A Very Long Journey To A City Within A Garden

I am writing this blog while I am currently sheltering at home due to Covid-19. Rob, my husband, had an antibody test and tested negative despite the 40 hours we spent on a plane to and from Asia and our visits to three Asian countries, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia back in December. (2 months later, I tested negative too). Part of me is surprised and I can’t say I am not disappointed as it would be nice to know we had the virus with mild symptoms. What I am not disappointed about is the fact that we got to visit Asia as I think it may be a long time before we venture back there based on the current state of travel and the world.

Our visit to Singapore was inspired by my oldest son, Daniel, whose passion is the environment. He started asking to go to Singapore a few years back when he learned it was a “city within a garden”. Being that this was his last year in high school, I happily obliged! Singapore was futuristic and efficient and oh so environmentally friendly. At the same time it was exotic and beautiful with an array of fascinating ethnic neighborhoods, colorful streets and colonial buildings reminding us often of Singapore’s interesting history.

Singapore is a city that felt very different than any US city we had ever been to because it is different. Here are some cool Singapore facts…

-You cannot chew gum in the streets. Vendors who are caught selling chewing gum face hefty penalties.

-Singapore is considered the only truly sovereign city-state in the world as it has the full right and power to govern itself and its citizens, without any interference from outside governments.

-Small crime like pickpocketing is rare in Singapore. Violent crime is also extremely rare and almost non-existent.

-Caning is still a widely used form of corporal punishment in Singapore even in some schools. We couldn’t get past this fact and talked about it often during our trip.

-Singapore has its own currency, the Singapore Dollar.

-Most everyone we encountered spoke English.

–An ice cream sandwich is just that-ice cream between two pieces of bread

–A hawker center is an open-air complex that houses many stalls selling a variety of inexpensive Asian food. They are a very popular place to eat for both the tourists and the locals. We visited 4 in Singapore and they were all fun and delicious.

–Daniel is the only one who tasted Durian (and liked it). Durian is a Southeast Asian fruit that literally stinks, even on the outer shell before you cut into it. In fact, it smells so bad that it is illegal to carry the fruit on public transportation in the city. We passed many stalls and stands selling durian, smelling it from quite a distance. As for some more interesting facts about durian, it is a superfruit, it is extremely healthy and it is expensive!

And now on to the details about our unbelievable trip to this “city within a garden”….

Flight

Although I made sure to often brag about our free Singapore Airlines flights from Newark to Singapore, needless to say, I was very worried about the 19 hours I would be spending in the air, in Premium Economy. I am a nervous flyer to begin with, and couple that with being trapped on a plane for almost a day was a very scary proposition for me. So after speaking with my doctor and getting the ok to medicate (heavily) on the flight, I did just that and honestly, I slept for about 14 hours of the 19 hour flight. Whew! When I wasn’t sleeping I was enjoying my extra-comfy Premium economy seat with additional shoulder room, a recliner and footrest. I was being lavished upon by the flight attendants and enjoying the abundance of delicious meals and snacks. I slept through the ice cream bars but was up for the middle of the night pizza snack! All in all, Singapore Airlines lives up to the hype….the service and amenities were fantastic. Even my family agreed and they were up for much more of the flight than me (they missed the pizza). I would do Premium Economy again on Singapore Airlines!

Getting Around

Singapore is a very walkable city and we sure took advantage of this as we always do, sometimes walking up to 4-5 miles per day. And despite Singapore’s MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) system’s speed and cleanliness, we opted for Singapore’s version of Uber instead. We used GRABS which were inexpensive, reliable and provided larger cars for our family of 5. There was never a lot of traffic although it could be because it was Xmas Week. I highly recommend using Grabs to get around in Singapore.

The Hawker Centers we ate at-yum!

Boon Tat Street-We checked out this area our very first night in the city. A portion of this street, located behind the Lau Pa Sat hawker center, is closed every night in the evening for stalls selling satay. It was hard to choose among all of the stands and honestly, the vendors were aggressive in trying to get us to pick their stall. We ended up selecting one whose tables were filled yet he wasn’t pushy. We had our first taste that night of beef, chicken and shrimp (heads up-heads on!) satay with a side of fried rice. The atmosphere under the night sky and the food as well made an outstanding start to our stay.

