The Ultimate Journey: My experience at Singapore
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| Marina Bay Sands observation Deck |
Introduction
Singapore, as everyone would say is small island city located at the very tip of the Malaysian peninsula. Traditionally inhibited by Sea Gypsies and modernized due to its strategic positioning across the important sea lines in Pacific and Indian oceans, Singapore is well renowned to be the host spot of business, travel and many more. By the Way, ‘sea gypsies’? Well, obviously yes, but Singapore is one of ‘the modern’ cities now, having quite large influence from the western hemisphere because of British colonial rule and you hardly see any foot print of an old fishing village (may be at least in the main land). Singapore is barely one of the few places where multiple cultures blend in with each other ever so closely. It was quite nice to see this diversity boom and anybody can experience this first hand at least with the array of food. Obviously me, I was ready for some Chinese, Indian and Malaysian foods and delicacies which I would not see around in Sri Lanka (but not that I eat a lot though).
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| Malay Street (Get it 😉)in Bugis |
My journey to Singapore was mostly around experiencing Singapore, exploring the city and adding up a few pages of wonderful memories and a pile of pictures to cherish on a later day. It was a very short stay of 4 days in Singapore, given that I would have to rush back to my office the moment I step foot back in Sri Lanka, but OMG, few days had so much to offer.
My first advice, if you are planning for a short trip to Singapore, plans it beforehand because you should not miss out on anything. It took me quite a few hours to decide on a plan to optimize my time at Singapore and make the most out of it, referring so many websites, blogs, vlogs and stuff (in fact I created my own map which finally looked like a battle plan) keeping in mind the budget and convenience in visiting the different attractions.
Arrival/Departure to Singapore
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| View of the aircraft on arrival at Singapore |
Obvious choice to go in and out of Singapore is via an airliner. In fact, Changi International airport is a hub for international travel. Typically, for an economy class traveller a return air ticket would cost around 30,00–35,000 LKR.
My choice of airliner was Singapore airlines which is code shared with Silk Air, Air New Zeland and Mihin Lanka. You would obviously expect the services and quality of any Singapore Airlines flight and most importantly for me, we were travelling on a new Airbus A330-300, something I was looking forward to fly in. Our flight to Singapore was delayed about 2 hours due to inclement weather, but back to Colombo, it was early to depart. So, watch out on your time!
Immigration procedure at Changi airport is super easy. The entire system is automated and you simply have to scan both your thumbs on arrival. That’s it! And the on arrival visa would be issued by the immigration officer at the counter. Also, on departure from Singapore, you’d simply have to scan your thumb at the terminal and off you go! No hassle at all.
Advice number 2 - better take a flight that lands in the evening. This is purely on my experience of taking a night flight from Colombo and having landed around 8am at Changi. Obviously, jet lag, being sleepless until you board the flight and any tiredness from the previous day (I was at the office the previous day) will hit you back once you get down. That would, make an average person never to leave the hotel bed until the next day. Trust me on that! But, I certainly had to overcome that and move on after having 2 hours of sleep. So, ideally it would be better to arrive in the evening at Singapore, have a rest and have an early start from next day.
Places to Stay
When it comes to Singapore, deciding on where to stay is one of the toughest questions.
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| Need no captions for this ! |
- Locality
- Cost: As I said, hotels accommodation is quite expensive in Singapore which comes with a significant tax (10% of the charge) for the government (and 7% GST as well). Through my background research, some areas suggested lesser accommodation costs but you got to search for the locality on that matter or maybe you are too far from the city center.
- Access to MRT: We pre-judged our primary mode of travel to be the MRT and having a station close by in walking range was quite convent, given I was on a race against time.
Yet, in my opinion, probably Chinatown, Little India or Bugis would tick all those checkboxes, but no matter where you stay in Singapore, public transportation system is well established and you can pretty easily and quickly get to any part of the city under an hour. As well, any star class hotels can be found here.
Here’s where I stayed,
- Hotel 81 Bugis: Located near the famous Bugis street and only 1.1Kms away from the city centre, I’d say this was the most convenient for our requirements. We used Booking.com to search and book for reservations, through which we were offered a Standard room at SIN$ 143/day (which is around 16,400 LKR per day). Overall, the choice was exactly at our expectation although for the size of the room – which was smaller than we thought. Yet, that was a compromise for the budget. Although the amenities weren’t disappointing, free dedicated WiFi, daily housekeeping, free cancellation etc.
Travel Packing List
Simple, when travelling around the city, try wearing cotton or sports kind of clothing since Singapore is quite hot and humid. Climate can be very tricky in Singapore and be well prepared for sudden down pours which can be heavy as it can get. Use proper running shoes as it will make it comfortable to go the distance – trust me and have water at your dispose to keep you hydrated.
