This weekend it was a holiday in Vietnam, so we got a lovely 4 days to spend in Singapore! The flight from HCMC to Singapore was about 1 hour and 40 minutes. John, Greg, Alex, and I ended up staying at a hostel in Little India called the Inn Crowd which cost $20 a night, per person (expensive by South Asian standards, but not for Singapore standards). We ended up staying in a 17-bed dorm which wasn't nearly as bad as it sounds. It was actually pretty quiet and the other guests were not loud and annoying like ones we've met at other hostels, plus we got free breakfast (eggs, toast, coffee/tea).
Day 1 in Singapore was spent wandering around the Marina Bay area, where most of the big skyscrapers are. At the time, they were having some kind of light festival so there were cool displays lit up around the bay. Next to the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel (which looks like some kind of spaceship/airplane on top of 3 towers) there is a huge structure that looks like a lotus. There was a video projected onto the lotus at night... it was pretty impressive! Even though we couldn't afford to stay at the Marina Bay Sands, we had fun exploring the "shoppes" next to the hotel. The fancy mall had a surprisingly affordable food court which was awesome!
On Day 2, we woke up to rain. We had planned to go to Universal Studios on Sentosa Island. Luckily, the rain stopped fairly early and we were able to enjoy a fun day there, with hardly any wait time for rides (5 minutes)! John and I went to Universal Studios Singapore on our last visit to Singapore (2 years ago) but there weren't as many rides, and the wait times were about an hour! This time we had much better luck.
After spending the whole day at Universal Studios, we spent a long time waiting to watch the "crane dance" at the waterfront of Sentosa Island. This was actually 2 cranes (think construction work) which were supposed to be "cranes" (birds) dancing. I realize that this description probably makes no sense, so here's a photo...
It was very creative and I really enjoyed it!
Day 3 in Singapore brought us back to Sentosa Island to visit the Wave House, where you could practise surfing on these man-made wave machines. John, Alex, and Greg did surfing and I hung out at the pool next to the man-made beach. Things in Singapore are nice and clean but very planned out (including the green space in the city)... it's kind of like being in a country that is Disney World.
After Wave House, we checked out the "Luge" on Sentosa. You go up a chair lift to the top of a big hill and ride a sled (complete with steering/brakes) down the course. It was fun but not exactly thrilling! We rounded out the afternoon with McDonalds since we can't get it in Vietnam... cheeseburgers and sundaes = awesome!
In the evening, we headed back to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel to catch the musical "Wicked" playing at the Grand Theatre there. I've wanted to see this for a long time, so I'm glad that we finally got the chance to go. It was great! We saw our co-workers Tiffany and John there, and decided to have some "Ozmopolitans" at the lounge in the hotel after the show. They were green... just like the 'wicked' witch! :)
I was on a quest to try a "Singapore Sling" so after leaving Marina Bay, we headed to Clarke Quay. It cost a whopping 18 Singapore Dollars, but everything in Singapore is expensive so I figured "why not?" It was very sweet but I liked it!
On Day 4, we didn't really do anything because we had to leave in the morning to head back to Vietnam. However, there was still time for one last McDonalds run right before going through security. Unfortunately I couldn't get that cheeseburger I wanted since it was before lunch time, so I had to settle for an egg McMuffin.
To sum things up... Singapore is clean, modern, fun, and expensive. I had a really nice time there, and am glad that I got to see more of it (the last time I was there, I was sick for 2 days). It was great to have a nice little break from hectic HCMC.
Can't wait until the next vacation... one week in Laos, starting at the end of the month!
Day 1 in Singapore was spent wandering around the Marina Bay area, where most of the big skyscrapers are. At the time, they were having some kind of light festival so there were cool displays lit up around the bay. Next to the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel (which looks like some kind of spaceship/airplane on top of 3 towers) there is a huge structure that looks like a lotus. There was a video projected onto the lotus at night... it was pretty impressive! Even though we couldn't afford to stay at the Marina Bay Sands, we had fun exploring the "shoppes" next to the hotel. The fancy mall had a surprisingly affordable food court which was awesome!
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| The Lotus, and Singapore skyline |
On Day 2, we woke up to rain. We had planned to go to Universal Studios on Sentosa Island. Luckily, the rain stopped fairly early and we were able to enjoy a fun day there, with hardly any wait time for rides (5 minutes)! John and I went to Universal Studios Singapore on our last visit to Singapore (2 years ago) but there weren't as many rides, and the wait times were about an hour! This time we had much better luck.
After spending the whole day at Universal Studios, we spent a long time waiting to watch the "crane dance" at the waterfront of Sentosa Island. This was actually 2 cranes (think construction work) which were supposed to be "cranes" (birds) dancing. I realize that this description probably makes no sense, so here's a photo...
 |
| The Crane Dance |
It was very creative and I really enjoyed it!
Day 3 in Singapore brought us back to Sentosa Island to visit the Wave House, where you could practise surfing on these man-made wave machines. John, Alex, and Greg did surfing and I hung out at the pool next to the man-made beach. Things in Singapore are nice and clean but very planned out (including the green space in the city)... it's kind of like being in a country that is Disney World.
 |
| John at the Wave House on Sentosa Island |
After Wave House, we checked out the "Luge" on Sentosa. You go up a chair lift to the top of a big hill and ride a sled (complete with steering/brakes) down the course. It was fun but not exactly thrilling! We rounded out the afternoon with McDonalds since we can't get it in Vietnam... cheeseburgers and sundaes = awesome!
In the evening, we headed back to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel to catch the musical "Wicked" playing at the Grand Theatre there. I've wanted to see this for a long time, so I'm glad that we finally got the chance to go. It was great! We saw our co-workers Tiffany and John there, and decided to have some "Ozmopolitans" at the lounge in the hotel after the show. They were green... just like the 'wicked' witch! :)
I was on a quest to try a "Singapore Sling" so after leaving Marina Bay, we headed to Clarke Quay. It cost a whopping 18 Singapore Dollars, but everything in Singapore is expensive so I figured "why not?" It was very sweet but I liked it!
On Day 4, we didn't really do anything because we had to leave in the morning to head back to Vietnam. However, there was still time for one last McDonalds run right before going through security. Unfortunately I couldn't get that cheeseburger I wanted since it was before lunch time, so I had to settle for an egg McMuffin.
To sum things up... Singapore is clean, modern, fun, and expensive. I had a really nice time there, and am glad that I got to see more of it (the last time I was there, I was sick for 2 days). It was great to have a nice little break from hectic HCMC.
Can't wait until the next vacation... one week in Laos, starting at the end of the month!
We saw an episode of House Hunters International and this fellow(a teacher) was looking for an apartment. His apartment allowance was something like $3000. We could see that these apartments were very costly and not that great. The views of the city looked wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWe're glad this time around you were able to enjoy the city. You write so beautifully. Maybe you could look into writing for some travel magazine!
Thanks, family.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised that $3000 wouldn't buy much of a nice apartment in Singapore. Stuff is expensive there!
What a fantastic weekend! I feel like I shared it with you :) Thanks for the great descriptions and details.
ReplyDeleteYou saw WICKED!!!!! Lyss and I have each seen it twice - love the music, especially "For Good". Clever - Ozmopolitans!!
You are ahead of us in the "have it where it's named for" game. You are the only one to have a Singapore Sling in Singapore.( But I have baked Alaska in Alaska.)
Your parents are right - submit some of these for a travel magazine. Others would love to hear about it.