Singapore is a sovereign city-state in Southeast Asia that borders Malaysia to the North.
I was about to head over to Seoul when a virus MERS broke out in 2015 in South Korea, so instead, I went to Singapore for a week.
Singapore was great. The city makes me want to take notes of how I can be a Crazy Rich Asian.
How I Got There
As usual whenever I travel, I either take a United flight or search for the cheapest flight on kayak.com. I wrote an article about how I stick to flying on United as much as possible to cash out big with my miles.
For this trip, I took a flight on Cathay Airways from Hong Kong. I found that flight on kayak.com.
And yes, the national language is English. Here are my top 3 favorite things to do in Singapore:
1. Merlion Park
The reason I choose this as the top spot is because the Merlion Park is located near everything. Plus, we have the Singapore River right next to the Merlion.
So that’s the famous Merlion in Singapore. But wait – there’s something way more iconic that periodically appears on your (not-so) mediocre Windows Screensavers.
Merlion Park
Marina Bay Sands
That famous hotel, which consists of connected buildings, is called the Marina Bay Sands. There’s a pool at the top, and although it looks like you need to have deep af pockets just to enter, I think it’s only around $23SG to enter the hotel.
Shoutout to my friend, Steven, for being my travel buddy in Singapore.
2. Sentosa
We came here to not only be in the southernmost point of Singapore, but also the southernmost point of continental Asia. There was a lot to do in Sentosa Island, including waterparks, beaches, and the cable car that overlooks the bay and parts of the city.
Sentosa Island
There’s also a Universal Studios and Skyline Luge here. Coming here for a day trip felt really dumb. I wish I had budgeted more time than just one day. Maybe two days would have been better, but, you know. Yolo.
3. Orchard Road
Orchard Road is one of the best places to shop in Singapore. When I say Orchard Road… I guess I mean the whole strip of shopping areas which would include the malls around City Hall.
There was just so much going on in this whole area, and it was really easy to arrive by MRT (Mass Rapid Transit, AKA the subway) via the red line.
Orchard Road
The CapitaMall is also in this area. Anyway, Orchard Road is where I bought all of my souvenir gifts, including my I <3 SG shirt. Don’t @ me.
Honorable Mentions
We did a Night Safari. That was cool. I wouldn’t do it again tho tbh.
Raffles Place (also an MRT station) was a great spot to hang out near the Singapore River. It’s in the Financial District.
Ah Chew Desserts had the best… well, desserts. (Google Maps location.)
Chew Desserts
So that leads me to my next point. I think the food in Singapore is worth highlighting. I don’t think it’s the best, but I do think it’s unique because you get a variety of distinctive types of food. And food is a huge part of the “mixed” culture.
For example, Hainanese chicken.
Hainanese Chicken
Chili Crab
You can also get roti bread. Yes, that’s Indian, but it’s also Singaporean. There’s a lot of Indian influence in Singapore as well.
I didn’t think it was that good, nor was it cheap, but because it’s famous, I had to eat chili crab for the hype. Dammit, FOMO.
Where I Stayed
I stayed at a hostel in Singapore around Marina Bay Sands. I found the hostel at hostelworld.com.
By the way, I wrote a separate article on How I Choose Where I Stay when I Travel.
If I Had More Time, I Would Have…
Although I mentioned the Marina Bay Sands Hotel above, I didn’t actually go up. With more time (and, um, a bigger wallet), I’ll be there next time. Swimming up there will be quite the bucket list item.
Closing Remarks
Not that it’s too surprising because Singapore fits in well with the culture of other big Asian cities, but Singapore has a phenomenal public transportation system. As mentioned above, it’s really easy to take the MRT and to go from point A to point B almost anywhere in the city.
I stayed sober the entire time when I was in Singapore, because I didn’t feel like paying $12 USD for a beer when we went out. Ouch.
When people ask me: “Wilson, which country in Asia should I visit first?”, I usually like to say Singapore or Hong Kong. I think Singapore is a great place to visit for a western vibe in an Asian country that consists of a great mix of many different cultures.
