#ZubzzTakes Singapore!
It only took 7 hours to Istanbul, a 7 hour transit and 10 hours additional hours to Changi but hello Singapore!
Singapore is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of the island of Singapore (linked by a causeway to the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula) and about 54 smaller islands with a population of around 5.6 million.
Their main languages are Malay, Chinese, Tamil, and English, and from my experience, everyone speaks the last one really well, there were no language barriers.
Ghanaians do not need a visa to visit as long as your stay is under 30 days, but you are required to fill an arrival card (https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard/)
The arrival/immigration process was pretty straightforward, there were no long queues and their gates are automated (you just scan your passport).
Their currency is the Singaporean dollar, which is currently one of the world’s strongest currencies. For those who spend in dollars or cedis, ESPECIALLY cedis, that makes this a very expensive trip for us.
Using your Ghanaian visa card, 1 Singaporean Dollar (S$) is currently equal to around ¢11.8. If you’re making your purchases and reservations in American dollars, $1=S$1.3. A 4 day trip, inclusive of flights, hotel, feeding and activities could cost you upward of $6000 with a business class ticket and $2600 with an economy one.
If you’re on a budget, Turkish Airlines has great return deals from $1100 to $1400, so consider using them for your trip.
Nice hotels here cost anywhere from $150 to $500 a night, and the closer you are to the city center, the more expensive it is. There are some good hotels close to the airport as well, which cost around $200/night but if you’re looking for glamour and luxury, don’t skimp on price. If you dont have to, don’t pick the cheaper option.
One of the first things I noticed was how polite everyone I had to interact with was and How CLEAN everywhere I went was.
The second wasn’t too surprising as they take littering really serious (punishable by fines of thousand of dollars and community service) and gum is banned here specifically to prevent it, but it was still very nice to see in person.
If you’re ever in Singapore, these are a couple of free & paid tourist attractions you need to visit!
#1 Singapore Flyer
You can not visit Singapore without visiting this place! The Singapore Flyer is a Ferris wheel that goes 165m above sea level at its highest point and gives you a full view of the city and all the important and beautiful parts. You start out in the digital museum where you learn about the history of the island in a very fun immersive visual way (my favorite kind of leaning).
You can see EVERYTHING at the peak and it’s so so beautiful! The Quay, Marina Bay Sands, the Central Business District, Gardens by the Bay, and apparently during the day if it’s clear enough you can see parts of Malaysia and Indonesia.
The wheel spins so slowly you barely feel it moving, but yes, it does get a little scary if you’re alone. It takes about 30 minutes to complete the full ride and each pod comes with multiple interactive guides and audio that give you the history of the landmarks and areas you’re seeing.
They’re open from 10am to 10pm and tickets cost S$40 for an adult ticket and S$13 for children. The last ride starts at 9:30pm and you can buy your ticket online or at the venue.
#2 Jewel Changi Vortex
The Vortex, which is 7 storeys high, is the world's tallest indoor waterfall! This is a free attraction, and the best part is you don’t need to be traveling to see it. First of all, this airport itself is beautiful! Every corner screams creative luxury, even the bathrooms. It is connected to Terminal 1 (where most international flights leave from) and is before security, that means you don’t have to rush to view it on the day you arrive or are leaving, you can take your time and come back and see it.
While the structure and the forest can be viewed at any time of the day, the waterfall runs from 10am to 10pm, with a lightshow and soft music from 8pm. It’s surrounded by the Shiseido Forest Valley which is also free for tourists to visit. There is a free sky train from terminal 1 to terminal 3&4 that runs directly by it every 30 minutes if you’d like a closer view.
#3 Canopy Bridge & Canopy Park
While you’re still at the Jewel Changi Airport, you should definitely do this activity! Canopy bridge is a glass bottom bridge 23 meters high. It doesn’t go through the waterfall/vortex thankfully, because that would be terrifying but it’s still close enough to scare you a bit. Plus let’s not forget that you are in fact standing on glass sheet suspended on the 5th floor. Selfie sticks, drones and gimbals aren’t allowed on the bridge so this photo op in particular took a lot of trust lol! I had to give my phone to as stranger exiting the bridge to go all the way across and take the picture for me but they’re very honest over here so it didn’t go left.
This is a ticketed attraction, and costs S$13 for adults and S$11 for children.
