Tuesday 8th December saw me and Nat up early and heading towards the bus to Singapore. It was a fairly smooth journey which included getting on and off various buses and stopping for quick border checks on either side. Once in Singapore things got even smoother! The city centre is so well signposted, clean and efficient that even two female travellers, one blonde (!) managed to find their hostel with ease! We checked in at the Cozy Backpacker's Hostel near Buglis Chinese Market; a great, central location. We dumped our stuff off and headed downstairs to the local food stalls that were conveniently located all around us. We chose a place that was full of locals (always a good sign) but the hostess swiftly moved us away from the road-side seating area (the best seats - in the sun and the heart of the street action) and instead told to sit inside. I'm not sure if she thought she was doing us a favour, or we were doing her one. After food we explored the surrounding area and got lost in the labyrinth that was the Chinese Market. There was so much amazing stock to see there, you could buy anything and everything and we easily spent a few hours in there.
The next day was another early start as we were heading to Singapore Zoo. Having heard so many rave reviews about this place, along with the Night Safari, we were excited to check out what all the fuss was about. It did not disappoint! The zoo itself has no fences, walls or obvious boundaries and all the larger animals are separated from you, as you either walk or ride a tram around the park, by moats, so that you really get to see the animals up close and in a natural environment. We spent the whole day there and it was well worth the price tag - the time flew and it really is worth every penny. If you do find yourself at the Zoo however, make sure to stick around until after dark to experience the Night Safari. The first tram leaves at 7.15pm, which we took, but we still did not leave the park until 10.30pm. The first part of the Night Safari is a compulsary tram which stops off at different, dimmly lit areas in which you see the Zoo's animals in night-time mode. This is a really thrilling experience as the animals obviously behave differently at night, some being nocturnal, for example. There are two or three walks that you can choose to take once off the tram and by far the best was the Bat enclosure. The doors you walk through are on a timer, so only open when the first door is fully closed behind you. Then you really do enter their domain. Giant Bats are literally an armspan away whilst others are flying across your path and face. It was such a realistic experience, so much so that I couldn't stay in there too long for fear they would fly out at me! After a good effort I told Nat I would wait outside, through the safety of two heavy doors!
The next day was a bit of a disaster, through no fault but our own (!) as we tried to reach Mount Faber; a welcome slice of nature in a bustling city and a look out point over both the city and Sentosa, the artifical beach resort newly opened this year. However, after metro link after metro link and a walk through the suburban, and not particualry pretty parts of Singapore, we were none the wiser. Evenutally we made it to the sight of the cable cars, giving up on the idea of walking up to the top (this had taken up most of the day and it was already pushing late afternoon) but when we got there we were told it would cost us 52 SPD to get there. "I'm sorry, what!?" So we headed out again, still clueless after having asked copious amounts of people and with two different guide books in hand! We eventually found the route however, tucked away behind a car park of all places! The steep walk up was very pretty though, it was just so nice to be around nature. Once at the top however, the view was less than spectacular. You could see quite far and the view was panoramic but the building work that is still taking place on Sentosa slightly tarnished the sight. We were just glad they had benches at the top!! That night we headed to Raffles Hotel, the location for the creation of the famous Singapore Sling cocktail and a must-do experience in Singapore. The drinks were, as we had prepared ourselves for, budget-cripplingly expensive (our bill of two cocktails came to 60 SPD!!) But, it was well worth the experience. You enter the Long Bar and are greeted by a friendly female hostess who puts you in wicker seats in front of the largest offering of monkey nuts I have ever seen. As you are being seated all you can hear underfoot is the cracking and crunching of the nutshells. The nuts are nonchalantly cracked over the floor - a long lasting tradition that adds to the overall experience. It definitely felt alien littering the floor with the discarded shells, but hey, when in Rome! We left the bar quite late and in search of Jazz. Unfortunately, by the time we had Metro'ed it over to the Marina and walked along the stretch of canal attempting to find the smokey bar, time was against us and we realised the last train would prevent us from even one drink. Still, we got to see another part of the city and one that was certainly alive at night time.
Our final day in Singapore and yet again another early start. This was one of the days me and Nat had been most looking forward to. Having sampled a bit of nature the previous day we were ready for a full day of trekking in the promised lush greenery that Singapore had to offer, just a bus journey out of the centre. It did not disappoint. We found the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve fairly easily (after asking a couple of locals for directions and evenutally being shown the way by a security guard working in the nearby shopping centre). We opted for the hardest of the walks, the 2 hour trek. It was hot, sticky and humid, as Singapore was for the whole of our trip, and so the sweat beads really came down as we marched up and up the steepest of starts to a trek you can imagine. We ended up doing all of the routes on the trek which took us right up to past lunch time. We were still raring for more provided there was chance of a quick watering and feed before the MacRitchie Reservoir's trails. Luckily, getting off one stop before the start of the Tree Top Trail, we were able to find the cafe and refuel. We then hopped back on the bus to the start of the trail (this would not have been walkable before the start of the trail as it took at least 20 minutes by bus). As promised the Tree Top Walk was awesome. You really do get to walk up at the top of tree level and look out to a distant reservoir on one side and lush greenery all around. After this, we went off the beaten path and created our own trekking routes, climbing up rock formations and slippery stream-lined paths. It was a truly tiring but incredible day in which we trekked at least 20km, and all so close to a major city! I would recommend this day to anyone with enough time allowing to leave the centre of the city for one day. Just as long as you have your trekking shoes with you!