Satay By The Bay-This was our dinner of choice after our failed attempt to do the Supertree Grove in the evening during Christmas week (see below). The hawker center is located along the water on a big wooden deck a short walk from the Supertrees. At this point, Jessie and I couldn’t do any more satay and we opted for a meal of soup with dumplings instead (all of about $6). The boys, after waiting on very long lines (Xmas week), finally came back with huge smoking plates of chicken and beef satay. It was an easy inexpensive meal at this fun, popular and boisterous center.

Newton Food Centre-We made it to this one on our last day in Singapore. This was the center featured in the movie Crazy Rich Asians, and for Jessie it was an absolute must. We went for lunch and the food was typical standard Asian fare-cheap and yummy. However, I wish we would have had more time and gone at night, many of the stalls were closed at lunch time (there are tons) and I think we would have gotten more of the feel that we saw in the movie had we gone in the evening.

Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle or Hawker Chan -We headed to Chinatown for lunch and waited on a 30 minute line at the very famous, oh so popular, Michelin starred stand located in the Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Of course we had the Michelin star dish of Soya Sauce Chicken Rice for $2 (Jessie got it with noodles-the rest of us went classic). It definitely was good and IMO a must do in Singapore. And, how can you beat that price for a meal?

Learning About The City On Our One Day Tour

I booked us a private guided tour in advance of our arrival with Monster Day Tours so we could get the lay of the land and learn about the city. Our tour guide, Dani, met us bright and early on our first full day in Singapore. Dani took us to all of the iconic landmarks and to all of the main ethnic quarters (i.e Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam) and told us many stories so we could learn about the heritage and culture of the Singapore people and the history of the city. These were just some of the stops on our tour…..

Boat Quay–Our first stop was along the Singapore River at the area of Boat Quay. We got a lot of history here about the city’s commerce as this was once an important economic area into the 1960s. The area is now a restaurant and entertainment district. It was here that we had a view of the famous statue of Sir Thomas Raffles, the founder of Singapore. The statue sits on the river at the Raffles Landing Site where Raffles was believed to first set foot on the island in 1819.

Merlion Statue-Boy was it fun posing with the Merlion Statue that sits and spews water from its’ mouth into Marina Bay. The Merlion is a mythical creature with a lion’s head and the body of a fish/mermaid (get it mer lion?). The statue, the mascot of Singapore, is a popular tourist destination. It was here we learned that the flow of water is supposed to represent the flow of wealth which is why there are so many fountains in Singapore. It was hard to get these pictures with all the crowds snapping away for instagram like we were!

Fullerton Hotel-We had a short tour of this magnificent building which was built in 1928 and is now a National Monument and still a bustling and thriving hotel. It used to be Singapore’s General Post Office and still has an old fashioned mailbox. There are postcards that we wrote out to our relatives back home and stamped them with a special “posted from the Fullerton Hotel” stamp. We then put them in the antique mailbox. They arrived in the US about 3 weeks later. Good thing it was nothing important!

Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)-Another building we visited were the government offices of Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). This building had different levels each with models and layouts of the city showing the past, present, and future of Singapore’s development. It may sound boring but it was fascinating as it showed the construction plan for the next 30 years and also pointed out all the hidden parts of the city. It looked just like the city in real life and was very detailed (including the placement of trees)!

Raffles Hotel and Long Bar-We shared one $36 iconic Singapore Sling at the historic Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel, the home of the cocktail (when in Rome…). The bar was recently restored but with its traditional decor and rattan ceiling fans it looks and feels like a tropical plantation back in the 1920s. Although we all liked the “drink”, our favorite part was the air conditioning (we waited on line outside for about 30 minutes before we were seated) and the peanut bags on each table. It is one of those joints where you get to throw your peanut shells onto the floor. If you are wondering what is in a Singapore Sling, it is traditionally gin, pineapple juice, lime juice, curaçao and Bénédictine, grenadine and cherry liqueur. It is pink and pretty! As for the Raffles Hotel, we didn’t go inside but took some pictures from the outside. This was by far one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.

