I had never been to Singapore before and took the opportunity to check it out as a quick few days get away. Scoot had super cheap fares so I took advantage of them. The flight over was a bit uncomfortable but when you consider the price - it's a reasonable flight. The food was average but you get a toblerone chocolate bar which makes everything better. I felt the beef casserole was the safest option. I was right, please do not order the western breakfast - trust me - having beef casserole is better for breakfast.
I've lived a slightly deprived and sheltered life so I took the opportunity to Sentoga Island to check out Universal Studios ($70AUD ish)- my second theme park after vising Wonderland in Sydney (now closed). It was such a humid day so I was struggling with the heat. It was 38 degrees and I was sweating!
I got there early and took the opportunity to go to the rides at the back to avoid the queues. My first ride is a scary roller coaster. I got on the Battle Star Galactica Human v.s Cylon ride. There are two intertwined roller coasters and I opt to go on the human traditional roller coaster. Being a fearful girl, I spent most of time on the ride screaming and then yelling at my boyfriend. I end up crying and screaming at the same time. hahaha what an experience.
I also enjoy going on the child's rides in Shrek World, Sesame St, the queues were way too long in the water rides and madagascar world. I stop for a bite to eat at the Discovery Food Court where there are dinosaur statutes outside. I order the dinosaur egg with waffle fries which was expensive at $25 (AUDish) (below). The other food there looked pretty sub-par. It was essentially a meat ball with waffle fries which was creative but average tasting.
After a long day of walking around in the heat, I settled for a low maintenance meal in an air conditioned food court at Marina Sands Bay Mall at Nasi Padang. The beef rendang was ($7AUD ish) really average but the Har Mee was the most delicious meal ($4AUDish). The broth was so flavoursome full of prawn, zesty lime and spicy flavours. I was in heaven.
The avatar trees at the gardens by the bay were very pretty and seemed to be a big tourist attraction. I paid my $5 to go up a lift and walk between two large avatar trees (below).
One of the highlights has to be when I had breakfast at Singapore Zoo with the Orangutans (Below). For $30AUD; there is a delicious buffet breakfast of Asian and Western food. There was a range of eggs, bacon, mushrooms along with noodles, dumplings, curries and your usual toast/fresh fruits. I didn't think breakfast was going to be that good but it exceeded my expectations. The Orangutans sit on a wooden platform and eat sugar cane. You can't really touch them or feed them but I got up close and stood a few cms from the monkeys. The zoo keepers and the orangutans are good friends so they seem to do exactly as told. A definite recommend if you like animals.
You also have to buy zoo entrance $30AUDish so I spent a bit of time looking at mostly African animals. There was also a random polar bear which I watched as he was fed.
The river safari was a bit of a waste of time on the other hand so I'd avoid that if you must. The boat ride is about 15 minutes and non-eventful. There is a panda sanctuary within the river safari with two pandas which is the highlight. There's a panda cafe where you can have chocolate panda baos ($5AUDish, below) which were extremely cute. It's not worth it though!
I also try some local breakfast at Tong Ah Eating House. I order an icey Milo (below) along with a fried kayan toast as well as the original kaya toast. It's roughly $5AUD per person so it's a cheap breakfast. I found the Kaya Toast to be really sweet. The fried french kaya toast with butter was very rich as well but my stomach is heavily biased towards savoury foods at Breakfast.
It was good to try something the locals do though! Check it out.
When in Singapore, you must do as the Singaporeans do - by eating at one of their many famous hawker markets - This one was at the Chinatown Complex Food Centre. I follow the locals and join a big queue of people and point at something on the menu which was a noodle dish with mushrooms in a really flavoursome sauce ($3.50). What a bargain of a meal.
I also check out the China Food Street for some delicious street food (below). The highlights were the chicken wings and the satay sticks although they are pricier than the hawker centers that I've seen and there is a bit of a wait. However by Australian standards, the food is still cheap ($5-10 each).
For $30, for 30 minutes, I go to Alleviate Fish Spa (below) for some relaxation and to do something I've never done before. It's quite a clean establishment and the owner is lovely. He will take photos for you, talk about the local attractions and give you lots of information about the fish. The fish really tickle your feet as they eat the dead skin off your feet. Awesome relaxation time!
The final experience before heading home was going to Nox Dining where you essentially eat dinner blind. It starts off in their cocktail lounge where you can order a $20 cocktail (which I suspect is a good way to upsell) before heading into a very dark room. They have staff who are blind who help you up the stairs and to your table.
From there, they explain that there are four small dishes on your table at 12 o clock, 3, 6 and 9. They don't tell you what you are eating, rather you have to guess at the end. It was a very odd experience for me as I am a very visual person and I had to rely on other senses.
The food was quite nice, with varied textures and tastes. It was just bizzare really and is actually quite pricey. I think it's worth doing once in your life time though.
For a more decadent breakfast, you may want to check out Bread and Hearth (18 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089125) for some serious pastries. I try the cheese and bacon french toast which was very delicious.
The almond croissant and cake was amazing as well. Recommended!!!!! The restaurant is quite small though so hopefully you can get a table.
So that was my trip to Singapore!!! I really struggled with the heat and humidity there. I didn't do much shopping but other people really seem to like the shopping. Another piece of Asia which was nice to experience.
