- Siiri
4 days in Singapore
I debated myself if I should divide this post in to two, but ended up just making a massive post of the four days I spent in Singapore. Be ready to look at a lot of pictures!
I flew to Singapore from Hà Nội, Vietnam, and the difference between the cities was quite big. Hà Nội was buzzing with people and street food, colors and events, with old beautiful buildings in the old town and surroundings. Singapore was a lot more quiet with tall buildings and colourful Chinatown area. The city was clean and very organised and it was easy to walk anywhere.
I stayed in Chinatown area at a capsule hostel called Chic Capsule Otel. It was very nice, clean and quiet and every bed had its own TV and earphones, and you could connect your own Netflix account if you wanted to. I felt relaxed and safe though I stayed in a room with many other people. (I don't remember anymore how many beds, but over 10).
Merlion
On the first evening of my arrival to Singapore I headed for a walk and went to see the Merlion statue and fountain. I tried to take the cool posing picture where you kind of seem like you are taking a shower under the water coming out of the Merlion's mouth, but since I don't own a selfie stick and didn't ask anyone for help, the picture was more of me posing one hand in my hair and did not look like the common pose at all.
The city was amazing in the night and I felt safe walking the streets. I went to get dinner alone in a local restaurant and they did question a couple of times if I was actually eating alone and I had no friends coming over, but I had to reassure them that I was fine. I think it must not be common to eat alone in a restaurant in Singapore.
Cloud Forest and Flower Dome
Cloud Forest and Flower Dome are two big dome shaped buildings on the shoreline. You can buy entry tickets to both with a package deal outside of the buildings but take enough time to walk through both. I went there first on the second evening 1,5 hours before closing and the ticket sales person recommended that I came back the following morning, which I did.
The Cloud Forest is a lush garden and apparently holds one of the world's tallest indoor waterfall. When I went there, they were preparing the garden for Avatar: The Experience but it was all still under construction. The Cloud Forest has an orchid garden and many plants from all around the world. You can take a walk or an elevator to the top of the waterfall and make your way down.
The Flower Dome on the other hand was filled with plants and flowers from all around the world. The dome was divided in to different regions and while I visited they had a special showing of sunflowers.
Supertree Grove and Marina Bay Sands
On the pictures above you can see the two domes and the Supertree Grove photographed from the rooftop of Marina Bay Sands hotel. I had seen the Supertree Grove only on pictures earlier and was not prepared for it. It was something amazing and I was completely blown away. They had a few showings every evening - The super trees were programmed to change colour fast on the beat of the music, which this time was music from the 70's. The show theme changes once every few months.
Marina Bay Sands on the other hand is very fancy, but if you don't want to book a room from the hotel, you can always pay the entrance fee and make your way to the rooftop viewing area. Though it didn't have access to the pool area, the views were amazing. You could also buy snacks or drinks from the small kiosk at the top but they seemed to be a bit expensive. I witnessed the Supertree Grove show once more from above before I made my way back down.
Art Science Museum
My friend Jenni introduced me to TeamLab's works before and after doing a bit of Googling I found out that they had a couple of exhibitions in Singapore as well. One day I headed to ArtScience museum next to Marina Bay Sands and bought a ticket to Future World: Where Art Meets Science exhibition. It is decided into two sections: City in a Garden and Exploring New Frontiers. Unfortunately the latter was not open during my visit, but the first one also had multiple installations that were pretty remarkable to witness.
One of the most memorable ones was called 100 Years Sea [running time: 100 years]. It was a video installation that collected scientific data from WWF about sea levels rising because of climate change.
I would've wanted to go see TeamLab's other permanent exhibition 'Story in the Forest' in the National Museum of Singapore, but I ran out of time.
MacRitchie Reservoir Park and Treetop Walk
I dedicated one full day to taking a trip to MacRitchie Reservoir Park and its Treetop Walk. I took a bus from the city centre to the start of the route from Windsor Nature Park. According to my findings the route was about 8 km long, so I had prepared and taken some water and snacks with me - but also made sure I had no plastic bags with me, since the monkeys on the route were conditioned to the fact that plastic bags meant food. And the monkeys would do anything to get that food.
I was happy to find a water fountain from the after walking a few km before heading up the hill to make my way to the tree tops. At the beginning of the bridge there were multiple warnings that it is meant to be walked only one way and once you started the walk you would not be able to turn back. There was also one man and one monkey greeting me in the beginning. The man told me to not look at the monkey in the eyes and just walk past it.
The views from the treetop were stunning but it was also mid day and the sun was burning. I added sun screen multiple times and continued my hike first up the hills after the bridge and then down the stairs and walkways. I also met a sunbathing Komodo dragon on the way and didn't want to bother it. I just took it as an unscheduled break until another hiker walked past me and just shooed the animal away and I was as well free to continue on my way.
In the very beginning of the trip I also passed huge group of people trying to aim their very expensive professional nature photography cameras in to the forest. On the way back I stopped and listened to one of them talking to a bypasser about how they were trying to catch a picture of a bird that appeared only once a year at the same spot. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the bird and don't know if anyone got to see it this year.
Food I ate in Singapore
A different kind of a gallery - you can scroll the food pictures on your phone. I'll leave below a few recommendations.
I wanted to have one fancier dinner in Singapore, and I was recommended to try the famous chilli crab at this place. I actually received this recommendation from a Singaporean whom I met on my trip in Vietnam. I usually don't feel embarrassed to be sitting alone and eating but at this place I was seated in to a huge table as there were no others available. That was not the problem, but after they brought the crab to me and I tried to make my way through it to get all the meat out, it was a mess. Gladly, one of the waitresses noticed and came to ask if I wanted her to peel the meat for me and I thankfully replied yes to her. She was the best. Just after a few hits by the hammer the crab was ready for me to enjoy. 10/10.
A beautiful building filled with flavours. It is an old market, a hawker centre, with many different stalls of food. Outside during night time you can find the famous Satay Street.
Maxwell Food Centre
Another hawker centre in a smaller scale, but so delicious.
The restaurant I went on the first evening. Very cozy and beautiful, Japanese style restaurant and great service with delicious food and drinks. Below you can find a picture of this place as well as a picture from the Satay Street mentioned earlier.
I did see much more in Singapore. I took a walk at the famous Haji Lane and Bali Lane amongst boutique stores and small restaurants, I saw the Rain Oculus at Marina Bay Sands and another permanent installment by TeamLab, an interactive digital light canvas. I saw the lotus on water at Marina Bay Sands and was amazed by the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
I'll end this post to one of my favourite pictures from Singapore. As I was making my way from the domes to the ArtScience Lab I noticed a still brown pile of otters just taking a calm mid day nap on the way. They seemed so relaxed even though there were many people walking by them from just 5 meters away. No one made any sounds though, just let the otters continue their sleep.
Next, surfing in Bali!
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