Singapore has never been one of my all-time favourite destinations. There's nothing terrible or dangerous about it; it's just that there are places I like a lot better. My former history instructor, Mr. Johnson (I stayed with him in Japan several years ago) said that Singapore is one of the very few places in the world where it's better to live than to visit. One credit that Singapore deserves is its status as a stopover destination. Food is cheap and varied, and there are many options for those staying for just a day or even for a few hours. The airport even has a lounge where you can rest for about six hours for a set fee.
Much like during the pandemic, this trip has been heavily altered. I was supposed to leave for Greece a couple of days ago and have only a few hours at the airport in Singapore but my flight was changed and I would now have 21 hours in Singapore. My flight from Sydney would land at 3 AM and then my flight to Greece is at 12:30 AM this evening and scheduled to land in Athens at 7 AM in the morning. That meant two red-eye flights. I booked a bed at CapsulePods@Aljunied so I could get a few hours of sleep, even though I had to wait a couple of hours for the train to start running. These pods are seriously about the coolest place I've ever stayed!
Checkout time is at noon instead of 10 AM so I slept for about four hours and then got out to explore Singapore. This time I did a lot more research and had some ideas of what to see and do, so I had no reason to be bored. After checking out, I stored my bag and set myself up for a long walk. Jo suggested a drink at Raffles Hotel.
Set with a plan, I decided to walk even though it's very warm and humid. I mustn't forget about my favourite activity, and I found my first geocache with a lovely view to go with it.
As I called into a shop for a coffee, the shopkeeper was curious as to where I was from and where I've been, and I gave him an Australian coin at the end of our conversation. Mask mandates have been scrapped everywhere in Australia with the exception of at airports but you still have to wear them in many places in Singapore. Raffles Hotel beckoned, and I couldn't help but wander these magnificent grounds.
One might think with its name that there would be a casino here, but the hotel is named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who is regarded as the founder of modern Singapore. Even the hotel bellmen are dressed so magnificently, albeit with a pandemic twist.
As I was about to leave, they told me I couldn't leave without going into the Long Bar. The Singapore Sling, a sweet cocktail made with gin, was invented here. This is also where Rudyard Kipling penned The Jungle Book. At a whopping $41 for one cocktail I cringed, so I cheated and opted for the Teetotaler's Sling at $16. Fun without the buzz!
For a second I was thinking people were pigs for all the peanut shells all over the floor but the barman told me it's a custom from the days of the bar having a wooden floor. Peanut oil and dust would help preserve the floor, and the tradition stuck even after the floor was changed to tile. Happily, I snacked on peanuts and chucked the shells on the floor like a kid again!
After my first (unofficial) Singapore sling, I challenge my readers to unravel the mystery of how I managed to get a selfie even though I have both my phone and camera in my hand and I'm not with anybody.
Well, it's for me to know, and for you to figure out! It was time to make my way in the direction of the airport. Since I likely won't be having Asian food for awhile I thought it'd be best to indulge, especially before an 11 1/2 hour flight to Greece. If I had taken a checked in bag on Scoot Airlines from Sydney to Athens it would have cost a whopping $259! That meant I did my age-old strategy of wearing most of my clothes, filling up my pockets, and then repacking everything once I was past security. I was given my boarding pass to Athens whilst in Sydney so I didn't have to do that twice.
When I first came to Singapore a bit more than seven years ago I felt bored (I even wrote a story called "Singa-bored") but this time, armed with a lot more research and ideas, I wasn't bored at all. Singapore is a top-tier stopover destination and I'm sure next time I'll enjoy it even more.
