Spectacular Singapore

The best part about studying abroad in Hong Kong is that we are able to jet off for weekend trips. This time we went to Singapore!

We had a flight at 7am, so instead of trying to find a cab at 3:30 am, we decided to take the last bus at midnight and just stay in the airport. We spent the night eating hi-chews and talking about being cryogenically frozen and rules we would make as the dictator of a small island nation.

By the time 7am rolled around we were exhausted and freezing, but after a little nap on our flight we were ready to take on Singapore. We did some exploring before checking into our Airbnb. We even found some Garrett’s Popcorn; which, if you know anything about me, you know I could probably live off of Chicago mix popcorn. By the time we checked into our Airbnb I could barely keep my eyes open, so an hour of r&r was desperately needed. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city.

We started off at Gardens By The Bay. These gardens were beautiful and expansive and words cannot describe how wonderful they were. There were flowers, trees, meadows, ponds; it felt like a combination of Jurassic Park and the Garden of Eden. There were also man-made trees that were beautifully lit up at night!

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We decided to walk towards the downtown area to look for some dinner. We stumbled upon Gastrobeats, a wonderful food festival. There seemed to be lots of yummy foods; I settled on a veggie burrito (no meat on Fridays during Lent!). Then we found ourselves in the midst of a light showcase, iLight Marina Bay. The promenade around the harbor was filled with sustainable pieces of artwork. We saw a recreation of the Northern Lights and a mini castle made out of recycled water bottles.

We finished our day here and went home; we were all in need of a good night’s sleep. Back at our Airbnb the three of us snuggled into our king sized bed and dozed off.

Saturday began with a wonderful brunch at a café down the road from us, Freshly Baked. I don’t think we could have started the day a better way. We then made our way to Sentosa Island. This island has it all! Shops and resorts, Universal Studios, beaches, and the famous Merlion statue! We had a great day here. As we walked across the island, our first stop was the candy store (of course). This was a bit of torture since I have given up chocolate for Lent! We ended up with mango fruit pops, which were delicious! We then made our way to the Merlion statue and passed an orchid garden too.

Then we finally made it to the beach on Sentosa Island, which is the southernmost point in Continental Asia!! (I know what you’re thinking, it is an island…how is it part of Continental Asia. The island is connected to the mainland with a suspension bride, so apparently it still counts!) As we were admiring the view we found ourselves in the middle of a group of tourists from Mainland China who wanted to take pictures with us. This has become a common occurrence for us since coming to Asia.

Then we went swimming and laid on the beach and ate seaweed flavored chips! It was a wonderful afternoon.

We had dinner at a make your own pancake restaurant which was so much fun! You got to choose your own batter, toppings, and sauce. We ended up spending two hours there. Then we went back home and showered and spent a little bit of time on the roof of a 63 floor building looking out at the beautiful city. It was a great end to a great day.

The next morning we checked out of our Airbnb and spent the day lugging our heavy backpacks around the city. We walked to a café that was a re-creation of the Friends set… very cool!! Then we had lunch. This was probably my favorite meal! I had a pulled pork burger with onion rings, pickled beets, and a sunny side up egg on top! (Dad, I hope you’re reading this, it is a meal we have to try at home!) Our next stop was Little India. After walking around for a bit, we sat on the side of the road as the rain poured down, just so we could cool off (it is perpetually humid when you are this close to the equator!). Then we explored Chinatown and I had a snack of mango juice and a steamed bun (yum!).

Then we traveled to the airport and spent the evening and night doing some more exploring. After sharing some delicious Thai food we wandered to just about every corner of the airport that we could, to kill time. Danielle and I even played some video games. The Changi International Airport has it all; a few teens were able to live here for three months!!

We went to the Sunflower Garden, the Butterfly Garden, watched kids test out a tiny version of American Ninja Warrior, went to the movie theatre, did crayon rubbings, and ate way too many snacks. Finally it was time for our 2am flight. We made it back to Hong Kong with just enough time for me to take a shower and go to my 9am class. I was exhausted on Monday to say the least, but getting to see Singapore was completely worth the lack of sleep!

I loved Singapore, and I just can’t help falling in love with everywhere I have been!

Stay tuned!

Love,

Sorrell

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead. Even though you have to endure many trials for a little while” -1 Peter 1:6