Singapore

TL:DR We found Singapore to be a wonderful soft-launch into Asian culture and food. More so, it was exceptionally clean, full of rules (and fines for violating said rules), surprisingly walkable, and more amazing food than one could sample in a year, yet alone in one weekend.

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We visited Singapore as a stopgap on our way to Malaysia. And I’m so grateful for the short visit. I did not expect to enjoy Singapore as much as I did. I grant it is indeed extremely hot and humid. And sure, it is full of shopping malls (while shopping mall culture may have largely died out in the US, it is alive and well in some parts of the world). The city does feel a little sterile, due to excessive fines for littering or spitting…but it is also clean and the parks are well-kept. Many say it is ridiculously expensive; though based on the hawker stall food, public transportation, and hostel accommodations, I found it to be much cheaper than the US or western Europe…so maybe the cost argument depends on the comparison.

Regardless of these common critiques, I found Singapore fascinating. The people were shockingly quiet on the public transportation; which was clean, efficient, and very easy for a tourist to use, with their credit card tap system. The many rules were listed everywhere, and often included the fine for violating the rules. Best part, the rules were detailed…in English, which was delightful. I felt I fully understood what was and was not expected of me. As tourists, we live in a constant state of anxiety that we will violate norms or customs and then be those a**hole tourists. But in Singapore, it was easy to follow the rules.

list of rules

We spent the majority of our three days walking all over and eating in hawker stalls (a large, open-air complex filled with dozens of stalls selling a wide range of inexpensive, freshly cooked local dishes). Admittedly a disproportionate number of our photos are foods. It seemed everything we ate was fantastic. I particularly loved black carrot cake, which is neither cake nor involving carrots…but rather an amazing savory dish of stir-fried radish cubes with eggs, garlic, and dark soy sauce. I also could not get enough of the iced coffees, made with sweetened condensed milk. Tyler was better at branching out, tasting a wide variety of fruit drinks and lemonades.

Randi enjoying some street food

In addition to walking endlessly, we explored the Botanical Gardens where we enjoyed a proper rainforest downpour under the refuge of a wooden pagoda. We also were amazed by the vibrant, colorful temples representing Singapore’s rich mix of Hindu, Buddhist, and Chinese traditions. Tyler was particularly excited about walking above, around, and across the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix racetrack. We easily cleared 35,000 steps each of the three days we had to enjoy the city.

Pretty temple

Additionally, we were delighted to join up with some friends from Germany, who had timed their Singapore and Malaysia trip to overlap with ours. Afterall, the more the MERRY-er!! After a full day of walking all around town (and eating as much as we could manage) they joined us for our nine-hour bus trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia…where our Asian adventures continue!!