Singapore and arrival in Bali

Hello,

this time I'm reporting for the first time on my own...

This post is only about Singapore, I will share my experiences in Bali and at school in the next few days.

Well, after a very difficult farewell at the airport, I flew to Singapore on October 28th with Air Asia. Unfortunately, Therry had to wait another six hours for her flight.... but she is now happy to be back in Germany. The huge and very modern Changi Airport impressed me upon arrival, and the almost perfect bus and MRT system show how the society and the city work. However, for the first evening, I went to the hostel, which is located far outside in the east of the country/city. The hostel was really great, free tea/coffee, a great breakfast and even a cat. Immediately, the owner explained to me in the best English (which is actually the main language in Singapore, as the population consists of a large part of Chinese (about 70%), a few Malays (about 15%) and otherwise only immigrants) what I should see in the three days that I am there. I enjoyed my dinner at one of the many hawker (food courts, actually street stalls that have been consolidated by the government for better hygiene).

The next day, I went straight to the city - well, actually, I always am.... I went to Orchard Road, a major shopping street. And big is really big. Dozens of malls, some 12 stories high, line up along about 3km. Bangkok seems really small in comparison. And as always, these felt like they only consist of Prada and Gucci shops.

From there, I always went along the malls towards the sea, or rather the so-called Marina Bay. On the way, I stopped at a golf park (Istana), where the Presidential Palace is located. Due to a Hindu holiday, it was possible to visit it. There, I met another German tourist of the same age, who is traveling around Asia for six months. I did something with him the next day, but more on that later.

First, there was lunch, and that was at a German restaurant called 'Brotzeit'. Finally, a Wiener Schnitzel and a wheat beer again. I won't reveal the price, but Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world. For example, a beer in a bar costs about 10-18 SD (about 7-12 euros) - more than at Oktoberfest. Cheap food and drinks can only be found at the hawkers (about 2-5 SD).

Arriving at Marina Bay, the sight is breathtaking: behind you is the skyline of Singapore, and in front of you is one of the coolest hotels in the world. There is a kind of 'ship' on three towers. Up there, at a height of about 200m, is the world's highest infinity pool. Visitors can also go up to take photos, but I did not meet the dress code. Also architecturally unique is the Art and Science Museum, which remotely resembles a baseball glove. For the rest of the day, I just walked around the bay and admired everything. You can simply see that Singapore spends a lot of money on modern architecture. It is also noticeable that there is no trash lying around anywhere and that everything is planned down to the smallest detail. Even as a German, one is amazed. Well, regarding trash: In Singapore, there are very high penalties for littering, and the state has a strict legal code in general. For example, possession or trade of drugs is consistently punished with death, even for foreigners.

Directly below the huge hotel is an equally large mall, which has an artificial canal and gondola rides à la Venice on the second basement level. Behind Marina Bay, which, like the entire coast, is artificially reclaimed, is a park called Gardens by the Bay, where two huge greenhouses are located, and also the famous 'gardens' with an artificial tree. (see pictures).

On one of the 'trees' is a small bar, which I visited because it offers a truly impressive view of the city skyline. Especially when you come in the evening. The trees are illuminated in the dark, and there is a light show every evening that you can enjoy - Singapore simply has the money. After taking more pictures at the bay at night, including the Helix Bridge and the tallest Ferris wheel in the world (no, it is not in London!), I went by MRT to Chinatown for dinner. On the way there, I met three students (2 Mexicans, one German) who are doing a semester abroad in Singapore and had similar eating plans.

We went to eat together, and then we walked to Clarke, the party district in Singapore (a covered street right on the river with countless clubs and bars). Since it was Saturday and Halloween was just around the corner, there was even live music and it was bustling. There, I joined another group of students (2 Chinese, one French) and we went to Zouk in pouring rain. It is a huge and well-known but very expensive club. Cocktails, for example, cost around 20 euros.... too much for my budget. Nevertheless, we stayed until late at night... luckily, one of the Chinese students offered me to sleep in his room at NTU, so at least we could share the Uber costs.

In the morning, I then received a small tour of the university campus, and once again, I thought to myself: Singapore simply has the money. After that, I immediately went back to the city, met up with the other German from the day before, and went to the Art and Science Museum. It was rather playful, for example, you could draw and scan animals, and then they were brought to life on the wall in an artificial environment by a projector. Afterwards, we made plans to meet up in Clarke again, and everyone went their separate ways. I also visited the Red Dot design Award Museum and the City Gallery, where there is a great model of Singapore. I also visited the two Botanic Gardens at Marina Bay, although only the 'Cloud Forest' impressed with its size. Well, I already had enough jungle so far.

For dinner, I went to a hawker again, this time in downtown. A street is closed off there, and then only chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce are sold, they are really delicious.

The rest of the evening, I spent in Clarke until late at night, and I saved the money for a hostel again, as I found a spot in the room with the other German.

By now, slightly sleep deprived, I went to the bay in the morning, admired the fish scale reminiscent facade of the theater, and finally got my first Mos Burger - it was really not good, and despite my origin, I did not get a discount....

In the afternoon, I went to the hostel where I stayed the first night again, I just wanted to have a proper bed and a shower. In the evening, I went back to Chinatown to a hawker, where supposedly the famous stall was located that was awarded a Michelin star earlier this year... unfortunately, I didn't find it. But the food was still good :)

In the evening, there was again time for taking pictures at the bay, and there was also a light and water show. The special thing about it: a wall of water fountains is created, onto which films are projected from behind. I spent the rest of the evening at the hostel.

The flight the next day was of course delayed by five hours, so I only took off at half past five.... at least the airport has good Wi-Fi. The shock came in Bali when my visa was NOT accepted at the Immigrasi.... it had expired when I entered as a tourist a month before. Great, but no one told me about that, and all the money for the visa was in vain.

Now I am in the country with a 60-day visa, and in early December, I will travel to Kuala Lumpur (cheapest flight) to apply for a new visa there. However, not for Indonesia again, instead I will shorten my work at the school to this period instead of the planned six months. Instead, after visiting my parents in early January, I will go back to Thailand. The plan is to find a diving school where I can become a divemaster and then work there. Things can change so quickly....

A detailed report on the school will follow in the next few days. Pictures will also be added once I find a café with good internet... which I have now... well, they are still mostly unedited files because files larger than 10MB cannot be uploaded.

Your Jakob