Singapore was the first country that I travelled to. And I am so grateful to have chosen this wonderful country.
Disclaimer: It's a long post. 😉
While I was on my quest of deciding where to travel, there were a lot many more options to choose from. Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. There were these 5 countries that I was kind of juggling around with. As I still remember my friends saying that Singapore is an expensive country, so travel to a country where you might not have to spend much. Maybe that was more of my reason for selecting Singapore.
Hence, Singapore decided.
Planning the Trip
I visited this country with two of my friends in August 2017. Since it was our first time travelling internationally, we decided to get a customized trip from TravelTriangle. To be frank, I was a bit scared of all the procedures. Especially the visa part. But thanks to my agent, it was a pretty smooth ride.
As I was staying in Bhubaneswar at that time, so I booked a flight from Kolkata. We had a midnight flight with a stop at Kuala Lumpur. I was sure that I would be tired by the time we would reach Changi Airport.
But I could not have been more wrong.
Changi International airport is just out of the world. I mean I already read about it online. But it is a whole different thing to see it for yourself. It is so grand.
We bought a sim from one of the stalls inside the airport itself. Didn't want to roam around the city on our first day for just a sim. For the same reason, I also got currency from India itself.
Currency exchange at airports is very expensive. So, it is a good practice to have to do a bit of research and select the best from various options. We went for a travel card from ICICI and also some cash for any immediate requirement.
I literally could not help myself from taking a picture of the note the moment I was given it to me. It felt quite a milestone for me. I seriously don't know why.
Day One - Night Safari
We arrived at around 10 in the morning and the immigration line was really long. It took another hour or so to reach the exit, where our agent has arranged for our pick up. In just 25 minutes, we were checked in. A very smooth process till far.
I wanted to have some time right away to explore a bit. So, the only activity we had for our first day was the Night Safari. Which was of course at night. We had the whole day to ourselves. So, without wasting much time, I took a quick shower, had breakfast, and out we were.
We literally just walked and walked and walked. Without any destination in mind. The first thing that really caught my eye was the cleanliness. I mean not even a single leaf on the ground. Not kidding at all.
Our ride for the Night Safari was supposed to pick us in the late evening. So, we decided to kill our time just roaming around. Now I am a very on-time kind of person. If I am supposed to be ready at 6, I make sure I am ready to leave at 5:30. So, because of my constant nagging, we came back to our hotel way earlier than required. Not guilty at all.
Singapore Night Safari
Soon we were in our van, going towards our first adventure in this country. We were provided with E-Tickets and just scanned at one of the kiosks. It was soooooooooo damn crowded.
There was also supposed to be fire show too, but we were so much in the back that could not catch even a glimpse of it. Even though we could hear all the cheer from the people in front of us.
After a wait of approximately 45 minutes, it was our turn to get on the ride. It was tram with live commentary. Said to be the best way to catch the nocturnal animals in their habitat. After everyone settled down and providing a set of rules to follow while on the ride, we started on.
It is really one of a kind of safari. There was a special fun in seeing them in the night and especially trying to find some in their areas. To be frank, a bit spooky too. I was somehow always looking at all my directions to see if anyone of the creatures might have crept out of its den.
The ride lasted for about 40 minutes. Perfect to provide some time to have dinner at the plaza inside. There were a variety of restaurants inside. Somehow, we stuck to Indian food. We expected it to be at least a bit different from home but it was just so good that we could not compare.
Being the first night in Singapore, I did not feel like going back. The energy at this place was so wild that I wanted to just sit around. But alas, it was time to go. Our ride was waiting outside and I didn't want to struggle to find an Uber at that time.
But once we reached the hotel, instead of right away going in and sleeping, we hang out till our legs literally cried for some rest. I just didn't want this day to end.
Day Two - Sentosa Island
Singapore is itself an island country. And today, we were visiting a famous island in this very island country. The famous Sentosa island.
After having a hearty breakfast, we set out for the day. Our ride was just outside our hotel for us to board. And off we go. I was so very excited about today.
To reach Sentosa Island, you need to ride a cable car from Mount Faber. It is the second-highest hill in Singapore. And the view is just astonishing. One of the attractions that we had the time to see while waiting for our ride was Faber Park.
We wandered around and came across an open area with a fish pond and the famous Bell of Happiness. It is a huge bell with smaller bells hanging from the centre. And this huge bell is in the middle of an arc.
Similar to the wall of locks in Paris, there is also a wall and a centrepiece with smalls bells hanging around. I am not sure if you are allowed to add a new bell or something. We were lucky to have time enough to explore this park.
Soon, it was time for us to board the cable car. Let me tell you, the view from above was so damn beautiful. So, keep your camera out. You can clearly see the docks, the Island itself and the best for me was the resorts in Sentosa Island. So perfectly aligned.
Sentosa Island
When you enter Sentosa, it somehow gets a bit confusing as to in which direction do you want to go. There are a hell lot of attractions to see. For us, we had two attractions already in our travel plans. The S.E.A. Aquarium and Wings of Time show.
S.E.A. Aquarium Singapore
I am a total animal lover. That includes sea creatures too. It was totally up to us as when we wanted to go to the Aquarium but the moment I entered the island, I insisted on going towards the aquarium right away. And so, we did.
