So if you have been following along with this blog, you will know that I am currently on my big trip. I’ve been super nervous leading up to it, the build up to so many things that happen is the worst part. It is anxiety about the unknown, and the what-ifs, but now that it is happening, I’m actually so much better. D and I will be away for 5 weeks, going all over the place and the next few blogs will be all about that. Sorry, not sorry…. We’re having an adventure!

The first stop on our itinerary – after an unexpected airport catchup with some very good friends of mine, was Singapore. I have flown through here before and had a relatively quick stop at the airport, but have never stayed. I’m so glad we did! We have had a fabulous time!

The city is amazingly green and prides itself on the millions of plants that have been put in the ground. It is incredibly clean and forward thinking, and the people are very conscious of sharing space with nature. Singapore has no natural resources, and very limited space so every single thing in the country, has been imported from somewhere else. There is a whole lot of construction happening everywhere, which is not always the prettiest thing to look at, but is happening to continuously improve the already impressive infrastructure.

Initially, when we were in the planning stages for the trip, we thought we might get the train to our hotel, but that proved more of a challenge than we were ready for.. so a taxi it was! Check in gave us perhaps the smallest room I’ve ever stayed in, and certainly the firmest mattress, but it did what we needed it to do just fine, and in the end was quite comfortable.

Before we came, we had pre-booked a 48 hour Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour, which included a night tour, so we dumped our stuff and navigated our way to the pick up zone…. It was quite a walk, and a very warm one at that!! 28°C and 70% humidity, meant that we were hot, sweaty messes by the time we found our destination thanks to Google maps!! The tour was well worth it tho!

We got to see Marina Barrage – a very clever bit of engineering that helps to keep the sea away from the reclaimed land. We went to the Gardens by the sea and saw the garden rhapsody light show and had a super tasty satay dinner at Lau Pa Sat, one of the oldest hawker markets in Singapore. Our tour guide Peter was truly fabulous… the amount of information in his brain about anything Singapore was phenomenal! All in all, we managed about 7km walking, which D and I both found impressive after an 8 hour flight!

Day two saw us starting with Brekky at our hotel. It was an interesting and quite random selection. The noodles being served were tasty, but I drew the line at mashed potato, broccoli and fish fingers! Following Brekky, we made our way back to the Bus stop via a 7-11 to buy water bottles for the day. We managed to come across a Chinese temple area, which was super interesting, and unexpected!

The bus tour was absolutely worth the money. There were two different lines, that we were able to access and between them we saw…a million shopping malls, the Pit stop area for the Grand Prix that is happening in September, the Sultans Mosque, City Hall, The Helix Bridge, the Art Science museum, Marina Bay Sands, the Merlion, the botanical gardens, a gazillion bridges, the Singapore flyer, Clarke Quay, all the ritzy shops. We have smelled the smells of China Town and Little India – the durian fruits are in season and RIPE!!! 

We also did a hop on-hop off boat trip around the Harbour, which was a really nice way to get a different perspective of the city. There are some super impressive high rise buildings, and a whole lot of them have managed to incorporate plants into their balcony and roof areas.

I managed to get sunburnt on my shoulders, and we both had sore feet after the 15km we managed to walk, but we have absolutely seen Singapore! Probably one of my favourite things (and honestly quite indulgent given the outrageous price) was sitting in The Long Bar at Raffles Hotel, sipping on a Singapore Sling…. Worth every penny!

If you’re planning an adventure anytime soon, I would totally recommend a stop over here. There was a whole lot more that D and I could have done… you could easily spend a week or so exploring all the different parts! I’m so glad we have seen and done all we did! Now tho, the next part of the adventure… we are London bound – after being fleeced for $15 by the loveliest taxi driver taking us to the airport!!

We have a jam packed itinerary and I’m pretty excited for it!