I’d expected some changes to the city in the thirty year lapse since I’d last visited, but Singapore has so significantly transformed itself that I had no recollection of being in this clean, modern, high density city. Once again I was being an opportunistic traveller. I had some client meetings in Singapore so planned a pre-trip for my husband and I to Borneo for wildlife viewing. Singapore was our gateway. We landed after midnight – it was rainy, humid and hot and we tiredly stumbled our way to an airport hotel for the short remainder of the night. We had most of tomorrow and another day and a half when we returned from Borneo to explore this amazing city before my husband departed and my client obligations began; our plan was to pack as much as possible into this short timeframe.
The concierge at our hotel recommended that we take the train to the Marina district, the heart of the city’s modern architectural and cultural attractions. Built on 360 hectacres of reclaimed land, this district features the Marina Bay Sands luxury resort, an upscale shopping mall, the ArtScience Museum, Esplanade, theater, Singapore Flyer ferris wheel and the Gardens by the Bay. It took decades of complex engineering to push back the waterfront, extend the land and architect these beautiful structures. The bay area officially opened in 2011; no wonder I did not recognize the city!
Wanting to make the most of our time, we headed to the SkyDeck of the Marina Bay Sands resort for a bird’s eye view of the city’s newest area. Taking the high speed elevator to the 56th floor, we emerged onto the outdoor observation deck. This massive boat shaped structure cantilevers over the edge of the hotel’s three towers providing a 360 degree view of both the city and waterfront.
Although hazy and overcast, the view was breathtaking. Hundreds of container ships were anchored in the South China Sea waiting for an available terminal in the port. Singapore is one of the largest and busiest ports in the world with over 140,000 vessel calls per year. We had a bird’s eye view of Singapore’s largest nature park, Gardens by the Bay blanketing the waterfront with its acres and acres of trees, gardens, sculptures, two domed conservatories and its manmade supertrees. Part of the gardens’ initiative on sustainability, supertrees were designed to mimic the ecological functions of real trees, collecting rainwater, harnessing solar energy and managing air intake and exhaust from the conservatories. With just under 50% of the city covered in green space, Singapore has definitely earned its moniker as the Garden City.
Back at ground level, we had a little less than an hour to explore the waterfront. We passed the architecturally stunning ArtScience Museum, a distinctive structure reminiscent of a lotus flower with open petals. Surrounded by trees, flowers and a large fountain, it is one of the most stunning buildings on the waterfront.
We meandered across the Helix Bridge, said to have been inspired by the double helix of DNA that signifies life and continuity. This pedestrian bridge links the various sides of the harbor while offering excellent views of the surrounding area. We walked along the footpath of Garden by the Bay but unfortunately had no time to really explore the gardens or conservatories. I put that on my list of places to explore for the one evening I had free after my client meetings.
Sweaty and tired – high humidity is exhauting, we taxied back to our hotel to collect our luggage and then walked to the airport terminal. Besides being a major gateway to southeast Asia, Singapore’s Changi Airport is a tourist destination in its own right. A retail and entertainment complex, aptly named the Jewel, connects to the airport’s main terminals and offers a variety of nature-themed attractions. In addition to shopping and a movie theater, the Jewel hosts a butterfly garden, swimming pool, playgrounds and the world’s tallest indoor waterfall (read em and weep, Dubai!) The Rain Vortex cascades water collected from the airport’s regularly occuring rainstorms, cascading it down seven stories from a torodial oculus on the roof.
After an amazing week in Borneo (see separate blog post on Danum Valley, Kinabatagan River and Sandakan), we returned to Singapore. We’d bought tickets online for the world renowned Signapore Zoo for both the day zoo and night safari. Our two hour flight delay from Kota Kinabalu scuttled our plans to visit the day zoo that afternoon (fortunately day zoo tickets are not date specific) but we had just enough time to drop our luggage at the hotel, hail a Grab to the zoo, grab a quick bite at an in park cafe and take a short walk around what is now the ‘Mandai complex’ before our timed entry to the night safari.