You get to know that you are in a wonderful aquarium if the moment you enter, you feel like you are in a different world. Any direction I look, I see blue and I see marine animals. There are a huge number of different species of marine animals.
After spending a hell lot of time inside, and also my friends pestering me to leave, we moved on. Our next attraction, Wings of Time was in the late evening. But we were warned by our agent to get in line at least an hour before to get the best seats possible. And so, we did.
Wings of Time
This is an illusion show with a story of time travel. It is so hyped that when we got out earliest to line up, there was already a huge crowd ahead. After waiting and waiting and waiting, the lines start to move and soon we are all seated. It was pretty organized. Not like everyone running around here and there.
Now, about this show, I cannot put into words of how great it was. It is something that can only be experienced in person. Even if I tell you about how it was and what all happened, I don't think so I could do justice to exactly how spectacular this show was.
It was THE highlight of my day.
Every time the illusion changes, it is a lot many times better than the previous one. And you are left with only awe. At least I was. A huge request if you visit Singapore, DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW. I don't think so I have ever promoted something with so much heart. So please do.
Day Three - Singapore Flyer, River Cruise and Merlion Park
Today was my so-called Merlion Day.
Merlion is the national symbol of Singapore. It is a mythical creature who has the body of a fish and head of a lion. Of course, there are many statues of Merlion in the country. The most famous one is the one in the Merlion Park.
We had a city tour planned for the day. And somehow, we missed our ride. Oh, it felt like a disaster. We were calling our guide and all he said was you need to meet us up at the destination. All I was like, "Why the hell did you leave us? We were on time!".
His reply???
"We were on time."
I just could not understand how coming up an hour ago was on time. And then it surfaced up that my agent had given us the wrong timing. Damn him! We quickly got into a taxi and caught up with the rest of the group. Our guide was literally waiting for us to show up before starting the talk. So sweet of him. And, of course, we apologized.
Anyways, so he offered us with 3 options.
I obviously opted for both.
Singapore Flyer
I have already a post dedicated for this day here. But let me still tell you a bit in brief here too. The Singapore Flyer is the largest observation wheel in Asia. So, you can surely imagine my amazement, or even anyone's, when I reached the peak.
It was so majestically vast. I adore panoramic views. And this one has become one of my favourites now.
River Cruise
After the ride, we went on for our boat ride. Or a river cruise. Whatever you want to call it. It is a 40 minutes ride with a guide talking about all the buildings and structures coming in view. It was quite interesting but I also felt that we could have opted out also. Not that impressive.
But, I got to click a pretty good picture of the Marina Bay Sands.
With a bit of disappointment of the boat ride, I was more looking forward to my next stop. Merlion Park.
Merlion Park
This park, as the name already suggests, holds the most famous Merlion statue. It faces the Singapore River with water spouting from its mouth.
That pristine white-coloured Merlion in front of those blue buildings looked so good. Gave a very picture-perfect kinda vibe. After clicking dozens of pictures, with us trying to keep our eyes open (direct sunlight on the eyes), we headed back for the day.
We had the evening to ourselves. With the options of either visiting the Gardens of Bay and hitting the Casino, I was cast out of the decision and so we went to the casino.
Marina Bay Sands Casino
I have never ever been to a casino in my life. We went to the one in Marina Bay Sands. I seriously don't know why, but I was a bit scared to enter. It was a similar process to immigration line where they just check your passport, ask a few questions like having a conversation, and in we go.
It took us a few minutes to figure out how things worked in here. So it was just that at the counter, you get a change of coins for your notes and start. In the end, when you have chips or tickets, just get them exchanged at the counter again and off you go.
Oh, and free drinks. 😛
How times flies by when you are inside is a mystery to me. I mean, we spent 3 hours and it really felt like 1. Deciding to go back, we went out, sat at the riverside for another hour, clicking pictures and video calling our parents, and went back to the hotel.
Day Four - Chinatown
Our last day was totally free. It was up to us. As much as I like pre-planned and scheduled days, I can never wait for a day to myself to explore. So, this day was all about exploring the Chinatown.
Now we decided to walk today. With the help of Google maps, we roamed around with our final destination in mind. Also, having this day left for souvenir shopping also, we opted for the local streets of Chinatown and Mustafa Centre in Little India.
It was very easy for us to realize that we reached Chinatown. The decoration on the streets were signs enough. And as expected of any Chinatown, this one was also filled with street vendors of various kind. Food, gadgets, clothes, accessories and whatnot.
We also visited the famous Sultan Mosque and also Haji Lane.
I have talked in a bit more in detail about these places in my post here.
Accommodation
We stayed at The Noble Hotel. It is in the Jalan Besar lane. Not a fancy hotel with lots of many floors to choose from or anything. But it had all the necessities that anyone needs. Clean rooms, great service, and the best part, a convenience store right across the street.
Just one restriction- NO DURIANS
Conclusion
I could not have been happier. These 4 days were a total experience for me. I finally got to tick off my first country from my bucket list.
I was still in wonder about how this country seems to keep the streets so damn clean.
Will definitely be visiting Singapore once again to see all the unseen places left this time. See you soon Singapore.