Thankful for Comfort and Cleanliness in Singapore

After Kerala in southwest India I flew to Singapore, where I spent a few days including the very non-local holiday of Thanksgiving.

Getting a respite from the third world, I was able to reflect and truly put into perspective how much I, and almost definitely you, have to be thankful for. Food, water, safety, shelter, hygiene, money, unearned respect, education, and many more pieces of my American life that I’ve pretty much always taken for granted are wrapped up in a big ball of privilege, which extend to most Americans and certainly wandering white guys like myself. There are many dimensions of this such as gender and race and religion and age and geography and temporality, some of which I’d like to think that in the world of woke millennials I’m at least aware of despite my political and social inaction, but traveling through Nepal and India really zoomed it out and put a lot more of the world into perspective. Despite this heightened awareness, I can’t say I did much to better the lives that evoked my sympathy. However with this holiday’s gratitude comes some combination of guilt and pity and a call to action that I am still mulling how to pursue while continuing my selfish goals in this journey of exploration and consumption. To focus this holiday on gratitude and not privilege, I’m endlessly thankful that I’m able to do all of this, enabled by the people that support me (an will continue to do so upon my homeless and unemployed return to the US, in particular my family), UMass Boston for making it easy for me to quit and providing the funding, viewers like you, who comment or drop a line as I go, I’m extremely thankful for technology – I would not have been able to plan a trip where I move at this pace without it, and I don’t know if I would’ve had the courage to do all of this without the internet and a cell phone, and I’m thankful that all of this exists and I’m able to see and experience it. This world is vast, and the variety of people, amount of human history, and natural beauty that covers our planet is beyond comprehension, for which my gratitude is difficult to articulate. I’m also thankful for the expat community of Singapore, which enabled me to have a proper plate for the holiday despite being on the literal opposite side of the world. Even though it was far from home, Singapore felt somewhat familiar or comfortable, probably in large part because I was back in a modern city after a couple of weeks in Nepal and India where urban spaces were challenging and far different than my norm. I found myself thankful for this too. I equated Singapore’s cleanliness to Toronto, maybe even a little cleaner (it’s be a while since I was last in the T.O.).

Now, where were we? Ah yes, I took a redeye from Kochi direct to Singapore. Indian security when I was leaving was surprisingly thorough. The international terminal was modern and big and nice and totally empty. Maybe they were bored. I wound up having to watch this woman unpack all of my things from my carry on(s). It was like she thought she’d find some contraband because she just kept looking but eventually gave up. The flight was about 4.5 hours, with time change from 1am to 8am. I slept for most of it. Probably the second emptiest plane I’ve ever flown on (I once flew on a jetblue flight to SF that had maybe 15 people on it). This one might’ve had 50, with more than half of the back of the plane completely empty. They must have lost money on it, but I’m not complaining. The Singapore airport had been on my radar having read that it was one of the largest and newest and nicest in the world. Landing there I felt it was like the Dubai Mall, which was still just a mall; this was still an airport despite being over the top (more about this on my way out).

What first struck me as the plane descended was the tons of ocean freighters. I was surprised given that the country is mostly just the one island city. Then realized, because of this, there are no farms or factories. Much would then need to be imported. I was also later told that it’s the major shipping hub of much of southeast Asia.

I didn’t see the splendor of the airport, but appreciated the good signage, helpful staff, and clean and modern facilities. To be fair, India’s international airport terminals were as modern as any. But once I bought a metro ticket and boarded the subway in Singapore it was clear i was back to the modern western world, despite being the furthest from home I’ve ever been (Singapore is the furthest point in my planned itinerary, but i may go beyond in January).

The trains were nicer than any I’ve ever ridden in the US. I had ridden a couple of trams in Germany but despite my love for public transit, had mostly avoided trains and buses in favor of walking to take in more sights and sounds of the cities. With a somewhat short time in Singapore, and an assumed assurance of rain every day I’m here, and no shortage of worthy spots to see around the city, I opted for an unlimited 3 day pass (about 3 rides a day and I’d break even). I thinkI got my money’s worth, but either way the convenience alone was worth it. I then headed to Chinatown (a city with millions of Chinese expats has a chinatown?), the location of my hostel.