Neighborhoods-It was off to the city’s diverse and colorful neighborhoods next on our tour. We started off in Chinatown, making our way through the bustling hawker centers (stopping for tasty lime and dragon fruit juice) and snapping pictures on the streets with the beautiful Chinese lanterns held up with pink and red strings in the distance. We visited a Buddhist temple where Jessie had to put on a shawl and skirt (given out at the entrance) because her shorts and tank were not appropriate. The temple was ornate and authentic as many Chinese citizens were there to pray. We popped into some of the many shops and tasted pandan cake, the national cake of Singapore, which is made with the juices of pandan plant leaves.

I thought it was very distinct but just ok, I didn’t love the pandan flavor. As we winded in and out of the side roads, we were treated to the many street art murals by the artist, Yip Yew Chong, most which depicted traditional Chinese life. We had lunch at an authentic, local sit down restaurant that was recommended by our guide. There we ate roasted chicken and fried rice- yum!

Next up was the Malay-Arab area (my favorite neighborhood) called Kampong Glam. The main street in this trendy and vibrant neighborhood is Haji Lane. The bustling street houses a row of colorful boutiques, bars and cafes with tons of ideal instagram shot locations. I wish we would have had more time to shop here, but one cool stop we made was at Selfie Coffee. Here, we took a family selfie at the counter when ordering our drink and our coffee drink came out with our picture on top of the liquid in the cup. This technology is similar to what they use to get pictures on birthday cakes. Right now there is no location in the States, I think it would do amazing! Let’s open one! This area is great at night too with many of the restaruants offering live music and outdoor dining. One of our nights in the city, we ate in this area at I Am a Dutch restuarant when we needed a break from Asian. It is somewhat ironic, because we ate Indonesian food when we were in Amersterdam a few years back.

My least favorite neighborhood was Little India. IMO it was too big, too commercial and lacked the charm of Kampong Glam. We didn’t do much other than walk a few streets. The highlights however were that we tried two famous Indian candies: coconut candy and pista burfi which is green and taste like pistachios. They were both delicious. And we took tons of pictures in front of the most colorful and instagrammed building in Singapore. Oh and Jessie bought a pair of elephant pants.

So Much To Do In The Marina Bay Area

We headed to the Marina Bay area and snapped away with all of the impressive, iconic skyscrapers in the background. When you are in the Bay area, you truly feel like you are on a futuristic movie set. It is really unbelievable. We rode up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel Observation Deck, aka the Crazy Rich Asians hotel. Unfortunately, we had to stay within the observation deck and could not view the rest of the hotel, like the famous infinity pool. l had looked into staying a night at the hotel, just so we could use the pool, but it was way too expensive for the night, especially considering that our stay at the Conrad was free using Hilton Honors points!!! From the observation deck, you get an unbelievable view of the city skyline, the SuperTree Grove and the Singapore Flyer Ferris Wheel. This would be a cool attraction at night as well! Next, we headed right next door to the ArtScience Museum. It is easy to spot on the waterfront as it looks like a lotus flower. It’s hard to see an image of Singapore without this building prominently displayed. We took a few shots outside of the museum with a large whale made out of reusable material. It was definitely cool. However, inside the museum was probably a bit too young for my kids. If you have kids younger than teens, it would be a great addition to your itinerary. However, we did get a bunch of cool shots for instagram within some of the innovative and and futuristic attractions.

The Bay Area was close to our hotel and one night we headed to nosignboard Seafood and met with a Singapore couple who was a friend of my BIL. They ordered all of the best local dishes which included chicken, chili crab, short ribs, fish soup, squid, and other tasty seafood dishes. They told us plenty about their lives in Singapore and some of their plans for their break from school. It was fun to learn about the lives of a local family.

On Xmas Eve, we headed back to the Bay Area to check out Gardens by the Bay. Note to self-don’t go Xmas Eve! It was way too crowded. The line to get into see the Supertrees would have taken us over an hour. But that night, we did wait on line to get into the Cloud Forest. We took a shot in front of the huge roaring indoor waterfall (with everyone else) and then waited on anther line to get up to the Cloud Walk and Treetop Walk. It would have been much more enjoyable walking in the cool mist and admiring the rain forest plants had we gone at a different time. We were all cranky during our visit. Don’t go on a holiday!

