Singapore February 2018

From a cold and wet evening in London Heathrow, and after 12 hours in the air, we arrived in a hot but damp Singapore.
The first thing we noticed, in addition to the improvement in the weather, was how green it was. It seemed that every building was sprouting greenery; plants, bushes and even trees cling to ledges and wrapped themselves around pillars. However, this was not a surprise as we had read that Singapore was using nature to help improve its air quality, and at the same time making its concrete structures much more pleasing to the eye.

Green Building

During our South East Asia adventure we will visit Singapore on three separate occasions, this being the first. Our hotel was very central and with easy access to all the main attractions. The only drawback was the room size; the phase shoebox comes to mind, although I must say it was well fitted considering the space available.

Deluxe Superior room or shoe box or our hotel room

View from the room

Even though we were battling with jet lag, we did manage to get out and explore. First stop was Marina Bay, with its ultra modern buildings providing a contrast to the more colonial structures of the Fullerton for example. We managed to circuit the whole bay, including the impressive Helix Bridge, before the rain set in and we retreated to our hotel room.

Helix Bridge

Donwpour not Singapore

View of Singapore from Marina Bay

Boat in the Sky aka Marina Bay Sands

The next day was dryer so we made our way up to Little India. As soon as we emerged from the underground we were greeted with something very different, we could have been in Mumbai if we didn’t know we were still in Singapore. A few hours exploring the narrow streets gave us a real taste of India, before we drifted into the Arab Quarter and something quite different.

Little India Market

Little India Market

Mural in Little India

Lamborghini Little India

Little India offering for the temple

Sri Veramakaliamman Temple in Little India

Mosque in the Arab Quarter

That same evening we dined in Chinatown, on route to the Gardens by the Bay. We didn’t have much time so planned to return on our next Singapore visit.

China Town

China Town, Year of the Dog

Our evening destination was the Gardens by the Bay. Here, enormous golf tee type structures form trestles for local flora to climb up from the tropical gardens below. And, by night they are lit up to create a quite amazing picture. Add to this a free light and music show and you have a very enjoyable evening out. The only down side was that the Skywalk was closed due to rain, so we will try and return on a dry night.

Singapore by Night

Golf Trees Gardens by the Bay

Golf Trees in Gardens by the Bay at night

Marina Bay Sands by Night

View from Gardens by the Bay at night

Gardens by the Bay at Night

After almost three full and very enjoyable days in Singapore we headed north to Laos.

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

Singapore
Singapore lies in the northern hemisphere but is only 1 degree north of the Equator.

Day & Night
During the day, Singapore seems a quiet calm city without the hoards of tourists we were expecting. But by night it comes alive, when all the locals come out to brush off the stress of their working day.