Singapore Pt. 1 & 2

I would’ve loved to have a compact guide on what to try, where to go, and what to pack when I visited Singapore, so I hope this blog will be helpful to anyone who is planning on visiting Singapore or taking the Maymester Media in Asia course at UNC! I hope my personal experience can give you a good idea of what to expect when you get there.

Study Abroad:

I had always wanted to do some form of study abroad during college. It was something I knew I would do eventually, but I didn’t have any idea of where I would go or when I would do it. I was originally planning to study abroad during the spring semester of 2023, but of course as a UNC student, I really didn’t want to miss out on basketball season. I literally changed my study abroad plans as soon as Armando Bacot announced his return to Carolina basketball. After completely scrapping my plan to study abroad for a semester, I started looking at shorter study abroad programs. I decided to apply for a Maymester Media in Asia course that was either going to South Korea or Singapore depending on how Covid-19 restrictions panned out. As you can tell by this blog, I ended up going to Singapore. Before visiting, I had very little knowledge of the country. All I knew was that it looked cool in Crazy Rich Asians. I now know that the movie was mainly filmed in Malaysia — not Singapore, thanks to Natalie, who was my class’s amazing tour guide.

Why Singapore?

I would highly recommend visiting Singapore if you're looking to experience a wide variety of cultures, see beautiful nature, and experience an entire country in just a few days. When I first got to Singapore, I was amazed that almost the entire country is a city. There are a ton of tall buildings and lots of concrete, but it doesn’t feel like a concrete jungle at all. There is so much green everywhere. Even on huge skyscrapers, there are vines or flowers growing on the side of the building. There is so much vibrancy and nature in the city. There are so many amazing views in Singapore because of this. Besides the amazing sights, one of my favorite parts about Singapore is the environment. I felt comfortable the whole time I was there. As a woman, I’m always alert when traveling (especially internationally), but I never felt unsafe during my time in Singapore. I felt more safe in Singapore than I do in most cities in the United States.

I even forgot my purse outside a restaurant on Haji Lane on a busy Saturday night and somehow it wasn’t stolen. I was convinced that it wouldn’t be there when I went back to look for it, but sure enough, nothing was stolen and the employees were happy to help me. Another realization I had when I got to Singapore was that a lot more people speak English than I had originally anticipated. I knew that multiple languages are spoken in Singapore, but I didn’t realize just how common English actually is. I got by just fine only speaking English while I was there. I had also expected to experience an intense culture shock since I had never traveled to Asia before, but to my surprise, I didn’t at all. I experienced a lot of different cultures in a short amount of time, but I experienced very little culture shock. I would also recommend visiting Singapore if you are new to international travel or have never been to a country in Asia before.

Covid-19:

I visited Singapore in May of 2022 so there were still some Covid restrictions. When I visited, you either had to be fully vaccinated or had tested negative for Covid-19 to enter the country. Masks were also required in all indoor spaces. Some of the restrictions were a little bit stricter than I was used to. For example, Gardens by the Bay had a robot that would roll around and remind people to wear their masks. Also, at hawker centers public health staff would routinely check people's vaccination status.

Flights:

I took two flights to get to Singapore. First I flew out of Charlotte, North Carolina, to Munich, Germany. That flight was about eight hours long. The flight from Munich, Germany to Singapore was about 12 hours long. Please be prepared to fly for a ridiculous amount of time. Including the time I waited at the Munich airport, I spent over 24 straight hours traveling that day. I really struggled with the long flights because I had never flown internationally before. To help with this, I would recommend bringing a comfortable neck pillow, headphones with adapters for the plane’s tablets (the earbuds they give you on the plane can get uncomfortable after a while), melatonin, and a reusable water bottle.?

I would also recommend getting a seat near the middle or the back of the plane — not the front! The front of the plane is what I (and many of my friends who got these seats) call the Baby Zone. Bassinets are often placed at the front of the plane, so most of the crying babies will be in that area. I didn’t even think of this when I paid for “upgraded” seats in the front. So please, save your money and your sanity and get a seat in the middle or the back of the plane. I landed in Singapore at around seven in the morning. I wasn’t too jet-lagged that day, but I did take a nap for a few hours. After that, I was completely fine. I really only had jet-lag when I flew back to the United States.?

