18.02.2017 Singapore

On February 11th, after a long flight, we finally arrived in Singapore, 'the Lion City'.

We had almost a week planned for the city, so we took our time exploring this amazing place.

After a long sleep on the first day, we headed to Chinatown. It was the first time we saw a Chinese district and we quickly fell in love. The 'Chinese New Year' decorations were everywhere (even though it had already passed) and the market had everything our hearts desired.

In the evening, our plan was to walk to Marina Bay Hotel to watch the light show and have dinner along the Singapore River. However, a quick look at the prices on the menu was enough to lose our appetite... We ended up trying some street food instead.

The light show was mediocre, but Singapore at night is even more fantastic than during the day. However, I think the pictures speak for themselves, so I don't need to elaborate further. After six weeks in South Africa, it was also a nice feeling to walk the streets at night without worry or caution, although it initially felt strange and unreal.

We spent the next few days shopping and visiting various museums.

Our favorite was the Battle Bunker located in Fort Canning Park. The bunker was used as a command center by the British during World War II. The museum can only be accessed with a guide, but the tour is very exciting and the wax figures make it very vividly explained.

If you are interested in the history of Singapore, don't miss the National Museum. It describes the many stages of the small country in four sections. However, you should allocate ample time and patience for it. One highlight in this museum was a 'book dispenser', which works like the Selecta vending machines, except that you don't know which book you will get as they are all wrapped in wrapping paper. These are books by Singaporean authors. Of course, I had to get one!

There are many things we liked about Singapore, but one of the top things is that the whole city is very green and you can find a great park almost everywhere. It is definitely the cleanest city I have ever seen! Before we arrived here, we heard many negative opinions about Singapore. I can partly understand that the city seems very 'clean' and lacks the usual charm that big cities have. But at the same time, everything is very modern and progressive. A trip to Singapore feels like a trip to the future, and both of us really enjoyed our time here!

Just before leaving, we welcomed our parents and Adrian. Seeing them again after such a long time was incredibly nice, and we are looking forward to the time we will spend with them in Malaysia!