01.03.20
Over the past year we have met and spoken with hundreds of “new friends” on the road, plus the many we still had at home. When we mentioned we’d be coming to Singapore on New Year’s Day we got one overwhelming response: You will LOVE it!
And you know what?
We do.
Our arrival did not come without challenges as we almost got stranded on the island of Naxos, where we stayed prior to our arrival here. We were successful leaving Santorini (which we absolutely loved!) a few days prior and getting back to Naxos- and then the weather turned…We had a ferry scheduled the morning of December 30, but when we checked with the company about an hour before departure, we were told all ferries were canceled for the day and possibly the next, too. We had NO Plan B since our Singapore flight left from Athens the next morning, but the Gods were smiling as we hauled ass to get to the airport to catch the only flight off the island that day, and it was also postponed. So we sat in a teeny tiny waiting room for an extra two hours and the Gods continued to smile as the skies cleared, we left late and arrived to a very cold (32 degrees F, 0 degrees C) Athens with enough time to get to our room, sort through our items and get ready for the next day’s 10 hour, 5620 mile flight.
So we celebrated New Year’s Eve with no champagne, no balloons and certainly no fireworks since we were in the plane with about 300 of our closest strangers! The lights came on at midnight somewhere over the ocean, we all took pictures of the flight crew wishing us all the best, and then the lights went out and it was business as usual until we landed at 0300 to a very quiet and peaceful Singapore airport, which is gorgeous! All the stories we heard about how strict they were was vapor since we were the first in line at customs and walked through the gate 5 minutes later. Since the Metro didn’t start till 0600 we wandered around and chilled until it geared up.
It was a weird way to begin a NEW YEAR since Southeast Asia is a first for Kathleen and me, and we had no idea what to expect. It was also odd since I had never been this close (70 miles, one degree) to the equator and finding almost 90 degree F./ 32 C temps the first of the year. Yea, even those warm New Year’s Days in Orange County didn’t compare and here it is, just two weeks after the beginning of SUMMER! To say that this worldwide voyage blows my mind and senses is all too true.
What we found was the strongest English language presence of any place we had been in the last year. Everyone was kind and helpful, the same as we found most everywhere else. We took the metro to the location of our room, which I will not go into (!), and had breakfast of chicken, eggs and green rice on the street from a “hawker,” which is what they call the street food courts. And what a cool and shocking experience!
Interesting foods, some familiar, some not, and ridiculously cheap prices (like $3.00 US for breakfast), plus very pleasant people working there. To say we were tired is a given, and since we were able to drop our luggage off at 0900, but not take our bed until 2:00 p.m. that meant that we were free birds, so off we went, exploring the skyline of Singapore. The “core” in my mind, is the Marina Bay Sands hotel and complex, which is 2500 rooms worth of luxury and to top it off- literally and realistically- the hotel has a large “ship” connecting the three towers. Here’s a 35-minute video created by someone with much greater skills than me!
The view from the top is indescribable, along with the enclosed shopping mall with every imaginable high-end luxury retailer in the world present there. It was worth the money to get to the 57th floor to intake that view of the very crowded harbor and the forest of large skyscrapers. When I use the words “amazing and spectacular” they only convey a portion of what it really is like.
Aside from the towers, the city itself is impressive with spotless subway stations that are well marked and orderly, with everyone literally towing the line. Some may say that Singapore is a bit too Big Brother-like, but the cleanliness of the city and how everything was maintained was a refreshing change from some of our prior cities. It is also fascinating to see the integration of so many cultures and ethnicities here, since this is called one of the most diverse cities in the world. We are staying in “Little India” which is interesting, and I was not aware of the variety of different countries represented here.
Singapore factoids:
(1) the Singaporean natives (yes, their titles) speak English like a Brit since they are taught the Queen’s English rather than American English. That makes sense, since they were a British Colony for many years.
And (2) even with 82 percent humidity and 80 degree temps, I’ve not seen or felt any mosquitoes! Which is awesome.
They said we would love it here, and I think than anyone who visits, will love it here. But we also hear the same thing about Thailand, Cambodia and especially, Vietnam.
I’ll let you know, since Bangkok will be our base for the next 30-60 days and be used as a jump point to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia, places to be named in Vietnam, plus islands and other cool places in Thailand. It’s a little weird thinking about visiting Vietnam since many fellow Boomers have a much different memory of that country. When I was 18 I came within one year of visiting that country under different circumstances…I’m glad that they recovered and are prospering after too many years of horrors.
On a happier note, best to you all in 2020 and thank you for following Travel Younger. We are glad to have you join us on our journey.
