Singapore August/September 2011

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Arriving into Singapore we were headed to Betelbox hostel, a place we would come to feel right at home in. First impressions of Singapore weren't great, until we headed into the city centre (mainly river area) when we realised we were staying in the dodgy area. However with Singapore being the cleanest and safest city we've been to the dodgy area wasn't bad at all! Just a walk away we had East Coast Beach, a nice park backing onto the harbour with views of the shipping lanes which proved to be a nice break from the city life.

Our first real taste of Singapore was the river cruise, starting at Clarke Quay and travelling the length of the river, we saw all the main sights of Singapore... from the Merlion (Singapore's mascot of half lion/half fish), the most famous of hotels along with the quaint boathouses set against the backdrop of impressive skyscrapers, all innovatively designed and overall very picturesque for a city. Its definitely the cleanest and most cared for city we've visited (especially for Asia!) and puts London to shame. Throughout our stay we were determined to get a good view of the city so visited the Swisshotel, got the lift up to the top floor, got a photo and promptly left as a drink was about $12!

Another brilliant aspect to Singapore has to be the shopping! Obviously as travellers we couldn't indulge but a few things did need replacing so we headed over to Orchard Rd, Singapore's Oxford St with about 60 HUGE malls on one road... shopper's paradise! Along with this little treat we also took a trip to the cinema to watch Bridesmaids, something we now can't stop quoting!

The thing with Singapore is its so damn expensive, you can get most things pretty cheap if you know where to look but when it comes to drinking there is not a single bar where you can get a reasonably priced drink, this means that every weekend both locals, ex-pats and travellers all head over to the central bridge over the river with a bottle of spirits from 7/11 in tow. When we first invited to do this we were sceptical to say the least... picturing paraletic chavs binging on the streets back home. But when you combine the views, nicer temperatures and even a pensioner with a boom box dancing for entertainment its a perfect night out! Made even better by the fact that we met Nikki at our hostel who was intent on taking us clubbing and luckily knew how to get us in for free (avoiding the $28 fee and the Queue!) Towards the end of the night we had noticed a grand total of 1 hot guy, so shouldn't have been so surprised when he was on the podium dancing and teasing the crowd with his 6 pack - just our luck he was getting paid!

The other cultural aspect worth noting for Singapore (other than the abundance of Karaoke/strip bars) was the cuisine... local cuisine options varied from fish head soup to frog porridge. Yum! Its safe to say we did not eat much Asian food in this city.

After a 2 week stint in Borneo we returned to Singapore (something determined by our flight schedule) so had another week here, we had a much quieter week the second time around but still managed to fit in a few treats.

We headed over to Chinatown for a yummmy chinese, it was very different from chinatowns in other cities and had real personality. It was leading up to the mid-autumn festival so the streets were littered with lantern and mooncake stalls with the roads decorated with lights and lanterns. The shophouses were also very unique which made a change.

The big day out was Sentosa Island, we went with a group of Canadians we'd met at the hostel to Universal Studios!! The park was pretty cool with a Madagascar section, Jurassic Park, Waterworld, Far Far Away Land as well as Ancient Egypt, Hollywood and New York. The sets were the most impressive with an actual Shrek castle, and a huge pyramid for The Mummy. Fun day of rides and shows.

After another night out with the Betelbox crowd to the bridge and Attica club we found the mashed potato vending machine in the 7/11 downstairs. Devouring many pots between us and causing havoc till the early morning - much to Uncle Tong's dismay.

After some days filled with to-do jobs (and maybe some more shopping...) our stay in Asia had come to end 😞 We're obviously excited for Australia and actually looking forward to the western life again but there is no place like Asia and we'll definitely miss its quirks (maybe not the squat toilets).

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