Singapore
Muslim Quarters, China Town - Cube Boutique Capsule Hotel, Rucksack Inn - 13/06 > 18/06

Thee perfect city?

- I arrived at the airport on the hunt for the Jewel Waterfall, an iconic indoor attraction viewed by thousands every day, well I couldn’t find it!
- As I was driving through the city, I was amazed at how beautiful and clean everything was, and I mean everything, including the people. The buildings are modern and well kept, the cars new and immaculate, and the people mostly in business attire and if not still smartly dressed. Not a hint of litter, graffiti or chewing gum on the streets - and did you know it is illegal to sell chewing gum here?

- I stayed in hostels in both the Muslim quarter and Chinatown, with dramatic differences between the two considering they aren’t that far apart. My favourite has to be Chinatown, a lot quieter, more tranquil if you will, but I must add the food in both towns was lush. The herbs and spices have a different punch in Asia compared to home, with a lot more flavour and less of the ‘go-to’ salt and pepper. Most locals learn to cook during their childhood instead of us learning as young adults.

- Bucket list item 407: Take a city tour on an open-top tour bus. I always wanted to do this in Edinburgh but never got around to it, so what better time to do it as I’m already a tourist! As soon as I hopped on I loved every minute. I’d never found buildings particularly interesting but seeing such astounding architecture forced me to get the camera out. I stopped off at the Orchid Gardens and the Gardens by The Bay as I was super excited to see Supertree Grove!

- My travelling costs really ramped up in Singapore, for comparison hostels/hotels at my previous locations were averaging £7/£15 per night, and I was now paying £25 a night for a very cramped hostel, quite the shocker! The food and drink were almost as expensive as at home.
- As part of the bus tour guide I was told that the price of new cars in Singapore can be up to 100% extra than their original value, the government charges up to £25,000 for a vehicle permit valid for 10 years, and they only release the amount of permits received that year. This is all to regulate the number of cars on their roads and thus minimize traffic jams and delays - smart thinking.

- On route back to the airport I asked the taxi driver which terminal the Jewel Waterfall was in, “Terminal 1 sir”, well my flight was departing from terminal 3 so after check-in I jumped on a transfer train from terminal 3 to terminal 4 and then terminal 1… No fountain to be seen, a nightmare. I was quickly running out of time in a huge airport I’d never been in before so back to terminal 3 I went. A quick Google tells me it’s in terminal 2, guess I’ll be going back to Singapore one day!