The two days at sea after departing from Ho Chi Minh City went by in a flash that was just long enough to have laundry done (thank goodness!) and write a couple words about Vietnam. Then, before we could blink, we arrived in Singapore.
Our pre-port preparation for Singapore was pretty straight-forward, which was a welcome relief. For several consecutive ports we had been warned of the perils of dengue fever mosquitos in Cambodia, the prevalence of malaria in rural China, and the ways in which we could be drugged or otherwise taken advantage of in Hong Kong. Needless to say, we needed a port where our greatest concerns were laws against chew gum or spiting on the ground.
Because of our short 2-day stay and the relative lack of concerns for our immediate health and safety, my friends Natalie, Keaton, and I decided to do Singapore on the fly. On the day we arrived, we hopped off the ship and headed for downtown, without any real plans in mind.
The Singaporean government is a bit, well, let’s just say ‘particular’ about the comings and goings of persons in their country, so by the time we got off the ship, it was time for lunch. Because it had been nearly one whole month since our stop in Japan (seriously, wow), all three of us were crazing sushi. I had missed out on the conveyor belt sushi experience while in Tokyo, so we decided to make our first stop at Ngee Ann City (also known as Takashimaya) to visit the restaurant Sushi Tei for some quality fish.
That meal was our first realization that we had taken a brief step out of the developing world. The restaurant bill plus state tax plus compulsory gratuity was between $25-30 USD per person—a bit of a sobering departure from our $2 pho and $0.50 beers in Vietnam. Once we had recalibrated the value spectrum of our port, it was on to see some sights.
All three of us agreed that with such little time, we just wanted to get a quick survey of the city to see the most we could in the fastest way possible. So we went with one of my favorite options: the open-air, hop on, hop off tour bus.
I know these look dorky, and I ALWAYS make fun of people riding them in New York, but they are seriously the best way to see a small city in the shortest amount of time. Plus they double as a taxi and they triple as a tour guide. I’m a value shopper, and I think that’s a pretty sweet deal, if you ask me.
Which you did by reading the blog.
Our first stop off the bus was Little India, one of the largest ethnic neighborhoods in the city. We walked up and down Serangoon Road, taking in the smell of jasmine flowers and wondering what India might be like in just a few short weeks. We made a little stop at the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple along the way, and the road finally ended at a massive shopping mall called the Mustafa Centre where we loaded up on cheap supplies for the rest of the voyage.
Back onto the bus we hopped, and we continued the tour around the city as we passed the Raffles Hotel, the Singapore Flyer (which I’m told is the biggest Ferris wheel in the world), the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino, the Esplanade, the Fullerton Hotel and the famous Singaporean Murlion. The skyline there really rivals Hong Kong is some ways, and I was so happy to see it from so many different angles.
We decided to hop off the bus at a different ethnic neighborhood that had become all too familiar in the weeks prior: Chinatown!
Thankfully, they were still celebrating the Lunar New Year, so we had plenty of vendor stalls to try out and sights and smells to experience. The whole area had such an authentic feel to it that we were momentarily sent back to our short stays in Shanghai and Beijing.
Oh, what a difference a port makes.
I sampled some herbal medicines, bought a new dress, ate a questionably famous egg tart, and decided it was time for our next move. By then it was late afternoon, so we headed back to the ship to rest and get ready for the night out—which was highly anticipated, to say the least. When we only have one night in port, people tend to go a little crazy, and Singapore was no exception.
Our first stop was Clarke Quay—a strip of bars and restaurants that notoriously caters to expats traveling through Singapore. I had expected a dingy road, like any other bar alley, but when I stepped out of the cab I was floored by what I saw.
The place was gorgeous! Bright lights and people everywhere! Even a fun fountain to play in!
I was sold.
While I could have stayed there all night, running in and out of bars, sitting aimlessly on the foot-traffic bridge, or just taking in the chaos, there was a bigger agenda on the minds of our constituents.
Zouk.
By the time we arrived, this local bar had achieved almost mythical status among Semester at Sea students. Zouk was supposed to be the club to end all clubs. The craziest party of all time. The one stop you HAD to make while experiencing the Singaporean nightlife.
Guess what: it was.
I’ll spare you the details and instead share some pictures.
Let your imagination run wild(ish).
(Picture blurriness is intended to add to the effect. Just in case you were curious.)
Needless to say, we were up WAY too late. The next day, it was decided that the only cultural activities we had the tolerance and acumen to try were food and drink related. So we headed off the ship (a little later than usual) to experience all that Singaporean cuisine had to offer.
Our first stop was a traditional breakfast of kaya toast, runny eggs, and sweet coffee. This simple meal can be found at what your local Singaporean version of Starbucks called Ya Kun Kaya. We finally found one back in Chinatown. It was phenomenal.
After that we went in search of the famed cultural dish of Singapore: chilli crab. I’ll pause to note that people might argue that Singapore doesn’t exactly have its own culture, let alone cuisine. Now that I have visited, I definitely disagree with that opinion. But if that’s the case, this is the closest thing that you will get to it. Mud crabs fried and covered in tomato chili sauce—not shabby.
Just avoid the brain. They don’t take it out for you.
From there we decided to keep the merriment (and drinking) going with the country’s signature drink, the Singapore Sling, at none other than its birthplace, the Raffles Hotel. I was warned in advance that this would be a very expensive cultural experience, but having lived just outside of Manhattan, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be too sticker-shocked.
Idiot.
These damn things were more than $30 a piece!
Don’t worry, though. We ate our weight in free peanuts. Take that, Sir Raffles.
After our drinks, it was getting really close to on-ship time (the 2 hr. mark before the ship sets sail), so we scrambled back to make sure we wouldn’t miss our moving home. Thankfully, the boat was backed up to the skyline, so I was able to snag one more photo before we sailed away. This one’s for everyone back in Stamford, CT! Love you guys!
ZERO!
Singapore was a blur, but the show must go on!
The onslaught of ports continues with Burma (Myanmar) in just three short days! I’m particularly excited about this one… one of the places I’ve had the most questions and anxiety about visiting.
Can’t wait to see it!
Question of the Day: How have your travels challenged your preconceived notions of ‘culture’?
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