03.01.2023 - New Year's Eve in Singapore

From Melaka to Singapore, only a distance of about 260 kilometers, yet it feels like entering a completely different world. But let's start from the beginning. After three weeks in Malaysia, I booked a bus and set off towards Singapore on December 29th. There is a large bridge between the border of Malaysia and Singapore, so first you collect your exit stamp on the mainland, then drive over the bridge to enter Singapore. But in this case, the bridge is not just a bridge, as it is a gateway to another 'world'. Although Singapore officially belongs to Southeast Asia, when leaving the border building, nothing reminded me of the world I had left behind about half an hour ago. Singapore is super clean, Singapore is fully digitalized, and Singapore is green. There are trees at every street corner, greenery everywhere, and you can see smaller parks and green areas. Moreover, the world meets in Singapore, and this urban atmosphere gives the unique charm to this city. But upon my arrival, I didn't meet the whole world, just Christine. Christine is a former colleague of my mother and she agreed to host me for five days. You can't imagine how wonderful it is to have your own room again after three months of traveling and just close the door when you want to. Plus, there was a pool and oatmeal. Yes, plain oatmeal that you can have with milk for breakfast - a welcome alternative to the otherwise offered white bread with overly sweet jam. Perhaps you can tell, it was like a vacation. But of course, you also want to experience something on vacation, and Singapore has some attractions to offer.

Singapore brings together all of Asia in one city, with Chinese, Indians, and Malaysians living here. English and French people call this place home, as well as Americans and Indonesians. Buddhist and Hindu temples stand next to mosques, and Christian churches stand next to synagogues. First, Christine took me to Little India, where countless small shops line up, it smells of spices, and there are many flower vendors on the streets. In addition, there are, of course, countless Indian restaurants, so it was self-explanatory that we had to eat. After a little refreshment, I then went to the most famous place in Singapore, Marina Bay. Although I had already seen pictures of the skyline beforehand, I was still overwhelmed. The tall buildings, all the lights, and the most relaxed atmosphere ever - I could have sat by the promenade for hours. By the way, from here you can also see one of the most famous hotels in the world. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel resembles an airship and towers directly above the super trees in the Gardens by the Bay. But these trees are not really trees. In fact, they are steel and concrete structures that resemble something out of science fiction rather than a forest. However, these 'trees' serve not only to look good, but they also generate energy. Solar panels are installed in the crowns, which store the power for the evening light show. In addition, the 'trees' are equipped with cisterns that serve as rainwater storage. And at the same time, they also serve as ventilation shafts for the greenhouses - super trees indeed. After so many impressions, it was late in the evening and time to go back to the apartment and go to bed, as New Year's Eve was the next day.

New Year's Eve in Singapore, which was perhaps a brief consideration before the start of my journey, actually became a reality. Apart from a short pool session, we took it very easy during the day. But in the evening, the city was completely different. It felt like the entire population of Singapore was out on the streets. The atmosphere was still super relaxed. Alcohol is very expensive in Singapore, and fireworks are prohibited, so you got to see a completely different picture of New Year's Eve here than what you are used to in Germany - you could get used to it easily. Actually, we wanted to watch the fireworks from one of the countless high-rise buildings. But we were not alone in this idea, so in the end, we decided to go down to Marina Bay. And here, I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

After a good night's sleep the next morning, it was time for some history in the afternoon. The National Museum of Singapore is the oldest museum in the city and provides a nice insight into the history and culture of the small country. Did you know that Singapore belonged to Malaysia for two years and that Singapore was founded by a Briton in 1819?

After visiting the museum, I went back to Marina Bay, which I had only seen in the evening so far. While in Germany, there are still fireworks remains on the streets on New Year's Day and sometimes even days later, here you could have eaten off the floor. What was once filled with hundreds of thousands of people not even 24 hours ago, now there was nothing left that could remind you of the New Year's Eve party.

The next day, the time had come, after three months of travel, I had to deal with my first bad cold. Runny nose, headaches, and sore throat prevented me from going on a larger sightseeing tour, so in the evening, I just went for a walk in one of the national parks together with Christine. Here, we encountered two creatures that you wouldn't normally find in Germany. Two monitor lizards waddled towards us right in the middle of the walkway, and they were not going to let our presence deter them from their mission. Without any fear, they passed us by, although I probably had more respect for them than they had for me. The sight is a bit too reminiscent of crocodiles, so I was relieved when the two of them had passed us and we had the path to ourselves again.

And that was it, the five days in Singapore. Thanks again to Christine, who made the time something very special. For me, it was then time to go back to Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur, where I had visitors on January 4th. But more about that next time.