Singapore

View from my room!

Singapore was the last Asian country I was able to visit before my trip home (in less than a week!)  Singapore is completely different than any other Asian city I’ve been to – it’s modern, organized, and absolutely the cleanest city I’ve ever visited.  To me, I felt like I was at an Asian themed resort.  I had an absolutely beautiful view of the Singapore skyline from my window at the hotel my parents booked me (thankyouthankyouthankyouuu).  It was a pretty big step up from the $20/night backpacker hotels I usually stay in.

Singapore Duck Tour

Since Singapore is so safe, I was able to sort of wander around and explore.  My hotel was near the Singapore River, so by following the river up I was able to see a lot of the major sites.

Singapore Flyer

The Singapore flyer is the biggest Ferris wheel in the world (163m/541ft)!  I didn’t get to go up in it, but it was neat looking at it up close.  Apparently (according to my guidebook), when the Singapore flyer first opened it ran in a counter clockwise direction… until couple of years later the owners consulted Feng shui masters who told them it should be turning in the other direction.

On the Helix Bridge

Apparently a few years ago there was a Junior Olympics in Singapore – there was some neat artwork and stadiums set up from the event.  My favorite part of this area was the nearby Helix Bridge – which had some great views of the cityscape!

Marina Bay Sands Resort

The Marina Bay Sands Resort was on the other side of the river – the design of the building is pretty interesting – to me it sort of looks like there’s a boat on top, but apparently the designer was inspired by decks of cards.

Ice Rink in Marina Bay Sands

Inside the resort is pretty insane – I only saw a small bit of it, but apparently it has: the world’s most expensive casino, a hotel, convention center, mall, museum, theaters, “celebrity chef” restaurants, two floating Crystal Pavilions, an ice skating rink, “Sky Park”, and a 150 m infinity swimming pool.

Singapore Gardens

My favorite thing I saw in Singapore was the Singapore Gardens – I thought they looked really futuristic – almost like they were out of a Sci Fi movie (and unless you went to a special exhibition… they were free!).  The big, alien looking things are apparently called “Supertrees” – and they are between 25m/82ft and 50m/160ft high.  The supertrees are vertical gardens that also are designed to help take care of some of the gardens on the ground 9in terms of planting, shading, etc.)

Chinatown

Unfortunately, I didn’t have great weather my second day in Singapore (although, with all it’s luxury malls to hang out in… it’s not exactly the worst place to be stuck indoors).  I did manage to get to visit Singapore’s Chinatown.  I thought it was really interesting to visit – they still have a lot of the facets that a Chinatown in other parts of Asia I’ve visited would have: hawkers, food vendors, etc.   But, in Singapore, everything is much more organized – everyone is in stalls instead of being sprawled out on the streets, there are  signs pointing you towards attractions in the area, and the food preparation looks really clean.

Inside Buddha Tooth Temple

While in Chinatown, I visited a really pretty temple which supposedly houses one of Buddha’s teeth.  Not sure if I’m sold on the fact that Buddha’s tooth was in there… but it was a really beautiful temple!

Singapore!

I loved Singapore – it’s really amazing to see how the country’s developed, especially in the context of the region it’s located.

Tags: Buddha Tooth Temple, Helix Bridge, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, Singapore Flyer, Singapore Gardens, Teaching Abroad