Well, now that I’m back in the states, the list of “To do while in Singapore” is ready to be removed from The List. Happily, I can say I completed most things … and I’m also happy to say there are some things I just didn’t get to. What I learned for me: don’t believe the locals who say, “there’s nothing to do here,” AND strive to do more than time allows — that way you don’t end up doing less than time allows and both end up missing great sights AND getting into that “what do you want to do? I don’t know, what do you want to do? I’m bored” state of mind.
Two quotes come to mind, from equally inspiring sources:
- “Our greatest fear is not that we set our aim too great and we miss it, but that we aim too low and we reach it.” — Michelangelo
- “Smart people don’t get bored.” — My mother
That said, if you’re ever in Singapore, I recommend a few things from our list…
Singapore
- Little India (before and at night during Deepavali)
- Arab Street (normal and for a hookah stop at night)
- Gondola ride (didn’t make it to the top of the hill, but made it the other direction to Sentosa)
- Singapore Sling at Raffles hotel (multiples in fact)
- High tea & cucumber sandwiches at Raffles hotel (with the ‘rents)
- Orchard Road (normal and at night around Christmas time)
- Chinatown (normal and at night during Chinese New Year — year of the Rat)
- Merlion (both of them!) – there’s one near the Fullerton and another bigger one on Sentosa
- Bumboat river tour (bring a sense of humor)
- Symphony / concert / opera at one of the playhouses (“La Traviata” at the Esplanade; a performance at the art museum; and another at a university)
- Botanical gardens (Do NOT miss this.)
- Night safari (with Sarah and again with the ‘rents — don’t miss the bat walk!)
- Try the “Chili Crab” (and done again and again. It’s fantastic. Favorite spot is definitely at East Coast Seafood, on the water between the airport & the city. Add the Pepper Crab to the table’s order if you’re with a big group … and be sure to get the buns to soak up the chili sauce, it’s the best part!)
- Sunday Brunch at one of the hotels (expensive, but worthwhile) — fittingly, we went to The Conrad.
- Go inside one of the temples (Little India tour)
- Museums – I made it to the Singapore Art Museum, Asian Civilisations, and National Museum. If you can only go to one, I recommend the latter.
- Foot Reflexology (I think this comes from their Chinese culture)
- Eyebrow threading (Indian culture)
- The Tiger Experience (Tiger brewery) – bring your wallet AND a sense of humor, you’ll need both. That said, I’m glad we went!
- Funan IT mall / Sim Lim – shopping for IT, either with fixed prices, or without. It’s an experience, that’s for sure! Bring good walking shoes!
- Shopping malls! I’m not sure you can say you’ve experienced Singapore unless you’ve been inside a minimum of 3 malls on one day. Specifically, don’t miss Bugis street and VivoCity (VivoCity has it’s own stop on the subway; don’t miss the roof floor of this one!)
- Gold Class cinemas. Why we don’t have this in the US, I fail to understand. But imagine sitting in a small theater in big leather recliner seats, with a blanket, a menu and a waiter. Man, it was twice the cost of a regular ticket, but such a fun splurge!!
- Make friends with people who live there! I’m so happy to remember some of the people who welcomed me into their homes and their lives — Simone, who invited me to a church service – the christening of her baby; Selvi, who invited me to her home to join in her family celebrations of Deepavali; Hannah, a true friend I met through IBM’s employee network, who invited me to her home for a casual dinner with friends — wonderful; and Sarah and Mark, a new-to-Singapore expat like me who I met in a hotel taxi queue, who invited Conrad and I to be her first dinner guests at their new home-away-from-the-US. I hope to cross paths with all of these people again in the not too distant future… If there’s one thing I’ve really learned, it’s that it’s the people who make an experience and color the culture — and that doesn’t matter where in the world you visit or live.
The “I missed it” list (to revisit if I ever go back):
- Images of Singapore – On Sentosa. I’ve heard if you go to Sentosa, it’s a worth y part of the trip. Never made it.
- Zoo – never made it beyond the Night Zoo, but then again, I was never really that compelled either. There’s also a separate bird zoo / aviary. I didn’t make it there, either.
- Hike up Bukit Timah hill, the highest peak of (flat) Singapore
- Cooking class
- Mahjong lessons — although I did attend a few gaming nights, I never found anyone to teach me Mahjong (however, I was told that the best way to learn is by losing a lot of money … maybe I’ll learn now that I’m back in NYC … apparently, this is a popular game with the Jewish ladies here, who knew.)
- American Embassy — though I passed it on the highway a few times, I had no reason to enter. I’m ok with having to miss this one as well
- Wakeboarding / water skiing from a zip line at Ski 360 in East Coast park — watched it plenty of times, but never made it down to the pond to try it out… definitely should do it next time!
As Conrad well knows by now, I’m allowed one taxi trip / week from work > home … and I do it on Fridays. The rule is my own because a taxi fare (new fare hikes since I’ve arrived, too) costs about S$20 ($15) but a subway ride costs only about $2 … taxi is more direct, private, and takes only 30 minutes, vs a crowded hour by subway, so it’s desirable, but expensive. So if I’m good, I take a taxi “home” only once a week, usually my Friday afternoon treat … my reward for good behavior that week is a new pair of (cheap) shoes … which cost substantially less than 2-3 taxi fares. 
… especially when moms put the whole non-perishable aisle into a box and spend way too much money to ship it to all the way to Singapore so their daughter feels a little closer to home.
All posts