The next day was another early start as we were heading to Singapore Zoo. Having heard so many rave reviews about this place, along with the Night Safari, we were excited to check out what all the fuss was about. It did not disappoint! The zoo itself has no fences, walls or obvious boundaries and all the larger animals are separated from you, as you either walk or ride a tram around the park, by moats, so that you really get to see the animals up close and in a natural environment. We spent the whole day there and it was well worth the price tag - the time flew and it really is worth every penny. If you do find yourself at the Zoo however, make sure to stick around until after dark to experience the Night Safari. The first tram leaves at 7.15pm, which we took, but we still did not leave the park until 10.30pm. The first part of the Night Safari is a compulsary tram which stops off at different, dimmly lit areas in which you see the Zoo's animals in night-time mode. This is a really thrilling experience as the animals obviously behave differently at night, some being nocturnal, for example. There are two or three walks that you can choose to take once off the tram and by far the best was the Bat enclosure. The doors you walk through are on a timer, so only open when the first door is fully closed behind you. Then you really do enter their domain. Giant Bats are literally an armspan away whilst others are flying across your path and face. It was such a realistic experience, so much so that I couldn't stay in there too long for fear they would fly out at me! After a good effort I told Nat I would wait outside, through the safety of two heavy doors!
The next day was a bit of a disaster, through no fault but our own (!) as we tried to reach Mount Faber; a welcome slice of nature in a bustling city and a look out point over both the city and Sentosa, the artifical beach resort newly opened this year. However, after metro link after metro link and a walk through the suburban, and not particualry pretty parts of Singapore, we were none the wiser. Evenutally we made it to the sight of the cable cars, giving up on the idea of walking up to the top (this had taken up most of the day and it was already pushing late afternoon) but when we got there we were told it would cost us 52 SPD to get there. "I'm sorry, what!?" So we headed out again, still clueless after having asked copious amounts of people and with two different guide books in hand! We eventually found the route however, tucked away behind a car park of all places! The steep walk up was very pretty though, it was just so nice to be around nature. Once at the top however, the view was less than spectacular. You could see quite far and the view was panoramic but the building work that is still taking place on Sentosa slightly tarnished the sight. We were just glad they had benches at the top!! That night we headed to Raffles Hotel, the location for the creation of the famous Singapore Sling cocktail and a must-do experience in Singapore. The drinks were, as we had prepared ourselves for, budget-cripplingly expensive (our bill of two cocktails came to 60 SPD!!) But, it was well worth the experience. You enter the Long Bar and are greeted by a friendly female hostess who puts you in wicker seats in front of the largest offering of monkey nuts I have ever seen. As you are being seated all you can hear underfoot is the cracking and crunching of the nutshells. The nuts are nonchalantly cracked over the floor - a long lasting tradition that adds to the overall experience. It definitely felt alien littering the floor with the discarded shells, but hey, when in Rome! We left the bar quite late and in search of Jazz. Unfortunately, by the time we had Metro'ed it over to the Marina and walked along the stretch of canal attempting to find the smokey bar, time was against us and we realised the last train would prevent us from even one drink. Still, we got to see another part of the city and one that was certainly alive at night time.
Our final day in Singapore and yet again another early start. This was one of the days me and Nat had been most looking forward to. Having sampled a bit of nature the previous day we were ready for a full day of trekking in the promised lush greenery that Singapore had to offer, just a bus journey out of the centre. It did not disappoint. We found the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve fairly easily (after asking a couple of locals for directions and evenutally being shown the way by a security guard working in the nearby shopping centre). We opted for the hardest of the walks, the 2 hour trek. It was hot, sticky and humid, as Singapore was for the whole of our trip, and so the sweat beads really came down as we marched up and up the steepest of starts to a trek you can imagine. We ended up doing all of the routes on the trek which took us right up to past lunch time. We were still raring for more provided there was chance of a quick watering and feed before the MacRitchie Reservoir's trails. Luckily, getting off one stop before the start of the Tree Top Trail, we were able to find the cafe and refuel. We then hopped back on the bus to the start of the trail (this would not have been walkable before the start of the trail as it took at least 20 minutes by bus). As promised the Tree Top Walk was awesome. You really do get to walk up at the top of tree level and look out to a distant reservoir on one side and lush greenery all around. After this, we went off the beaten path and created our own trekking routes, climbing up rock formations and slippery stream-lined paths. It was a truly tiring but incredible day in which we trekked at least 20km, and all so close to a major city! I would recommend this day to anyone with enough time allowing to leave the centre of the city for one day. Just as long as you have your trekking shoes with you!
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