Trip Report: Singapore

Date of visit: December 2012

When it comes to whether or not you like a destination, I often say that first impressions are never deceptive. If you like a country immediately, you will most likely like it next time. However, if you don’t like a place, a second visit will usually not change that. But sometimes there are exceptions.

Singapore is a country that I have visited twice so far. During my first visit, Singapore became my country number 17 and my third country in the Far East. My second visit came exactly seven years later. In the meantime, I have already seen 95 countries and Singapore was the starting point of an almost five-week journey through Oceania.

Why Singapore didn’t amaze me the first time

I have to admit that Singapore didn’t thrill me back in 2012 and there were several reasons for this.

First of all, I felt that it did not take much time to see all the highlights of Singapore. During the three days I was there, I went with a tourist bus to all the sights of the city in one afternoon. On another day I visited Sentosa, the island outside the city. Sentosa was all right, but it didn’t knock me out either.

Second, I didn’t like the sterility of the city. Many describe Singapore as a very beautiful and clean city. I found it rather sterile. Maybe I just had other Asian cities like Bangkok in mind, which are dirtier and more chaotic. But also more fun!

In Singapore I often had the feeling to be in an artificial, museum-like city. Well, the argument with the artificial city does not come out of nowhere. Singapore was only founded in 1965. This is not a city that has grown by centuries.

But most of all, I found Singapore boring. This probably also has to do with the fact that I was a solo traveler at that time. But I was not really enthusiastic about the sights and the nightlife was for me interchangeable and without any special character.

What also bothered me were the excessively strict laws. For example, chewing gums are banned and you can get a fine of 1,000 dollars when smoking in certain areas. I think most of these laws are for the purpose of deterrence only, but knowing the laws is an absolute must for travelers before entering the country.

A security guard yelled at me when I crossed the street in a non-designated area. It was late at night, there was absolutely no traffic and I walked a maximum of four meters from one sidewalk to the other. Things like that are very annoying, but they do happen.

By adding the fact that Singapore is one of the most expensive countries of the world, I came to the conclusion that this country is overrated. It is not that I found Singapore completely shitty, but I also could not understand why some people are so enthusiastic about this city-state.

Why I revisited Singapore anyway

There was actually only one main reason why I came back seven years later. Since I did not want to make the journey to Oceania in one piece, I looked for cities for a stopover.

Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong were my first choice. But the problem with the first two cities was the flight connections to Fiji and New Zealand. For Hong Kong the problem was the weather. Contrary to popular belief, Hong Kong does not have a tropical climate all year round. It can get quite cool in December and January.

As a result, I chose Singapore for the first stopover and Hong Kong for the return stopover. And since my girlfriend Kati had never been to any of these cities, it was even better to visit two different cities on the outward and return journey.

But shortly before the trip, I almost got a crisis again when I had to deal again with what can be introduced in Singapore and what not. Already when I had to check all my medication, I regretted the decision to travel to Singapore.

The second visit changed my mind

After having spent two further days in Singapore, my opinion about the country surprisingly changed for the better. The two days were actually great and I learned to see Singapore from a different perspective than back then.

Maybe it is also because, in contrast to my first visit, I now have a large number of cities to compare. For example, while all other big cities in Southeast Asia are massively smoggy, Singapore is the only city with blue sky and fresh air. At that time I called it sterile, today I consider it a great achievement.

Additionally, the high taxes keep the number of cars very limited. This regulation ensures that Singapore is the only city I know in this region that gets along with little to no congestion. You can take a taxi at rush hour in Singapore and it doesn’t take 45 minutes for 5km as in Bangkok for example.

During my first visit I also criticized that there are hardly any exciting historical sights. Of course this is nothing but logical considering the young age of the country (it exists since 1965). Therefore, this is still true, but this time I found it rather fascinating to see in what short time such a city was created.

singapore gardens by the bay — Gardens by the Bay.

But the main reason why I liked Singapore better now was probably simply the fact that I was not alone. Singapore is maybe not the most exciting city for solo travelers. Meeting other travelers is definitely easier in Vietnam or Thailand (or just about any other country in Southeast Asia) than here. That’s why it is definitely much more fun in Singapore when you are two. Besides, it doesn’t hurt your wallet as much.

the pearl changi airport — The Pearl. One of the best shopping centers in the world next to Singapore’s Changi Airport.

Perhaps my changed opinion also results from changed preferences. The nightlife doesn’t matter to me anymore and I appreciate stress-free cities with good food and drinks every now and then. This leads us to another strength of Singapore: the restaurant and bar scene. Besides an extremely diverse selection of top-quality restaurants (in all price categories), there is also a large number of bars with sensational views. Although the prices of drinks seem to go up with every floor that the bar has, no visit to Singapore is complete without having seen the city from above.

singapore ce la vi bar — Singapore by night.

Also exciting are the different cultural influences in the country. Singapore is a multi-ethnic state that is predominantly made up of Chinese, Malay and Indians. It is perhaps even something like a utopian state in which different cultures live together peacefully.

Visits to Chinatown and Little India are a must when in Singapore. Both neighborhoods look completely different than the city center. Plus they also give a small taste of what these countries look like.

little india colorful houses — You’ll find plenty of colorful houses in Little India.

Singapore as a travel destination

Although I believe that the first impression is rarely deceptive, there are sometimes exceptions. Singapore is one of them.

I stick to the fact that one has seen Singapore in a short time and that the city is anything but budget friendly. But the city-state is still excellent for a short stopover. The country is a big hub in this region and offers good weather all year round, some nice sights, one of the world’s best infrastructures as well as sensational restaurants and bars.

After two or three days I would still get bored here. When it comes to exploring a city and discovering the sights, Singapore’s possibilities are comparatively still limited. This does not mean that there are no cool things to do, but these things are rather chic sky bars or futuristic shopping malls.

But that’s okay. For me, Singapore is more a feel good city than an adventure destination. Especially if you are on a short stopover, you may value the large selection of excellent restaurants, good hotels and bars more than non-stop action.

Will I ever return to Singapore? It would surprise me if I didn’t. There are still several countries in this region that I have to visit on my trip to all 197 countries. Therefore, the third visit to Singapore is probably not even far away.