10. Singapore - The Fine City

BOOOOOM Contrast!!!!!!

Sorry, had to do it :-)

We've been to Singapore's airport before and already had an idea of what to expect.

The airport itself is a highlight, and I'm sure you could easily spend your annual vacation there alone :-) There's a pool, nice restaurants, free foot massages, and beautiful green areas with waterfalls.

However, we decided to leave the airport by taxi and head to our previously booked AirBnB in Germany. About 30 minutes from the airport, we found an affordable accommodation. With Singapore's efficient MRT (Metro) system, it should be easy to reach the city center.

Singapore is as big as Hamburg and has a population of 5.6 million.

What immediately stands out in Singapore, and for which it is very well-known, is the cleanliness of the streets and public facilities. Additionally, there are high fines and even corporal punishment. If that's not enough, there's also the death penalty.

To avoid the latter, we chewed our gum on the plane since chewing gum is also prohibited in Singapore :-)

In conversations with people from Singapore, we learned that the people live in somewhat of a bubble. The government tries to limit the people's exposure to the outside world as much as possible, yet still wants to be number one. People work very long hours, and there has only been a social system in place for a few years. 14 days of vacation per year is normal. Many people in Singapore aspire to work in one of the big bank towers. The pay is almost on par with Germany. That's about the situation :-)

On our way to our accommodation, we marveled at the many new cars, the observance of traffic rules, and the traffic lights. We hadn't seen that in a month.

Our accommodation was a private house owned by a man who called himself Johnny. Johnny, who was in his mid-50s, showed us our room and gave us some useful information.

Our room was spacious and equipped with air conditioning. The AC was definitely necessary because it was somehow even hotter than in Sri Lanka.

We went to a nearby market to get settled in first.

Afterward, we looked for something to eat nearby. Unfortunately, we made the mistake that almost everyone makes on their first visit to Singapore and went to a restaurant. We decided against a German restaurant and chose a steakhouse instead. The food was really good, but we couldn't afford to eat there every evening for 72 Singapore Dollars :-)

We had a good night's sleep and, after watching some local TV, headed to the Metro. It was only a 10-minute walk to the MRT station and a 15-minute ride to the city center in the heart of the city.

Once we arrived, we quickly realized that "Raffles Place" is only meant for work, and we were a bit overwhelmed. What does the shy European do when he needs to orient himself?

Coffee!

Afterward, we went to see the famous Merlion Fountain, the city's iconic symbol. Many Chinese... It's funny to see how adults can contort themselves just to take cool pictures with a fountain.

In the evening, we already had a date with Linus. Linus, a friend of Robert's from Cologne, is doing an internship in Singapore to boost his résumé :-)

Nice to see you again, Linus ;-) Next time in Dresden!

We met up with him and two colleagues at a Hawker. Hawkers are the only affordable and good way to eat in Singapore. We had lively conversations and learned a lot about the cultural life in Singapore. Each of us bought something to eat, which was then brought to our table. One of Linus's colleagues provided us with a chili crab and a stingray. Both are absolute delicacies that are only available on special occasions. Thank you!!!

We ended our first day and took the Metro back home. The Metro closes at 12 am, and alcohol is no longer served after 10:30 pm.

We started the next day a bit more relaxed since we had a small jetlag after a month.

We went to Little India, a colorful and lively neighborhood that partly reflects the Indian culture. In the middle of Little India is probably the craziest shopping center we've seen so far. The Mustafa Center consists of 2 large buildings and is packed to the brim on 5 floors. A mix of a metro, Karstadt, and 1€ stores. They really have everything, and a lot of it :-) At the Mustafa Center, the term "plastic frenzy" takes on a completely new meaning. To package a knife, the lady at the checkout needed 7 bags and 2 zip ties. She wouldn't be dissuaded... Scary :-(

We had a good Indian meal and later met up with Linus again in the city.

