Singapore, Part 3
Day 3, December 31
Happy New Year’s Eve and Happy Birthday to Sissy Payne! We started the day by hoping on the hop-on-hop-off bus and getting off at Little India. We were trying to do a guided walking tour around Little India but never found the starting place. So instead we explored it ourselves. We had our first Indian cuisine meal. I had the chicken tikka masala and a Heineken. I ordered a few other things and the little old man taking my order told me I ordered too much and he thought I should remove an item. We roamed around Little India a little bit more before heading on over to the Malay area.
Celebrating her golden birthday
In the Malay area we toured the Masjid Sultan also known as the Sultan Mosque. It was so beautiful!
Because she was wearing a dress & her legs were showing, she had to wear a cover-up
After Malay area we ventured to Chinatown. We spent a good amount of time in Chinatown compared to the other 2 areas. What stood out to me the most were the colors and smells. I did not notice that in any other place. We roamed around looking at the little vendors and visited a few temples. Below are a bunch of photos from Chinatown.
When in Chinatown, throw up the peace sign
Touristing real hard
Singapore was doing fireworks for NYE so we headed back to the area of Marina Bay so that we could sightsee around there some more and then stake out a spot for the night. Our first stop in that area was the Merilion. The story behind it is that one of the first settlers to Singapore thought he saw a lion therefore the statue was built. In addition, Singapore’s nickname is the Lion City. That’s all I really understood of the story but I’m sure there is more behind it.
Then on to claim a spot for the fireworks. We had 5 LONG HOURS to spare but were able to get a really good spot. While waiting we got to see that weird light/water show we saw the other night 3 more times. Lucky us! And we had plenty of time to take photos.
Singapore is a country with a lot of money and they did not disappoint with the fireworks show. I’m pretty sure all of Singapore was there watching the show. The crowd was huge and it was complete mayhem getting to the train station to go back to our hotel. We got back around 1:30am and I realized that we had logged more than 22,000 steps that day. Needless to say we were exhausted.
First sister selfie of 2017
Day 4, January 1, 2017
We had a few hours left on our hop-on-hop-off voucher so we got on the bus and headed to the Supertrees again but this time went all the way up to the top. I’m not sure what function they serve but they are pretty and have a nice view of Singapore at the top. I was starving and a hot, sweaty mess at this point so I think I didn’t enjoy it as much.
I’m thinking of food here
After that we trekked across town to go to the top of Ion Sky lookout. Surprise, surprise it’s in a mall. We had to stop at the malls food court that they call the food opera and eat something. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of options so we found a sit down place and that was that. It was a ramen place but this time the menu was full of dishes with crab meat, fish, prawns, squids, etc. So our choices were very limited. The girl beside me got chicken feet. It looks exactly as you think it would. I tried to sneak a photo without being too obvious.
Then lastly, it was time for the Ion Sky. We hit it right at the peak hours so we had to wait a bit. Then once we finally got up there, it was raining so the pictures aren’t as clear as I had hoped.
Photo cred: BNPayne
At that point we were so tired and everything ached. It was time to head back to the hotel. We go outside to get a taxi instead of taking the train because it was still pouring. Everyone else had the same idea so we had a bit of a wait. But finally made it back to the hotel. Since we were heading out early the next day, we just packed up and hung out in the room. We did go to another mall later in the night to try and exchange our money but it was closed. So instead we just got food and took it back to the room. I tried one of the many restaurants near our room. I got the pork dim sum and broccoli. I had a minor freak out when I thought there was fish in the broccoli so I didn’t eat any of it. I had to take a tums to combat the sickness I thought I was getting. It was more of a placebo for me but it helped.
That wraps up our journey in Singapore. Here are some facts we learned:
-They were once ruled by the British and therefore some of their traditions still reflect that.
-They highly discourage driving to control traffic therefore they make it very difficult to purchase a vehicle. They require a permit that’s difficult to obtain not to mention expensive. On the tour they said that process could run upwards of $50,000 even before purchasing a car. They also limit the number of old cars (typically older than 10 years) on the road. Singapore is the second highest nation behind Japan in used car exportation. So basically they invest a lot into public transportation.
-Singapore is a very small country consisting of only 5.5 million people.
-14,000 Singapores could fit into the US.
-The tourist economy brings in $16 billion annually.
Momma Payne
January 2, 2017
Singapore is beautiful! Bethany, what a wonderful way to spend your birthday. Jillian, I am so impressed with your knowledge and you are a great tour guide.
Jillian
January 4, 2017
Thanks Momma! It was pretty but Bali is a 1000 times better!
Holly
January 4, 2017
This is my favorite post. I lol’ed several times. Hangry seems to be a theme so far.
Jillian
January 4, 2017
Haha, it’s because we were only eating 2 meals a day. Now that we’re in Bali we have been doing 3 proper meals so my mood is stabilized more.
Jamecia Blount
January 12, 2017
Your fish freakouts are hilarious!! Seems to be a common theme on this journey. And yes, I’m reading the blogs in reverse order.
Jillian
January 12, 2017
They LOVE their fish over here. I saw them chop a squid up on the beach to grill it. I could not run away fast enough.