Biking On Pulau Ubin

One morning, we boarded a bumboat for Pulau Ubin, an island off the Singapore mainland, at Changi Point Ferry Terminal for a mere $3/person (paid directly to the driver). We knew that there was no schedule and that the boats only departed once they had 12 people on board. Luckily, we did not have to wait long for the boat to leave as we were joined by a big family. The ride to the island is about 15 minutes. Once on the island, the “town” is about a 1 minute walk from the jetty. Most of the small buildings in the town were bike rental shops as the island is a paradise for bikers. We found our cycle tour company and headed off with our guide for our half day tour to take in this eccentric and charming island.

The ride wasn’t easy as many of the trails were rocky and unpaved and uphill!. But we enjoyed it so much as we explored the many scenic spots, historical landmarks and abandoned quarries. We made sure to see Singapore’s last remaining kampong (traditional village). Our guide taught us about the island’s ecosystems and many of the native plants, especially the mangrove trees and why they are so important to us (Daniel already knew why). At one point we stopped and climbed up a very high tower to get a view of the whole island. While we were on top, the whole tower shook as other visitors ascended. We ran down so fast thinking that the whole shaky structure would crumble. We made a pit stop at a stall run by a very old woman and shared fresh coconut juice in the shells. And always being lucky enough to see wildlife on all of our adventures, we encountered a herd of wild pigs (I was really nervous they would charge), fiddler crabs, and a monkey or two during our journey. We experienced nature and history during our ride, and we all decided that the island is a truly special place. As for eating on the island, there was just one restaurant in the small town, Seasons. It was here that I had my best meal the entire time I was I Asia, a whole grilled fish with rice. We were sad to leave this magical island to head back to the bustle of the city!

Sentosa

We continued with our island hopping and headed to Sentosa Island, an island off the mainland that is accessible by road, cable car, walking or monorail. We opted to take the cable car to the island and during Christmas week had an unusually long wait to board a car. We did a Grab (Singapore Uber) to return to the mainland. We had plans on the island to meet a local family (they live on Sentosa) for lunch. This family was friends with my BIL. We walked a bit along the beach on our way to the restaurant making sure to watch someone bungee jump-crazy! This is the same bungee jump that Colton and Tayshia did on Colton’s season of the Bachelor. We ate at FOC and feasted on calamari and paella, it was a great seafood lunch on the water. Also, it was fun learning from them what it was like to live on Sentosa Island. To add to our visit, It happened to be a solar eclipse that day, which we all marveled at on the beach. After lunch we made our way to Palawan Beach where we walked over a suspension bridge to a small offshore island and took a shot at the southernmost point on Continental Asia. We headed back to the mainland that afternoon skipping some of the other big island attractions like the amusement parks (ie-Universal Studios) and resort-style hotels. There is a lot to do on the island and I think it would be a fun place to base on a return trip to Singapore.

Night Safari

I consistently read that the Night Safari was one of the most popular attractions in Singapore, so I booked it via a Viator tour which was well organized and enabled us to cut the line (Again, Xmas week crowded). It was another attraction probably a little too young for my kids. You ride by tram through the different habitats and the nocturnal animals are definitely out and and active, so that was somewhat cool and interesting. After the ride, we walked through many of the other areas getting a better look at some of the creatures we may have missed on the ride. Our tour also came with a buffet dinner at the zoo…..it was as you can imagine, touristy but quite easy and convenient. I would skip if you have older kids, for younger ones its perfect.

New Years Eve

We had a NYE celebratory dinner at Pizza Express, a popular chain in Singapore and Europe. There we had some much needed American food-pizza and burgers! We then headed to the Star Island New Years show where we had great seats right in front of the action. I had purchased these tickets in advance of our trip (not cheap). However, you could probably get them there too, although your choice of seats may be more limited. The show was unbelievable with fireworks, performances by dancers and singers, and the highlight-the drones. The drones were my favorite part as I loved seeing all of the amazing shapes and words spelled out as the drones buzzed around the sky. The show had unbelievable energy and this was by far our favorite (and latest) night out in this amazing city!

Clarke Quay

For our final night, we headed to Violet Oon Satay Bar & Grill at Clarke Quay for a Peranakan cuisine dinner. This was my favorite restaurant by far. Violet Oon is a Singaporean chef, restauranteur, and food writer. She has many restaurants throughout the city. After dinner, we explored the buzzing and trendy atmosphere of Clarke Quay, on the mouth of the Singapore River. During the 1800s, Clarke Quay was the center of commerce. Today, the waterfront buildings and charming shophouses are home to colorful restaurants, wine bars and entertainment spots. I was really happy we made it here on our final night, it would have been a big miss had we not.

