Singapore

A Sci-Fi Fantasy Realm

During my travels I often select long layovers in countries that I would otherwise not visit for extended vacations. Singapore has always been one of the many countries that sparked an interest yet was never sure if it was worth allocating time to explore. I figured there was no better way to test the waters than a long layover. After visiting the countries on my route, I allotted 8 hours to delve into a few notable sights.

Airport

Singapore’s Changi Airport is known as the world’s best airport. At arrival it felt like traveling into the future.  I never thought I would ever see robots cleaning floors and assisting with purchases. I assumed I would need one of their lockers for my backpack as I explored but fortunately the airport offered early bags check-ins. Just when I thought I’ve seen it all by simply wandering through the airport, there it was the Jewel a natural theme park and retail establishment. From the viewing deck I marveled at the beauty of Shiseido Forest Valley tall trees and lush shrubs and the Vortex Waterfall plummeting at 130 feet.

I haven’t seen an airport was not mundane. While most airport offers restaurants, shops hotels, and at times basic activities, the airport in Singapore offered free Wifi, power bank free for 12 hours, free tours to the city, 11-cinema IMAX theater, Shiseido Forest Valley, Vortex waterfall, theme park, restaurants, hotels, sky train, art gallery, gardens, massage stations, transportation concierge, and free nightly light and sound shows. The airport was a gateway on its own.

Point of Interest in my layover

While Singapore is a small country it is not an ordinary focal point. After spending 2 Hours at Jewel made my way to Marina Bay Sands for the trendy attractions like the Gardens by the Bay and Merlion Park.

I booked a car service through concierge for $110. This rate only covered round trip transportation to and from a desired location. The driver was not with me the entire time neither did they interact like tour guides. Hop-on hop-off bus tour is a much better option if time is not an issue. The car picked me up at the entrance of a designated gate at the airport to Merlion Park. It is an Iconic landmark in the city overlooking the Marina Bay. There tourist flock to take pictures with the Merlion spouting water from its mouth and another great shot is the spectacular shot with the Art Science Museum and Sands Skypark as a background.

After gazing in awe at the breathtaking view of the park caught a taxi to Gardens by the Bay as it was too hot to walk. This garden is where nature and science interlocks. The SuperTree Grove right at the entrance of the park dominate the garden’s landscape. It is best to visit at night for their exhilarating display of light.  Following the signs, I eventually located the Flower Dome, the largest glass greenhouse in the world. The collection of plants and trees create a burst of color and are maintained at a consistent cool temperature. The Cloud Forest a continuation of the Dome starts with a waterfall at the entrance. The vegetations changes as you go up the man-made mountain. Every few hours the plants are watered by mist to replicate the temperature at 900m to 2700m above sea level. I loved also the various carved wooden sculptures throughout the park as well as the Lego collection.

Before I headed back to airport for my flight I stopped at Satay by the Bay. I heard Satay was something I needed to try if I ever visited. Satay are skewered candied meat a popular street food in Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Singapore. I ordered satay the skewered meat at one stall and ordered the iconic dish, chili crabs (I opted for lobster) from another. Although the satays were reasonably priced the chili lobster cost $50.

Other sights at Marina Bay Sands: Helix Bridge, Fullerton Pavilion, Singapore Flyer, Sands Skypark, Art Science Museum, Red Dot Museum and Casino at Marina Bay Sands.

Conclusion

Singapore referred to as the Lion City is expensive. In just 8 Hours in Singapore I spent $250 for transportation, food and activities. The experience was mind-blowing nothing that I have seeing while visiting over 40 countries. I saw all the elements of a modernistic civilization with remarkable skyline, high-end shopping malls, clean space, Wi-Fi accessible in public places and highly developed infrastructure. Their cutting-edge architecture and technology are plainly futuristic and efficient. It was easy to overlook Singapore on the map when visiting Asia but my layover changed my min