Singapore
Singapore April 13 - 21, 2023
We arrived in
Singapore early in the morning after two long flights with All Nippon Airlines
(ANA) with a few hours layover in Tokyo. Flying with
ANA was quite enjoyable. The flight attendants were very friendly and the food was
the best we had on any flight yet. We easily went through security and immigration and
then explored a little bit Changi International Airport, while looking for the
metro station to the city. As soon as you step into the airport you are
surrounded by plant landscaping, flower gardens and walls covered in trees and
bushes. The airport has been named “world’s best airport” 12 times and is
indeed amazing. We planned to come back and visit the airport’s attractions another
day when we were rested and without backpacks.
Getting from Changi Airport to the city
Singapore has an
extensive subway network and you can get wherever you want to go easily and
cheap. To get to the city you have to first take the train (metro) from Changi
Airport MRT station (CG2) to Tanah Merah MRT station (EW4) then transfer to the
East West line towards Tuas Link MRT station and get off train to your desired
station. To go downtown take the train from the airport to Expo station (CG1)
then transfer to the Downtown line towards Bukit Panjang station. To find the
MRT station at the airport we just had to follow the signs “Train to City”.
Once boarded on
a train you can get to any point in Singapore by transferring to other lines
(maximum 5 transfers are allowed) within 2 hours journey. The ticket price
depends of the distance travelled but from the airport to the city is 1.55 SGD
(Singapore Dollar basically equal with Canadian Dollar) or 2.05 SGD if you tap
in/tap out with a credit card (there is a 0.50 SGD admin fee) for the convenience.
Best attractions in Singapore
When visiting
attractions is important to pay attention to the admission fees displayed as
they are higher for foreigners than for Singapore residents.
This vast nature
park with many gardens, huge domes, Supertrees and interesting sculptures is a
must see place in Singapore. The attractions are spread throughout the park and
although the access to the Gardens is free, tickets can be purchased for some individual
attractions or as a bundle. We bought a bundle as it saves money significantly.
We visited the
Gardens both during the day and in the evening as the experiences are quite different but equally amazing. Every evening there are two free music and light shows, at 7:45 pm
and 8:45 pm and each show lasts 15 min. Words cannot even describe how one
feels during the show, it is just magical.
Along the edge of the Marina Bay there are two glasshouse like futuristic buildings that house the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. We visited them both.
Flower Dome holds the record for the largest greenhouse in the world and is organized into several gardens with plants and flower displays from five continents.
Cloud Forest replicates the cool moist conditions of the tropical
mountain regions. The aerial walkways, the waterfalls and the fact that the
dome was featuring “Avatar: The Experience” made us feel like in a fantasy
world. There were even booths where you can create avatars using your own image. The upper levels are accessibly by escalators and elevators.
Also located in
the Gardens, we visited Floral Fantasy,
an almost magical indoor garden with suspended bouquets of flowers and garden
fairies hidden amongst the floral arrangements.
Jewel Changi Airport
Jewel is a huge
dome shaped structure made of glass and steel with the main function of being a
connector between the existing terminals. Jewel covers 10 storeys, 5 above
ground and 5 basement levels and includes a shopping mall, terraced tropical forest
gardens, a hotel, interesting attractions and the world tallest indoor
waterfall, HSBC Rain Vortex. It is
open 24 hours a day but the schedule for the waterfall is between 11:00
am-10:00 pm and with light and sound shows in the evenings. Surrounding the
Rain Vortex is Shiseido Forest Valley,
an amazing landscaped indoor garden with walking trails and tropical plant
species.
Other than the
Rain Vortex we visited most of Jewel attractions. We had fun at Canopy Park
attractions that include Discovery Slides, Foggy Bowls, Petal Garden and
Topiary Walk. We walked the Canopy Bridge, a glass bottom bridge suspended 23
meters above ground and felt like kids at the Hedge Maze, Mirror Maze and the
Walking Net, which is suspended across a void 25 meters above ground. The entry
to all the attractions will be cheaper if you get the ticket bundle deals
offered by Changi Airport.
The resort
complex includes a luxury hotel with three towers each 55 storey high topped by the Sands
Sky Park, a casino and the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands mall. The unique
architecture of the resort transformed Singapore city skyline making it one of
the most recognizable in the world. Tickets for the Sands Sky Park Observation
deck are 27 SGD per person. We enjoyed the panoramic views of
the city, seen Gardens of the Bay from above and the ArtScience Museum with its
incredible architecture in the form of a lotus flower. There is even a swimming pool on top but accessible to hotel guest only. The Shoppes at MarinaBay Sands is a luxury shopping mall designed with an indoor water canal where
visitors can enjoy boat rides throughout the mall. One of the best free
attractions we experienced in Singapore was Spectra, an amazing 15-minute light
and water show that happens daily in the evenings in front of the Shoppes.
From Marina Bay
Sands we strolled on the Double Helix Bridge, a twisted pedestrian-only bridge, and walked around to Merlion Park to see the iconic Merlion
statue, with a lion’s head and the body of a fish. Actually Singapore’s name
means Lion City in Sanscrit. The area is impressive both during the day and in the evening.
To get there
from our hotel we took the Thomson East Coast line train and transferred to the
North East line to Vivo City mall. We planned to spend half a day on the island
and see everything by foot. From Vivo City to the island it was just a pleasant
walk on The Boardwalk, a walking promenade that connects the two points. The
island offers all kind of attractions, from Universal Studios to luje rides and
adventure parks, but we chose to walk along the shores of the Indian Ocean to see
the beaches and finish by visiting Fort Siloso. At Palawan beach we crossed the
suspension footbridge to Palawan Island which is considered the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia.
