Sweet Odyssey: Singapore - A Trip Down Memory Lane

It's been a while since my last blog, but no matter. I'm now back and starting with my travel experience in Singapore, which I visited a couple of months back.

Singapore is not a foreign place to me. I lived in this country for a few years before moving to London. The capital city, also called Singapore, is a modern and cosmopolitan city. It's one of the most convenient, efficient and enjoyable capital cities in the Southeast Asia. There are too many things to write about Singapore. So in this blog, I will write about things that fascinates me and I remember the most about Singapore.

One of the best things in Singapore, which every traveller will get to enjoy immediately, is the airport. Singapore Changi Airport is, by far, one of the best airports that I've been into. Upon arriving at the airport, I felt very comfortable. The big space, the high ceiling, the warm carpet colour, the air conditioning, the shops, the bars and restaurants, the restrooms, the free massage chairs, the speedy procedures of the immigration staffs, basically everything in that airport is created to make you feel good. And I did feel good. Very good, in fact. It's no wonder that the Singapore Changi Airport has won many awards and has been voted as one of the best airports in the world over and over again.

As I stepped out of the airport queueing for a taxi, I immediately felt the hot and humid weather hitting my face and a few seconds later, my body started to feel warm. What a drastic change from the very cool temperature of the airport! And then the first thing that came to my mind was 'Oh now I remember this weather! Welcome to Singapore!'

The weather in Singapore, like other countries in Southeast Asia, is warm and humid (and makes my hair go frizzy crazy) with temperature around 30 degree Celsius in the day time and a much cooler evening. I remember it rained quite a lot. It's really nice to jog in the evening, especially after raining.

When it's really warm outside, shopping malls are the best place to be. They provide cold air-conditioning (although sometimes too cold) to cool you down. Your body may need adjusting to the drastic change of temperatures between outdoors and indoors but I'm sure you'll get used to it. Just remember to always bring your umbrella in case it rains outside (the locals also use umbrellas to protect them from the sun) and bring a thin layer of sweater or a shawl in case it gets too cold inside (especially in cinemas).

Beside providing cooler temperature, the shopping malls in Singapore are THE place for bargains and shopping spree. It's a year-round shopping paradise. Having said that, the best time to visit is during June-July when the yearly Great Singapore Sale is on. During that time, practically everyone from every corner of Singapore as well as people from the neighbouring countries are flocking the shopping malls to get the best bargains of the year.

Public transports in Singapore are excellent. They are safe, convenient, reliable and more importantly, affordable. I'm talking about MRT, buses, free shuttles and taxis here. Some shopping malls provide free shuttles, from MRT stations to the malls or from one mall to another. I like the idea of providing free shuttles for shoppers. It's a win-win situation for both the shopping malls and the shoppers. The taxis were used to be very affordable but I found out the rates were increased a little and they do have a lot of confusing additional charges which you have to look at carefully. This link will provide you with more information.

One of the things that fascinates me about Singapore is Singlish - the un-official language that most Singaporeans speak. It's a mixture of English, other languages (Chinese, Malay and Tamil) and dialects used in Singapore (more information here). You usually come across this when ordering food at hawker centres or if you happen to listen to locals speaking to each other. So when you speak to a local and you thought you heard some english words but you still don't understand it, it's most probably Singlish.

Of all the things that I write here, the food is what I'm missing the most. Singaporeans have passion about what they eat and it's reflected in the great food. The local cuisine is diverse and comes from Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan. Some of the must-try are Char Kway Teow, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Roti Prata and Chilli Crab. You can get them in most hawker centres and they are very affordable. In choosing the right food stall, the rule of thumb is: if you see a long queue at the food stall, then you should be safe to follow the crowd. The food should be good. And there is a booking etiquette that you should know in hawker centres. Finding seats is always an issue in hawker centres especially if it's a famous one. If you see an empty table but there is a packet of tissues or a book or an umbrella on the table adjacent to the seat, then most probably the seat is reserved to the person who owns the item, whoever that is. I find this very amusing.

For tourist attractions, Singapore Zoo and Night Safari are a must-see. Boat Quay and Clarke Quay are the happening place for restaurants, pubs and bars with view of the Singapore river. Another good place to chill out are on the streets of Holland village. I used to go to Wala Wala to enjoy the atmosphere and listen to live music there. If you are into cultural stuffs then you should go to the Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Street. There are a few parks around but I find it too hot to be outside in the day time to actually enjoy the parks. More information on what you can do in Singapore is here.

As I mentioned earlier, I lived in Singapore for a few years before. So this trip was not 100% for pleasure. I had to run my personal errands which can only be done there and at the same time, I tried to meet and catch up with some of my friends there. As a result, I didn't really have time to do any of the touristy stuffs that I wanted to do. I only managed to do bits and pieces here and there. Things like the list of food that I miss and must eat again or the shopping that I must do, I didn't have the time to do a lot of them. And worst of all, I didn't take many photos there!

And talking about taking photos, I find it weird that when I was living in Singapore, I didn't feel the need to take many photos of the area. And now that I'm not living there anymore (and especially when I realised that I don't have many photos of the city), I want as many photos as possible. The irony of taking things for granted, which is a lesson learned. I try to bring my camera everytime I go out now, even in the city that I'm living in.

Traveling back to Singapore was definitely a trip down memory lane. And although I was there only for a short time, it was still good. I still get the same feeling as when I was living there. Taxi drivers were still as friendly and talkative, I still felt safe even at night, the food was still as nice, the shopping was still as exciting and the weather was still as warm. As a friend said to me, if the weather in Singapore is 10 degrees lower, it would have been perfect. It's probably true but I still like it the way it is. The whole package is what makes Singapore unique. I'll make sure I'll put enough time to do everything I want to do the next time I travel there. Yes, there will be next time. I'm very sure of that.