A couple of months ago Jon surprised me with tickets to Singapore for my birthday. I was beyond excited. I fell in love with Asia when we visited Japan earlier this year and could not wait to experience Singapore. Located one degree north of the equator, Singapore is known for it’s hot and humid weather, high-quality of life and amazing cuisine. It is a true melting pot consisting of Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures.
The flight was long but worth every hour of it. We flew from Newark to Hong Kong. This flight was approximately 16 hours in length. Once there, we had a short amount of time to board our connection to Singapore. The flight from Hong Kong was approximately 4 hours long.
On our flight to Hong Kong there was one empty seat in our row that was reserved for Rachel, a very friendly, young woman from Long Branch. She was traveling to Singapore with her fiancé Dan, who was traveling for work. Sixteen hours flies by when you have someone to talk to who shares many of the same interests. Jon, Rachel and I spoke for many hours. Dan was in another row but when we arrived in Hong Kong we were able to meet and speak to him. Dan is a great guy and shares so many of the same interests as Jon.
On the flight to Hong Kong, I was greeted by a flight attendant who gave me a glass of champagne for my birthday as well as two pieces of birthday cake for Jon and I to enjoy together. The cake was a lemon citrus cake with whipped cream. Yum! New friends, champagne and cake…I knew it was going to be a great trip.
Once in Singapore we exchanged numbers and began our journey to our first hotel. On our first night we stayed in Little India. We arrived to our hotel a bit after midnight (noon NJ time). Since we weren’t tired we toured Little India until 4am. There was a lot open at that hour. We went to a famous 24 hour market called Mustafa Centre that had everything plus the kitchen sink. There were groceries, beauty products, electronics, jewelry, clothing shoes and of course, fidget spinners. After walking around the market we had traditional Indian style food for dinner and coconut juice right from the coconut. At 4am it was over 80 degrees with 90% humidity. It was hot! After eating we went back to our hotel and slept for about 4 hours. Since the room had no windows we had no concept of time and probably could have slept all day since it was so dark in the room. However, it sounded like there was a major construction renovation happening in the room next to us. This was a great way to ensure we didn’t sleep in.
Today was my birthday! We had a lot planned for this day. We walked out of our hotel and the heat hit us in the face like a brick. It was sunny, hot and humid. Our hats not only protected our skin from the hot sun, but also absorbed the sweat that was constantly dripping from our heads. This was definitely the hottest place we have ever traveled to. The key to traveling to a place with this climate is a lot of cold water for hydration, a hand towel to wipe sweat, cool, quick drying clothes, sunscreen and a hat. Luckily we had all of the above.
We skipped breakfast and ate a delicious lunch at the Dim Sum Haus. After lunch we began our walk to our new hotel located on Beach Road. A lot of places are within walking distance in Singapore. The heat just makes it more challenging to get there by foot. We stopped at a vending machine along the way that made fresh orange juice. For $2 Singapore dollars (about 1.50 USD) we received a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice in a paper cup that promised us a lot of energy, a good mood for the day and lower cholesterol. Who wouldn’t we buy this? These are amazing claims!
After a 30 minute walk that seemed like 4 hours, we arrived to the JW Marriott Singapore South Beach hotel. Exquisite, spectacular, modern, and marvelous are the best adjectives to describe this hotel. The hotel had two infinity pools that overlooked the city. The view was breathtaking. There were couches containing fluffy pillows filled with napping guests next to the pool. It was the perfect place to relax.
Before enjoying the pool we walked to Raffles Hotel which was located across the street from our hotel. Raffles Hotel was one of the first luxury hotels in Singapore. Here we enjoyed Singapore Slings; the most famous drink in Singapore. We ventured out again and visited the Marina Bay Sands resort and took the elevator to the 57th floor bar and infinity pool. The view of Singapore was amazing. This is the tallest hotel in Singapore and very famous for their luxury shopping mall and several celebrity chef restaurants. After walking around in the heat we decided to learn the MRT (Metro Rapid Transit) system so we could see as much as possible. We rode the MRT (which is a lot smaller and easier to navigate than Japan’s) to Chinatown to see the markets and the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple. After this we visited Little India again and browsed more markets where the streets were lined and decorated with living flowers. That night we enjoyed delicious chicken, beef and prawn satay at station 7&8 at Lau Pa Sat, a famous hawker center. The satay was the best we’ve ever had. We walked a total of 13 miles. Although I am used to walking and exercising with my sneakers on, the heat caused blisters like I’ve never had before. I couldn’t let the blisters stop our exploration so I wore sandals for the rest of the trip. That night we passed out. I don’t think I moved at all because I woke up in the same exact position that I fell asleep in. I felt well rested and ready to take on day 2.
