Creating My Best Life: The Sights of Singapore

Singapore was pretty much exactly what I expected... A westernised Asian country. Really it was the perfect way to ease into a 5 week trip around Asia. It has a great mix of big city life, parks, shopping and so much more.

I'll start by saying that it's definitely not the cheap holiday you get in most Asian countries, the exchange rate is pretty much on par with Australia so what you pay... is what you're paying. And personally I think that's fine. In a way it makes it easier than having to try and do the maths in your head every time you pay for something.

We stayed in Clarke Quay for the three nights that we were there which was the perfect location for us. It was right by the city, and the river. There are shops and markets everywhere, not to mention all the bars and restaurants.

Our first night in Singapore was spent at a rather dodgy backpackers. The room was tiny, only enough room for a bed and a wardrobe - definitely no room to move around, and our luggage had to go in the wardrobe. It was the first time we'd ever really stayed at a backpackers, and to be honest, it did put us off a bit. Not necessarily the size of the room, because we're camping people, so we're used to sleeping in tents which aren't exactly known for their space. But it was the bathroom/toilet that put us off. It had a joint bathroom and toilet which basically meant that you could sit on the toilet and have a shower. Because they were shared facilities it meant that there was water everywhere and they weren't exactly the cleanest facilities I've ever seen.

Luckily for us we'd booked a night at the Carlton for New Years Eve. It was a short walk away, but it felt worlds apart when we stepped into the huge hotel where everything was shining and sparkly - the free upgrade certainly helped too! But in all fairness, it did cost more than 3 times the amount we were paying at the backpackers, so you really do get what you pay for. Unfortunately we'd only booked one night in the fancy hotel so it was back to the backpackers for our third night - oh how the mighty had fallen!

Clarke Quay had amazing waterfront restaurants with fantastic views of the river and the surrounding city skyline. Seafood was in abundance, with tubs lining the front of the restaurants with lots of weird and wonderful things for you to try. But just like any other city, if you eat on the waterfront, be prepared to pay top dollar! Just one street away you can get cheap meals that taste just as nice - but of course being the first night of our holiday we treated ourselves to the waterfront dining and nice views.

Singapore was full of colour, the buildings, street art/graffiti, and we also had the added bonus of Christmas decorations hanging all around the place. Something I learnt while we were away is that generally cities look more impressive at night. All the lights are on and everything is lit up. Walking around Clarke Quay was beautiful with so many hotels lit up and bridges changing colour as we walked by.

Orchard Road is a must-do if you love to shop. There are department stores and designer boutiques everywhere! And it was made even better by all the Christmas decorations that were still lining the streets and filling the shop windows.

While we were in Singapore Scotty was training for his 100km race in Hong Kong which meant we had to find parks or places for him to run. We found a great place for running, walking and stair repeats - Fort Canning Park. It was only about 10 minutes from Clarke Quay and there were so many people utilising the space for exercise - and a few couples here and there having a cheeky snog!

A must-do while in Singapore is a trip to Sentosa. It really is a world of it's own. We caught a taxi up to Mount Faber Park and then got the cable car across to Sentosa. You get fantastic views from Mount Faber Park and even better views from the cable car. We were lucky enough to have a cruise ship in the port at the time so we got to see all the fun activities they had on the upper deck. Sentosa was like a mini theme park, it had so many fun rides and activities. We knew we would be going to a theme park in Hong Kong so spent our time exploring and having dinner instead. Sentosa is also home to Universal Studios, so if you have the time, that is definitely worth a visit. We discovered the Malaysian Food Street that had all sorts of amazing food to choose from for dinner. We shared a chicken clay pot which was delicious! We were also treated to a Mirlion Light Show while we were there which was a nice surprise.

New Years Eve in Singapore was a highlight for us. I mean, what girl doesn't enjoy getting dressed up on New Years Eve and being taken out on the town. We had a fantastic meal at an italian restaurant at Chijmes, a beautiful area with lots of bars and restaurants built around a gorgeous old church. And then it was off to check out the glitz and glamour of the Marina Bay Sands and Casino. The casino was very impressive, and obviously everyone else agreed because the line was huge! Luckily it moved very quickly and we were playing roulette before we knew it. After losing on roulette and have a look around we made our way across to the Marina Bay Sands for a drink. It was oozing class and sophistication and the price tags on the drinks reflected just that.

Just before midnight we went across to the river to find a good spot to watch the fireworks. There were thousands of people already there so it was a pretty tight squeeze. The fireworks left a lot to be desired. The first few minutes were great, but unfortunately after that the sky filled up with so much black smoke that you could hardly see anything. I'm guessing this was normal for the locals because they were all still shouting with delight. All in all a fantastic New Years Eve finished off with room service back in our hotel at about 2am.

Singapore was fantastic. We were only there for a few days but I feel like we saw everything we wanted to see. I'm sure there were a lot of places we didn't even know about, but that just means that if we go back one day there will still be new places to explore.

Next up... Malaysia!