Singapore has been home to a world class zoo for decades; it was one of the first zoos to feature a night safari, using special lighting to simulate moonlight so visitors can observe wildlife in their natural nightime habitats. I remember visiting the night safari in the late 90’s with the kids and being fascinated by animals, like lions, hyenas, and leopards, typically comatose during the day, awake and active at night. Over the years, the zoo has expanded to become a unique wildlife preserve with its own on site lodging and restaurants. Now called the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, it is home to not only separate day and night zoos, but a river themed wildlife park, bird park and rainforest as well as beautifully landscaped nature themed resort with lagoon, boardwalk and miles of hiking trails. I made a mental note – this would be a much better alternative to Disney for future grandchildren!
We entered the night zoo and joined the throngs of visitors queueing for the tram – the line moved quickly and we boarded the trolley for a 40 minute guided tour of the various animal habitats. The tram overflowed with families with small children, who bounced up and down and screamed with delight everytime we passed an animal. Since we could not hear the audio guide, we found ourselves actually watching the kids more than animals and were glad to disembark to walk the trails along the various animal habitats. The trails were jammed with people and we slowly shuffled between exhibits. I envied the animals in their open, spacious habitats and began to question who was really caged! Despite the crowds and having to finagle to get an unobstructed view, observing animals in their nightime routine was awesome – we watched a leopard slowly pace through foliage before coming to rest on a tree trunk, its yellow marble like eyes scanning the environment
Likewise, a sleek, male lion stalked its habitat, occassionally stopping to emit a deep throaty roar! Exhausted from walking trails in the heat and humidity, we finished the night watching the Creatures of the Night show. Sitting in a large amphitheater with an occilating mega fan gusting wind every twenty seconds towards our sweating bodies, we learned about the noctural behaviors of owls, raccoon dogs and even bearded pigs. Too tired to figure out where to meet a Grab, we hailed the nearest (and most expensive) cab back to the hotel.
The next morning we got up early (we had half day before I needed to at my client’s office) and were at the day zoo right as the park opened. What a difference from the prior evening. There were only a handful of people in the zoo; we often had the trails and exhibits to ourselves and it was much cooler. We saw different types of wildlife from what we saw on the night safari. For example, there was a small building with tanks of various type scorpions – my favorite was a shiny jet black one with waving pinchers and curved tail.
A large avairy we visited was home to not only birds and lemurs but at least fifty large fruit bats. We arrived at feeding time and watched these large winged mammals feast on hanging fruit while perched upside down on tree branches.
One of the most novel but exciting things I saw was a tiger wading in a river. I thought cats, particulalry tigers, did not like water but learned that tigers are actually excellent swimmers and frequently enter the water to cool down, hunt and travel.
After a morning enjoying amazing wildlife at the zoo, we headed back to our hotel, me for a client meeting, my husband to hang out at the pool until his flight later that evening. The next evening I had free so wanted to more thoroughly explore Gardens by the Bay. It was a humid, rainy night so I borrowed an umbrella from the hotel and walked to the bay, tickets in hand to visit the garden’s main attractions, its two indoor domed gardens and an observation deck atop a supertree.
First, I made my way to the Flower Dome, the largest indoor greenhouse in the world. (How could Dubai have let this happen!) Under its massive glass canopy are nine themed gardens showcasing flora from different ecosystems around the world with multi-leveled paths that let you experience the foliage from top to bottom . At ground level in the center of the dome, bursting with color, was an exhibit emulating different European style gardens.
Walking through the garden exhibit, I was surrounded by every imaginable type of flower, in a rainbow of colors – peonies, pansies, irisis, nasturtiums, forget me nots, hibiscus, chrysanthemums, crocuses, asters, dahlias, zinnias, gardenias, calla lilies and many species I did not recognize. The moist air of the greenhouse captured the explosion of fragrance creating a heady experience of delightful aromas!