Based on the forecasts I had seen I queued up singapour puns because, according to my weather app, there were thunderstorms all day every day for the entire month of November and they wouldn’t be letting up for the days I was there. It wasn’t quite the case, so good thing you won’t be treated unnecessarily to my bad jokes. In Boston they say if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes. This is far more true of Singapore, where it was mostly hot and humid and brief rains would blow in for 30 minutes tops, followed by partly cloudy skies with intermittent drizzles. I was treated to more sun than clouds, but the rain did appear a number of times throughout my 3 day stay. It helped govern when I showered (I didn’t shower in the rain, but generally went back to my hostel when it rained in the afternoons, which was when/where I showered).

After getting settled I headed to the laundry – time to wash India out of me. At the laundromat I met Larry, a weird American. Larry and I spent a bit of time together, grabbing food and walking around Chinatown. First we went to Liang Fan Hawker Chan, the first hawker stall (food stall in a big market) to earn a Michelin star. It was great. We then walked by a durien spot and couldn’t help by try the infamous fruit. It was like a garlicky pineapple mothball. I didn’t completely dislike it, but the funk was a bit much. It was expensive and we couldn’t finish it.

They didn’t smell too much from the outside

I had enough of Larry, and being dead tired from my redeye, wanted to make sure I’d have some energy later. I took a 2-hour nap and woke up to meet Aaron, (aka Ichabod Schmuel aka Icky Shmu aka AK aka Schmuel Kyre aka X aka…). We headed to a hawker complex for beers and Singaporean ‘tapas’ in Chinatown. I’m pretty sure we last saw each other when I first moved to Albany over 9 years ago, so needless to say we caught up on a lot. The food was great and company was even better.

Aaron describing what we were about to eat (he got upset when I characterized one dish as saucy noodles)

The next day I went after another American I hadn’t seen in a while. I met Jay on a summer trip in high school and don’t think I’d seen him in 15 years. Casual Facebook stalking let me know that he had opened a bagel place in Singapore. So I trained and then monorailed out to the island of Sentosa to go to Schmear and then the beach. Having been on the road for two months, I didn’t have to spend much time thinking about whether or not it would be appropriate to devote a meal in Asia to a New York style bagel. With that said, the food in Singapore had been some of my favorite to date. I was lucky that Jay was working, we chatted for a few minutes, and I went on my merry way. If you’re interested in bagels in Singapore, his shop was closing and maybe relocating, so you’ll have to do some research. Despite having Singapore’s best beaches, Sentosa wasn’t a part of the city I would’ve otherwise been likely to visit if not for Schmear.

This guy was quite helpful for me to figure out how to get to Sentosa

I spent a couple of hours on nearby Palawan Beach. It was lovely. Warm calm water, nearly full sun, facilities, cold water vending, my kindle, etc. What the beach should be. Just as i was ready to leave storm clouds started to roll in. It rained during my train ride and while I showered back at the hostel.

Next I headed to botanical garden as the sun reestablished itself through the clouds. Seasonally and wetness (some flower petals looked doused) it might not have been the most ideal time but I have no right to complain. The botanical gardens were really quite lovely. Well manicured, peaceful, tons and tons of birds, butterflies, not too crowded, and the plants were exotic and stunning.

The “Fragrant Garden” was no joke. When I first walked in I was hit by the overwhelming perfumey floral smell. As you walk through it became a fresh cut grass. Then an earthy damp scent. Then a cedar wooddish odor. Not everything was flowering but there were plenty of (stamens?) in the air. Then the smells got lemongrassy. While it was beautiful, the visual experience paled in comparison to the olfactory hues. Then through the rainforest, where the dense trees were the most significant feature.

Then the coupe de grace, the orchid garden, the only paid portion. More than worth it. Was it necessary for me to photograph every different orchid I saw here? No. But did I anyway? Yes. The variety, volume, health, and beauty of the orchids was utterly stunning. I couldn’t get enough.

Then back downtown for Thanksgiving dinner (Aaron had family plans with the inlaws). Walking back to the hostel I had my eye out for dessert. But before spotting a bakery or something I walked by the Singapore City Gallery, which has rotating exhibitions on the first floor. That night there was an event going on. I headed in. I was immediately struck by the content – architecture and planning. How perfect! As I asked about the (private) event and shared that I’m an American planner, I was invited to have some food and drink. The desserts were finger food and were excellent. The two glasses of wine were the icing on the cake. There was a wide range of content spanning the world. This was the last of 4 cities hosting this exhibition on a 3 month tour which had in large part funding from the German government through the Bauhaus and involved students and professionals from the local cities. An incredibly apt nightcap to my evening through food, drink, conversation, and reading/viewing.

