Solo in Singapore - A Female Travel Experience (Part One)
It's the beginning of summer 2017 and university has just finished up for three months, with a long boring summer ahead there is only really one option - escape to Singapore for 4 weeks!
When I first arrived in Singapore, you would assume I would be jet-lagged and overly tired, however I was quite the opposite. The excitement of being in this amazing place made me want to explore it as soon as possible. I was greeted by a family member who informed me that it was 'National Singapore Day' when I arrived - a celebration which commemorates the country's independence from Malaysia in 1965. In aid of this celebration, it is expected that people wear an item of clothing which contains red, something which I found to be quite quirky!
Cemetary Trail
Anyway, after my very long wait at baggage claim, I headed straight to my relative's home and freshened up before going back out and exploring. I was informed that there was a walking tour of one of the country's oldest cemetery's 'Bukit Brown' taking place, detailing some amazing history whilst also taking in some bewildering natural sights and hidden gems.
I found this experience extremely insightful and felt it was great to learn more about the heritage of the country and evolution of some important figures in its history. I managed to capture some great photos during the trail which you can see below.
Botanic Garden
Speaking of astounding photographs, on day 3 of my trip I had the pleasure of visiting the 'Singapore Botanic Garden' and wow - this place really is a nature lover's dream. This place is so amazing that in 2015, it actually became the first place in Singapore to become a UNESCO world heritage site as well as being the only tropical botanic garden in the world to make the list.
There are many featured attractions within the Botanic Gardens including a national orchid garden where over 1,000 species can be found on display, as well as a dedicated 'children's garden' and rain forest. My personal favourite part of the site was the 'learning forest' which boasts spectacular views from the core of the gardens, with a specified boardwalk and elevated walkway over a body of water where you can capture the most eye-catching photographs.
Vivo City
On the fifth day of my trip I was planning on exploring more by visiting the country's premier island getaway 'Sentosa Island'. The method of transport I used was the 'Mass Rapid Transit' more commonly known as the 'MRT' system. This is probably the quickest and most convenient mode of transport to get around the city.
The nearest MRT to Sentosa was 'Harbourfront', where you could then choose to walk or get a cable car across to the island, however when you exit the station, you are faced with the largest shopping mall in Singapore 'VivoCity'.
As I was unaware of this center and hadn't done any shopping so far, I decided to spend a little time in the mall before heading to Sentosa.
Seven hours later - It was getting late and I was still in the shopping centre. This place was huge and I still hadn't even fit in half of the stores! As much as I love travelling and exploring the culture of new places, I always love to fit in a shopping trip whilst doing so and this place was great for doing just that!
Well, that's all for now!
Thank you for reading part one of my Singapore adventure, part two will be posted soon detailing the rest of my trip including my weekend visit to Kuala Lumpur and for some of the best places to eat in Singapore!
As someone who has always wanted to travel and had never traveled alone before, Singapore was the best option available as I have relatives who reside there and it has a reputation of being perfectly clean and safe.
So it was set... three weeks later I would embark on the South-East Asian adventure of a lifetime - alone!
JOURNEY
The first thing I did when I decided I wanted to travel to Singapore was book my flights. There are generally two main flight paths which are the quickest to leave from Glasgow, each with one stop-over. You can fly with 'Emirates' airline where you will stop at Dubai, or you can fly with 'British Airways' where the flight will make a stop at London Heathrow. As Emirates flight-path was the shortest and cheapest - this is the route in which I decided to take.
As I have flew long haul a few times before I found the flying process a breeze! For it being over 16 hours in total for the journey, you really do expect the worst, especially with a 90 minute stop-over in the middle. However, Emirates really did provide a pleasurable experience. Despite the colossal Dubai airport, the gate was really well signposted and I made it with time to spare (spent drinking wine in one of the many airport bars - I'm on my holidays after all!).
The only criticism I have about the outbound flight process is the long queues once disembarking at Singapore Changi airport. As I flew from Dubai to Singapore, the second plane was the infamous Emirates A380 airbus which meant that passport control and baggage claim was extremely overcrowded making it a lengthy process - which after a 16 hour journey is not ideal.
 |
| View of Dubai skyline from A380 |
SINGAPORE - FIRST WEEK
When I first arrived in Singapore, you would assume I would be jet-lagged and overly tired, however I was quite the opposite. The excitement of being in this amazing place made me want to explore it as soon as possible. I was greeted by a family member who informed me that it was 'National Singapore Day' when I arrived - a celebration which commemorates the country's independence from Malaysia in 1965. In aid of this celebration, it is expected that people wear an item of clothing which contains red, something which I found to be quite quirky!
Cemetary Trail
Anyway, after my very long wait at baggage claim, I headed straight to my relative's home and freshened up before going back out and exploring. I was informed that there was a walking tour of one of the country's oldest cemetery's 'Bukit Brown' taking place, detailing some amazing history whilst also taking in some bewildering natural sights and hidden gems.
I found this experience extremely insightful and felt it was great to learn more about the heritage of the country and evolution of some important figures in its history. I managed to capture some great photos during the trail which you can see below.
Botanic Garden
Speaking of astounding photographs, on day 3 of my trip I had the pleasure of visiting the 'Singapore Botanic Garden' and wow - this place really is a nature lover's dream. This place is so amazing that in 2015, it actually became the first place in Singapore to become a UNESCO world heritage site as well as being the only tropical botanic garden in the world to make the list.
There are many featured attractions within the Botanic Gardens including a national orchid garden where over 1,000 species can be found on display, as well as a dedicated 'children's garden' and rain forest. My personal favourite part of the site was the 'learning forest' which boasts spectacular views from the core of the gardens, with a specified boardwalk and elevated walkway over a body of water where you can capture the most eye-catching photographs.
On the fifth day of my trip I was planning on exploring more by visiting the country's premier island getaway 'Sentosa Island'. The method of transport I used was the 'Mass Rapid Transit' more commonly known as the 'MRT' system. This is probably the quickest and most convenient mode of transport to get around the city.
The nearest MRT to Sentosa was 'Harbourfront', where you could then choose to walk or get a cable car across to the island, however when you exit the station, you are faced with the largest shopping mall in Singapore 'VivoCity'.
As I was unaware of this center and hadn't done any shopping so far, I decided to spend a little time in the mall before heading to Sentosa.
Seven hours later - It was getting late and I was still in the shopping centre. This place was huge and I still hadn't even fit in half of the stores! As much as I love travelling and exploring the culture of new places, I always love to fit in a shopping trip whilst doing so and this place was great for doing just that!
Well, that's all for now!
Thank you for reading part one of my Singapore adventure, part two will be posted soon detailing the rest of my trip including my weekend visit to Kuala Lumpur and for some of the best places to eat in Singapore!
Comments
Post a Comment