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tl;dr Traditional Singapore breakfast and learned about the city of Singapore, saw some art and some otters as well – 4 activities
Activity 1 – Kaya Toast (Traditional Singapore Breakfast):

Kaya is a type of coconut based jam and its pretty tasty (as I found out). So, after much time googling where to get the best traditional breakfast, I found Ah Seng (Hai Namm) coffee. Well, I didn’t find it…someone else did and I found their post. This place was really tough to find because its on the second level of a hawker market. After looking for about 20 minutes and having started to look for backup places, I finally found someone to ask. I ordered what’s called a “set.” Basically you get soft boiled eggs, kaya toast, and coffee. Many places have gone above and beyond the basic white bread toast with Kaya by using such things as buns, ciabatta, multigrain, but this place offered french toast. Of course I had to get french toast, plus the chef suggested it. 

Sure enough, it was delicious. Shout out to mom for giving me a little pack of tissues for my trip…not all places have napkins and I definitely needed some after this meal.
Activity 2 – Singapore City Gallery:

The Singapore City Gallery is part of Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (basically city planning). This place was awesome!!!! First off, in the lobby of the building, there were architectural models from students with descriptions. It was interesting to see how many of them were environmentally friendly and focused on re-using existing structures. 

For example, there were a few designs for a using oil rigs as prisons (Deep Water Purgatory)

Others, covered innovative living spaces, parks, etc. 

After strolling through the ~100 models, I went upstairs to the museum. I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to city planning and architecture – I just find it so incredilby amazing and interesting. A focal point of the museum is sustainability (which follows what I had previously seen at other exhibits). Singapore is unique in that it is a City-State island. The city plan for Singapore is hugely important to the future health of the city. A few highlights:

• Singapore created space deep under the surface to store military ammunition. This allowed Singapore to reclaim the land and buffer land to use for non-military purposes. So yes, walking around Singapore, you could be hundreds of feet above missiles and bombs
• Singapore has claimed land from the water, but can only do this in select areas moving forward due to the importance of its role in the global shipping industry
• Many of the buildings in Singapore have greenery (think trees, grass, bushes, etc.) to help lower the temperature – it gets hot in Singapore
• The museum has a model of downtown Singapore that captures minute details of each building

I also read a quote that I think is awesome:

I left the museum and decided to take a picture with the logo of the URA. The person I ask to take it (he was standing there and I didn’t feel like getting my selfie stick out) is actually on his way to the museum. His first question for me (before “where are you from?”) was “Are you a city planner?” Of course I’m not…but just shows you the nerdity (new word?).
Activity 3 – David Hockney Special Exhibit:

David Hockney is a British artist that had a special exhibit at the STPI. My sister has a poster of his art…so I went to the exhibit with the hopes of finding her a souvenir (first stop on my trip and I could check-off a box? Awesome). Turns out there was no real gift shop, but the art was nice.

Activity 4 – Lunch at SPRMRKT

I was in the Robertson’s Quay area and decided to try out a restaurant that seemed to be a new-comer to the scene, but already had a substantial following. SPRMRKT is actually a supermarket that opened up a restaurant. Had smoked salmon avocado salad for an early lunch. On the way back to the hostel, however, I saw otters (6 or 7) swimming in the river. I stood along the bank and watched them for about 5 minutes. During this time I saw them dive into the water and come back with fish in their mouth. Very cool experience…and im sure the other people who stopped walking to watch would agree.

tl;dr explored Chinatown, checked out Sentosa and saw awesome animals at the Night Safari…calmer day – only 6 activities
Activity 1 – Waking Up:

Now normally, I would not consider waking up to be an “activity,” but it was. I went to bed close to 4am thanks to a night out at Zouk and successfully set alarms starting at 8am…Well, this may not come as a surprise to those that know me, but I snoozed. And by snoozed, I mean I woke up from my first alarm and shut off all my back-ups before going back to sleep. All of a sudden its 11am and I missed the Chinatown walking tour at 9:30am. Undeterred, I climb out of bed and take a shower. Walking to Chinatown, I spot this cool building with tons of foliage all over it.

Activity 2 – Chinatown:

First things first, I need food…I pull up trusty google and voila found a great restaurant right on the main Chinatown street. I sit down and order some noodle and fish. Not so good…the noodles tasted like they had been bathed in soy sauce for hours and the fish just wasn’t that tasty. 

Next up, the sights. 

