Singapore: The Big City

 Sneak Peek:

(I've learned that Blogger puts the first photo as the cover photo of my post - need to keep the blog looking good!)

My journey to Singapore began in chaos. Having not tried McDonalds yet in Malaysia I arrived to the bus terminal extra early to get my fix in. Unfortunately, I immediately had my ticket altered and was shoved into a stuffed van off to who knows where.

I was then led through a labyrinth of bus gates, ushered on to a bus, kicked out of my seat, and then subsequently kicked off of the bus because they didn't have space for me. This place was a chaos of upset travelers.

At one point the bus began driving away with their doors open and my bags still aboard.

After the most confusing hour of my life I was put on my original bus with ample empty seats. I have no idea what they were doing.

I enjoyed the Malaysian scenery as I watched Crazy Rich Asians to prepare for my Singapore visit.

Roadside Indian food leftovers.

Before any "Welcome to Singapore" signs this is the first thing I saw when I entered the country. This was the beginning of me learning that Singapore is a land of many actually enforced rules.

The AC broke for the last hour and a half of my bus trip (which was also two hours late) leading to a steamy and quite uncomfortable end to the ride.

After getting off my bus from hell I was struck by the orderly nature of Singapore like these rule abiding escalator riders.

I went to fantastic dinner with two of my sister in law Stephanie's family friends, Yu Xin and Yu Han.

Then I wandered over to my lodging, unironically named the Beat Hostel.

This was my little bunk for the next two nights.

I had one full day in Singapore, so I of course spent it eating and wandering.

The city was a beautiful array of modern buildings and colorful colonial architecture.

Check out this Starbucks.

I had some soft boiled eggs and kaya toast for breakfast.

Then I met up with Yu Han for a muckdown food court session.

We started off with Singapore's classic Hainanese chicken rice.

Next up laksa (seafood coconut milk soup) and fried oyster cake.

Next course: fried dumplings.

We finished off our binge with some fresh popiah, a spring roll variant.

I walked through a wonderful park to burn some calories and boost the appetite. I also realized I have not been to many (or any?) urban parks on this trip.

I swung by Little India of course.

I had my first Reels suggestion - beef murtabak (roti stuffed with meat) along with a curry dipping sauce.

One of my fraternity brothers, Anand, happens to hail from Singapore and his father, Conor, was kind enough to invite me over to their house for dinner. Conor and I had a lovely home cooked meal. I forgot to take a selfie of the two of us but I did capture the candlelit vibe.

And I got a photo of this Singaporean crane company's 70 page annual financial report which Conor gave to me as a parting gift.

 

Post dinner I rode Singapore's modern metro to the famous super tree grove.

I saw the iconic Marina Bay Sands building at night.

Before my flight to Bali I grabbed one final Reels meal of Singapore ramen from a noodle stall in a nearby food court. This was the best ramen of the trip and also a strong top ten meal candidate. The meal contained a wonderful assortment of steamed and fried wontons, marinated pork, hard boiled egg, and crispy shrimp. Instagram scores yet again.

In true Singapore fashion, I went through one facial scanner to exit the country and was immediately greeted with an enormous modern Louis Vuitton store.

I was quickly disappointed when I learned that ChatGPT had lied to me and told me there was a McDonald's in my terminal. There was not. So I went 0/2 on Malaysia and Singapore McDonald's and instead settled for some awful Popeyes.

My favorite Singapore quirk was the sheer number of posted signs enforcing or suggesting various rules and regulations.

Like the Singapore Restroom Association's certification program. I looked online and apparently there is an option to receive five stars so there was still room for growth in this food court's toilet offerings.

I quite liked Stand Up Stacey and Bag Down Benny.

It is against the law to not return your tray.

And there is a ~$400 fine for eating on the subway.

And I appreciated this bus stop reminder that molestation is not only a crime, but a crime punishable by caning. Yes as in being hit with a cane. Only men are allowed to be caned, but Singapore is indeed one of the very few developed countries that still enforces corporal punishment.

And then before I knew it, I was in the air headed to Indonesia. While brief, I am so glad I had my moment in Singapore. What a place. Stay tuned for Bali!