The rainforest dome was temporarily closed for a private party so as daylight waned, I rode the elevator to the observation deck of a supertree to watch the city come alive with light. Singapore City was transformed into a twinkling landscape as buildings, streets and walkways, supertrees and the ferris wheel were illuminated and glowed against the dark backdrop of the harbor.
The Marina Bay Sands Hotel with its scattering of white room lights and red illuminated observation deck dominated the urban skyline, accenting its nautical architecture.
As the night sky darkened, I came down from the observation deck amidst the supertrees and found a barrier to lean against to watch the light display. The theme of the night’s show was Lilo and Stitch and as loudspeakers blasted music from the Disney movie, the grove of supertrees pulsated with multi-colored lights. It was magical! I made a brief stop in the rainforest dome after the light show but quickly left once I saw that the garden had been converted into Jurrasic Park with roaring mechanical dinosaurs and crowds of screaming kids. Exhausted, I walked outside the park to the nearby street, flagged down the first cab I could find to take me to my hotel.
Because departing flights to the States leave very late in the evening, I had one last ‘free’ day to explore Singapore before heading home. A fan of both food tours and cycling, I found the ideal way to spend my last afternoon, a Bike and Bites Food Tour. I walked to the Let’s Tour Signapore Office and was a bit uncomfortable at first to find out I was the only guest on the tour. Once I met my guide, Jackey, I knew I was in good hands. I tried out my bike and off we went. Although somewhat apprehensive about biking what I thought would be the densely populated streets of Singapore, the route we took avoided traffic and most crowds. Our first stop was in Little India. Parking our bikes, we walked through the Tekka Center, the cultural hub of Singapore’s Indian community. I sat at an outdoor table savoring the sounds, smells and sights of this vibrant marketplace while Jackey brought me back a dish of pudla, a pancake dish made of chickpea flour accompanied with rice and lentils. As I ate, Jackey described how the various ethnic groups of Singapore, the Chinese, Malay, Indians and otherethnic groups have influenced the policies of the country. Although English is the working language, Singapore actually has three other official languages – Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.
After eating, we explored Little India on foot passing a street that was home to a temple, a church, a mosque and a synagogue. Singaporeans are quite inclusive, accepting of differences and proud that people of various ethnicities live and work well together.
From Little India, we cycled across the city making our way towards Chinatown, stopping enroute to visit the riverfront with its colorful historical English colonial buildings. The Signapore River flows through what is today the city’s central business district and vibrant nightlife hub. In the early 1800’s this was the epicenter of British colonial commerce and many of the period’s buildings and warehouses have been repurposed as office buildings, administrative centers, hotels and restaurants.
We pedaled to the Chinatown Complex Food Center, one of the biggest hawker centers in Singapore. Once again, we parked our bikes and climbed the stairs to a second floor food court overlooking a market square packed with stalls selling every imaginable type of goods.
I found a seat while Jackey went to get my next tasting - a traditional pork egg roll, fortunately lighter, smaller portioned fare than what I’d sampled in Little India. Delicious!!! After eating, we walked this historic neighborhold, home to the first Chinese immigrants that now houses beautiful temples, bustling markets and several entertainment venues.
The last stop on our food tour took us back to a neighborhood near the Let’s Tour Singapore office. After an easy 20 minute ride, we reached Kampong Gelam, a vibrant neighborhood with Islamic heritage and Middle Eastern culture. The Sultan Mosque with its dome of gold is the centerpiece of the neighborhood. We stopped at a small street cafe for savory Malaysian curry puffs filled with potatoes and chicken and Teh Tarik, a frothy, milky sweet black tea that is the unofficial drink of Malays. Although Malays comprise less than 15% of Singapore’s population, they are actually the indigenous population and still practice and preserve their culture.
It was a short ride back to the tour office from Kampong Gelam. I relinquished my wheels, thanked Jackey for an amazing afternoon and satisfyingly full, headed back to my hotel, then on the the airport for the long sojourn home. As I reflected on my visit, I marveled at what an amazing gem this little country of 6 million diverse people is and what it can teach the world about the power of embracing and respecting differences while coming together as single community.
May, 2025