Sri Marimamm Temple (above)

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (above)

Activity 3 – Chinatown Heritage Center:

This museum covers what life was like for Chinese immigrants. The museum is situated in a former tailor’s shop and residences line the second floor. It was amazing to see how people lived in early 1900s Singapore: 6x6ft rooms that housed entire families, shared bathrooms and kitchens, and shared rooms between people working opposite shifts allowing for optimal bed usage. The museum has an area devoted to the work and life of this population and how it evolved over the years. Ultimately, it was a really cool museum that taught me a lot (though the audio guide did drag on a bit).

Activity 4 – Sentosa and Fort Siloso:

Sentosa is an island off of the main island of Singapore. It is purely devoted to leisure activities as it has multiple resorts, a universal studios, and numerous other activities (zip line, luge run, 4D adventures, etc.). I took the monorail to get to the island, but there is also a cable car that provides great views. Once on the island you can take a different cable car to get from location to location – I took it to Fort Siloso. One of the stops has a replica Merlion that you can enter (I didn’t).

Fort Siloso is a former British military outpost that was used to protect Singapore from maritime attacks. I was excited to learn about the history of military conflicts in the region and especially WWII, but this fort did not provide much information on these topics. There was a decent amount of information the purpose of the fort and how it functioned, but that wasn’t what I was looking for. I ended up skipping the various trails due to time constraints and losing interest. 

Activity 5 – Quick Dinner and Walk Through a Mall:

My major time constraint was the Night Safari, which started at 7:15. Instead of track down some user-reviewed and repudiated restaurant, I settled for simple, good food court food. The mall was just like any other mall in this part of the world.
Activity 6 – Night Safari:

The Night Safari is part of the Singapore Zoo and allows you to see the animals when they are most active…at night. I read a lot of trip advisory reviews to prepare. My recommendations as follows:

• Book in advance online through the zoo for the 7:15pm entry
• Wear whatever clothing makes you comfortable…you will be doing walking
• Try and arrive by 6:45 and do the tram first
• Right after the tram, do the show
• Walk around afterwards…the path can get confusing as it is dark and you aren’t sure if you are going the right way, but you are…just keep walking
• You can try and take pictures, but no flash is allowed – so I have tons of pictures that don’t really show the awesomeness of the night

Now that I covered that, I can move onto WHAT the Night Safari actually is. You sit on a tram for a ~15+minute ride through the zoo pausing at the major animals. I literally saw lions and tigers and bears…oh my. But I also saw rhinos, hippos, elephants, giraffes, hyenas, and other animals (many of the species I was probably seeing for the first time). The tram has a has a recorded speaker that lets you know what you are looking at and some details about each animal. One interesting point, many of the animals roam free and could technically walk over and say hi – of course none of the dangerous animals have this setup, but many do (there are entry and exit gates for the trams). One of the tigers followed our tram from the entrance to the exit staring us down.

After the tram, get in line for the show. My tram ended too late for the 8:30 show (it was filled), so I decided to walk through the various trails (all on pavement). This took me about an hour to complete, so I would recommend budgeting about 1.5 hours. During the walk you can stop at a Lion lookout point. Lions sleep on average 20hrs/day (not bad), but they tend to eat between 8 and 9pm. My tram drove by at 8 and they were far away from the food and I walked by them at 9 and they were relaxing by their food – so I missed them eating. The food is strategically placed by the zoo in an area that is visible to guests. Also, some of the enclosures do overlap with the walking trails, but many are unique. There is a bat house and a flying squirrel enclosure, along with many other cool animals (otters, snakes, etc.). A tiger was leaning on the glass for a while – I tried to get a picture, but the quality was terrible.

The show was fun, definitely more geared towards families, but still cool and worth checking out. I won’t spoil the fun. I ended up leaving sometime after 10 (uber pool), but you can stay there until midnight.

I got back to my hostel after 11pm and picked up a snack before heading off to bed to get some much needed rest.
From now on, I am going to try and break the posts up into a few smaller ones…they take too long to write and are too much for a reader to get through in one sitting 🙂

tl;dr 12 activities, nature, boat ride, light show, club, food etc…super busy and tiring day 1
Activity 1 – Breakfast:

The hostel I’m staying at offers a free breakfast, so I figured this would be a great way to meet some like-minded travelers…didn’t quite turn out that way as everyone seemed very much involved in their toast/cereal or their group. The food was fine, but the terrace was amazing – views overlooking the river showcasing downtown and the Marina Bay Sands.