Back To The Super Trees

The next morning we headed back to Super Tree Grove that had been a huge fail on Xmas Eve. We went when it opened, 9 am, to get the best photos. We went up to the observatory deck and made our way along with the sky walk. We were in awe of the size and structures of the trees and it was quite interesting learning about how they worked. Daniel eagerly shared the science behind them. After snapping tons of pictures, we headed down to the egg sculptures which light up at night, but made for some great photos during the day too. Next time, we visit at night, without the Xmas crowds!

Excursion to Malaysia

We went back and forth about whether to try to get to Malaysia as it was a close drive to cross the border into Johor Bahru but also I hadn’t planned it in advance and I was was at the mercy of Google to find a driver and tour guide once in Malaysia. I was also aware of some unrest in the country and that made me nervous too. However, my family wanted to go and me oddly being the most conservative was outvoted, and I forged ahead with trying to get us to Malaysia. This was not an easy feat, and the hotel concierge was hot helpful either….I don’t think this is a thing that many tourists ask about doing. After a lot of research, I found a taxi company that seemed competent based on our emails, and left it in their hands to find a Malaysian guide. It all ended up working out in the end, despite long waits at the border crossing both going in and out of Malaysia. We picked up and dropped off our guide at a gas station close to the border, weird but it worked and needless to say, the guide was very inexpensive.

The day in Malaysia started off with lunch at a Malaysian restaurant where we had once again, chicken with rice, which was perfect. Our guide had us try many unique Malaysian desserts as well, which was fun and adventurous (many were weird). We visited both a Hindu and Muslim temple with beautiful decorations and ornaments. We made our way through the Indian District of the city. We were awed by the flower arrangements, sari, jewelry, and many other shops we passed. And of course we made sure to taste the famous banana cakes at Hiap Joo Bakery & Biscuit Factory, the most instagrammed spot in Johor Bahru. There was just a bit of a line, but we learned at other times, the line could be all the way down the street.

Our tour guide then led us to a private market for guides (aka tourist trap). Here, we learned about the Malaysian culture. We sipped on mango tea, performed in a traditional dance, witnessed tin making, played instruments, and shopped for unique jewelry. It was my favorite part of the day even though it was touristy. To end the tour, we headed to the king’s palace and walked around the grounds outside. There were cool structures leading up to the palace which made for great pictures. We spent about 4-5 hours in Johor Bahru and this was the perfect amount of time. I was glad (and relieved) when we crossed the border back into Singapore.

Jewel Changi Airport

Our flight home was at midnight and we made sure to get to the airport nice and early in the afternoon to check out all of the attractions at The Jewel. Daniel and I had spent a lot of time researching the airport and making a game plan. First stop, check your luggage and store your carry ons. There is early check in available at the Jewel. It is on the main level and you have the ability to check your bags and obtain your boarding passes, provided your flight is departing more than 3 hours from the check in time and you are flying on a “participating” airline (Singapore Airlines was a participating airline). Right next door, there was a desk where we were able to store our carry-ons until we were ready to go for our flight.

The Jewel is basically a mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex mixed with nature all housed under a striking glass and steel dome. The main attraction is the “world’s tallest indoor waterfall” and is the centerpiece of the Jewel. We systematically made our way around each of the 5 levels and saw the waterfall from all different viewpoints as we explored. And took a lot of pictures! You can even see the pool where the waterfall ends which is surrounded by lots of green and offers a nice place to sit and relax. We popped in and out of some shops. Daniel. loved the durian shop that had a lot of free samples. The rest of us couldn’t even smell the stuff! We ended at the top floor and got tickets to enter most of the attractions (some were for younger kids). We did the Canopy Park and Hedge Maze, both a little too young for us too. However, the Mirror Maze was fun, and the Manulife Sky Nets was hard and scary for me, but exciting for everyone else. We ended our airport excursion with a yummy dinner at Burger and Lobster as we couldn’t look at any more Asian food, which was the cuisine of choice at many of the Jewel restaurants. We collected our carry-ons and made our way through all of the steps and procedures to finally arrive at our gate for the long flight home.

Good Night!