We explored Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay together. A dream world that can easily compete with Dubai. We strolled along the marina, and Linus showed us his favorite spots. Robert had a great time taking photos :-)

We still struggled with the heat and the time, so we left our AirBnB a bit later the next day.

We went to the Cloud Forest, an artificially created garden. Well, it was okay. Lots of Chinese people, and not a big attraction - at least not for us. We still had fun though :-)

In the evening, we visited the oversized Orchard Road. A shopping mile that can compete with the best in the world. There were even two Sony Centers. Perfect for Robert, as he needed a small part for his camera that he had lost in Sri Lanka. Found it! --> Happy Robi <3

The next day was supposed to be a bit more exciting. We met up with Linus at Sentosa Theme Park.

The theme park has a lot to offer, but we knew exactly what we wanted.

An aquarium, go-karting, and a cable car ride!

The aquarium was absolutely stunning, and we marveled at one of the largest tanks in the world. It was set up like a movie theater, and we spent at least an hour in front of the "screen" watching rays, sharks, and giant fish. Absolutely amazing!

The "go-karting" turned out to be the highlight. It was like a summer toboggan run but on a road, racing down a hill. GoPro on --> AND ACTION! It was really funny, and we were almost in tears from laughter. A man crashed into the barriers at full speed, hitting a girl who was in his way. It wasn't a big deal, but the moment was just hilarious. Afterward, we had to dig deep into our wallets to do something that Robert had been instructed to do by Josefine for his birthday.

A cozy 66 SGD for 2 people with a gondola ride over the city. But when you're there, you just have to do it :-) It was short but nice. We made a stop at Mount Faber and enjoyed a beautiful view over Singapore. Then we went downhill - Josi went shopping, and Robert enjoyed a cold beer at the bar with Linus.

We met up with an acquaintance of Linus's in Chinatown and ended the evening at the hawker. On the way to the hawker, we also witnessed a Chinese lottery event. Only briefly, it was a bit too much for our European ears :-)

On the way back to our accommodation, everything that could go wrong went wrong for us.... We gave Linus our (almost empty) MRT cards and said goodbye. Then we wanted to buy a single ticket at the ticket machine. Payment with Visa didn't work at the machine. Withdrawing money also didn't work. Great :-( We went to the counter... Only cash payment accepted. We couldn't get in touch with Linus either. No network and no mobile data. And there we stood in this completely modern world. Time was really tight, and we had already accepted that we would have to walk about 2 hours to our accommodation. Desperately, Robert turned to the nice man at the counter one last time. He thought for a moment and simply gave us a 5 SGD note from his register, with which we could buy a single ticket. What a kind person! We thanked him a thousand times and actually had to run to catch the last train. Lucky us :-)

On the last day in Singapore, Jojo was going to join us since we wanted to explore Indonesia together. We picked up Jojo from the airport with the MRT and went to our accommodation. It was really nice to have a buddy by our side again after a few weeks.

We had planned a 6-hour intense Singapore program for Jojo!

Arrive at the accommodation, take a shower, then head to the hawker, eat some strange stuff, and continue to the city.

And that's exactly what we did :-) We met up with Linus again in the city and watched the nightly light show of the metal trees at Gardens by the Bay. Afterward, we went up to the roof of the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel, where luckily, we were allowed to go up easily and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the city. We were really lucky. Or maybe it was Jojo's well-groomed appearance that got us access to the rooftop terrace :-) We said goodbye to Linus, who also wanted to travel through Indonesia with his sister (and is currently doing so).

The three of us globetrotters went to the accommodation and slept for 8 hours. Jojo slept for 4 hours, Josi for 4 hours, Robi for 0 hours :-)

We started early, fully motivated, for the Sumatra rainforest! What happened to us there and why Lacoste shoes absolutely belong in the rainforest, you'll find out in the next blog entry :-)

Stay tuned, we're not anymore.... (We've been in Australia for 2 weeks already)

Josefine & Robert