Passing Through Singapore

We hopped off the bus in the “Little India” neighborhood (like Malaysia, there was a big Indian influence here) and found a coffee shop as we did not have a SIM card for Singapore, nor did we have good directions to our hostel. We decided to forgo the SIM since we were only going to be here for a couple of days. Our hostel was a quick subway ride away and we were there. Singapore was a much more expensive country than our previous ones, so we had to really look for accommodations within our budget. We ended up staying at another “pod” type space ($40 per night, or 55 SGD) where we were in one large room with others but had a curtain separating our space from theirs.

Our first impression of Singapore was that is was absolutely, meticulously clean. It also had a TON of green space, with trees growing on traffic medians, many parks, and even gardens on top of high-rise buildings and draping down the sides of parking garages. Singapore is a tiny country, and really is just comprised of one giant city from end to end. It is quite a wealthy country, however, and has been well planned out, so the locals and tourists alike still have ways to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city. The downtown area is still really amazing though, and is a front runner in architecture and modern engineering practices. Kyle had previously been to a lecture on the city planning of Singapore, and was happy to spew random, half-remembered “facts” to Nicole the whole time we were there.

Our first day we explored the Clarke Quay area (a cool riverside shopping and food district), walked by the Cathedral, and saw the rest of the Downtown Core loop, including a photo stop at the famous Merlion statue (a mermaid-lion), and to see the Marina Bay Sands Resort, which is 3 high-rises connected by a top structure that looks like a ship propped up in the sky. We then headed over to China town to do some nighttime exploring and to eat at a Hawker’s market. Yes, they’re big here too, and you can actually get meals for $2-3! Most places in Singapore are priced like a big US city, but there are some gems like these tucked away too. We tried dry wanton mee (dumplings and noodles) and “carrot cake.” Unlike the sweet baked dessert back home, theirs is an omelet-type dish stuffed with rice-cakes, veggies, and seafood. We got carrot juice and bitter gourd juice (it’s a thing here) from another stand, and the friendly guy running it had some savory stuffed buns (one stuffed with “brains” according to the name, although he let us know it was just minced pork) that he let us try for free. Just like Malaysia, Singapore has an amazing food scene! (Likely because Singapore was a part of Malaysia until 1965). We went back to the hostel to do some planning, but ended up staying up late talking to another couple about travels, especially since they were coming from Vietnam and that was our next country!

The next morning we took our Covid tests for our flight to Vietnam scheduled for following day. Note that we did not need one to get into Singapore, and things are changing both ways every single day. We were still actually waiting on our e-Visa acceptance for Vietnam too, which was a little stressful. The system was supposed to take 3 business days, and because of a recent holiday and the weekend, the immigration office hadn’t had a business day for awhile. After the tests, we went to the Southern Ridges area, where we ran on an elevated trail that connects multiple city parks. Although we didn’t see any, there are sometimes monkeys in the park that harass pedestrians! Following the run we started a power-exploration day, where we wove in and out of Little India, China Town, and a cool Arab-influenced neighborhood called Kampong Glam.

While in China Town we stopped over at another hawkers market to try “the world’s cheapest Michelin-star restaurant.” It was a food stall called Hawker Chan that specialized in chicken basted in a secret soya sauce and slow roasted. The stall had actually lost their Michelin star in the last year but, nonetheless, the food was unbelievably good. And for $3 per plate, who could complain? We washed lunch down with some honey-pineapple juice from the stall across the aisle (there are fresh juice stalls everywhere in the hawkers markets too). Later in the day we actually tried Singapore’s only other Michelin-starred Hakwer’s stall (this one still had their star). There we got their famous pork noodles (the “dry” version instead of the soup, which a local guy let us know was how typical dishes in Singapore are served so that people can load up on sauces). That, too, was unbelievable!

In the evening we went back over to catch sunset with a view of the Marina Bay Resort, and tried to explore the Gardens by the Bay. The Gardens area is a large open space with multiple garden themes and a hanging bridge connecting tall, artificial trees over everything. Unfortunately, we got there just as the park was closing (it stays open all night but the hanging bridge and cool LED light shows stop around 9pm). We then went back, packed up, and caught a couple of hours of sleep before our 6:00am flight.

We caught a Grab (the Uber of SE Asia) early that morning and made it to the airport in plenty of time. At this point, Nicole’s Vietnam visa had come through…but Kyle’s hadn’t. We tried everything we could, but they wouldn’t let Kyle through without the approval letter. Rather than pay twice as much for changing flights, we decided to split up. Nicolé headed to Vietnam while Kyle waited it out. We expected Kyle to be on the next flight out that morning, but it ended up taking another whole day. For the first time all trip, we were apart for more than a bathroom break!

Nicole and Kyle’s days were a little different from eachother:

• While Nicolè touched down in Vietnam and caught the bus into the city, Kyle sat by a window and watched planes take off

• While Nicole wandered the streets of Ho Chi Minh, Kyle wandered from the check in counters to the the drinking fountain's, and back again

• While Nicole planned out scooter rentals, laundry, and shopping, Kyle planned out his next flight to Vietnam. His approval letter finally came through, and he found one with an overnight stay in Kuala Lumpur, so he hopped on that flight.

• While Nicole ate Pho at a cool corner spot, Kyle ate the fast food version of wanton mee.

• While Nicole slept in a nice, big bed on the top floor of the hostel, Kyle snuck into a renovated area of the Kuala Lumpur airport, where he snuck by a security guard so that he could sleep in a business lounge sleep pod.

Kyle finally made it to Vietnam the next morning, and we were reunited!

Levi’s shirt count: 465