We started our day by watching the sun rise from the 18th floor infinity pool. This was followed by a breakfast like no other breakfast! The Beach Road Kitchen offered what I would consider a 5 Star, gourmet buffet breakfast. There were fresh squeezed juices, a chef preparing delicious ramen soups, another chef preparing fresh, cooked to order eggs, fresh baked pastries, Indian, British and Singaporean cuisine and a full bar of breakfast pizzas. I haven’t consumed that much food in a very long time. It was spectacular!
Our hotel was connected to the MRT which was very convenient. We left breakfast and headed to the beautiful Botanic Garden. The foliage and flowers were beautiful. It was a wonderful morning to enjoy the beautiful plants native to Singapore and from around the world. When it began to get really hot we headed to Vivo City where we hopped aboard the Sentosa Express. In a few short minutes we arrived at Sentosa Island. Here we walked on the beach at the southern most point of continental Asia. The water was warm, the sand was soft and cool and the sun was blazing hot! After walking the entire coastline in search for sea glass and shells, we bought cold drinks and headed back to downtown Singapore. We stopped at the Sentosa Merlion and enjoyed an Italian gelato pop. We were excited to see the Merlion but luckily Jon realized that this was not the “real” Merlion; it was a replica. We wanted to see the real thing so we added this to our list of things to see.
Once we arrived back to Vivo City, we boarded the MRT and headed back to the hotel to cool off with a refreshing swim. Later that same evening Rachel and Dan met us at our hotel and a tour bus picked us up to go to the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo. The Night Safari consisted of a 35 minute tram ride followed by four walking trails with nocturnal animals native to Asia. It was such a neat experience. The hyenas looked like they were going to eat us so we scurried quickly past them. The tour bus dropped us off at our hotel around 11pm. We were hungry so we went to Jumbo Seafood at the River Walk. We enjoyed chili crab (it was spicy but good and a must try while in Singapore) while sitting on the river. It was a great way to end the day.
On our final day in Singapore, we again watched the sun rise from the 18th floor, took a swim in the very cool, crisp pool and then met Rachel at our hotel. We rode the MRT to see the Merlion that spits water. We probably had a little too much fun with these photo ops! We toured the Fullerton Hotel and enjoyed a Vampire Frappuccino at Starbucks. For those of you who read my blog on Japan you may remember that we had an American Cherry Pie Frappuccino there. Both were incredible and I am hoping that both will make appearances at our local Starbucks. A storm appeared out of nowhere so we shopped a bit before heading to Orchard Road, probably the largest shopping district in Singapore. After we shopped for a bit we headed back to the hotel. Jon went to the JNJ office for a quick meeting, while Rachel and I relaxed in the pool and enjoyed garlic fries and spring rolls. The heat and walking does exhaust you. We walked over 35 miles during this trip! Jon and I took a nap when we arrived back and later that evening we went to Gardens by the Bay for an incredible light and music show. We enjoyed a drink at IndoChine, a rooftop bar at the gardens and then headed down for the show. The gardens were so well manicured and the show was impressive. It was a great way to spend our last evening.
We are now on our way home. A fourteen and a half hour flight to San Francisco is perfect for blog writing. We miss our kids but had the most amazing trip! I will forever remember Singapore and this very special birthday trip. I am truly so grateful, thankful and blessed! Thank you to my amazing husband for an incredible time. I love you so much. I look forward to many more adventures with you. Thank you also to my dad and step mom for taking the best care of our kids. We are very excited for our adventure with you next month. And finally to Rachel and Dan, we are so happy to have met you both. We hope to see you both again soon.
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