A Singapore Stop-Over

---

Finally, we were off on another adventure! A trip to Switzerland and France, in their summer, to escape at least part of another Aussie winter in Orange, NSW. We packed the bags and our itchy feet were excited to get traveling again.

First, we had a stop-over in tropical Singapore. We had both been to Singapore together, last in 2007, so we were looking forward to our one-night stopover. We planned to explore a bit of our old-hangouts as well as maybe see something new.

We boarded our flight in Sydney with Singapore Airlines, and immediately realised why people pay more to fly Singapore Airlines. It was travel as it used to be - including the little hot towelettes prior to your meal. We were also lucky enough to be upstairs in the roomy premier economy section, which included extra storage space in the arm-rest for the window seat! After years of flying the cheapest airlines to save a few bucks, we were glad to have a bit of comfort. Maybe one of those signs we're getting older.... 😊

Our stopover cost us an extra dollar (those travel expos are worth it when booking the fancy airlines!!); it included one night in a hotel as well as the Singapore Airlines hop-on, hop-off bus. Having never actually done one of these tourist buses before, we did feel a bit silly but figured it would be a great way to get around without paying more for public transport. And with only 24 hours, we figured it would be a good option.

Our hotel ended up being in Little India, behind the big temple. It wasn't the best hotel in the best area, but the room was clean enough and we had a great view from our room overlooking the temple and the Little India area. Once we settled in, we headed back out to get dinner. Having forgotten our Malaysian food vocabulary, we of course promptly ordered meals we couldn't eat (I accidentally ordered a beef dish, Dave ordered something too spicy). After that little culinary adventure, we wandered the area for a bit. It was exciting (people don't hang out in Orange at night and shops are closed by 5pm...) as well as confronting (many Indian men and very few women about made me glad I wasn't by myself!). Eventually we turned in for the night.

The next day, we set out in the general direction of a cafe we used to hang out in the last time we were in Singapore. Along the way, we marvelled at the quietness of Little India in the morning, gawked at the massive construction projects a few blocks away, wandered through an area that seemed like a university campus, wandered through Bugis Junction (which was where we stayed the last time), wandered through the outskirts of Chinatown, and ended up on the grounds of Fort Canning. Realising we were nowhere near that cafe, we decided to find one of those hop-on bus stops and head to the Botanic Gardens instead.

At the Singapore Botanic Gardens, our goal was to see the Ginger Garden. Back when we were in Cairns, we learned that Alan Carle of the Botanical Ark is a consultant to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and Alan had helped them design the Ginger Garden. So I was very keen to see his work. And it was absolutely lovely!

After relaxing in the gardens, we decided some shopping was in order. Orchard Road, here we come! Back on the free bus, we were amused by the fact that each bus stop announcement was accompanied by a list of the shopping malls. Previously, we had never been were in a position to shop freely while traveling, but now that we had a bit of money and a good exchange rate, I was quite happy to have a look at the sales. Every shop seemed to have great sale racks and I came back to the hotel that night with a few more items for the suitcase! Once again, I decided that living in a country town is definitely bad for the wallet - the abundance of shops was a very strange dream come true and meant I wanted to shop! And while I still could never imagine shopping at those ridiculously high-priced stores like Gucci, I now understood the allure of outlet shopping - getting those higher quality items for less! (If the present me travelled back in time to try to explain this concept to the backpacking me five years ago, the backpacker me would have laughed and laughed! Then again, the backpacker me didn't yet fathom making a decent salary and being "adult"...).

Finally, we decided we should head back to the hotel - the free bus would end soon and we weren't carrying any public transport maps. Our flight wasn't until 11pm though, so we spent a couple hours in the hotel lobby with the other tourists waiting for their shuttle buses to the airport.

Although we never did find that cafe, we did both enjoy our 24 hours in Singapore. We decided that whenever we fly to Europe, we should always include a stopover, and Singapore is one of those cities we probably won't get tired of for quite a while. And that suits us just fine. Hopefully it won't be another five years until our next visit!

---

Photos

Singapore Orchids
The orchids were in full bloom in the Botanic Gardens in Singapore.

View of Little India
This was our view from the hotel room.

Mural at Fort Canning
A mural in the parklands of Fort Canning in Singapore

Little India night scene
The streets in Little India were even busier at night.

Tropical colours
A fun view of windows in Singapore