We flew to Singapore after four days in Bali, Indonesia. Singapore is located 1 degree north of the equator (so for our purposes, on the equator) and is a singular city/country on an island at the tip of Malaysia. The city was a major change from the island feel in Bali, but a familiar feeling for us being from Chicago. Singapore used to be part of the British Empire as a trading post and port for the East India trading company and is still a major port today. British influence is very apparent in the road system specifically (e.g. drive on the left side, signage, crosswalks). In 1963, Singapore gained independence from Britain by aligning itself with other British occupied territories to form Malaysia, but then parted ways with Malaysia within two years. Today it has the reputation and standing as one of the most efficient, cleanest, and nicest cities in the world and based on our experience the city has earned that reputation. There are four official languages, one of which is English, so no trouble at all getting around here and in some ways made it feel like we were back home.
Prior to our visit, we only knew about Singapore through its reputation, that is to say as being efficient, fining people for bad public behavior (spitting, smoking in wrong places, spitting out gum on streets or sidewalks, etc.), caning people for crimes, and its modern architecture. However, the city also had a different reputation in our minds due to time period movies (albeit fictional) where a statement is made about someone “never having been to Singapore” as a sign of that person not seeing anything yet… implying a previous crudeness to the city.
Upon arrival in Singapore, we grabbed a cab and were skeptical of the usual rip off job offered to tourist when trying to get around a new city. However, we were pleasantly surprised as the driver was efficient in driving us as quickly as possible to exactly where we needed to be, and to top it off, the fee aid was pretty minimal for a ride for two from the airport (maybe $17) plus the cab was very nice. FYI, during our time there the Singapore Dollar (S$) was equivalent to approx. $1.38 and is our sixth currency on our journey (others: USD, CAD, EUR, AED, and IDR) .
Singapore is a very modern city and one that could only be described as “best seen at night” since it is so well lit. That said, the city is still beautiful during the day, but the lights at night really bring it to life. With that in mind, where we can we have provided daytime and nighttime photos to draw a comparison.
Raffles Hotel and the Singapore Sling
Our first stop was really a function of location and early arrival for check in. We were hungry and coincidentally the Raffles Hotel was across the street from our hotel. For those who do not know, the Raffles Hotel is the namesake hotel of the British fella that established Singapore as a port for the East India Trading company. The name is throughout the town. The Raffles Hotel has another reputation as well…the birthplace of the Singapore Sling!
The Singapore Sling is a drink that was created in 1915 by a bartender named Ngiam Tong Boon. The drink was really developed to mask boozing by women as etiquette demanded that women could not consume alcohol in public. Well, Ngiam threw together a cocktail that looked like a juice drink, but with alcohol included. Since it looked like juice and was red/pink to boot, it became acceptable for women to drink. Now we have the Singapore Sling…which are quite delicious, but can be very very strong!
We ended up enjoying our Slings before heading back to our hotel to check into our room. We did end up back at the Raffles Hotel at the Long Bar for another couple Slings later during our visit. The Long Bar was really interesting. It had an old school feel with a lot of wood, palm fans, and a spiral staircase. They provide a large burlap bag full of peanuts to enjoy at the bar as well. The Raffles bar and hotel were very expensive..S$31 per Sling…or $22.50 a piece so we only had a couple then moved on.
Merlion and Marina Bay Sands Water Show
The Merlion is the symbol of the city. It is really a merger the words “mer” (sea) and “lion”, or in other words “sea lion”. It is embodied in what looks like a half lion half mermaid as a statue and fountain near downtown overlooking and shooting water into the bay. The statue is the marketing icon of the city (per Wikipedia).
Video of Merlion:
The Merlion sits directly across the bay from another icon in Singapore and the downtown area, the Marina Bay Sands. This was a recognizable structure for us once we saw it in person, but we cannot recall where we had seen it previously. The resort, as its billed, is a gigantic hotel/mall/casino. In fact, we only knew it to be a hotel, but when we walked over there we found out it was a mall and then subsequently found out there was a casino inside. The size of the mall was reminiscent of the Dubai Mall we visited a week or so earlier. The property was amazing and has multiple levels, stores, restaurants, and a skating rink like the Dubai Mall, but not ice.
A couple of shots of the Marina Sands Bay:
Shots of interior of hotel at the Marina Bay Sands:
Shots of the Mall:
The mall was one of many we saw throughout the downtown area of Singapore. We speculated that the extreme heat in both Dubai and Singapore might be a cause for more indoor space for restaurants, shopping, theater, etc. It was very hot in Singapore, humid too, which would be expected given the proximity to the equator. We had to search for shade as we walked around town.
Out in the Bay, also like Dubai, there is a water show for the public to enjoy. The show goes off at 8pm and 9:30pm. I suspect that most of the people that watch the show are tourists like ourselves, but it was enjoyable either way. The show was quite long, but included visuals projected onto spraying water in the bay, laser lights, and musical coordination. Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” made it into the mix of music. The show lasted around 15 minutes and we did record it, but it is too long to include here (or edit while on the road).
Cloud Forest and Supertree Grove
We had read about “must do’s” in Singapore and the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest were high on the list. Sadly, the Flower Dome was being worked on and not open to visitors during our time there, but the Cloud Forest was open…and it was spectacular! The Cloud Forest reminded us of the movie BioDome, in that it is designed and functions as an efficient self sustaining ecosystem. There are waterfalls, many plants, wood carvings from driftwood, and multiple levels to explore and take in the views.
Despite the Flower Dome being closed, we snagged some nice photos of flowers located in the Cloud Forest Dome:
We also took a number of photos of the detailed woodwork, some included below:
Photos likely don’t do justice to the Cloud Forest, so here is a brief walk around video:
Us having a good time in the Cloud Forest:
Adjacent to Cloud Forest was the Supertree Grove, which is a large group of very tall manmade “trees” that help sustain the Gardens by the Bay (name of the area). The trees collect rainwater to water plants as well as solar power to run the facilities. The garbage is also used to generate energy, which can be utilized to cool the air blown throughout the Cloud Forest for example (a welcome feeling to us as we were extremely hot from being outside). We went to the top of the tallest tree for a drink and some photos, but only one needed to capture view:
Other shots of Supertree Grove:
Clarke Quay, Chinatown, and Around Town
We heard that the nightlife was in Clarke Quay, so we walked that way to check it out for dinner on our last night (after that last Sling mentioned above). The area is full of bars and restaurants, some with live music, to keep people entertained. The area isn’t too far from Chinatown, which we accidentally ran into briefly due to indecision in Clarke Quay vs. downtown. The lights in the city as well as architecture really made the experience for us. We included some of these photos below.
Clarke Quay area:
Architecture around town:
We took a lot of photos and saw quite a bit despite only being there two days. Although admittedly a lot of what we saw was within relatively close proximity of our hotel and to each other. There is plenty to do in Singapore for sure and we would like to visit again to explore more of what the city has to offer as part of lager trip to Asia. But until then, we’re happy to explore and see what we can. Now, off to Thailand!
Thanks for reading
Cheers and Love,
Mike and Erica
Wanderlust with M+E 