A Little Bit of Singapore

We made a big mistake by not staying in Singapore at least two weeks and foregoing the cruise all together. I think I was a little afraid of such a big city that was Asian and how would we know where to go and how to get there. Also, I had read that Singapore was one of the most expensive cities in the world. It might be expensive to rent or buy a place to live but as tourists, for only 3 days, we found it very affordable.

All it took was a heated toilet seat in the airport to immediately impress me. Just who wants to make their travelers so comfortable they install that as well as having a miniature toilet and sink for the children? The airport is called Changi and the Jewel Rain Vortex waterfall in the airport is seven stories high. I made a video but it won’t upload, sorry. It has twice daily music and light shows on weekdays. All free. Our plane arrived at 9 am but we waited until 11 for the first show. I would have loved to see the one at night with the lights. But even at 11, it was so impressive. There are several terminals at the airport with something to see in each one but we couldn’t stay awake much longer and had to get to our hotel. Just the taxi drive from the airport into the city was impressive. There were hundreds of trees and flowering bushes lining the boulevard and each was meticulously pruned.

Meticulous is the word for Singapore. So clean and tidy and everyone dressed nicely. We saw no ruffians, no motorcycles, very little traffic, no loud cars, no one yelling. . Everyone is so polite and helpful. Sidewalks are spotless as chewing gum is against the law, people are not allowed to eat or drink on subways and in busses. And the biggest surprise was that all the signs are in English and everyone speaks English.

We stayed in the Capri by Fraser for less than it cost to stay at a third rate chain motel when driving to Colorado. No charge for early check in either. There are two Capri’s, one near the airport and the one we stayed in was in the city. We were one block from Chinatown and two blocks from the business district. I booked our hotel by looking at Google maps to be in the a central location. The hotels are flagged with prices and there were several under $200 a night. The Capri was wonderful! We had a kitchen with refrigerator and microwave and kitchen sink plus dishes. And we had a city view. It cost $23 a day each for breakfast which I thought was expensive until I saw the buffet spread. I have never in my life seen such a variety of wonderful breakfast foods and foods to suit every nationality. $23 was a bargain. The day we checked out, someone from the dining room rushed over with a bag of cookies and crackers for our further travels.

Eating out can be inexpensive at the hawker centers. These are informal food and drink stalls clustered together in public places with a meal costing under $10. Lau Pa Sat Center is in the heart of the business district and has well over 100 food stalls in an old historical site with a clock tower on top. 80% of downtown workers eat at hawkers centers for lunch. There are food stalls with specialities from every Asian country.

The famous Marina Bay Sands hotel is located in the Gardens by the Bay park. Our plan all along was to spend our last full day and evening in the park when we figured we would be more recovered from jet lag. This park is where the super trees are, the cloud forest, the floral fantasy, and more. But by Friday my cold was so bad I couldn’t swallow or do much of anything. This was the one place above all others that I wanted to see. There has to be a way to get back to Singapore without flying for 30 hours or being on a boat. I will think of something eventually.