For breakfast I headed out to eat Singapore’s favorite breakfast, kaya toast, before heading to the Marina Bay Sands, the “triple building” as I described it before knowing it’s name.

En route I happened upon the casino. I had a decent amount of cash and only 24 hours left – figured there was a chance I didn’t spend all my money, so gambling might have been a decent way to ‘spend down’ which I had taken to calling clearing out currencies before leaving countries. I scoped out the blackjack tables and the smallest minimum bet was S$150, or about $115 US. I didn’t want to spend down that much! I was hoping for S$10 or S$25. The casino was as nice as any I’ve seen, and had a drink cart robot wheeling its way around (sorry, no photos with it being a casino and all).

Then to the Sands at Marina Bay. I went to observation deck on floor 56. The roof gardens and infinity pool are for guests only. I would’ve liked to have seen it but not worth the $1000+ for a room (they get as low as $500 in February). The views of the city were good and the outdoor space was nice, but this was about 100 floors lower than where I stood in the Burj Khalifa. I had been ruined. After I had gotten my fill of roof action, heavy clouds came overhead. Back downstairs it was raining on one side of the building and not the other. I waited it out to go to gardens by the bay.

If you want to ask how many photos I can take of the same building(s), don’t

Supertree grove in the gardens is one of the main attractions. These actually mask air supply and returns for the greenhouses and maybe other underground functions built here.

I headed to the greenhouses, first the flower garden, the world’s largest glass greenhouse. It paled in comparison to the Botanical Gardens, but was nice. There was a big Christmas display. Should’ve done this one the day before botanical gardens because flora wise those won out, no contest. Wonder what it would’ve been like if not Christmas. Music and central display.

Photo inception: I took a photo of a guy taking photo with a guy in it taking a photo with a couple taking a photo in it.

Then onto the cloud forest greenhouse, which was worth the price of double admission alone. it was super misty inside. Despite being very man made it was very cool. The superior of the 2 greenhouses beyond a doubt, and interesting, with information about different mountaintop climates and endangered species around the world.

Walking to MRT (subway) to go back to Chinatown and get lunch, during which there was epic thunder and lightning directly overhead. Good thing I did the observation deck first. Somehow no rain during the thunder.

Ok now I’m done taking pictures of the one

I went back to the hawker stalls for soup dumplings, these a Michelin acknowledged dish. They were phenomenal. I did some shopping and then recharged in hostel while it rained heavily, then north to last hawker (the second to receive a Michelin star) and museums. Lots of covered pedestrian circulation through awnings, architecture, and freestanding pavillions. Almost like they knew it would rain unpredictably every day when they built it all. The best of these was the mirrored ceiling outside the National Gallery. Where I question their design choices is in hardscape. Rather than concrete or asphalt sidewalks they often use 4×4 inch tiles, which are slippery as all hell.

I briefly checked out St. Andrew’s Cathedral and then on to the National Gallery. I had gotten short on time so I walked through the gallery entry but didn’t buy a ticket. It was an interesting classical revival building with some modern accents.

Then further south to meet Aaron and his wife Melanie (for the first time) for hot pot. As a native Singaporean, Melanie gave me lots of insight into the culture, nuance, oddities, and urban planning of the people and place. Back to their apartment and had some wine. I didn’t get to meet their 3-yr-old Elias (aka EK aka Y aka Eliahu Ben Schmuel aka Skireef’s Heir) because he was at his grandmother’s. We met up again for brunch the following morning before I headed to the airport.

Oh, the airport. I got a better taste of it this time around, seeing more terminals, the Jewel, and spending a decent chunk of time. Super high end. Melanie had described the Jewel as a really high end mall with multiple things you cant find anywhere else (i.e. Shake Shack) to try to draw Singaporeans to the airport as a destination. Plants were everywhere, with an impressive waterfall in middle. Lots of nice art (mostly sculpture) throughout the airport. I spent a few minutes in a lounge where I had a late morning beer and some snacks, then caught my flight to country number 15, Vietnam.