For
those of you, who have read my last blog, the journey on cruise might have
ended but it wasn’t the time to go home already. In this blog, I will take you
through my travel experiences in Singapore which I am very excited to share
with y’all.
February
5, 2018: We checked out from the Marina Bay Cruise Centre and booked an Uber to
Jalan Jintan Road, where we had booked an Airbnb for 3 days and 2 nights. It
was a 2 level house, with 5 rooms. We booked 2 rooms for 4 people and it costed
us INR 11,972.30, which I found fairly reasonable as it was just 750m away from
Orchard Road. It is Asia’s most famous shopping street, also called as the
heart of Singapore. I would describe it as the Connaught Place of Delhi for the
luxury brands to high street fashion, and from exclusive restaurants to fast
food joints it has to offer.
The
house had bunch of amenities to offer, like, Kitchen, Free Wi-Fi, Iron, Hair
Dryer, TV, Geyser, and Billiards Table. It was my first experience with Airbnb
and I was really satisfied with my decision of not booking a hotel room, which
would have obviously been costlier and cramped. It was honestly home away from
home (okay now don’t think I am being paid to rave about Airbnb). It also helped save our expenditure on food
as we cooked our own meals and rather spent on transport and other memorable
experiences the country had to offer.
The
house was perfectly according to the description on the Airbnb website and well
maintained with a beautiful garden at the entrance,where you could sit and have
your morning tea/coffee while admiring the cool and colourful furniture. Meanwhile, eating at the dining table, we used
to have brief conversations with other inmates, who belonged to different
countries. The best feature I appreciate about Airbnb is that it allows you to
get in touch with the host even prior to making your bookings which decreases
or eliminates the possibility of bogus bookings.
After
checking-in and getting acquainted with the surroundings of the house, we
planned our itinerary accordingly that we were able visit major attractions
possible within 2.5 days. Also, weather in Singapore is hot and humid, so a
water bottle, hat, umbrella, sunblock and sunglasses are your basic travel
essentials.
We
first headed towards the south of Singapore where you can visit Singapore Zoo,
Night Safari, and River Safari as these places are just walking distance to
each other. The ticket price for Singapore Zoo+ River cruise is approx.35 USD
per person and you can avail up to 15% discount if you purchase tickets online
in advance or 10% for foreign tourists, if you show boarding pass of Singapore
Airlines.
At Singapore Zoo, animals are kept in spacious,
landscaped enclosures. The habitat mimics the natural environment for each
species of animals as closely possible. At River Safari, I was most delighted
to watch the Pandas and also learned about the existence of Red Pandas. Aren’t
they just too adorable? There was also a cafe called Mama Panda Kitchen where
you can eat everything resembling a Panda.
The
River Safari also features a 15 minute boat ride in the Amazon Rivers, which
takes you along the outskirts of Singapore Zoo and Night Safari. You can spot
animals like Giraffes, Asian Elephants and Rhinoceros, etc. During the boat
ride, 2 docentskeep the tourists informed about all species living there.
It
has the world’s largest freshwater aquarium, where you can spot river giants
like, Elephant Seal, Siamese cat, Mekong Catfish, and Piranha.
Next
in the Itinerary was, Sentosa Island. Sentosa is a bustling resort Island in
Singapore. It is home to Fort Siloso, Golf courses, Tiger Sky Tower, Madame
Tussauds Singapore, Universal Studious, 3 beaches- Siloso, Palawan, Tanjong,
SEAAquarium, and Fort Siloso Skywalk.
While
walking in Sentosa, we stumbled upon a 11-storey, 181 metres long Skywalk
trail. It provides a bird’s-eye view of
Fort Siloso and Sentosa Island. Some part of the floor is glass-bottomed, which
gives a more spectacular view of the area.
The
Skywalk offers a scenic route to Fort Siloso which made me want to take photos
obviously but it’s so windy up there, that my hat and hair just won’t cooperate
with me. Well I reached Fort Siloso appreciating the beautiful view around me.
It is a WWII memorabilia which has the remains of guns, military structures and
tunnels. The place surely shouts of all the war stories it once encountered.
Trip
to Sentosaisn’t complete if you don’t visit its pristine beaches. Siloso Beach
is the coolest beach in Singapore. A perfect place to laze around, have a drink
and read a book. Tourists can also try activities like Zip Line and flying
Trapeze. It is an ideal place for a beach party at night with its lively bars
and restaurants.
Sentosa
also has the very famous Universal Studios but I couldn’t visit it, which I
deeply regret but it requires one complete day and I would have missed a chance
to visit various other significant places over it. Sigh! Better luck next time.
On
Second day, we booked a Grab Taxi, Grab is a Singapore based taxi and Bike
Booking app. There is a feature in the app called Grab Hitch in which local people
give you a lift if your destination falls in their route. It is at the dispense
of the driver, if he wants to charge you or not. We booked it for Mustafa
Centre and the person who gave us a ride, was really cordial and asked us about
our trip so far and gave us a few more travel tips as a localite. Later, after
reaching Mustafa we saw in the app, that he hadn’t charged us for our ride. How
awesome is that?
Mustafa
Centre is a 24*7 open Shopping Mall. There is a dedicated space for everything
ranging from watches, kitchen items, perfumes, cosmetics, electronics, sports
goods, jewellery to clothes, bags, and grocery items. You can find some big and
famous brands at low prices. I believe the place need multiple visits to cover
each section.One fun fact about the place here that tourists can avail GST
Refund at the airport on presenting their bills. There are various food joints
nearby which also offer Indian Cuisine.
We
left for Gardens by the Bay in the afternoon. Gardens by the Bay offers
breath-taking waterfront views. It has
Supertree structures which offer an impressive skywalk over the gardens, cloud
forest and seashell shaped greenhouses. The place helps to have a complete view
of the magnificent Marina Bay Sands, which is directly opposite to the park. It
is an amazing place to explore horticulture from around the world. Some of my
best captures in the whole trip are definitely from this place.
As
the evening approached, we went to Chinatown. It has a vibrant fragrance of the
Chinese history visible on streets, which are always filled with throngs of
people. You can shop for souvenirs, have a taste of local street food and visit
BuddhistMonasteries, Hindu temples and museums.
As I
visited the country around the time of Chinese New Year, it is one of that time
in the year when, Chinatown is adorned with yellow lanterns which light up the
streets.
We then went to Merlion
Park to see the famous Merlion Statue, which was unfortunately going under
maintenance work and was therefore covered. (Better luck next time, once again)
But that didn’t dampen my spirit as I attended the 15 minute light and water
show in front of Marina Bay Sands, which is free to public. It showcases the
beautiful symphony of water, light and music. I don’t think I can describe the
mesmerising effect it had on me in words. That area also gives a picturesque
view of the Singapore Skyline. We then strolled at the chic Orchard Road to indulge
into some retail therapy before heading back to the Airbnb for cooking our
dinner.
On the 3rd day, we had
approximately only 4-5 hours more to spend in Singapore, as we had to catch our
flight back to India in the afternoon. So, we went to Little India which has a
flavour of both Indian and Chinese community. It has a bustling flea market,
where we shopped for cutelil souvenirs at very cheap rates. I would say these
colourful lanes of Little India are a must visit for tourists.
We
also went toFar East Plaza, Wheelock Place and Lucky Plaza on Orchard Road to
spend the last few hours in the country. Then came the afternoon and it was
time to pack our bags and head home, the week- long vacation had eventually but
sadly come to an end and started making me think of my next travel destination
already.
Written By : Sugandha Jain
wildlingtravels 