My time in Singapore was short but a lot of fun. The city really surprised me and was a great blend of urban and greenery. It was nice not only walking around the city but also enjoying the weather and the parks.
After arriving on an early morning flight, my first tourist stop in Singapore happened before I even left the airport. One of the things to do in Singapore is visit The Jewel, which is a large indoor waterfall that is in a shopping center attached to the airport. Once I got through customs I hopped on a bus to switch airport terminals and, loaded with both of my bags, I walked around the different views of The Jewel. It was large and very impressive to see. After wandering around The Jewel for a while, I finally found my way into the city using the metro and ultimately made my way to my hostel. Luckily, even though it was technically too early to check in, my bed was ready so I was able to check in and rest for a short bit while making plans as to where I wanted to walk and what I wanted to visit. Once I made plans and rested for a while I headed out in search of a hawker center, which is basically a large court with different food stalls. When I finally found one I was not only surprised by how clean it was but also that I saw people leave their purses and bags on tables and walk away to get food. While I had heard that Singapore was super safe and that you could do this, it was still shocking to actually witness it. After a late lunch I headed out towards the Gardens by the Bay, which is a large park. On my way I walked by another park area along the bay that had a view of Marina Sands hotel, an iconic hotel that is three buildings connected at the top with a large pool area. Since it was later in the afternoon and the weather was perfect and so many people were out, instead of continuing to the Gardens by the Bay as I’d planned I decided to hang out there and enjoy the view. One thing I love about traveling and going solo is the ability to hang out in one place, especially parks, and just take in the sights and sounds of where I am. I ended up staying there the rest of the evening and it was an enjoyable, relaxed time. While there I even heard two otters calling out for each other and watched them swim off together; it was adorable.
The next day after having a small breakfast at my hostel, I headed out to explore for the day. My first stop was to Haji Lane and the surrounding area. Haji Lane, a cute street with different shops and street art, and the surrounding area, was fun to walk around and was a blend of different cultures. After wandering around there for a while I walked to the Gardens by the Bay, which was a long walk. On the way I walked through the mall that was attached to the Marina Sands hotel. Once I finally got to the Gardens by the Bay, I walked around for a while before finally realizing I was not only hungry but super thirsty. Since I was quite a distance from several different hawker centers, I made my way to the nearest hawker center and got dinner and hung out there for a while before wandering around the city and making my way back to my hostel. While I didn’t go into a lot of sights or attractions, I really enjoyed wandering around the city and stopping in different areas and taking in the sights and sounds of the city.
Originally when I was planning my time in Singapore I only planned to stay two nights, however, I really loved the city so I decided to extend for a third night. On my final day in Singapore I spent most of the morning and early afternoon just walking around the city. During my wandering I headed back to the Gardens by the Bay to see more of the park. It is a really cool and large park with so much to see and experience. One of the big things to see in the park is Supertree Grove, which has a lot of large man-made, futuristic looking trees around which is a grassy space. After walking around the gardens for a while I decided to simply hang out on the grass and enjoy the weather and my surroundings for a while. The later in the afternoon/early evening it got the more people there were in the Supertree Grove. Once it was dark the trees lit up with bright lights and a little after 7:00 there was a light show with music. By the time the light show started there were a bunch of people in the area there to watch the show. It was so fun to see and it was a nice surprise since I didn’t know about the light show and just happened to be there when it started. Once the light show ended I made my way back towards my hostel but I stopped on the way at a hawker center for dinner. It was a really nice evening and a great way to end my time in Singapore. The next morning I had breakfast at my hostel and then packed my bags. When I was finally ready to leave to go to the bus to go to my next destination, it was pouring rain. Since I had no choice but to leave, I put my rain covers on my bags and a rain poncho on and headed out into the rain to walk to the metro. Once on the metro it looked like it had stopped raining, which I was glad about. Unfortunately, by the time I got off the metro and was walking to the shop where my bus was leaving from, it was pouring rain again. By the time I finally got to the shop my bus was picking up from I was absolutely soaked and the same could be said for both of my bags. Unfortunately my rain covers and rain poncho stood no chance in the torrential downpour. Luckily, my laptop somehow survived and stayed mostly dry, however all of my clothes were very damp along with almost everything else in my bags.
While I was only in Singapore for just under three days, I had a really great time and enjoyed the city so much. I loved how much greenery there was even in the areas with tall skyscrapers. While walking I saw so many large trees and plants within the skyscrapers and there were large park spaces throughout the city. I was also blown away by how clean Singapore was and while walking around I remember thinking so often how truly safe I felt. While I’ve felt safe in most places I’ve been, it's hard to describe the feeling of safety I felt walking around Singapore, even late at night when walking alone. I had such a fun time exploring the city and I can’t wait to go back again someday.
“When the traveler goes alone [s]he gets acquainted by himself.”
- Liberty Hyde Bailey
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