As there is no direct flight to Bali (at least from Frankfurt), we intentionally booked a flight with Singapore Airlines. On the one hand it was said to be the best airline (which we can confirm now). On the other hand, we could make a stopover in Singapore.
We had a 23 hours and 54 minutes stay there. As your luggage will always be checked through until your actual destination, if the stopover lasts less than 24 hours, you should plan before what to put in your hand luggage. In case of Singapore, we would recommend light clothes. Really!
Sightseeing in tropical conditions
The climate of Singapore is as you expect it to be near the equator: Tropical! During our stay, we finally met this thing called Haze. It’s a kind of smog caused by illegal fire clearings in Malaysia and Indonesia. Nothing for asthmatics. Or just for anyone in the world. Jesus, it really smelled like hell!
Melting Pot Singapore
If you’re taking the subway in Singapore, you will immediately notice that people from all over the world live in this small country. Chinese people are the majority here, but there are a lot of Indians, Malaysians, Americans and Europeans as well. You will see that on the restaurants’ menus, too.
Eat, Drink, Tax
Due to a lack of time, we focussed on the Marina Bay area. The restaurants here offer more ‘western food’. Also ‘western’ wines. But prices are also very western. Actually it wasn’t that expensive, but compared to Bali, anything would have shocked us.
Never forget tax: It’s not included in the prices on the menus. They mention the exact amount including service charge in the fine print.
Fullerton Hotel
The former colonial building is a 5 star hotel today and it also looks like one. Unfortunately, we cannot afford something like this. But as soon as we will win the jackpot in the lottery, we’ll definitely check in here.
Merlion
Singapore’s landmark. The name derives from mermaid and lion. The legendary figure is half fish half lion and patron of Singapore. Actually, it’s only clever marketing. But we want to believe it. So everything is fine.
It’s also famous for all the awkward and funny tourist pics. If you want to see it, just search for Merlion on Instagram. My personal favourite: A guy, pretending the water’s coming out of his nose. Maybe it’s just me thinking that’s funny.
Esplanade- Theatres in the Bay
We thought, there are more bars and restaurants on this side. At least, at the shore. But it’s not like that. Instead, we were delighted by open air music from different cultures. There was some kind of fall feast going on there. When it comes to entertainment, Singapore has a lot to offer for its visitors and residents. But more about that later in the text.
Generally, the Esplanade Theatres area is 60.000 m² large and a performing arts center. We haven’t been inside, but it looks stunning from the outside.
Helix Bridge
This pedestrian bridge was opened in 2010 and is especially impressive in the dark. It connects the Esplanade with Marina Bay Sands. Furthermore there are view points in the bridge. Singapore wants us to take as much pictures as we can.
Marina Bay Sands
It’s already spectacular by day, but after sunset, on the opposite side of Singapore’s most famous hotel, a lot of men came along with their tripods to make as many good pictures as possible. Jan was a bit jealous as his tripod was in the checked-in luggage.
Next to the Marina Bay Sands, there is a huge shopping mall, the biggest and most impressive that we’ve seen so far: Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. Shops for all prices from different countries. Food stalls next to Gourmet restaurants. And everything so sterile, Indonesian hospitals might be jealous about that. And there is a Casino. Just an information for those addicted to gambling.
To reach Gardens by the Bay you can literally go through the Marina Bay Sands. For all those who cannot afford a stay here: You can have at least a look at it. The rooms downstairs are more affordable than the others. But everybody passing the hotel can watch you from outside.
The rooms on the top and the pool would have been awesome though. Maybe for a longer stay, we would think about spending one or two nights here.
Gardens by the Bay
The lightshow is awesome. Especially on a Friday evening, there’s a lot going on here.
The best thing is to walk around in the city so much that you’re too exhausted to become upset when people are spoiling your pictures.
Singapore Sling
At the end of the day, we tried the famous Singapore Sling. Not in the Raffles Hotel, but in a bar outside of Marina Bay Sands. Our very critical opinion: It tastes really good. Thanks to the high prices in general, both cocktails were 50S$ (including tax). Cheers!
‘Wonder Full’
The ‘Wonder Full’ is a light and water show at the Marina Bay. A Must-See! Really! Even if we all hate the word must-see. While there are a lot of people around nine p.m., it’s more comfy watching the show at 11 p.m. We would definitely recommend you to visit the later one.
Singapore is one of the most spectacular cities we’ve seen so far. For a longer stay: Little India and China Town are said to be really beautiful and the food fantastic. And there are a lot og gigantic shopping malls, which I would really love to see. On the other hand, the city often seems artificial and money is everything here!
Well, still interesting, and what we didn’t see, we’ll see the next time. Hopefully without Haze!