We traveled here October 2-October 5, 2016
What a whirlwind vacation we had in Singapore. We were out and about for four full days of adventure. Singapore was a needed change for us from the previous six weeks of travel. Arriving in Singapore at 2am and arriving at our Airbnb for the week at 3am was probably not a fantastic idea; the children are such amazing travelers and handled the interruption in sleep well. The beds felt extra good that night.
Our first impression of Singapore was that it smelled fresh, the streets were amazingly clean, and they drive on the opposite side of the car and street. The driving on the opposite side of the road was a first for all of us and completely unexpected. We were unaware of the British influence in this part of Asia. A lot of Asia was under British rule at some point so they adopted parts of their customs and words.
Our excursions over the four days consisted first of figuring out the convenient and nearby metro and bus stations. Next we purchased two day Singapore City Passes to help us see and experience more of this beautiful city. We used those passes to the fullest we possibly could with a family of five. Last, we took Singapore by storm.
Here’s a checklist of our activities:
- Gardens by the Bay during the day: So many gardens, you can’t possibly cover in a day. Gorgeous surroundings. Play area for the children is vast and entertaining. Bring a swimsuit, too.
- Gardens by the Bay night music and lights show: a must see if you come to Singapore.
- Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay: We’d come back to this attraction. Absolutely magnificent what they’ve done in a large glass dome.
- Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay: It was okay; not entirely what I was expecting.
- River Safari at the Singapore Zoo: So fun with the children. We learned a lot about the different rivers of the world and the life that live in the fresh water; about the cultures that live along the banks of the rivers; and saw animals here we had never seen before.
- Chinatown: Seeing Chinatowns all over the world makes me happy, though I’ve never been to China itself
- Drive by the Merlion: We weren’t knowledgable of the hop on hop off system and we watched this attraction speed right by us. I did snap a quick picture, though. We never had time to make it back to the icon of Singapore.
- Walk through Clark Quay: Quaint part of Singapore with eateries and boat rides on the river. Colorful buildings line the water and street front. Across the street you will see the white police station with rainbow colored shutter. It was beautiful.
- Walk along Bugis Street: hopping night market that I was too exhausted to even think about going through. If we had maybe we would have seen the metro station across the street instead of walking an extra two miles only to end up back where we started. I can look back on that now and laugh. At the time, I needed sleep.
- Eat at many hawker stalls: a must if you are in Singapore. Everyone will tell you they are safe to eat at. We would say the same and add that the food is absolutely delicious. Claire has turned into our more discerning eating while Tage has been trying new foods and enjoying most everything. Maybe he’s got Asian in him?
- Saw the Singapore Flyer
- Saw beautiful British inspired buildings: The architecture is eclectic. Everything from modern to 1800’s British influence. It is a mish mash of architecture that makes Singapore unique.
- Drove through Orchard: Premier shopping district in Singapore. It was mind blowing the amount of shopping they had in such a small area.
- Saw massive “sky highs” as Tage calls them
Also on our list of highlights is Jake got a new laptop so he is back in business! It was one of those moments that you cry a little because you are just so happy. No joke, I cried a little because Jake can now get back to growing his business.
Singapore, you are magnificent. You lit a fire in Averi and helped her see that traveling can open your eyes to new and different experiences in each location. That was a lot in four days and now on to Malaysia.
See more of our fun pictures here: Singapore Gallery