This is also the Asia closest point to the equator. On the island there are two
wooden towers that offered serene views of the ocean and the ships that wait to
traverse the Singapore Strait.
We crossed two
more beaches, Siloso Beach and Tanjong Beach, to get to the historic Siloso Fort, an artillery battery fort from World War II that is now a military
museum open to the public with free admission. While exploring the fort a quick
summer storm started and while we waited for it to pass, we admired the views
from Fort Siloso Skywalk, an 11-storey high bridge before leaving the island.
This attraction
is 164-year-old and an UNESCO World Heritage Site. We spent a whole morning here
wandering through its gardens such as National Orchid Garden, Sundial Garden,
Ginger Garden, Fragrant Garden and more. Strolled along Palm Valley and Eco
Lake and enjoyed watching the playful otters and the Clouded Monitor lizard at
Symphony Lake.
National Orchid Garden
Located within
the Botanic Gardens, the Orchid Garden is a paid attraction, a ticket costs 15
SGD. It was raining when we visited but we purchased some ponchos from the
store and fully enjoyed the visit. With more than 1,000 species and 2,000
hybrids of orchids the Garden has the largest display of tropical orchids in
the world.
It is one of the
oldest parks in Singapore. You can get there by cable car directly either from
Sentosa Island or from the Harbourfront or you could hike up to the top. It is
only about 100 meter above sea level but we could have panoramic views of the
city, the southwestern coast of Singapore and its southern islands. A short
walk from the park is Henderson Waves, the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore, popular with tourists for its wooden wave-like shape.
Chinatown
This beautiful district has lots of
restaurants, souvenir shops and boutiques. The largest “hawker center” in
Singapore is also located here. Hawker centers are food complexes where you can try
very tasty menus for bargain prices, cash only though. Chinatown is also the
location for some of the most beautiful temples in Singapore.
It is said that
this Chinese Buddhist temple houses the tooth relic of Buddha. The temple, like
all the temples in Singapore is free of charge.
The temple was built
to worship Mazu, a Chinese sea goddess and it is the oldest and most important
temple for Hokkian people in Singapore.
This Hindu
temple draws a lot of tourists with its colourful design of Hindu deities’
sculptures and other ornamental figures and decorations. We had to take our
shoes off when entering the temple and there is a dress code that women are not
allowed to wear revealing clothes, in which case robes/shawls are offered for
the duration of the visit that can be dropped off in a bin at the exit.
Little India
Just minutes
from the Arab Quarter and Bugis Street we visited Little India, a lively
district in Singapore with brightly painted buildings, temples and lots of indian eateries and traditional shops.
Situated along
the riverside, this historical quay with colourful restored warehouses
repurposed into restaurants and pubs is known for its vibrant nightlife. It is
a great place to stroll along the river banks or experience a scenic boat
cruise.
Arab Quarter
Considered one
of the oldest neighbourhoods in Singapore, here you can get a feel of the
Singaporean Muslim life. Very famous with tourists, Arab Street or Haji lane are
busy little streets where you can shop for traditional Arabic items and
souvenirs or experience the Middle East cuisine. We also made our way to the
Sultan Mosque which is the largest in Singapore and displays a stunning architecture.
Bugis Street
This
street-shopping location has hundreds of shops and it is known for being one of
the largest and cheapest places to shop for everything from souvenirs and
clothes to experiencing the street food treats offered by the local vendors.
MacRitchie Nature Trail and Reservoir Park
To get to the
Park we woke up early in the morning and took the Thompson East Coast Line MRT
train to Bright Hill Station, which was close to the eastern entrance of the
park. We started with MacRitchie Tree Top Walk, a popular trail that took us
through forest to a 250 meters long free standing suspension bridge. Along the
trail we encountered a lot of wild life, families of long-tailed Macaques
monkeys, Monitor lizards, different bird species and even a family of wild
boars that crossed the road ahead of us.
After we crossed the bridge, which is one direction only, we continued
our walk until we reached MacRitchie Nature Trail which took us to MacRitchie
Reservoir parking lot. We walked about 13 km in the park and took us about 3
hours for the two trails. We were very impressed how well marked and clean were all the
trails in the park.
Located close to
MacRitchie Reservoir, the monastery is the largest Buddhist temple in Singapore.
On the premises of the monastery there are shrines, prayer halls, a crematorium
and columbarium and many other buildings and religious structures. The big
Buddha bronze statue in the Hall of No Form temple is one of the largest in
Asia. Inside the Hall we met Daniel, a Singapore born of Chinese descent, who
was meditating there. He kindly explained to us some basics of the Buddhist
practice and philosophy. He told us there is a daily free vegetarian lunch
offered by the monks but us being on a tight schedule, even though we wanted
the experience, could not wait for it.
The 2 km long
boulevard is considered a shopping paradise and Singapore’s retail heart and is
lined with luxury hotels, high end department stores and restaurants with stylish
modern architecture.
Fountain of Wealth
Located less
than a kilometer away from Marina Bay and Helix Bridge the Fountain of Wealth
is listed in Guinness Book of Records as the largest fountain in the world and
is located in SunTec City mall. It is said that the fountain will bless people
with power, success and prosperity so people will line up to make wishes while
encircling the fountain three times and holding the right hand over the water.
Situated on a
hilltop close to Clarke Quay area, the park has plenty of walking trails, exotic
plants and heritage trees. A popular spot in the park is the Tree Tunnel where
tourists line up for a picture.
Throughout the park you can see relics portraying Fort Canning military history
or wander off through the parks’ nine historical gardens.
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