Singapore For A Day
Let Randy and Tim’s Asian Adventures… begin!
We left on an 8:30am flight out of Perth to Manila via Singapore. The ticket on Jetstar was super cheap (we’re talking $140 AUD a piece cheap) and we could either have a five hour layover in Singapore or a thirteen hour layover in Singapore. We’d both spent some time in Singapore before, but we figure let’s take the longer layover, catch up with our friend May and explore some more of the local spots we didn’t get a chance to see on our previous visits.
With the things we still had to accomplish to end our lives in Australia, we didn’t get to bed until 11:30pm or so. Of course with an 8:30am international departure, that means an incredibly early start. Alarm off at 5:30am. Showers. And final packing of our backpacks (more on this later down the blournal). Oh – and we never got around to drinking this beautiful bottle of champagne that my boss James gave me before leaving Perth (sure it was given to him, but we won in the end!), so a champagne toast breakfast it was! (Don’t worry… we didn’t finish it).
Bubbles anyone?
Five hour flight to Singapore and then our friend May was waiting right outside arrivals with a smile on her face and a plan intact. We checked our backpacks and carried our daypacks with us for the massive day of exploring Singapore ahead.
We jumped in a taxi and headed off to the Changi Village and their markets. We’d been to different markets in Singapore before and there were no different. Every type of Asian food stall and little shop you could imagine – and they go on and on. We figured we’d be eating at a lot of markets on our travels, so we opted for a microbrewery instead that was just off the water. They served up delicious homebrewed beers and a little side of nachos for our appetite. Good chats, great beers and amazing company.
We then headed down to the Changi Beach Park for a stroll. It’s a spot that really only locals go to — not a tourist in sight (except for us of course). We went for a leisurely stroll along the water, felt the much welcomed breeze coming off the water and took it all in.
From here, we jumped in a city bus that took us to a train station. After about an hour or so journey, we arrived at our next spot — the Bugis Station and a stroll to the Kampong Glam area and more specifically, lots of time on Haji Lane.
We popped in and out of little shops and took in this charming neighborhood. We were thirsty again — naturally, it was the first day of HOLIDAY! We stumbled upon this great little spot called LongPlay. GREAT, great spot. Long, narrow space and we took a seat at the bar for some nibbles and a beer. One of the chefs had just arrived in Singapore about a month ago, after some time in New Zealand, so of course we chatted about that. The sweet potato fries were good, but the fried chicken bits were even better. The dinner menu looked excellent as well and the décor was incredibly charming. Six thumbs up!
We explored some more and came upon this beautiful temple at the end of an alleyway. Just stunning.
Who knows what lies at the end of an alleyway in Singapore...
Tim had wanted to see the Gardens by the Bay, but the timing just didn’t work out — but May had one more stop for us that would satisfy that itch! Level 33. I cannot recommend this restaurant/microbrewery to visitors enough. Again, great beers (there’s a theme here for Singapore!) and the views are RIDICULOUS. We just stayed outside for a few hours and chatted and took in the views and enjoyed the company.
We said our goodbyes to our very gracious host (thanks May!!) and jumped into an Uber to the airport. The driver was very curious about our travels. We had a very hard time understanding him, but basically came to understand that there are singers in Manila who you can pay to come home with you and that he assumed we were quite the "cassanovas." OY.
We checked ourselves into the Plaza Premium Lounge (thank you Priority Pass!) and managed to get an hours nap in. Soon it was time to board our 2:30am flight to Manila to begin our two weeks in the Philippines. Let’s hope we sleep on the plane…
Thank you Singapore. We will return.
Until next time!
