touristing
- sophia bird
- Feb 11, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 29, 2024
day 4&5
the next couple of days are just us being tourists 😜
day 4
we switched hotels to be closer to city center, but only after this delicious breakfast.
after checking in, we walked around and there were more wild chickens as well as these super cool staircases.
after everything was squared away at the hotel, we went in search of haji lane–a sort of hip, cool lane with shops, services and restaurants.
after that exploration, we headed to little india in search of dinner. on the way, we stumbled onto Arab street and the Sultan Mosque.
and to finish off the night, we went down to merlion park, the ultimate photo op hahah. from there, we could see marina bay sands and all the cool related architecture.
pov: JV
Day 4 started with breakfast at a cat cafe. The cats are in a separate room from the restaurant, and you pay about $7 to go play with them, but watching them through the window was free!
Most of the development in Singapore has happened in the last 40 years, and there are a lot of buildings that are 20 years or newer, so modern architecture mixes alongside historic shop houses and buildings from the 1800s. Makes for a very interesting downtown!
MRT to downtown was easy, and we dragged our suitcases up to the hotel which was BEAUTIFUL. Lovely room, contemporary original works of art, and an incredible view from the pool top. As I made a video of the luxurious drapes, Sophia said "That's such a you thing to do." Might have been an eyeroll in there too ;-) Yeah.
Our walk through Haji Lane, Little India and Merlion Park was all great. And hot, and sweaty. The next day I bought very lightweight clothes at China Town!
Me trying to drink from Merlion ...
day 5
we got up bright and early to get to gardens by the bay attractions when they opened at 9:00 because i had an appointment for...surprise, a tattoo! check out the artist, EQ, if you're so inclined. she is only based out of singapore and korea, so it was a once in a lifetime kind of mindset. don't worry, i've been thinking about it for a long time.
first, we saw the famous supertree grove with a great view of the gardens and beyond. followed by the cloud forest (which was a welcome break from the humidity outside haha) and finally the flower dome which had a bunch of new years decorations. it's the year of the wood dragon so naturally the wood one was more of an attraction, but they had the other elements too (water, fire, metal, earth).
i got my tatt in about 5 hours and mom had her own adventure (see below).
♡蘇晨
pov: JV
So while Sophia was being tattooed, I explored the rest of the park at Gardens by the Bay. GBTB is really so fabulous! The Cloud Forest - I want to live there. SuperTree Grove was also ... super. Impressive structures.
After wandering through the gardens and along a lake I found my way into Marina Bay Sands, the famous hotel and landmark. I wasn't able to go up to the restaurant at the top because I didn't have a reservation and I decided not to do the observation deck ($30). It was fun to walk through the swanky lobby! From there, I took the MRT to China Town and shopped, it was lively and festive with Lunar New Year decor and hubub. I went into another beautiful temple, then a department store (similar to older dept stores in the US), and as I was heading out there was a huge downpour - the first rainfall since our arrival. Tropical rain, heavy and warm. I splashed back to the hotel and headed up to the rooftop infiniti pool to experience the view - went back at night, it was phenomenal!
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