At the beginning of 2022, my friends asked me if I wanted to go on holiday with them. Where are you going, I asked? “Singapore and Thailand, was the reply, and we will pay for your flight!!! You don’t have to spend all the time with us, but we would love you to come.” I was shocked (in a good way), I never expected this offer, I said I would need to think about it. I told my parents (because every 54 year old runs things passed their parents), and they said that was a wonderful gesture and you should accept. Of course, I had already decided that I would accept – I was returning to the country I called home for a long time.
We flew to Singapore and spent 3 days there. We arrived, dumped our bags and went for a few drinks at a nearby Mexican bar.
Our hotel was at the top of Orchard Road – a street full of high-end shops. I took a walk along there one day, but it was too expensive for my budget.
The next day, we pretty much did our own thing. I took a bus to Merlion Park with the infamous Merlion spouting a jet of water into Marina Bay.
Across the water the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel with its impressive SkyPark observation deck atop three towers.
I walked around the marina and made my way to the Gardens of the Bay – a beautiful oasis with hundreds of plants and flowers, ponds and water inlets.
It’s a very peaceful place considering it’s only a few minutes walk from the city.
The gardens are also home to the Supertree Grove – vertical gardens that look almost futuristic. Every evening, the trees are transformed into a kaleidoscope of different colours with musical accompaniment. We watched from an elevated outside space accessed from the hotel. It’s amazing to watch and listen to and definitely a must-do when in the city. And, it’s free!
In the evening, we went on a night safari at Singapore Zoo. We got on a small train which took us round the complex, stopping at the enclosures to see the animals. We didn’t see much because it was dark and most of the animals were sleeping.
Afterwards, we went to a night market famous for being a location in the Crazy Rich Asians movie. The atmosphere was buzzing with the many stall holders selling all kinds of food and people chatting while enjoying their meals. We found a table and wandered round the stalls deciding what to eat. The clams I had were delicious. We chose a few dishes so we could share and all washed down with a few cold beers.
We walked back towards our hotel and came across a bar called Harry’s, so we stopped off there for a few more drinks. It was a great night and we had a lot of laughs.
The next day, I did some more exploring on my own and walked to Nassim Hill Bakery for breakfast before relaxing back at the hotel by the pool.
Later, I met up with my friends again and we walked around Merlion Park again and had dinner in the lobby of the Marina Bay Sands hotel. At certain times in the evening, the marina is awash with the glow of the Spectra Show – a light and music extravaganza which lights up the whole marina in a myriad of wonderful colours.
We found ourselves back in Harry’s bar for a few more drinks and a lovely end to the short time we had spent in Singapore.
I liked Singapore, it was somewhere new to visit, but I found it really expensive – even for food and drinks. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to visit, but it’s a place I probably wouldn’t return to. Although, there were a few places that were on my list that I didn’t manage to go, so you never know!
The next morning, we were up early for a flight. We were off to Phuket!