Finally, a camera with nessacary equipment – check your battery charger and free space of the SD card for that matter or at least a phone with a good quality camera because it’s all about collecting memories here.
Singaporean Food
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| Sort of an Ice dessert |
By the way, Singaporeans have their supper early – around 12noon and 6-7pm at night. So, make sure you have your lunch and dinner early as possible because food shops easily runs of food after these peak hours.
Attractions
When it comes to attractions, Singapore is a one true travel destination. As I said, there’s lot to see and you’d better plan. Most the advice regarding attractions, I received from an old friend in India (who’s been to Singapore previously) and 2 other friends: Tharaka and Champika working on their Internships in Singapore. So, it was quite easy to figure out where to go and where not to go in the perspective of a Sri Lankan. As it is said, ‘Look before you leap’, reach out to someone and get to know the city beforehand.
Overall, tickets at the attractions are quite pricy compared to Thailand or Indonesia. But, the price won’t disappoint. By the advice from my Indian friend, we used ‘Klook’ application (which comes in both Web - klook.com and Mobile versions) to book our tickets to all attractions and saved a lot through this, in addition to avoiding hassle at ticket counters and most importantly, having tickets valid for a range of days – so, we could visit them on any day in case the plans changed. Trust me on this, the discounts received were quite significant.
The main objective at Singapore to explore the county and that’s really what I spent almost all of my time doing. So, the following is not an extensive or an exclusive list of things to do and visit in Singapore, but a few attractions that I visited while we were there – but certainly few things that are in the ‘should not miss out’ list.
Sentosa Island
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| Madame Tussauds |
As they say, Sentosa is definitely the ‘State of FUN’. Located off the main island of Singapore to the south, the county’s entertainment capital is Sentosa. It would typically take 2 days to fully experience and I too had to visit Sentota on 2 separate days.
Most of Singapore’s entertainment attractions are located at Sentosa and easily accessible via MRT. In order to reach the island, all tourists should arrive at the VIVO mall or in terms of the MRT station, at ‘Harbour Front’, either via North-East line or Circle Line. Then, you have the option of either taking the walking way-which is great if you are a photographer, fly across in a cable car-which again gives a great look above the city or hop on to Sentosa express MRT on level 03 of the mall. Once you step down at Sentosa, it’s a complete paradise for fun. But mind you, everything at Sentosa is at least twice the price, compared to main land including the MRT rate. So, may be fill up a few bottles of water and have it in you back pack to Sentosa because a 300ml water bottle was SIN$ 2.5 (around 300 LKR).
- Madame Tussauds museum: The world famous wax museum. To arrive drop down at Water Front Station and climb the stairs up to the museum. From Hollywood, Bollywood stars to world leaders, sports stars and many more, the museum is not a place to miss out if you are enthusiast in photography or want a selfie with your favourite movie star. Also don’t miss out on ‘Images of Singapore’, a live show that will walk you through actual places re-created and performed by actual actors depicting the history of Singapore. That was quite informative and something to learn out from.
- Wings of Time: Define a fabulous holographic show; this is the definite answer. A must watch in Singapore. Drop down at Beach Station to arrive here but I’d recommend a walk through across the fountains to reach here. The 20 min show is absolutely marvelous and worth every penny. A fabulous coordination of fire work, laser, lights and overall technology.
- Santosa Merlion: A larger version of the Merlion at Marina Bay. A cool spot to arrive and take pictures that you actually arrived at Sentosa. Drop down at Water Front station if you are to arrive here. We were lucky enough to witness a laser show on it at 8.00pm on our way back from Wings of Time.
Madagascar Penguins - Universal Studios: A must visit place. My advice, give everything a shot and dare take the ride in Human Cyclone, the most awesome and nerve wrecking roller coaster that I’ve ever been to. Beware, some actually pass out on the ride, the G-force will overwhelm and definitely give a go if you like yourself to feel the adrenaline.
- S.E.A. Aquarium: Located just next to Universal studios, the aquarium gives a nice shot at the life underwater. Nicely arranged according to the different regions of the world, this was great place to relax and snap close ups of species you never get to see yourself.
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| Wings Of Time |
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| Old colonial structures decorated in Chinese |
Little India and China Town
Two areas that reflect Singapore’s diversity, located next to each other. Both areas of Singapore are well worth exploring, and you’ll find lots of food, shopping, entertainment, and interesting cultural things in both areas. May be for shopping at a cheaper price, you should to visit here especially the famous Mustafa mall. You can drop down at Farrer Park and walk down the Race Course road to reach there. In fact, it’s the same road leading to the Banana Leaf Apollo restaurant: the home of the famous authentic Singaporean delicacy, Fish head curry.
