6 Hours in Singapore
I had a 7.5 hour layover in Changi Airport… I knew this before hand so I wanted to plan my trip into the city way before I left Brunei, but for some reason I kept delaying my planning…. I actually didn't plan anything until it ended up being the day I left Brunei. I tried to book a travel agent, but they never responded. So… I decided to wing it! It was quite adventurous and really fun, actually. I left Brunei at around 5PM and flew into Singapore at about 7:30 - 8:00PM due to delays. I saw Pao Pao (she is on her way to Korea) and got a final baby finger hold and hug before we separated :(. I then tried to find my way around, asking questions as to where I should go, how I should get there, and things to see from the information desk, from immigration, and from the travel help center. I decided that the three things I really wanted to see were Christmas lights off Orchard Road (a huge shopping street, apparently very pretty during Christmas time), Bugis Street night market, and Marina Bay. Unfortunately, by the time I got to leave the airport, I did not have enough time to see all three, so I had to prioritize. I decided to see two things out of the three, Bugis Street Market and Marina Bay.
I first went to Bugis because the shops closed at 10:30PM. It was a great choice! Initially I got dropped off by the taxi driving in front of the "mall" and I was disappointed because it was more Westernized than I thought… I walked mindlessly through the people and the mall trying to find things to buy… But there wasn't much to buy since there were normal stores like Adidas and stores you can find in the U.S…. I thought there HAD to be a real night market somewhere...!!
So I asked around and this sales rep at a kiosk directed me to walk right to the fountain and take a left, cross the street, and I should hopefully find what I was looking for… So following the directions and the crowd of people, JACKPOT! The Bugis Street night market is a 4 story half outside, half inside shopping area… with so much cute stuff to buy and for so cheap too! This night market was jam packed with stores, filled with little alleyways into other stores, little hole in the wall street foods, souvenir shops, fobby clothes from Korea, $1 jewelry stores… This is my kind of market! I loved my time getting lost within the winding labyrinth pathways leading from store to store. The hustle and bustle was lively and energizing! I honestly wished I could have stayed a full day or even a couple of days just exploring this night market and shop until I can shop no more, but I had to manage my time wisely to make it to the Marina Bay.
After walking around the small shops, I was famished and thirsty. I stopped by this little dessert/street food shop and got an egg and cheese "pancake"…. the dough was soooo good and fluffy, yet crunchy. It was a great snack for suppressing my hunger. For my thirst, I got (of course) a large cup of watermelon juice! YUM!!! I continued on through the stores to try to find souvenirs for family/friends, and some good clothes shopping for myself. I ended getting really good buys for very low prices! I am very happy I got to experience and shop at the night market… I definitely will go there again whenever I visit.
At about 10:30PM, I headed out to the taxi stand and hauled a taxi out to Marina Bay…. it was so beautiful and nice out there! The famous lion symbol of Singapore was located within this little bay area along the river. But surrounding this little bay was views of the casino across the river, the durian building, the ferris wheel, and entire Singapore skyline as the backdrop. I had a great time just soaking in the scenery in front of me. There was a walkway right into the water with a straight shot view of the art installation in the river. I tried asking many people around me to take a photo of me with the skyline…. but everyone sucked at taking photos, dammit! I am very disappointed that random people walking are horrible photographers… Even the lady with the intense DSLR and tripod taking long exposure photos took the worst most blurry picture ever…. bitch! haha just kidding. Honestly though, no matter what kind of camera, nothing can capture how beautiful it was out at night, unless you were physically there to experience it first hand. I wanted to continue walking up to the casino and out to the skeleton building as well as the new tree installation, but with the little time I had left, it was hard to see everything I wanted.
Honestly, the short 6 hours I had in Singapore was a tease and made me thirsty to explore Singapore more… But knowing my position, I know for sure I will be back be back… hopefully sooner than later. I am glad that I could at least experience this amazing city with the short time I had. So as I sit here waiting for my flight to Moscow, I will never forget the little time I had in this city… I ended up with a handful of blurry photos, some good street food in my belly, famous bah kua jerky from Bee Cheng Hiang, and a lot of cheap great buys, with still $100 left in my pocket! Yay!
Now it is time to mentally and physically prepare myself for my flight to Moscow, and then from Moscow.. to Houston. I am so tired right now because it is past my bed time in Brunei.. but… I gotta stay awake… it is only 11:30AM back at home… noooooo… sho shweepy… zZZZzzZZzzzz
