Surprise! After Bali, we decided to pit stop in Singapore for a few days and we are so happy we did. From the very minute we got off the plane, it was a wonderful experience. From the customs guy at the airport serenading us with American songs, to the taxi driver who told us to “go to your hostel, drop your bags, and just go eat everything” we knew we were in for a great three days.

Some quick facts about Singapore:

– The main ethnic groups are Chinese, Malaysian and Indian

– It has four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil

– The main religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism

– It has been referred to as “the Switzerland of Asia” because of its neutral stance on many political/religious issues (and because it does some sketchy banking activity? haha just kidding… but we can speculate)

We stayed at a hostel right in the heart of Chinatown and by that, we literally mean, you open the hostel door and are greeted with the below view. It was quite the lively part of town and bonus… we were two steps from the subway station! After eating some amazing fried rice and dumplings for dinner, we decided to call it a night and head back to the our fabulously air conditioned room to escape the 90 degree temperature.

We spent the next day exploring town with Jonas, a young man from Germany who was also staying at the hostel. We started off at the Gardens by the Bay which were absolutely insane. Tickets were about $18 US dollars per person and gave you access to the “Flower Dome” and the “Cloud Forrest” which are basically two massive greenhouse domes. We unfortunately didn’t get a picture of the exterior, but check it out online, it’s pretty impressive (though not as impressive as the inside). The “Flower Dome” consisted of flowers/plants from all over the world. It was amazing to see so many different types of plants in one place and to breathe such pure, clean air.

Then we headed over to the “Cloud Forrest” which is basically an indoor mountain of lush greenery and a 100 foot waterfall. It honestly felt like being in the movie Avatar, except with tourists posing every two feet. We also had a particularly educational experience because our friend Jonas was currently studying his masters in ecology, so we got bonus knowledge about plant life and eco-systems!After the gardens, we took the train to Little India for some lunch. Quick side note about the train system: it’s awesome. For a tiny country it has quite an extensive subway and not only is it convenient, it’s incredibly clean. Also, because there are four main languages spoken, the intercom announcements are done in all four languages.

When we got off the train in Little India it was literally like we arrived in another country. We came out of the station to a lively indoor market with kiosk after kiosk of delicious Indian food and gorgeous Indian clothing. The smell of spices filled the air and colorful fabrics covered every wall. It was a total sensory overload in the best way.

After eating way WAY too much Indian food (including two massive naans that were each about two feet long) we decided to check out the “Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple” (good luck trying to pronounce that in one breathe). The outside was covered with thousands of colorful figurines.

Before entering, we removed our shoes and Taylor was given a complimentary skirt to wear inside the temple as women were required to cover up before entering (though she ended up looking less like an Indian princess and more like an extra from Downton Abbey).

The next day, it was absolutely pouring, so we decided to make the best of it and head to one of the many museums in town. We opted for the National Gallery, which has a lovely mix of artwork from Asian artists over the last couple of hundred years. Though some of the modern artwork left us scratching our heads (see below) we enjoyed exploring as much of the six floors of the building as we could!

Later on, we ventured into “The Shops at Marina Bay Sands” aka the most insane mall we have ever seen. There were waterfalls cascading from the ceiling, entire walls made of crystals, every designer store you could imagine… and, you could literally take a boat ride THROUGH the mall. It was a far cry from New Hampshire’s Pheasant Lane Mall, that’s for sure.

The mall is a located along the Bayfront which has a huge light/water show that happens three times a night and is accompanied by intense orchestra music (Singapore certainly doesn’t like to keep things low-key). The last stop of the day was to the rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands hotel, a big bucket list item for us both! Below is a photo of it during the day.

The building is a huge hotel complex with restaurants, a casino, over 2,500 hotel rooms, and a majestic, rooftop infinity pool. Unfortunately, the pool area is only for guests (and since we didn’t want to spend a minimum of $500 per night) we decided to go to the free viewing area on the 57th floor. We didn’t have to pay an entry fee or spend an exorbitant amount on cocktails to enjoy the view either! Not only did we get a panoramic view of the city, but we got to see the light/water show from the sky.

It was a wonderful way to spend our last night before heading on to the next city. Singapore is must-see for anyone traveling in Southeast Asia. It’s a dream for anyone who loves food, art, history, or architecture.

Now, on to Thailand!

With love, T&T

PS We realized that viewers weren’t able to comment on our posts so we attempted to update our blog settings but it’s a pain in the butt. At least we tried!