On our way back from New Zealand, we had a 24 hour stop over in Singapore. Singapore was the perfect city to spend 24 hours in, because we were able to fit in a multitude of activities, cultures, and food, all in one day.
Our flight landed at night, and we went straight to the Nostalgia hotel. The hotel was clean, very comfortable, and close enough to some public transport. The lobby manager was extremely helpful in letting us know where to go, and how to get there. I would highly recommend staying in it.
Knowing that Singapore represents 3 major cultures and religions, my goal was to experience a bit of all 3 – Indian, Chinese, and Arab. We started the day with Indian…
Serangoon Road was known to be the Indian hub, so we took a taxi there. I was amazed at how “Indian” the street was. If not for its cleanliness, I would think I was in Chennai!
Breakfast was in order, so we headed to Komala Vilas for an authentic South Indian Breakfast! We literally ordered everything off the menu…
Don’t judge me, I was 5 months pregnant!
After a heavy breakfast, we visited a Hindu Temple. The architecture was very similar to temples you find in South India.
After getting our dose of Indian/Hindu culture, we next went to experience Chinese. We first headed to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
Incense sticks at the Buddhist temple
Taking a break…
Chinatown mall
There was another temple recommended, and that was a Chinese Temple, Thian Hock Keng Temple. This temple had a bit of a different architecture compared to the Buddhist temple, but was considerably empty.
A Chinese temple
Next up was an Arabic mosque…
Sultan Mosque
Shopping on Arab street
Prayer hall at the mosque
We talked to a friendly lady at the Mosque, who told us about the different prayer times, and the direction of praying, which was interesting to learn. It was late afternoon by this time, and it was getting hot, so we were ready to head inside. Gardens by the bay is a popular attraction, and has indoor and outdoor parks and gardens. The gardens are entirely man-made, and while most of the outdoor areas are free, there were two paid attractions – a Cloud Forest, and a Flower Show. We chose to do both, since it was too hot to walk outside.
Man-made waterfalls in the Cloud Forest
The cloud forest exhibit at the gardens
After having visited a real cloud forest in Costa Rica, this obviously doesn’t compare. But for an indoor attraction involving waterfalls, it was pretty neat. If you’re in Singapore, the Cloud Forest exhibit is worth checking out. The Flower Gardens, on the other hand, were not worth the cost.
After exiting the gardens, it was time to head back to the airport. If we had more time, I would have liked to check out the Marina.
That ended our short and enjoyable visit to Singapore!
