After returning to Thailand from a month in England visiting my family I began to feel homesick for the first time - it was incredible to be reunited with my family and friends, see my Dad get married and meet my nephew for the first time and so boarding another one-way flight across the world, just like I did when I flew to India at the beginning of my trip two years ago, felt wrong this time, especially since I didn't have the excitement of the unknown to look forward to. It was back to work for me which meant being a human climbing frame/clown to twenty-nine cheeky little five year olds, roasting in Thailand's furnace-like climate and meeting the new foreign teachers that replaced my friends who left at the end of last semester. It took me a while to feel settled in my little north-east Thailand town again but the minute I did I started to crave adventure; this is why I decided to embark on a mini solo-backpacking trip to Singapore during a long weekend - it was the Buddhist version of Lent in Thailand which meant we had a few extra days off school (cheers, Buddha!). In the name of adventure and stinginess instead of flying I travelled by bus from Thailand, through the entire length of peninsular Malaysia, to Singapore; apart from the border crossing we only stopped once at a dark roadside shack in the middle of nowhere where I ate a plate of green mystery food whilst being stared at intensely by twenty perplexed Malaysian people - they seemed to be wondering who this yellow-haired, white-skinned creature was...I was back in the unknown again and it felt great!
I headed to my hostel after spending the day wondering around the city state and immediately signed up for the free kick-scooter tour they were offering. I'd already researched all the things I wanted to see and do during my visit and foresaw three busy days ahead however we were taken to every conceivable point of interest during the five-hour excursion. Singapore seemed like it was worlds away from most of the places in Asia I have lived in and visited - it is modern, westernised and very expensive (especially for me coming with my Thai baht) and therefore home to many up-market shopping centers; in order to navigate through the heaving metropolis we scooted through a couple of these centers and I've rarely felt so out of place - fifteen scruffy, sweaty (Singapore's humidity is stifling!!) backpackers scooting past Prada and Gucci under crystal chandeliers was surreal to say the least! As was our bizarre scoot through the iconic Raffles hotel - our cheeky scoot saved me spending a month's worth of food money on their famous Singapore Sling cocktail just to get a look inside.
As far as travelling experiences go, Singapore was one of the easiest and most pleasant cites I've been to on this continent; not only do most people speak English, making it a nice break for me as I'm constantly having to translate everything where I live, but it's also super organised and squeaky clean - littering, J-walking, smoking outside designated areas and even chewing gum are illegal and carry hefty-enough fines to deter people. Singapore is a melting pot of cultures and so I revelled in the spicy culinary delights of Little India several times, ate Singapore noodles at a Chinese restaurant, enjoyed a Japanese muscle dish at an outside food court, shared a plethora of local dishes with a couple of foreign Singaporean residents over beer at a roadside restaurant that spilled on to the street as well as chowing down on sushi and Malaysian food...YUM! I spent the rest of my time in Singapore with various people from all around the world that I'd met at my hostel and together we waffled for hours on end about our travelling experiences, explored the Botanic gardens, climbed Singapore's second-highest mountain (at a whopping 105 metres it's nothing to be proud of however I could see the entire country from the top), sampled the country's nightlife several times, danced at al fresco street bars whilst colossal-sized umbrella structures shielded us from the rain and then attempted to sweat out our hangovers by cycling along the country's coastline.
As soon as I was dropped off in Singapore I started exploring on foot - this is a mosque in the Arab quarter.
Luckily I'd travelled with only hand luggage so I was able to comfortably explore as soon as I got off the bus.
Cable cars join the main island of Singapore to one of its many surrounding islands.
When I visited this Chinese temple I was instructed to perform a bizarre fortune-telling ritual by shaking a cup full of sticks and throwing fish-shaped stones on the floor - the answer? "Misfortune comes naturally to you. No good times". Thanks for the optimism...!
I headed to my hostel after spending the day wondering around the city state and immediately signed up for the free kick-scooter tour they were offering. I'd already researched all the things I wanted to see and do during my visit and foresaw three busy days ahead however we were taken to every conceivable point of interest during the five-hour excursion. Singapore seemed like it was worlds away from most of the places in Asia I have lived in and visited - it is modern, westernised and very expensive (especially for me coming with my Thai baht) and therefore home to many up-market shopping centers; in order to navigate through the heaving metropolis we scooted through a couple of these centers and I've rarely felt so out of place - fifteen scruffy, sweaty (Singapore's humidity is stifling!!) backpackers scooting past Prada and Gucci under crystal chandeliers was surreal to say the least! As was our bizarre scoot through the iconic Raffles hotel - our cheeky scoot saved me spending a month's worth of food money on their famous Singapore Sling cocktail just to get a look inside.
Here we are outside The InnCrowd Backpackers Hostel before the scooter tour began.
As it got dark we were taken to Gardens by the Bay where we laid on the ground and watched lights in giant tree-structures dancing to local music. In the background you can see Marina Bay Sands Hotel which features three skyscrapers with giant ship plonked on top.
The scooter trip culminated in an utterly spectacular light-on-water show at the harbour with Singapore's stunning skyline as a backdrop.
Singapore's harbour comes to life at night.
I've been longing for authentic Indian food ever since I spent three months travelling and eating my way around the sub-continent in 2014 - this was definitely the place to satiate my cravings.
The Botanic Gardens were full of unusual looking plants, strange sounding animals in the trees, black swans and these giant lizards.
A Hindu temple.
I scootered, walked, cycled and danced around a whole country in three days - how many times can you say that?
