The time had come to visit country number seven on my South East Asia bonanza: Singapore. It may be one of the smallest countries in the world but hey, it still counts right?

South East Asia, what a whirlwind it had been so far. By whirlwind I mean stressful, culturally enlightening, smelly, beautiful, sometimes-nightmarish, mosquito-ridden, tuk-tuk riding, eye-opening experience (phew!). But I digress…

I decided to put backpacking on the back-burner, for the 5 days I spent in Singapore. The mission was to go peak tourist – and peak tourist I went. It had been three months of noodles, tuk-tuks, and cheap beer. I couldn’t wait to trade it all in for theme parks, public transport, and ridiculously priced drinks (when I say ridiculous I mean going from paying 15p for a drink to paying £15).

On the outside, Singapore is intimidating as a purpose-built and apartment-block heavy jungle. Once I got past all of that, I realized it was a pretty, cultural melting pot of a city (not unlike my love – Kuala Lumpur).

Abandoned at the border

Arriving in Singapore wasn’t exactly the smoothest. After getting on a bus in Malaysia, Phil and I ended up stranded at the border when said bus left for the city without us. After a scramble to find a place to exchange all the Malaysian Ringgit we had to Singapore Dollars, we managed to find a lift to the city. Twenty minutes (and twenty dollars) later, we had arrived in the thick of Lion City.

The only thing on my mind was food! Our hostel was close to Little India, and the Indian food I’d had in Asia so far was FABULOUS, so it was a no-brainer. Walking through Little India was an experience in itself. Being a Sunday, there were hundreds of Indians walking the streets, you were pressed to actually find a space on the pavement. For a moment I forgot I was in Singapore and was transported to Mumbai. The experience was surreal, you really have to see it to believe it (but for now – let this Youtube video explain). For an authentic feel of Little India, we ate at Khasama Tandoori Restaurant – more expensive than what we were used to but worth every cent!

Public Transport with a twist

One thing I am ultimately not ashamed of is my love for open-top bus tours. There is something about these big red tourist traps that I just can’t resist – and what better way to reach peak tourist while seeing all that there is to see in Singapore city.

This was not your usual tuk-tuk, and it certainly cost more than one (SG$40 each!). The bus pulled up to pick us up and we perched ourselves on the top level to get the best view of the sights, whizzing past Marina Bay Sands, Gardens By The Bay, The Botanical Gardens, China Town, and the famous Raffles Hotel.

Possibly my favorite drop off was the eclectic Arab street – Singapore’s Muslim quarter. Surrounding the Masjid Sultan Mosque, the hub is packed full of brightly colored textiles, decorative ceramic tiles, and the smell of tea fills the air wherever you walk.

We hung around the Mosque long enough to see a tour group of around 20 girls, all in bright fuschia-pink hijabs, take a group photo in front of it. They were more than happy to pose for photos for their adoring public (i.e us). Arab Street was the last place we expected to find an abundance of Singapore’s best vintage shops and indie boutiques like Craft Assembly. I had to keep reminding myself that no, a vintage tea dress will not fit in my backpack.

Gardens and Technology

Arguably the most sought after spot In Singapore is Gardens By The Bay. It was a perfect mix of nature, art installations, and futuristic tech as if acting as a metaphor for Singapore itself. So fascinating, even David Attenbourogh included it in his epic Planet Earth II.

Starting off in the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, we took lifts, hanging bridges, and escalators to the gardens themselves. Around every corner was something new and compelling. Whether it was a riveting sculpture, futuristic supertrees, a cloud forest, or historical tidbits of Singapore’s diverse cultural history, we were destined to learn at Gardens By The Bay. The Gardens also offered an array of world records including the largest greenhouse in the world (The Flower Dome) or the worlds largest indoor waterfall in the Cloud Forest.

Next on the agenda was the ArtScience museum, located just outside of Marina Bay Sands Hotel. We opted to go to two exhibitions – Human + The Future Of Our Species, and Future World – perhaps the two finest exhibitions I have ever been to. If you go to one museum in Singapore, I urge you to go to this one and at least see Future World (who could say no to that room full of fairy lights?!).

Universal-ly Fun

A touristy trip to Singapore would not be complete without a visit to Universal Studios. Those who know me know I LOVE theme parks – my whole university dissertation was based around theme parks – so this was obviously at the very top of my list. An uber took us right to the gates like the flashpackers we wished we were, and we spent the whole day running around like children (forgetting about the dwindling budget).

Later that evening, we managed to get tickets to a friendly between Singapore and Argentina. I had only ever been to one football match in my life, and I wasn’t going to pretend to understand what was going on. From what Phil told me, it wasn’t a great game. But just like Singapore in that match, I was simply happy to be there!

Singapore, you were a brief encounter for such an immense and spellbinding place. There is so much left to explore of this city-state, and many cultural stones were left unturned.

I will definitely be making it back someday.

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