Activity 2 – Info Communications Media Experience Center

First up was a museum dedicated to ‘smart/connected’ cities. In other words, how can cities become ‘smart’ using technology. The museum was tiny, but showcased some interesting initiatives going on in Singapore. I did not realize how environmentally aware Singapore is and the steps that are being taken to ensure that Singapore remains a leader in this area. Much of the museum was dedicated to IoT and smart devices. Only spent about 30-45 minutes here.
Activity 3 – Hop On Hop Off Bus:

Don’t judge…I am usually not a fan of theses busses because I like to do everything on my own, BUT when I got out of the museum, there they were. They were going directly to my next stop (Little India) and a few other places I wanted to check out. Boy, my mom must be so happy that I finally did a hop on hop off tour. Throughout the day, I took a few of the busses and did get to see some cool sites going from place to place, but I also learned a bunch of cool information. For example, Singapore has electronic tolling as you drive through the city as a means to reduce traffic. The prices fluctuate with time of day. Also, Singapore charges a 100% tax on car buying AND you have to bid on permits to even buy cars which can cost $50,000. Not to mention that permits are only valid for 10 years.
Activity 4 – Little India:

I get off the bus in Little India and start checking out the sites.

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. Very exotic exterior. It is dedicated to the Goddess Kali 

Next, I went to the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, but it had scaffolding up so I wasn’t able to take any exterior pictures.

 I also went to the House of Tan Teng Noah, which is believed to be the most colorful building in Singapore…Not hard to believe – picture below.

The Little India Arcade is fun to check out. Goods such as spices, perfumes, electronics, and traditional clothing can be found here. I didn’t buy anything, but it was still cool to walk through.
Activity 4 – Lunch at Komala Vilas Restaurant:

Did some googling and found this place a few blocks away from me (got great reviews for lunch). Walked in and immediately got a table – I heard that often there is a wait for lunch, but it was 11:30am so no wait at all. I ordered Aloo Gabi Masala and Naan (garlic and plain) and went to town. It was delicious…highly recommended.
Activity 5 – Bus to the Botanic Gardens:

Back on the Hop On Hop Off bus, this time we went through the Arab quarter before reaching City Hall. Here, I switched to the yellow bus line (from the red) and continued to the Gardens. This time I learned that Singapore has a massive medical tourism industry (think better health care and ‘beautifying procedures’). The ride also took us along Orchard street where you can see some of the most expensive property in Singapore (and the corresponding malls).
Activity 6 – Singapore Botanic Gardens:

This place is really cool! It has a rain forest within its grounds! The bus drops us off right at the front, so my first stop is the National Orchid Garden. This place is world renowned and has over 1000 types of orchids (more if you include hybrids). 

The National Orchid Garden does charge a fee ($5), but you can get discounted entry if you are a student or senior citizen. I was able to prove that I am a student (about to start classes?) by showing my school email address – only cost $1.

Next up was the Rain Forest. How crazy is it that there is a rain forest basically next to downtown Singapore?! The only other city in the world to have a rain forest downtown is Rio,  The number of species of plants, trees, etc. is incredible. 

After the rain forest, I walked around a portion of the rest of the Botanic Gardens (too much to see to do the whole thing). Saw some swans and cool trees.

Activity 7 – Bus and Merlin Fountain:

Hopped the bus (only waited about 15 minutes for it) to go back to the heart of Singapore. This time, I went across from the Marina Bay Sands to hang out with the Merlion. The Merlion is the national personification of Singapore. It is a lion’s head with a fish’s body. Its literal translation is “sea lion.” 

Activity 8 – River Cruise: 

Had some time to kill before dinner so I decided to check out a river cruise ($25). I originally wanted to do a Duck Tour (shout out to mom), but they were sold out for the times that worked for me. I was disappointed with this. Maybe it was the screaming babies making it hard to hear the commentary or the gimmicky feel, I did not feel like this was worth it. 

But, I did take that picture of the Merlion. 

Activity 9 – Wonder Full Light Show:

After the boat ride, I needed a shower…it was a hot humid day and I felt gross. I walked over to the Merlion Park to catch the 8pm Wonder Full Light Show put on by the Marina Bay Sands. The show was just updated (the last 5 minutes were changed). It was cool, but not as great as I was expecting. The lasers were the coolest part by far and they were only used sparingly. Worth checking it out though.

Activity 10 – Dinner at Vatos Urban Tacos:

YUMMY! The fish tacos were incredible, The margarita was as expensive as my whole meal, but at least it was big. I had chips and guacamole (good, not great) and fish tacos (DELICIOUS). Seemed like a cool hip place (crowded). Expensive, but worth it.

Activity 11 – Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel and Cheaper Alcohol:

The Singapore Sling was invented at this hotel – I had to check this place out. The “Long Bar” was closed for renovation during my visit so they directed all patrons to the billiards bar. I looked at the menu and saw that a Singapore Sling would cost $31 plus tip and tax…I couln’t justify this so I walked through the bar (peanuts on the floor) and looked at the drinks on other tables. The Raffles hotel was founded in 1887 and is named after the founder of modern Singapore: Sir Stamford Raffles.

