So we had two days to see everything we possibly could in Singapore. We started by taking the subway (it’s awesome and so clean and not crowded and beautiful) to a place where we could get on one of those hop-on-hop-off buses. A lot of the places it stopped were like hotels and stuff but we got off at Little India first and checked it out. There were a ton of clothing stores and restaurants! We ate naan with some super friendly Australians and then headed outside.
The local Cricket Club.
After the mall we headed over to the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel which is actually connected to the mall. We didn’t go to the top but it was still incredible to see and stand next to the massive building. Then we walked right next door to Gardens by the Bay which is kind of just like what it sounds. Think Krohn’s Conservatory (if you're from Cincinnati) but a huge outside portion with two huge greenhouse type things and it just so happens to be right next to the bay.
There were these giant tree structures spread throughout the area and you could actually go up one and walk on a bridge so you can overlook the area. So of course we did that.
*tourist pic*
Pretty neat stuff.
So then we went to check out one of the greenhouses. It was called Cloud Forest and was basically a giant mountain structure with pathways going through it and around it a few stories high. Lots of waterfalls, rivers, and plants were spread throughout.
You can’t tell from this picture but the waterfall is actually seven floors high. It was huuuge.
So Caitlyn, Kima, Desiree, and I took a taxi to the zoo (taxi or subway is just how everyone travels, not a lot of people have cars). I was honestly pretty excited, who doesn’t love going to the zoo?!
Now, given that this is a night safari the pictures I took are all terrible. But I saw sooooo many animals that I’d never even heard of before. It was so interesting. Also, this zoo had the most active animals I’d ever seen in my life. Cincinnati Zoo’s animals are usually all sleeping or hiding so it was a nice change. Oh wait, I also have to tell you a funny thing that happened. The trails are pretty dark and so I was leading the group and as I walk around a corner, I see something gigantic and white come out of nowhere. I gasp and duck, Desiree stepped back, and Kima left Caitlyn and took off running. It was just a giant pelican flapping its wings so everything was fine, but I was laughing so hard I cried. We kept giving Kima a hard time for leaving her daughter and booking it out of there. SO FUNNY. But after we walked around, we took a safari car around another part of the zoo and were actually in open areas with animals right next to the car. I loved it. It was a fun night!
The next morning (after I had slept like a baby in that seriously wonderful bed), we headed to Sentosa Island for the day! We wanted to see a beach while we were there. It was Easter Sunday so Kima and the family were busy but Desiree and I took the subway to these cable cars that take you over to the island. I’ve never been in a cable car so I was ecstatic! Desiree, on the other hand was freaking out. She hates heights. Between the pathways in the trees the day before and the cable cars, I’m thinking she had enough heights for a while. The view was beautiful though! I just kept thinking, I can't make it to church this year, but I'll never forget this Easter.
Then we get there and I held a snake for some unknown reason.
The island had an awesome beach!!! It was absolutely gorgeous.
They had every beach activity you could think of, kayaks, paddle boards, banana boats, and even this water powered rocket backpack thing. This guy was doing it and it was absolutely hysterical. It had to be harder than you’d think because he was seriously struggling.
We walked around for a while and then grabbed something to eat. We ate kaya toast which is a very well-known snack in Singapore and Malaysia. It’s just toast with this coconut jam type stuff and butter on it. Almost always served with coffee or tea. Over eighty degrees outside and we were drinking hot coffee at the beach.
Then we crossed this bridge to get to this tiny island. Which is actually pretty cool because it is the southernmost point of continental Asia. Well, I thought that was cool at least!
I was so fascinated because when you look out off the coast in the distance, all you see are cargo ships. Just hundreds of cargo ships. It was neat but really different from anything I’ve ever seen from the beach.
I was only sad because the only reason I cut my foot was because I walked a little bit further out on the boardwalk to get a picture. As if I didn’t already have enough. Pretty picture but so not worth that hospital bill. I'm so stupid.
We kept exploring the island and ended up at this absolutely huge statue. So Singapore’s big symbol is a Merlion. They are everywhere! The “mer” means sea since it was originally a fishing town and then Singapore’s old name was Singapura which means “lion city.” So there you have it, the Merlion!
Before we left we rode these cart things from the top half of the island to the bottom.It was awesome, and then we took a ski lift type thing back to the top so we could get back on the cable cars and head home.