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| Super Tree Grove |
Gardens by the Bay
This beautifully designed nature parks has become one of the most famous icons of Singapore, and it’s a fantastic place to walk around and enjoy the lush greenery of Singapore. The Supertree Grove, giant metal wire tree structure decorated with vines and potted plants, is incredible. This open air garden is free to visit, but the miracle is with in the 2 humongous domes: cloud forest and the flower dome. Cloud forest was my personal favorite as it perfectly mimicked the tropical environment indoors. Yet, the environment was so perfectly designed and maintained that you momentarily forget it's artificial. Even the waterfalls may look real - but, on the back of your mind, you might go back to the natural waterfalls back at home (This happens if you are so Sri Lankan). The level of conversation is absolutely insane and you should really take a moment to pay some respect for that. Any how, Gardens by the Bay is definitely not an ordinary garden or a conservation center. Travelling at night, you may want to see for your self the super trees lit up in lights in the night sky (I missed that part by the way though - something I regret).
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| Merlion Park |
Merlion Park and Light show
If you are in Singapore, you got to reach Merlion park and snap a few pictures with the Merlion. I obviously planned to visit Gardens by the Bay and take the walk around the bay to the Merlion since it offers the most spectacular view of the city which goes across Marina Bay Sands and Olympic Rowing arena.
In fact, on the way, you can also stop by to watch a traditional cultural show for free. Overall, a photographer should never miss this walk especially in the evening with lights giving a breath taking view of the skyline with the fabulous colours of the sky in the background.
SunTech City
May be, for high end shopping and have a glance at the Lamborghinis’ and Rollce Royce (which was my bothers objective of visiting here) vehicles, this is the spot.Slim Lim City and Square
Transportation
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| Marina Bay Sands |
One important advice is, as soon as you arrive at Changi International Airport, do buy a NETS Flash Pay card at the airport MRT station, which is pretty much like a debit card that can be topped up with SIN$ 10 the least. This would make it easier to use the MRT system – quick access (no queuing up for tickets) and it’s relatively cheaper than buying a travel pass on each ride.
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| Cultural show by Marina Bay |
- MRT: I took the MRT just about everywhere and it’s accessible anywhere. Usually, MRTs are located at basements of large shopping malls and it’s not hard to one nearby. The MRT is very efficient and you can catch a train every 5-10 minutes.
- Bus: The public bus system is also really good from the outlook and many locals prefer. But, we sticked only with the MRT.
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| NETS Flash Pay cards |
People and Language
By my observation, people in Singapore are very friendly sharing the attributes of a fellow Asian culture, yet you won’t be treated any different to a native Singaporean (so don’t expect any special treatments as well). One good example was when a Singaporean volunteered to make the order on behalf of us when the shopkeeper had no understanding in English.
In terms of language, English is one of the official languages in Singapore but most of the information are provided in Tamil, Mandarin and sometimes Malay as well. But, English is commonly practised to communicate even among locals on daily basis which makes it easier to go around in Singapore because most are very competent in English, or at least the younger generation. So, may be talking with older Singaporeans would be a bit hard.
One thing I noticed about Singaporeans are that they being so busy with there phones, which is uncommon in Sri Lanka. These guys hardly break out of their virtual worlds.
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| Pagoda Street in China Towm |
Law is quite strictly abided in Singapore and often you see merchandise, products left far off from the shop keeper (Awkward again, because you sometimes feels like the shop keeper want’s those goods to be taken away). Just for information, Singaporean law imprisons any person for 7 years for any kind of theft and death penalty for any smuggling. Yet, you would see a few sign boards asking to watch out on your wallet, especially in China Town. So, watch out!
Overall, Singapore is very safe and you can safely walk around even at night. One, interesting observation though was that most Singaporeans prefer to start their day early and finish early as well. Hence, you won’t really see shopping complexes open till 11-12pm because they actually close around 8-9pm.
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| S.E.A. Aquarium |
Conclusion
Singapore is an amazingly beautiful and well organized city that offers so much to see, eat, do and let you enjoy to the fullest. Amazingly clean, no loud horns, no smoke and not a lot of cars jammed around (virtually no traffic at all). If I’d to rate my experience, Singapore would score a perfect 10/10 because I had nothing to regret about this journey.
I hope you have an amazing trip to Singapore and that this travel guide/experience sharing gives you some direction for your visit. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you enjoy your stay at Singapore!
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