The pace is starting to pickup with new countries now and I arrived in Singapore! I was super excited to spend some time here as despite how spenny it is, there is so much to do and I was so excited!! I felt like a little kid ready to go exploring as much as possible in the time I had. I landed from Kuala Lumpur, so many flights at the minute and lots of airport time which I do and don’t like, it means I get a few hours to just sit and put a film on, do some bits on my laptop, etc. but also, I spend longer in the airport than I do on the flights most of the time as they are all fairly short! It can be a bit annoying.

I arrived in Singapore in the afternoon so checked in and chilled out for a little bit, and then went out to explore the local area in the evening. I only had a few hours today so ticked off some things that were closer by, including Boat and Clarke Quay and the incredible views from near where I was staying. After grabbing some dinner I decided to treat myself to a bit of a pamper eve, and it felt so good! I painted my nails and did a facemask and just chilled lut which felt so nice. I mentioned in my KL blog that I had a rough few days so it felt super nice to feel good again.

Day two and my first full day in Singapore and let me tell you I had a whole list of things for what I wanted to do whilst I was here. Let’s get started! I started off at Marina Bay Sands, of course! I didn’t go up (yet) but had a look at it right up close and then headed to Gardens by the Bay for a wander around and to check it all out, and let me tell you, it was mesmorising. I visited Supertree Grove first and there was a Christmas Market setup there which was really cute, Singapore knows how to do it here! I then walked along the OCBC Skyway which had some exceptional views. I managed to get some clear views of Marina Bay Sands, as well as the Singapore Flyer, and lots of the surrounding areas of the gardens too. It only took about 15 minutes to walk it but the views in that time were sensational.

There were so many different ticket experience options for Gardens by the Bay, I decided to pick the one which had the Cloud Forest and I’m so glad I did. It had the world’s largest indoor waterfall as well as a whole load of other incredible nature, what a cool experience. I think my favourite part was the orchid walk where I saw some of the most incredible that I’ve ever seen in my life. You could head all the way up to level seven and do the cloud walk at the top and then work your way down through different levels of the jungle, different habits, a crystal forest and a secret garden. I really enjoyed my time here and it provided a real bliss in comparison to the hustle and bustle of the city.

I spent the afternoon walking around the rest of the gardens (genuinely huge) including visiting the waterlily pond, and spotting some little turtles. I also nearly had a full on heart attack when I saw a huge monitor lizard to the side of me, usually not that scary but I did not expect it in the slightest! I also found a cool place called Satay by the Bay to grab some street food, before jumping on the MRT to City Hall as I wanted to check out Raffles Long Bar for a Singapore Sling, where they were first created! Spenny but well worth it, another once in a lifetime bucket list moment.

The cocktail itself cost S$41, which is like £25 lol, genuinely the most expensive drink I’ve ever bought in my life I reckon, but, the whole experience was incredible. The service was outstanding and it sounded just like what I’d been told, you’re served shelled peanuts with your drink and you just throw the shells on the ground (they are everywhere in the bar!) and it means then that when you’re walking you hear the crunching sound. The cocktail itself was actually quite nice, and I really enjoyed the vibe here too.

I walked back towards Boat Quay which was really nice to soak up the views and different things around me, including walking past Parliament and the National Gallery, and stopped to grab some dinner on the way back too. I was absolutely loving my time in Singapore and just had so much still to cram in to my trip! Day three and my last full day in Singapore for a little bit, I’m planning on being back again for a few days over Christmas which I’m super excited about so can definitely get some more exploring in then!

One thing I really wanted to do here was visit Sentosa Island, and Palawan; this is where the southermost point of contintal Asia is! So first up was visiting there so I jumped on the MRT and headed down the south. You have to changed at the harbour front to a tram which takes you over to Sentosa, you could also take the cable cars but the queues were insane, so decided on this. The island itself was really cool, it’s where the resort world is, and I was definitely going to be coming back, but I headed straight to the beachfront to visit the famous sign highlighting that you are at the most southern point. I also managed to see some cool sealife, including little baby sharks!

After a bit of a wander around the island, and stopping to grab some lunch, I headed back to the harbour front. I had a quick stop at VivoCity Mall en route back purely for some aircon in my life as it was so warm and humid, and I was melting after anymore than about 10 minutes outside. However, lucky had it that when I was walking around, I spotted an M&S pop-up store that had Percy Pigs! Wow. I definitely needed a slice of the UK in my life and percy managed just that. They tasted so good and it brought a smile to my face whilst melting away.

I carried on my adventures of the day by heading to check out Kampong Glam, Haji Lane, Arab Street and Bugis Street. All in close proximity of eachother so really easy to visit all at the same time, well, one after the other. These areas were really cool and quirky and I really enjoyed seeing the bright and vibrant coloured walls and shops, as well as the street art which was all over the place. I spent a little bit of time here wandering around and just taking in the sights before heading back to Boat Quay.

I found somewhere to get some dinner which was lovely, by the quay right on the river, with incredible views of the full moon and then knew I wanted to make sure I was the Spectra performance at Marina Bay whilst I was here so headed to Merlion Park to catch a good view. I was not disappointed. It was only around a 10 minute walk from where I was staying so super easy to get to, and it really was stunning. The whole bayfront was lit up in synchronised colours, included the ArtScience Museum and the Singapore Flyer, with water dancing from the fountains infront of the Marina Bay Hotel. I was completely mesmorised.

Whilst here I obviously checked out the Merlion Statue, which is really famous in Singapore, and spent a bit of time walking along the bayfront just soaking it all in. I think I had another pinch me moment where I was just feeling super grateful that is still the life I get to live each day. I lose my mind in it sometimes and just can’t believe that this is it. Once the show finished and I finihsed strolling, I headed back to my hostel to pack ready for travel day tomorrow, I put a film on and it was time to chill out.

It was time to fly to my next country on day four, and I had a daytime flight so checked out of my hostel and headed to the airport. I was dead excited to get to the airport this time though, unusual as I usually hate the airport haha, but Changi in Singapore is known as the best airport in the world, with so many different things to do there, including a swimming pool and jacuzzi (althought I won’t be visiting this time), but I had some time to check out some of the other parts of the airport before boarding my flight. I’ll see ya when I get there, Mads x