Our next stop was Singapore. It was only for three days, which should be the length of every visit to this pricey yet immaculate city. Singapore is made up of one large island and 63 small, mostly uninhabited, surrounding islands. It is a city, a capital, and a state all at once, making it one of only three City States in the world (the other two are Monaco and Vatican City). It is one of the world’s busiest ports, one of the world’s greenest cities, and one of the most spectacular places to visit. There is hardly any traffic because owning a car is quite expensive (you need to bid for the right to own and drive a car in Singapore), and the City State is home to a number of wacky laws. Here are a few we found humorous:
- Smuggling gum into the country (selling gum is forbidden). Penalty = $100,000 or up to two years in jail
- Spitting in public. Penalty = Fine up to $1,000
- Littering. Penalty = $300 fine for your first time, third time offenders must clean the streets once a week with a bib on saying, “I am a litterer.”
- Walking around your house naked. Penalty = Fine up to $1,000 and may face pornography charges
- Failure to flush a public toilet. Penalty = Fine up to $150. (P.S. public elevators are equipped with Urine Detection Devices (UDD) that detect the scent of urine, set off an alarm, and lock you in until the cops roll up..so don’t get drunk and pee in the vators)
- Singing, reciting, or uttering any obscene song in public. Penalty = Up to three months imprisonment, a fat fine, or both
Upon landing, we almost didn’t want to leave the airport. It was like entering the Ritz Carlton, but nicer. Massive full HD LED screens showcasing beautiful Southeast Asia destinations, natural plants and gardens spread throughout, self-service boarding/bag check, and stunning lounges. The airport is spotless, welcoming, spacious and, unlike any other airport, relaxing. If you are an anxious traveler and hate airports, you will love this one. It is ranked among the top airports in the world. Okay, enough about the damn airport. Let’s get to the city.
When balling on a budget, Nate’s credit card schemes definitely come in handy. We stayed at the Park Hotel Clarke Quay for free and booked a club-lounge room. The scheme is simple – use points for the room, and use extra points for club-lounge access which provides breakfast, happy hour (top-shelf liquor in a city where alcohol is stupid expensive), and small plates which you can pretty much make a full dinner out of. During our entire three day stay, we spent a total of $6 on food and alcohol.
Singapore is a quiet city and one worth exploring. Sentosa is a popular nearby island with attractions like Universal Studios and Seaworld – great for families, but not for budget travelers or Americans who have both at home. We didn’t travel this far to see Shamoo.
The Gardens at Marina Bay were our main priority and Singapore’s #1 attraction. We spent an entire afternoon exploring everything this sight has to offer. From the Cloud Forest to the Flower Dome, this massive space dedicated to the beauty of nature blew our minds and is well-worth not paying for meals to cover the overpriced admission fee. There is simply nothing like this anywhere else in the world. In the Gardens by the Bay exhibits, you can find the world’s largest indoor waterfall and over 500,000 species of plants from around the world. The Flower Dome is also the world’s largest glass greenhouse. We recommend paying for entry to both “domes” (everything else is free), and visiting the gardens during the day and at night. Your nighttime visit will include a light show at the picture-perfect Supertree Grove.
Singapore is a super-city – fully integrated with nature, cleaner than any place we’ve visited, the most technologically advanced, traffic-free, and all around a pleasure to be in. We would recommend everyone come here for a few days at some point in your life.
Time to go volunteer in Thailand!
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