#12: Resuming traveling in Singapore
We are back at it. Back to blogging and… back to traveling! It has been a while since we posted here for the last time. For a long time we have been hesitant about planning and even thinking about our next travels. We just didn’t want to be disappointed again by disrupted or cancelled travel plans due to the pandemic. But, early 2022 things started to open up again. With increasing vaccination rates and our booster vaccinations in the pocket, we felt safe enough to follow our dreams one more time and to start to traveling the world . So here we are again, reporting from our adventures around the world. This week we started our trip in Singapore, where we spent 4 days before heading to Australia.
Flight from Amsterdam to Singapore
Monday, 11 April 2022
Proof of vaccination: check. Negative COVID-19 test results: check. Health declaration form completed: check. We have all the documents we need to enter Singapore, but it still feels unreal to go traveling and hop on a plane again. But when we finally have the printed boarding passes in our hands and see our Singapore Airlines plane standing in front of the gate, we realize that this is finally happening. For the first time in two years we left Europe. Saying goodbye is never easy (the older I get, the harder it gets, as if seems), but it feels so good to start traveling again! The flight from Amsterdam to Singapore takes 12 hours and is almost completely full. We both didn’t sleep well (which is common for Kai, for me, not so much) but we enjoyed watching some movies and the excitement of starting a year in the unknown is real!
Early arrival and first impressions of Singapore
Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Our flight arrived at 5:45 AM local time and before we knew it, we went through immigration (no lines!), took the metro (tap your Visa card and go, no hassle with paper tickets!) and arrived at our hostel. The whole process was very easy and quick. From the moment we arrived, we could see how well organized, modern and clean Singapore is. When it comes to COVID-regulations, Singapore works with an app (TraceTogether) to track movement and COVID-infections. Every indoor space you enter, you have to check-in with the app that shows your vaccination status and wear a face mask.
The early morning sun lit up the skyscrapers of Singapore while we walked to our hotel. What a view and what a start to this adventure! Since we both didn’t really sleep on the 12 hour journey, we decided to beat the tiredness with some coffee in our neighborhood (Cafe Arabica) and start exploring the city. Exploring new places always gives us a lot of energy and we manage to stay awake until the early evening (apart from almost falling asleep in the city bus). But after 26 hours of being awake, we couldn’t keep our eyes open anymore and fell asleep at 8:00 PM. Exhausted, satisfied with our first Singapore impressions and so excited for everything that we will get to experience together. We are so tired, that we - almost - don’t even care about our room that doesn’t have any windows. Welcome back to Asia!
Sunrise skyline views, China town and street food
Wednesday, 13 April 2022
Yesterday we already had some first - and very positive - impressions of the city. We instantly fell in love with the city’s architecture: the mixture of historical Peranakan shop houses and modern skyscrapers works really well and proves to be very photogenic. Also, Singapore is full of parks and tropical plants, easy accessible public transport, street food, different cultures and barista cafés. It is easy to get around and there is something new to discover around every corner.
Thanks to the jetlag we woke up at 3:00 AM, so there was plenty of time for an early family FaceTime and to still be in time to watch the sunrise at the Fullerton Boardwalk, just behind the Marina Bay Sands hotel. My mom visited Singapore 15 years ago and it is so much fun to be at the exact same spot as her, just a few years later. The Merlion statue is still there, but it is crazy to imagine the Marina Bay Sands hotel didn’t exist yet at that time. We checked the rates of the hotel but unfortunately, the cheapest rooms are $350 a night. A little above our travel budget. Fortunately, the views on the hotel are for free! In the evening we watched a documentary about how the Marina Bay Sands was designed and built, really a piece of architectural art. In the afternoon we explored China Town, another lovely area in Singapore.
Gardens by the Bay and Joo Chiat neighborhood
Thursday, 14 April 2022
Another early morning that we start near the Marina Bay Sands hotel. This time we spent the morning in the stunning Gardens by the Bay. This is one of those attractions I’ve seen so many times on photos and TV but still it has managed to impress us and exceed our expectations. The garden is so lush, the gardens so well maintained and there is so much variety in plants and flowers. The outside gardens are public and free of charge (and there are beautiful pots with flowers in the toilet) but we decided to also visit the SkyWalk and the Cloud Forest. Both totally worth the money! From the SkyWalk you have amazing views on the Marina Bay Sands hotel as well as Singapore’s stunning modern Skyline. The Cloud Forest is one of the most beautiful botanical gardens we’ve ever visited, it even has an indoor waterfall and a skywalk. Also, unexpectedly, it has a very refreshing temperature inside. For lunch we went to the Joo Chiat neighborhood again, it has many stylish barista cafes (Common Man Coffee Roasters is our fav!) and is home to some very well preserved Peranakan buildings. Very colorful and very photogenic!
The most southern point of South East Asia (is an artificial beach)
Friday, 15 April 2022
Since we’ll need negative test results to enter our next country (Australia!), we start the day with another COVID-19 test. It is always a little nerve wracking but it was the most convenient swab ever and we had the negative results of the antigen rapid test in our hands within 30 minutes. Always a relief!
This is the first day with rain but we are well prepared and have our rain jackets with us. We explore China Town, pass by the old police station (beautiful colorful facades that must for sure look even better in bright sunlight) and cross some bridges with views on the Singapore skyline. We hop in a Hawker Center for lunch (the best food for the best prices!) before we take the train to Sentosa. This is where you find movie studios, attraction parks and an artificial beach. It stopped raining so we wanted to go for a little swim. It was fun to see how this tropical beach was created with sand from the Philippines (hence the name: Palawan Beach). We close out the day with a visit to Little India (such a different vibe from the rest of Singapore - lots of buzz!) and an iced latte at a beautiful barista cafe nearby our hotel.
Travel day Singapore to Sydney
Saturday, 16 April 2022
We woke up with the sound of heavy rain and thunderstorms. Now we understand what is meant with a Singaporean rainstorm! One foot out of the door and we were halfway soaked. Seems to be good timing to leave for our next country (even though we could have spent much longer in Singapore!). By the time we arrive at the airport (7:00 AM), the waterfall at Singapore’s airport mall (Jewel Mall) isn’t running and lit yet. Such a pity! But even without water it looks quite impressive. The flight to Sydney takes 7:50 hours and lucky us - the plane is only filled for approx. 20% and we have a complete row all to ourselves. It was one of the most convenient flights ever.
