2022 brought an international trip up our sleeves! As I travelled with my partner to Singapore, I left most of the planning for him to take care of. But it is only when you travel that the idea of how to travel hits you on an international trip. We had pre booked our hotels for a 10 day trip in and around Singapore. The visa formalities were no less easy than the actual planning. Before the visa application the hotels, Itinerary everything was worked out only to realise it is all subject to change.
We got our visa just a few days prior to flying out & then began the packing. Singapore in the month of December is a potpourri of drizzles & summer vibe. It’s an ideal time to skip the indian winters. We boarded our flight on the 5th night & reached Singapopre in a 5 hour (Layover in Malaysia & Time zone difference included) journey at 10:00 Am. The first immigration check in Singapore was without much hassle. The Singapore airport is a destination in itself with visuals of the city right inside Changi.
We boarded a bus from Terminal 2 to T1 to view “The Jewel”, a nature themed complex which houses world’s tallest indoor waterfall. it’s a sight to behold with terraced forest setting; Shiseido Forest Valley, an indoor garden spanning five storeys, and the Canopy Park. The Changi Airport Skytrain, connecting the terminals passes above ground near the waterfall which gives the passengers an uplclose view of the indoor gardens. We spent some time with our bags strolling around as we were lost in the sheer magnificence of this man made structure.
The bars were set too high right at the outset, the airport made the experience a notch grander. From the Jewel we took a metro straight to the Somerset Station, from where we walked a little to check in to our hotel at Orchard Road. Treading on the streets of Singapore is an experience in itself, with the impeccable roads & traffic management, there is no room for flaws here! Our hotel offered a panormic window of the Orchard road, which was a good enough reason to stay indoors until night. We were to meet our friends at Orchard for Dinner and there began this long rendezvous with Singapore. We dined at Cuppage Plaza, at a walking distance from our hotel & just absorbed the city life at night.
The streets at night becomes more glamorous than the city itself, as its natives usher out to live true to its name! They Sing & Pour their lives on the streets & that for me was the takeaway on Day 1. You don’t just live to exist, you live to celebrate life itself! This was Singapore, you work hard & live grander.
The following morning we took a slow start around 11 & left for our Big day in the city! 7th December 2022, our first wedding anniversary was to be celebrated in Singaporean ways! We started our day from breakfast at MOS Burger (A Japanese Burger chain) on Orchard road which has a self service kiosk concept to reduce human labour. Time is an important currency in Singapore, and the place said it all. From Somerset Station we took a metro to Raffles Place, the financial district of Singapore. The sheer beauty of the buildings, which are not just workspaces but are aesthetically designed structures to keep folks glued at work too!
We took a walk along the streets at Raffles Place, named after the founder of Modern Singapore; Sir Stamford Raffles with a cup of Kopi C, is a delight for the coffeeholics. From Raffles Place to Merlion facing the Marina Bay we took a 10 minute walk to witness the Singapore river and its high end life. On the other side of river you see the Marina Bay Sands Building, gracing the views of this city – island like none other. As one walk’s along the river the Merlion statue greets you with it’s part lion & part fish like body, a mythical creature with water sprouting out of its mouth. Merlion is the mascot of Singapore, depicting the island’s origin as a fishing village while the head of a lion is symbolic of the name of the city, ‘Singapura’ (Lion city) in Sanskrit.
From Merlion we walked towards Boat Quay, once busiest port of Singapore in the 1980’s which now houses various bars, pubs & restaurants. We grabbed a seat by the river facing restaraunt & relished a meal under a sunny afternoon. By later afternoon we picked our full bellies & walked along Cavenagh bridge to reach Singapore flyer, all on foot! It was a miraculous afternoon turning into an evening on the skywalk at Garden’s by The Bay. The skywalk offers a 15 minute window for visitors to view the city’s hotspots at night, shining like diamonds along its structures.
A little touristy, but worth every dime the evening turned into another walk from Marina Bay convention centre to the Helix Bridge. Our last spot for the day, we just couldn’t resist the distant views of this marvel of a structure. At night the bridge illuminates highlighting the double helix structure creating a visual experience for its pedestrian & cyclists. With it’s four viewing spots the bridge provides views of Singapore Skyline & the projections over the Science Art museum can grip a child of 5 to an adult of 95 in no time!
We concluded our Big Day with a take away meal from City Hall MRT concluding our touristy- anxiety back on The Orchard Road. Little did we know the day was just getting better with the take away, taking us away (Literally) on another planet of food coma. We relished an authentic Chinese meal in the hotel followed by an accomplished sleep on Day 2!
Day 3 began with drizzles in the morning & we waited for the rain to settle patiently. Today we had planned for Sentosa Island, which means a Beach day! 😀 The USP of Singaporean beaches is that they too are man-made! Having imported sand from neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, most of the original beaches were wiped out by the construction of the harbor-front. We took a metro to Harborfront, to walk along the Sentosa Island, a 2km long sheltered beach & the Resorts World Sentosa, which features the Universal Studios Singapore Theme park. From Universal Theme park a mono rail takes you free of cost to Siloso Beach.
The beach on a drizzly day is no fun, but we did enjoyed our bit of joy at the water show called Wings of Time. With not many co -travellers we got an umbrella up our heads & a hot dog to feed our hunger while witnessing the musical – dance of the water. It was like a private concert of its own kind until we hit the beach. The rain gods showed some mercy & we first walked towards the bus stop to go to Palawan Beach which is 1.5 km away from Siloso. The free beach shuttle takes you to the next beach in no time. We crossed a pirates bridge to get to the viewing decks of the Southern tip of Sentosa.
One could carry their own picnic food here or easily purchase beach essentials from the Seven- Eleven store at the premises. The beach is friendly for people of all age groups & offers shallow swimming for those who are afraid of water. (Including the likes of me:P) One can spot the distant shores of Indonesia and other small islands from viewing deck at Palawan. Seeping in all the views, drizzles & drinks by the beach we hit our way back to the Siloso beach. The rains persisted & a little dry spell in the evening on our way back was just the vibe we took back to the hotel.
The first three days quenched our thirst for the touristy things in Singapore. The rest of the days we reserved for our – kind of travel.
#StayTuned for the Offbeat – slow travel around Singapore.