Hotel:

While I was in Singapore, I stayed at the Ibis hotel on Bencoolen. I would recommend staying there since it’s close to everything and it has a 7-Eleven next to it (perfect for late-night snack runs). I went to that 7-Eleven almost every day. To be honest, a 7-Eleven shouldn’t be a selling point for the hotel since there are actually so many 7-Elevens in Singapore.?

Weather:

If you’re planning on going to Singapore, please know that the weather is no joke. It’s extremely hot and humid. You’ll feel like you’re in the depths of a rainforest all the time, so pack thin, loose clothing to keep yourself as cool as possible. Also, pack a rain jacket — especially if you’re visiting during monsoon season! I got lucky and it only rained for about two days when I was there, but it usually rains a lot more than that. Another necessity to pack is bug spray. There are mosquitoes everywhere and they will attack you, so please bring plenty of insect repellent. Dengue is especially prevalent in mosquitoes in Singapore and you definitely don’t want to get dengue. Whenever I traveled outside the city I wore an insect repellent bracelet and also sprayed insect repellent literally all over myself. It’s also helpful to wear clothes that cover as much skin as possible.

Money:

As for money, I used very little Singapore dollars because I mainly used them at hawker centers and the food was really cheap. I used my regular credit card everywhere else (malls, 7-Elevens, restaurants, etc.). I would recommend only taking out around 100 Singapore dollars if this is also how you’re planning on paying. I took out around 200 Singapore dollars and I still have a ton of cash left over. You can order Singapore dollars through your local bank or you can exchange money while you’re in Singapore. My class went to one near Bugis Junction and it was pretty quick. I wouldn’t recommend exchanging money at the airport, since I’ve heard that they up-charge you. There is a good exchange rate from U.S. dollars to Singapore dollars so everything is a little bit cheaper than the label says it is. Two Singapore dollars equals about one U.S. dollar and forty-five cents.

SIM Cards:

If you don’t have an international phone plan, you'll need to buy a SIM card. Even if you have an international phone plan, it can be way cheaper to use a SIM card instead. A SIM card will let you use data, text, and make phone calls. I bought a Singtel card for 15 Singapore dollars at a 7-Eleven. Singtel is one of the biggest phone carriers in Singapore. To activate the card, you have to scan your passport on the Singtel app, which unfortunately didn’t work for me. If you have a newer U.S. passport like me, the shiny surface makes it difficult to scan on your phone. I thought I was out 15 Singapore dollars, but thankfully I had time to visit a Singtel store and they had a better scanner that could actually scan my passport. Please make sure you keep track of your original SIM card! To be honest, mine fell out of my wallet and I had to order a new one, so it’s not the end of the world if you lose it (like I thought it was going to be), but it’s still a hassle to get a new one. Besides a SIM card, you should also download WhatsApp. Before I activated my SIM card, I relied on WhatsApp to contact people. With WhatsApp I could at least send and read messages while I had WiFi.

Transit:

Since Singapore is such a small country, it’s possible to see a lot of places in one day because everything is so close together. Buying an MRT card is the key to getting around the city since you can also use it for buses. The buses are super clean and not crowded at all and the MRT is pretty quick and also extremely clean. It’s like the complete opposite of the subway system in New York City. It isn’t too crowded and trains come every few minutes. You can also top up your MRT card whenever your balance starts getting low. A fun fact about the MRT is that it runs deep underground. I was shocked by how many escalators it took to get in and out of the MRT. The escalators felt like they went on forever because of how deep in the ground it is. Because Singapore is so small and there is limited space, they have already started to build underground. Many malls have several underground levels as well.