In Singapore it is required that you find good happy hour deals.  Alcohol is super expensive (a bottle of Absolut level vodka will run you about $100). After walking along the river for a bit, I found a bar next to my hostel in Boat Quay that had a deal: 3 beers for $15 or upgrade to Asahi beer for $3 more. That’s what I did…bought a few beers and started writing my first post for this blog.
Activity 12 – Zouk Nightclub:

Wednesday nights are big in Singapore, where as Thursday nights are pretty tame – so I took this opportunity to go out. As it turns out, Wednesday is ladies night, which didn’t help me at all, but does allow the ladies free entry. I had to pay a cover of $30, but it did give me certificates for $30 to spend on alcohol – ended up covering my first two drinks. The music was pretty good…got better as the night wore on. I posted up on the fringe of the dance floor to ensure I had space to dance (it got very crowded) and survey the scene. Ended up getting into a dance off (twice) and playing the most intense game of “Rock Paper Scissors” and then “Rock Paper.” 

Loved the signage for the men’s bathroom:

Later, I discovered that there are actually 4 nightclubs part of Zouk. I entered one of them and immediately heard Britney Spears followed by another 90s jam, but shortly after the lights turned on and it was time to go home (3am ish). Set my alarm for 8am…yeah right.

tl;dr 3 flights, 2 layovers, New York, Detroit, Tokyo, Singapore. 29 hours of travel. What time is it? What day is it?
This post will be boring because it’s about my flights, but I promise the rest will be more intriguing!
Flight #1 LGA->DTW:

My 3.5 week trip didn’t start in Singapore (oh how I wish it did), rather it started with a 6:30am alarm. I actually didn’t have much trouble waking up, so I shut off the 7, yes 7, safety alarms (not to mention my mom was also going to call me if need be since she was stopping by my building to say goodbye and drop off a few things). After re-confirming that my passport is packed, I say goodbye to my mom and head to LGA for my flight to Detroit. I decided to check my suitcase so that I wouldn’t have to deal with it during my layovers. While speaking to the front desk agent, I tried to smooth talk an upgrade to first – which is not possible since I booked the flight on points. The agent tried very hard, but wasn’t sure how to do it since he had only been working for one month. I was in Delta Comfort + for all the legs, so I didn’t push too hard. The flight was relatively in-eventful…I started Fist Fight, but due to the short duration, I didn’t finish it.

Flight #2 DTW->NRT (747):

The layover was smooth, bought some snacks and walked around for 30 minutes knowing I was about to embark on a 12+hr flight. I board the plane and take my seat in the bulkhead window…tons of leg room but the tv and tray table are in the seat. I finish Fist Fight (last few scenes are really funny), and watch a few other movies (the founder, suicide squad, bleed for this, and maybe others). I also managed to sleep for about an hour or two. I know…the math doesn’t add up, I also played a bunch of games on the tv (shanghai) and on my phones. Land in Tokyo, no problem.

Flight #3 NRT->SIN:

My body is confused, I went from having breakfast in New York, to dinner and then breakfast on the plane to Tokyo. Now I’m in Tokyo…so of course I’m going to grab a bite to eat. Sushi time!!! My phone auto-connects to the NRT network (cause of the last time I was at the airport) and I immediately start googling the “best sushi at narita airport.” Oh and then I text people to let them know I made it. I find my target and make a beeline for it. While en-route, I pass by a PwC Japan advertisement (lol). I eat my sushi (forget the name) and it’s definitely good, but it’s not like what I had in Tokyo…still great especially considering it was from an airport. Thanks to multiple credit cards of mine, I have access to Priority Pass lounges. I use this perk to chill in the KAL lounge for a bit. 

Here’s where it gets fun. I board this flight (again comfort +) and my entertainment system doesn’t work. Touch screen isn’t registering touches. Long story short, the system is reset multiple times with no luck. 7hr flight and no tv…I’m screwed. End up watching some movie on my phone and sleeping most of the time…with a bunch of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire mixed in. The flight attendant gave my 5000 sky miles for my troubles (should I ask for more? Let me know…but I doubt you have read this far so w/e). They serve us a meal and a snack…I think it’s dinner again, but I’m not sure. Immigration takes about an hour but I finally make it to my hostel at 1:30am.

So, it’s 1:30am, I’m in Singapore, Tuesday night, not sure what day or time or meal my body thinks it is, and I’m conflicted…part of me wants to go out and rage, but the other part of me wants to eat and sleep…I guess I’ve adjusted nicely to the time change.