My trip to Singapore was a whirlwind. While my trip over all was about 4 days, I was in Singapore for barely 2. I didn’t sleep much and was on the go almost the entire time. Because it was so short I didn’t plan much and when I met my friends the main thing they suggested was food. So that’s what I did. I tried to see the iconic landmarks I knew of and just followed my friends around eating whatever they suggested. Not a bad way to spend a vacation, really.
But there’s still so much I didn’t get to see and explore, so I feel like I only got a taste of Singapore. I’d love to actually see the merlion and the trees at night. Plus I know I barely made a dent in the food and sights available. Not to mention I didn’t even touch Sentosa island. (An island resort nearby that has a Universal Studios and a ton of other attractions and things to see including a merlion.)
Things to keep in mind:
The public transportation is pretty good. The trains are easy to navigate, you just need to make sure you do not eat or drink on them or else expect a big fine at your destination or even at the next stop. I’ve also never been somewhere where getting to and from the airport was so quick.
Singapore is a tropical climate. There’s high humidity and heat, it tends to rain often. Which means there are a lot of mosquitoes. Pack or buy mosquito repellent you trust and take it with you. We were walking towards a station and they were just passing out free mosquito repellent. If you see that, take one and use it. A sun umbrella, hat, sunglasses, light clothing, and sunblock will do you some good as well.
There’s a lot of laws that Singapore has so look up some before hand to be careful. On my flight out of Korea I bought some of my favorite Korean cookies at Duty Free to share with any new friends I might make and the lady checking me out paused and asked if, with the laws in Singapore, I was really sure I wanted to buy them. This made me and her coworker stop, look at the cookies, and then look at her wondering what in these cookies could possibly be banned in Singapore. The answer was nothing, she’d just rung up so many cigarettes before me that she automatically thought that’s what I was buying. We laughed about it once we realized what had happened but it gave me major pause on what sort of things I might be unaware of. Like I knew gum was a no-no, but I am not a gum fan so that wasn’t a problem. The drinking on the train (including water) did however shock me and I’m grateful someone warned me because I would’ve definitely gotten in trouble for that one if someone hadn’t told me.