You get free access to garden/park as well, which sells on its own for S$11 for all ages. There is currently a flower exhibition named Jewel Blooms with brightly colored mechanized and real flowers.
There are a currently around 13 other attractions within the park like games for kids, a mirror and a grass maze snd an experience studio.
You can get a bundle for all activities, mix and match or pick individual ones. More information on those here: https://www.jewelchangiairport.com/en/attractions.html
My second favorite part of every new city/country has to restaurant hopping!
I tried 4 highly recommended restaurants which you definitely need to visit while you’re here:
#1 Slurp Mee
My first stop because few things make me happier than hot,spicy noodles! Slurp Mee is Singapore’s first noodle bar and they stock at least 50 different types of noodle flavours. Heaven!
The noodles are sorted into groups of classic (red sticker), deluxe (blue sticker) and premium (yellow sticker).
They sell in sets with 1 pack of noodles, 3 toppings and a drink.
The classic set costs S$8.40
Deluxe costs S$9.40 and
Premium cost S$10.40
You can add an extra pack at around S$3-S$5.
They have a big selection of toppings including crab sticks, mushrooms, SCALLOPS yay, ham, shrimp and sweet corn.
The noodles take a maximum of 4 minutes each and you can choose to cook them as soup noodles or dry noodles.
This is one of the most budget friendly options for tourists, despite it being an actual viral sensation.
#2 Koma
Wherever there’s Japanese food, sign me up! Koma is luxury! Beautiful beautiful interiors, lovely staff, good food! It’s also expensive!
It’s located in Marina Bay Sands Mall and is open from 12:00pm to 3:00pm every day for lunch, and 5:00pm to 10:00pm. Dining is strictly by reservation and there are 3 seating areas: the lounge and bar, main dining area, and the sushi table.
If you’re solo dining and would like a view of the full space, I would recommend the sushi table. The main area was completely booked so I decided to try something different and I loved it.
I had their
Tokyo Gyoza - S$14
Maki Shrimp Tempura (the portion was huge, I was not expecting that. I ended up having to take the main home) - S$23
Bbq Short Ribs - S$59
Truffle Fried Rice - S$26
Japanese Cheesecake - S$20
Ichigo Cooler (a Mocktail) - S$20
And the full bill (taxes included) came up to S$190 ($150/¢2200). Like I said, expensive but thankfully the food not only looks good, it tastes good.
Prices are tax exclusive and come with a 10% service charge, so heads up.
#3 Claudine
For the brunch girlies and guys (because men love to brunch too!). Claudine is a casual fine dining French restaurant owned by 3-Michelin star chef Julien Royer.
I had the
Blood Orange Spritz (Mocktail) - S$16
Cadoret Oyster - S$8 each
Eggs Benedict - S$34
Prices here are relatively decent, but they’re tax exclusive and the bill has a service charge added so calculate properly.
#4 Caviar
My last full review because why not. Do you guys like caviar? I absolutely do! If you haven’t tasted it before, it’s salty and depending on the type, it can be buttery as well. Love love love.
Caviar is as the name implies, a caviar bar that sells mostly caviar based meals! Fancy!
I got their Caviar & Champagne Experience which is available for lunch everyday. It comes with 3 different caviars paired with a glass of champagne and it cost S$105 (S$88 plus taxes).
I was served Magnus Opus, Panchenko from Georgia and Kaluga Queen from China with egg whites and egg yolk, chives, shallots and sour cream with blini and crackers.
They’re located inside the Palais Renaissance building and are open from 12:00pm to 3:00pm for lunch and 6:00pm to 10:30pm for dinner, Tuesdays to Saturdays.
Also, I built my own bagels from Onalu Bagel Haus and I tried one of their ice cream brands uGelato, which was super creamy. Also, seaweed flavoured chips>>>!!
The Uber and Bolt apps don’t work here, but you can request a ride, food, groceries, accessories and medicine from their Grab app. It works with cash, Apple Pay and card payments.
Once again, I was a nervous nelly about traveling to a new continent altogether but i absolutely loved it. It helps that Singapore is listed as one of the safest countries in the world! And the absence of a language barrier is always something I’ll appreciate because whew! I’ve toughed it out before.
All in all, even though its expensive, Singapore is a great travel destination. It’s safe for even solo travellers, very clean and the people are very nice!