Ni Hao from Singapore!
We arrived in Singapore this afternoon and we are so excited about our long layover! We have a 5 hour layover, and we are planning on exploring as much as we can. Our baggage was already on its way to our next destination, so we grabbed our bags and headed out of Changi Airport. As soon as we stepped outside the smell of flowers almost overwhelms your system. There are flowers everywhere. Everywhere! The walls of the airport are covered in them, they surround both sides of the street, and there’s even a giant garden inside the airport. We easily could have stayed inside the airport during our layover and explored. There is so much to see and do here!
Let’s Explore
We found a cab out front and asked to be taken to The Gardens by the Bay. We have seen pictures of this spectacular nature park, and that was exactly how we wanted to spend our time here. On the 20 minute drive to the park, we chatted up the taxi driver, and I am so glad we did. He told us about the interesting laws they have there. It is illegal to spit on the ground here!, you cannot eat or drink on public transportation, no drinking after 10:30 pm, and don’t ever, EVER bring drugs into the country! The punishment for drug trafficking or importing is a mandatory death sentence, which entails a public hanging at dawn. Wow. Everyone, PLEASE read up on local laws when visiting a new country. This information scared us pretty straight. Not that we were planning on doing any of the above, except for maybe spitting.
Having such strict laws in place makes for a safe city. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. We asked our cab driver if there was a homeless problem here, and he actually didn’t understand what we were asking. We had to explain what a homeless person was, and he just shook his head and said “oh no, no one like that here”. Wow, what a place.
The Gardens by the Bay
We arrived at The Gardens by the Bay, and wow. (I think I’ll be saying that a lot in this post). You can see the big tree-like structures from far away. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel stands tall behind the park. I wish we had the time to go explore that hotel! Next time.
We entered the park and cruised around at our own pace. It was a beautiful day out so we wandered around outside. The plants here are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. There was a section that had fish and other sea life, and they were all so unfamiliar to me too! Everything has a Dr. Seuss quality about it and is very whimsical. There is so much to see here. I would book a week vacation here just so I could see the park in its entirety. The weather was perfect. Sunny, warm, a slight breeze, perfect for a day spent outdoors. I just cannot get over the smell of this place. So many different sweet smelling flowers. For all the girls with long hair out there..have you ever left a place and your hair picks up the smell of where you just were? Every time I go to a fast food restaurant, my hair smells like grease., even if I just walk in and out. Or if I go to a bowling alley, my hair will smell like that for the rest of the day. Well when we left Singapore, my hair smelled like I washed it with flower petals. It smelled so good. Anyone who saw me in the airport that night must have thought I was a crazy person. Huffing my hair in the corner by myself.
Embrace the Layover
All my life, I feared long layovers. When I’m traveling I want to get to where I’m going as quickly as possible. I don’t want to sit in an airport for more than 2 hours. It gives me more time to think and dwell on the upcoming flight. I am so glad Seth convinced me that long layovers were going to work in our favor on this trip. It’s a great way to take a quick look around and helps you figure out if you would like to come back here! It is also the best way to travel if you are on a budget. Flights with longer layovers are usually much cheaper, and if you are only there for the day then you don’t have to pay for a hotel that night. Just make sure you leave yourself enough time to get back into the airport and get through security!
While waiting for our next flight to board, Seth had already planned out our future Singapore trip. We can’t wait to come back here! Next time I will be exploring this city through food!
Come relax with us in Bali!…
