Singapore

My first impressions of Singapore were that it is a clean, organised, accessible, environmentally conscious city (more accurately, city-state) and the people are friendly and welcoming of tourists.

We stayed at the Marina Bay Sands hotel, which was, predictably, very impressive. However, for the price, it is what you would expect. But it was worth it to swim in that pool! It is quite an experience swimming 200m up in the air, looking out into the high rise buildings of the city.

Due to urbanisation Singapore has lost nearly 95% of its historical forest. In response, in the 1960s the Government introduced the vision of making Singapore a “garden city”. And remarkably, it is. From the moment you leave the airport, the streets are lined with blooming flowerbeds, and throughout the city there are lush tropical plants and flowers adorning the city. This, coupled with the impeccably clean streets and distinct lack of grunge so commonly found in global cities, makes it quite pristine.

The greening of the city is truly reflected at the Gardens by the Bay — a beautiful park in the centre of the city. The whole instalment, with its three distinct waterfront gardens, covers 101 hectares of reclaimed land in central Singapore.

The most iconic is Bay South with its attractions: Supertree Grove, Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. There is an entry fee into these three attractions, but otherwise the Gardens can be visited for free. The Flower Dome and Cloud Forest are indoor and air-conditioned so it is a niece reprieve from the persistent heat and humidity that accompanies a tropical environment.

My favourite was Cloud Forest — a recreated indoor cloud forest complete with evergreen plants floor to ceiling, waterfalls and a constant cloud of mist; typical of these moist forests which are characterised by persistent, low-level cloud cover. It was quite ethereal. I spent hours here taking photos.

At the Flower Dome, there are different flower displays at different times of the year. When I went it was a tulip display. They were all in bloom so it was stunning. Tulips are commonly associated with the Netherlands (which is now the largest producer for world markets) but originate from central Asia.

Similarly, Singapore’s botanic gardens are magnificent. They are a UNESCO World heritage site, being only one of three gardens (and the only tropical garden) to be honoured as such.

Despite its seeming perfection, I learnt that income inequality is high in Singapore and being one of the most expensive cities in the world to live, there is quite a wealth disparity. Despite this, 90% of homes are owner-occupied. I didn’t see any sign of homelessness in the city. It has also been remarked that Singapore is a flawed democracy (because of the dominance of one political party, the low levels of press freedom and restrictions on civil liberties) therefore being classified as “partly free” in the Freedom in the World survey. Without living there or spending substantial time there, it is hard to see what impact that has on its citizens.

Lying at just one degree above the equator, Singapore has a quintessentially tropical climate. The humidity is not entirely enjoyable, but the food makes up for it. We ate at a number of different places, ranging from hawker street food to the latest restaurant at the Marina Bay Sands, Lavo.

We went to the Maxwell Road hawker centre where dishes range from $3 to $5 a plate. Incredibly good value and such delicious food. Chinatown is great to explore. We also went to an amazing cocktail bar there called Sugarhall. It is a rum-centric bar — their Mai Tai was the best I’ve ever had. The bar food was also delicious and the bar staff knew how to make every rum-based cocktail we ordered off-menu.

Singapore airport (Changi) has been voted the world’s best airport for years and it’s easy to see why. There are three terminals, and once you have checked in and gone through the departures gate, you can go between the terminals easily on the skytrain. In terminal 1 there is a hotel with a pool and a gym that you can pay to use for a few hours. We arrived at the airport about 5 hours before our flight and were able to check in early (there is an early check in counter) to drop our luggage. We were at terminal 2 but caught the train to terminal 1 and enjoyed a swim and a shower before returning to terminal 2 to board our flight. We paid $25 which included a beer or wine and access to the pool and showers for 3 hours. This certainly beats sitting around the airport waiting.

I’ve heard a lot of people say that you only need two or three days in Singapore. I entirely disagree. We had nearly 4 full days there and it wasn’t enough for me.