A Weekend in Singapore

I got this box of chocolates, when I was a kid; a souvenir from Singapore. The chocolates came in the shapes of a half lion half fish creature. Other than the taste, which was amazing, of course, I was fascinated by the shape of the chocolate. Apparently, it’s called a Merlion. I was not only curious about the creature but the place that believed in it. 

Luckily, for me, I got to visit the Merlion for real. Not real, real, but you get it.

It won’t take you more than a weekend to visit the whole of Singapore; literally.

I’m not even kidding. It is 42 km if you drive from East to West.

I did not know much about Singapore until now, except that it is one of the most expensive places in Asia. 

Singapore has a small population of only 6 million people, given its size. You’ll find that most of the population here is Chinese, with one third being Indians and Malay and then, there are some Jews, Caucasians, Arabs, and foreigners, basically a melting pot, but a melting pot that has assembled really well.

Due to the diversity, English is one the most commonly used languages here, as is Malay, which is the national language, Mandarin and Tamil.

Keeping in mind that it used to originally be only a fishing village, Singapore has come a long way, and it is applause worthy, what they have managed to do in such a short time. The place is definitely worth a shot!

Buckle up and plan a trip to Singapore if you want a holiday this year. Take some time off and get some money ready too.

Here is how you can spend full-fledged weekend in Singapore.

The flyer: The flyer is one of the main attractions here. You can see the whole of Singapore when you’re on the flyer. And do not worry if you are acrophobic, the flyer goes up kind of slow.

The Merlion Park: Here, you can take pictures with both the mother Merlion and the baby Merlion, yes, apparently there’s a whole family, and feast your eyes on the splendid view of the Marina Bay.

 Do not forget to take pictures.

The Singapore Zoo: the zoo at Singapore is one of the best in the world. If you’ve got the time, you simply must take a ticket and take a look around.

The Singapore Botanical Garden: The botanical garden here is actually considered a world heritage site, imagine that! The orchids here are widely famous.

Reverse bungee at Clark Quay: If you’re up for it, you can reverse bungee jump at Clark Quay, it could be quite a thrill!

Shopping at Orchard Street: The Orchard street is the most glamorous shopping destination here in Singapore: fully studded with branded destinations and more.

Garden by Bay: The Garden by Bay lies beside the Marina Bay Sands and the most suggested time to visit here would be dusk or early evening since that is the time that it ‘comes alive’.

Dinner in Little India: If you want a different pallet of taste, you might want to run down the Little India street.

Singapore Sling: It is a famous drink of Singapore. It can be found at the Ruffus Hotel, named after the founder of Singapore. A gin based cocktail, Singapore sling is mainly garnished with Maraschino Cherry and Pineapple.

Cable car in Mount Faber: Take the Cable Car ride up in Mount Faber. The ride is amazing. The cable car ride takes you across a part of Singapore. You ride across the sea, buildings, the harbor, it is beautiful.

Sentosa: Sentosa is an island in Singapore and the most popular tourist destination here. You could literally spend a whole day in Sentosa. Buses and cabs and the metro are easily available here. And just so you know, the Sentosa Island also offers free tram service inside Sentosa.

Madame Tussauds, Sentosa: The world-famous Madame Tussauds Was Museum here can take up to a good half hour or more to take a tour of. Find your favorite celebs to drool over. Some of them can look legit real.

Images of Singapore, Sentosa: This is indeed one of the best things in Sentosa. They give you a tour of; or rather make you relive the history of the Modern Singapore, recreating every phase. The actors were amazing, the set was interesting, and believe me they really engrave history in your head. No pictures are allowed here though.

4D Cinema: If you want to, you could catch a 15-20 minutes 4D movie here. Get ready for some surprises! 

Universal Studios, Sentosa: Massive complex of themed rides, live shows, and Hollywood movie-sets pulls. If you are a movie buff, you really cannot miss this one!

Butterfly Park, Sentosa: Not your cup of tea, if you have no patience. But, if you’re an enthusiast, be my guest, stroll around the butterfly park for all kinds of exotic butterflies.

Sea Aquarium, Sentosa: Sea Aquarium is one of Singapore’s finest attractions. It is also one of the largest aquariums in the world.

Adventure Cove water park, Sentosa: Since it is really hot in Singapore, you might as well cool off at this water park; there are fun rides and slides to thrill everybody.

Skyline Luge, Sentosa: Perhaps you can choose between the cable car ride and the Skyline luge or go for both, I’m not judging!

Beach: There are three beaches in Sentosa, all at a relatively near distance from each other. Palawa beach, Siloso beach and Tanjong beach. You can visit whatever beach you want of course, but Siloso is much more interesting. It has a lot of interesting activities and a lot of restaurants.

Wings of Time, Sentosa: You cannot miss this show. When we saw it from afar, the show prior to ours, all I could see was colored lights and spraying of water. I thought it was that at the moment. But I was wrong. And I am so glad I was wrong, because the show was captivating. This was storytelling in one of the best forms I have ever got to see live. 

Here’s a video of how it is. But seeing it for real is so much better, I swear! 

Other fun things to do in Sentosa: If you’re an adventure buff, there are a lot of things you could do at Sentosa: zip lining, wave house, flying trapeze, water sports and more! 

The list just goes on and on does it not? Singapore only happens to look small, and the “Do not judge a book by its cover” definitely implies here.

History: Turns out Singapore has had quite an interesting history. As prior mentioned, it only used to be a small fishing village. In 1819, Rufus signed a treaty with Sultan. However, Singapore only got independence in 1965 after which Lee Kuan Yew made Singapore what it is today. He is widely credited for present Singapore.

Currency: Dollar is used here, Singaporean Dollars where 1 Singaporean $ = NRS 82.86 currently. 

Flight time: You can book a direct flight to Singapore. It would take about 5 hours by direct flight from Kathmandu to Singapore. 

When not to go: Do not visit during the August – September time. Sadly, we happened to go at this time. What happens is farmers in Indonesia burn down forests every year during the same time to make more space for farming. The consequence? There is haze all the way to Malaysia. Hence, there is not clear weather during this time.

What I liked best about Singapore: I liked that they have really made use of the small (if we can call it that) space. You’d think there would not be much to do, but there are so many things available. I liked that nothing is average about Singapore. Granted it’s expensive but Singapore screams: Go Big or go home