Changi Airport:

When I landed at Changi Airport I was really excited to see the Jewel, which is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, but to my disappointment, the water (aka the whole waterfall) was shut off. The room around the Jewel is so beautiful that it distracted me from the no-water-waterfall. I wasn’t too upset since I thought I would see it with the water turned on when I flew out (spoiler alert: I did not see it). The Changi Airport website states that the water is only on from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Unfortunately, I only flew either really early or really late in the day, which is why I never saw the Jewel. If I ever go back to Singapore, I would dedicate an entire day to exploring Changi Airport since there are so many activities. There's a mirror maze, a canopy park, and tons of stores. It has so many stores, the airport is almost like a mall. My class met with Ivan Tan, who is the senior vice president of corporate and marketing communications at Changi Airport and he even referred to the airport as “a mall with two runways."

Hawker Centers:

One of my favorite things about Singapore is the food. There is a huge range of food that you can try in Singapore. The diversity of the people reflects in the food. All the food I had was cheap (usually two to five Singapore dollars). I mainly ate at hawker centers for my meals. It can be difficult to find a table at hawker centers so be prepared. When you get to a hawker center, look for a table first, then get your food. My recommendation for snagging a table is to split up if you’re in a group. There are usually multiple levels in hawker centers, so there is a lot of area to cover. If someone sees an open table, they can grab one and text everyone to come to the area. You can leave a napkin or some type of item on the table to show that it’s taken (this means to “chope” aka reserve a spot). A table with an item on it means that it’s taken and you shouldn’t sit there. A napkin is usually used to chope. Don't worry about a napkin being mistaken as trash because hawker centers rarely have napkins. You have to bring your own.?

My favorite foods that I tried were wonton noodles (dry) with chilis, kaya toast, chicken rice, a chicken curry puff, coconut rice set with chicken and egg, dosa, satay, and katong laksa. There are also plenty of vegetarian options. Almost half of my class was vegetarian and they had no problem ordering food at hawker centers or restaurants. The only food that wasn’t my favorite was durian ice cream. Even though I didn’t particularly enjoy eating it, I would still recommend trying it. It’s a very popular fruit in Singapore and it gets a lot of mixed reviews. Some people love it, some people hate it. It has a really strong scent. When I ordered my durian ice cream, I noticed that it was the only flavor with a lid covering it to contain the scent. I would recommend trying some type of durian dessert or juice rather than just biting into a chunk of one if it’s your first time.?

Singapore Sling:

Since the legal drinking age in Singapore is 18, I was able to try some cocktails while I was there. My favorite cocktail was a Singapore Sling and my favorite drinks were cold Milo, dragon fruit and soursop juice, mango lassi, and Ribena. I highly recommend ordering a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel, which is the birthplace of the Singapore Sling. One Singapore Sling will cost you about forty Singapore dollars, but the hotel is beautiful and the cocktail is so good that it’s worth it. I will hopefully never pay that much for a cocktail ever again.

Where to Go:

Some of my favorite places I visited were Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, the Botanic Gardens, St. John’s Island, Haw Par Villa, Chinatown, Little India, Haji Lane, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, Clarke Quay, and Sentosa Island. Another one of my favorite things I saw in Singapore is its symbol, the Merlion, which is a half fish, half lion creature. According to the Singapore Tourism Board, the Merlion originated as the mascot for the board, but soon became an icon of Singapore. There are several Merlion statues throughout Singapore. I saw the most popular two, which are both located at Merlion Park near Marina Bay Sands.

Gardens by the Bay, the Botanic Gardens, St. John’s Island, and Sentosa Island are great if you love nature. Marina Bay Sands, Haji Lane, and Clarke Quay have great shopping and restaurant options. The best place to buy souvenirs is either Gardens by the Bay, Chinatown, or Haji Lane. The Botanic Gardens gift shop is also great if you’re interested in more expensive items. They sell really beautiful jewelry made of real orchids dipped in gold.

Haw Par Villa, Chinatown, Little India, and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum are great places to experience a variety of different cultures. There is also a lot of diversity in religion and language in Singapore. If you're looking to experience a large range of cultures, Singapore is the perfect place to visit!