Category: Singapore

Singapore- a little like Las Vegas

We enjoyed our 5 days in Singapore. We ate great food, shopped a little, saw really futuristic sights, explored Little India and Chinatown, rode the public transit (SMART), visited Gardens by the Bay, the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Supertrees…just to name a few.

Singapore is an island city-state with a tropical climate (great fruit). It also has a diverse population (great food).

Because of the heat, a lot of the action in Singapore happens several stories underground!

We walked through the air conditioned shopping malls to get to the Orchard Street train stop on SMART. (This was the closest stop to our hotel). We also were underground for meals at the awesome food courts. Sometimes it was pretty crowded down there!

In my previous post, I covered Little India and Chinatown so this post is dedicated to the more modern, futuristic and the Vegas like parts of Singapore.

We were a bit in awe over these Solar powered Supertrees, which were covered in ferns and tropical flowers. I’ve never seen anything like them…incredible!

We also enjoyed a cool and refreshing stroll through Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay. Upon entry, we were met with this huge 35 meter high waterfall!

This is where we started feeling a bit like we were in Las Vegas.

We enjoyed the awesome fountain show put on by the imposing Marina Bay Sands Hotel (reminded us of the Bellagio Fountains).

The skyline, with its towering buildings and glittering lights, was very impressive!

We could have done without the crowds leaving the fountain show…That’s a lot of people!

It was a great trip to Singapore! We enjoyed it. Did I mention how awesome and clean the Singapore Airport is? Wow. A great hub to go in and out of!

Of course, we built in down time because you can’t always be in the go!I’m pretty happy here!

Next up…Cambodia!

Singapore- Little India and Chinatown

Little India was settled by Indian Laborers in the 18th century. According to Wikipedia, it was built around a former settlement of Indian convicts and because of its proximity to the river, it used to be a place to raise cattle.

Aside from the heat and humidity, we enjoyed our time in Little India.

We took the SMRT there and it was really easy. (We bought 3 day tourist passes). It was fast, organized and clean!

Tip– stand in the red zone and wait for train passengers to exit through the green zone. Then get in. It’s pretty organized! Also, on escalators, stand on the left, walk on the right side.

Upon arriving in Little India, we strolled up and down the main drag, Serangoon Road. I loved the smells of the fresh flower garlands.

The girls got henna done.

We visited the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple (try saying that 10 times fast!)

We strolled past the last Chinese villa in Little India. The very colorful house of Tan Teng Niah.

We ate an extremely authentic and spicy Indian lunch at Gandhi Restaurant.

We didn’t buy anything but there were plenty of flowers, saris and massive amounts of gold jewelry to be had!

I guess the only negative (aside from Singapore’s heat and humidity) is the fact that Little India was not as clean as other parts of Singapore.

On our second day in Singapore, we checked out Chinatown.

Since much of Singapore is a spotless maze of underground food courts, restaurants, malls and trains, this is another outdoor and different destination on your Singapore to do list.

We enjoyed exploring Chinatown.

Yes, you saw that third picture correctly, there is a large Hindu temple in Chinatown-the Sri Mariamman Temple.

Our favorite site in Chinatown was the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. This 4-story temple was founded in 2002 and opened to the public in 2007. It cost $62 million! It actually houses a tooth that supposedly belonged to the Buddha.

Up next…Singapore Gardens by the Bay