away) came up and asked if it was okay that he wear a G-string. He “did not want to offend.” :) I also met some young and chatty high school girls on Sentosa who were very sweet. When I told one of them I was from California, she said, “west coast, right?” Her friend looked surprised and said, “How do you know that?” She answered, “Katy Perry.” (Katy Perry – California Gurls)

Singapore: January 2012

Apart from Marina Bay Sands, I don’t think I did any sightseeing on this second trip to Singapore. I offered to take my aunts to the botanic gardens, but one of them didn’t want the sun exposure lol. So it goes. Instead, my time was generally spent either at Raffles City (the mall next to my hotel) or on Orchard Road (shopping mall row). I spent most of the first two days at ION Orchard while my uncle spent a lot of the first two days waiting for us girls (me, my cousin, and my two aunts) to finish shopping in MANGO, Uniqlo, Esprit, Muji, Zara, etc. We ventured further down Orchard Road the third day and later spent a nice evening walking around Marina Bay.

Instead of an approximately $10-per-night hostel, I was staying at the Stamford Hotel, the tallest hotel in Southeast Asia. The room was pretty luxurious and had a stellar view of Marina Bay Sands, especially when I’d step out onto the balcony.

I don’t think I was ever hungry during those few days in Singapore as we ate pretty much constantly. It had been a while since I had been able to eat pork so the char siew (bbq pork) wanton noodle we had that first day was especially good. In addition to some decent yong tau foo, teriyaki chicken, fish maw soup, and Japanese ramen, I had the most expensive Indian food ever!

It was about $24 SGD per dish and we ordered all my favorites: Chicken tikka masala, baingan bartha, tandoori chicken, palak paneer, and a lamb dish I didn’t eat. We were eating at Ras restaurant in Clarke Quay which might explain the, in my opinion, exorbitant prices. (Note: On my first trip to Singapore, I walked around Clarke Quay and watched people eating their expensive dinners on the waterfront…then I left and got myself some $3 curry…)

So on this trip, I shopped a lot and ate well – not a bad way to live at all :) It was more of a vacation since I’d powered through all the major sights of Singapore on my first trip – I even had time to put in some hours by the pool :)

Next Up: Many adventures in Indonesia!

For Mom: (Orchids at the National Orchid Garden)