First Day in S

After July, 4.45 am ... showering, tidying up... before the taxi picks us up at 6 am.

There are a lot of early birds next to us, departure is at 9.40 am, check-in is already crowded at 7 am. Now we have 12:20 hours of flight time ahead of us, arrival at 4 am local time in Singapore. Equipped with the necessary cash (Singapore dollars, US dollars and Malaysian Ringgit), we are ready and excited for the first day in Singapore.

After four hours of sleep, we prepare for the first day. First, we take a bus to the Arab Quarter, where we need to grab some food. For nostalgic reasons, we have Nasi Goreng and Chicken Massala... while enjoying our breakfast (or is it already lunch?), Dania reads interesting facts about the city-state of Singapore. Right behind our food stall is the Sultan Mosque, which we want to visit.

The meal takes a while, because Michi unknowingly orders the fourth, oh no, the fifth drink, as her Chicken Massala once again transforms into Tea Massala. They apparently don't understand her 🥴

With a multitude of drinks (she only ordered 2) in front of her, she soon drinks enough, but finally the misunderstanding is resolved and she receives her dish.

Finally, we head to the beautiful Arab Street, where colorful houses and intense smells await us. Unfortunately, the mosque is closed right now (lunch break), but the call of the Muezzin compensates for it.

In Haji Lane, we can admire artworks on the houses - just like a real gallery.

We spontaneously head to Fort Canning Park. There's no one here, maybe no wonder, because all Singaporeans(?)/Singarens(?)/Singaporeans(?)/I don't know are probably busy working.

The park is fantastic, flora and fauna can be admired, and since I am easily impressed, every sentence starts with: "wow, that's so beautiful...!" Except for the machine from which you can get fresh and toasted toast 😏... and since I find thunderstorms and lightning very scary, a sign that says you have to be careful not to get struck by lightning reassures me, but only moderately.

In Chinatown, the world full of colorful plastic, we take a break. Dania is happy to finally find a stall in the local food court that doesn't offer fish heads or beef chips, but fresh vegetables and tofu.

Pay attention to the A or B quality seal, everything else might end up in the restroom.

Refreshed, we continue to walk down to the harbor, our first stop is Gardens by the Bay (https://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/nature-wildlife/parks-gardens/gardens-by-the-bay/). The Supertrees, especially from above, are breathtaking, unfortunately we're not there at night when they're illuminated. It's hot and humid, everything is flowing and running... that's when the Cloud Forest - a large greenhouse with waterfalls and mist - gives us a well-deserved cool down. During our search for the water show, which takes place every evening at 8 pm and 9 pm in front of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, we stumbled upon - but thank God - the light show of the Supertrees and were amazed... during both shows!

Overall, Singapore feels like America in Asia in many places... the currency in dollars, the heavily used air conditioning, and the green street signs... and drug smuggling carries the death penalty.

But it's beautiful! Even if sometimes you don't know what you're eating - like Dania says: maybe it's the chicken's varicose vein! But everything is so delicious!