Quickie in SEA: 1st Stop – Singapore

Okay so, what is one to do when they have 2 months before they begin their new job, are bored and broke out of their MIND, and just sitting at home counting crumbs on the carpet?

Vacuum? ehhh try again.
Go on a quick holiday?!? uhhhh DUH!

So in two weeks it was my goal to visit some of the major SEA hubs that were close and cheap enough to experience.  Did I have the money? No. But I had the time. Time I probably would never have the opportunity to use again. So I took with me the financial risk- also known as my American credit card–  as well as my backpack and was OFF!

48 hours in Singapore

First stop – Singapore. An island city state I really knew nothing about other than some friends I knew grew up there and they had yummy noodles. Regardless, any place where it is illegal to chew gum and a cheap bottle of wine cost 90 dollars is a place that I had to see.

By the time the plane landed,  I was fully relaxed and rested from a turbulence free flight  and owning a whole aisle to myself didn’t hurt either. Go figure it was the only flight I decided to pay for extra leg room 😉

Once I reached my hostel in Little India I was ready to drop off my bag and let my preoccupied nose lead me in to sweet sweet curry heaven. As I walked down the streets I peeked my head into random kitchens to see what sparked my appetite. Indecisive and hangry, an hour later I finally walked in a kitchen with music and sat outside.  I ordered some curry from some men that were quite rude and not friendly, but I just kept in mind they were just a means to this tasty end. 30 minutes later I finally had some curry in front of me and could not wait to take a big ole bite!

OUCHHHH..CRAPPPP MOTHER OF SANTA CLAUS!!!!!
BONES.
THERE WERE BONES.

So I finally got my curry, but it cost me part of my tooth.
I didn’t remember seeing that extra charge on the menu.

That next morning, I Gathered up my bag and broken tooth and headed out in search of some Hindu Temples.

Now that it was daylight, I could now see exactly where I was walking through the night before.  Many cell phone retailers, rug shop, Indian jewelers, and did I mention cell phone accessory retailers? I had happened to lose my headphones like usual so I decided to go in to a shop and buy some new ones.

ONLY A DOLLAR!?! What a deal.….

Yeah, a deal that lasted me 15 minutes..

During my not so easy stroll down the street all I could think about was the weather. Just think about what hell might feel like, and yeah, there you go! So hot and humid I wanted to die in a bowl of curry.. sorry, make that drown, since I was carrying a 2000 ton backpack.

Barely alive, I finally made it through to the Hindu Temple. It was amazing. Not breathtaking like a Buddhist temple or stunning like a Catholic cathedral , but instead unique and radiant. I loved it.

 

After my tour of Little India, I jumped on a shaky train headed towards the downtown hub to check out Future World–  the Art and Science Museum.

Now I know what you are thinking… that’s really random out of everything I could see.. I know! But I had some old memories of going to one of these as a kid and loved it so I thought, Well, I am already chewing gum right now like I was told not to.. might as well live this out  and let’s just totally act like kid again!

Future World was filled with cool interactive experiments, sculptures and educational displays.  One highlight was in a exhibit where you would draw a picture, whether it was a house, car, spaceship etc,  scan in the picture and it would generate up on a screen in real time, in REAL LIFE!!  I attempted  to do my signature “hot mess” logo in two different exhibits, but ever time I tried I screwed it up. Either it was the wrong shape or I wrote it backwards.. so in other words the whole endeavor was a true hot mess experience.

 

 

 

 

Once I was ready to start acting like a grown woman again (ugh) I headed to the famous Gardens  by the Bay to check out what they had to offer. I went from a 6 year old to a 60 year old in seconds. Both the Flower and Cloud exhibits were nice and pretty. I saw flowers… and more flowers.. and some other plants and things..

Lets just have the pictures do the talking!

 

After walking around in 45 degree extreme hot and humid weather carrying a freakin baby elephant on my back for 3 hours, it was time to die. Rest, sorry I mean rest.

I needed to sit down. I needed to eat.
I was like a 30 year old dehydrated hungry infant, minus the poopy pants part.

 

I walked through the Marina Bay Sands mall, also known as Disneyland for rich people, and headed towards an old friend I could see in the far distance. This was one of my favorite old friends I have not seen in a very long time due to lack of funds. Also an old friend that knows how to keep me very very happy .. THE CASINO.

Luckily for this girl, they had the most hardcore entrance ever and was forced to check my 3 ton backpack in with security.

 WHOO HOOO! WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

My phone had died so I put some money in a cent machine while charging my  phone on the wall right beside it. Within a few minutes, a man came up to me saying no charging!! Please leave.. and I’m like uhh helloooooooo I am playing hereeeee ” Not appreciating my talking back he yells I kick you out no charging! Then pulls my phone from the wall and throws it in my purse. Jerk.

So I stubbornly said goodbye to casino, but hello to another old friend.. my lovely friend Helen! Helen was an old co-worker of mine that moved off to Singapore a few years back. She was kind enough to offer to show me around town a bit and house this broke backpacker for my final night.

Our first stop of two was the top of the Marina Bay Sands Bar 57 to have a drink from the best view of the city. I recognized the view and the infinity pool from many many Tinder profiles (Judge free zone right?!).  We ordered our 30 dollar drinks and caught up on life, love and travels while watching the beautiful sunset.

After a few drinks costing more than what my whole wardrobe costs by the way, we headed to a curry restaurant that she had been raving about. Saying, delicious curries, which we already established I loved, and a fabulous view looking over the historical Boat Quay.

We arrived and she was right but unfortunately they did not accommodate us with the table she requested. And oh my, she was one unhappy camper. After 30 minutes of complaining they finally moved us to a table with the view.

 God bless her and her determination.

The view was lovely, and I am sure so was all the delicious spit that helped favor our curries.

Fuller than full and exhausted from the day we decided just to call it a night and head back to her place on Sentosa Island. This man made island is where a bunch of wealthy people live and her place was no exception. Her place was beautiful and modern. High tech gadgets and light switches I could not figure out how to work if my life depended on it. I was  happy to take advantage of the amazing shower and comfy bed  because I knew it would be the only one for my whole trip. I slept like a spoiled happy girl.

I woke up for my ride back to the airport and was instantly blown away by the dazzling million dollar view.

My final hour on the way to catch my next flight was the most educational of the two days. My lovely Uber driver was born and raised in Singapore and  knew more about the history of the place than anyone else.  I was excited to finally be connecting with a local who wasn’t afraid to tell me how life really was in Singapore for the average person. When at the airport I got up from my seat and noticed 180 dollars on the floor that must have been left by a previous passenger. When handing the money to him he just handed it right back saying,  “If someone reports money lost they will get it refunded through Uber, please take the money as a gift from Singapore and myself”.

Whoo hoo! I have always wanted to get lucky in the back of an Uber..and hey, now  I have! 😉

Overall I enjoyed my time in Singapore. It was a beautiful melting pot of cultures, the people were friendly, the weather sucked, the drinks ridiculous, but the curry and noodles da bomb. It was a nice little taste of what the country had to offer without breaking my bank account or ruining my liver too early on this SEA Adventure.

Next time I have a week off and a couple thousands bucks to spare I will come back to Singapore and really live it up. But this time, I still had 5 more stops to go and had to keep on truckin!

It was now time for a couple of days of island life, a panic attack 650m above sea level, and the fun of using Tinder internationally.

Next up…Langkawi, Malaysia!

 

 

<3 Michelle

Comments welcome below 🙂

or email me at hotmessgoestoozblog@gmail.com