We went to Singapore on a two-day stopover, in true Travel Squad Podcast fashion we saw and did a lot in these 48 hours and are sharing it all in this episode. 

Highlights of Singapore in this episode:

• Hawker food halls 
• Gardens by the Bay 
• The St. Regis hotel for an ultra luxurious experience.
• Chinatown 
• Marina Bay Sands 
• The underground malls in Singapore 
• Singapore Airport and its impressive amenities.

If you want to take this exact trip, you can download our Singapore Itinerary.

These are the hotels, tours, and resources we recommend in Singapore:

• St. Regis Singapore
• Marina Bay Sands 
• Pan Pacific Singapore 
• Singapore activities we recommend via Viator 
• Airalo eSim

We flew Singapore Airlines Business Class to take this trip, you can read the full review of that experience here: Singapore Airlines Business Class Review

If you’re looking for a flight deal to Singapore, we recommend signing up for Thrifty Traveler Premium to get daily flight deals (points & cash) emailed directly to you! Use our promo code TS10 to get $10 off your first year subscription.

Two Days in Singapore – Episode Transcript

0:35

And get ready to embark on a new adventure with us around the globe.Hello fellow travellers.Hey, Squatty.Welcome to this week’s episode of the Travel Squad Podcast.Today we are taking you to Singapore.If you listen to our episodes, last week we visited our final city in Thailand and then we continued our Southeast Asia trip and did a quick two day stopover in Singapore to hit off our 40th country.

1:02

Wow.I’m really excited to get into this episode.Singapore is known as a very vibrant and popular tourist destination right now and when we were there did not disappoint except for one thing which I’m going to get into a little bit later.But nevertheless, I really did enjoy our time here in Singapore.

1:22

On our flights to Thailand, we flew Los Angeles to Singapore, Singapore to Thailand, and it was the same route back.And we said to ourselves, if we’re passing through this amazing city and country, because not a lot of people know this, it is its own country and it is only a city.

1:37

We said to ourselves we have to stop, so we did a stopover and just enjoyed a quick two days here.You said that it’s a vibrant tourist destination right at the moment.What is it about Singapore that’s drawing people in?You know, Singapore is just known for being high end, clean and just really modern and everything that it has going on.

2:00

I feel like if you open up Instagram right now and your algorithm has anything geared towards travel, you’re just going to to see a whole bunch of stuff about Singapore, whether it be how cool the airport is and all the stuff there is to do just in the airport or going to Marina Sands Bay or Gardens by the Bay and seeing all these free things and parks that they have.

2:23

It’s just a really popular place to go.And of course, Singapore is really very modern.It is a global economic powerhouse in terms of finance.So very modern city here in Asia.And so I think a lot of the amenities that you can get and just the cleanliness, people really love Singapore.

2:43

Did you know Kim English is one of the official languages of Singapore.I did not know it was official, but I knew a lot of people spoke English there because it is a major business hub.That, but more importantly for the reason why it’s an official language, is it used to be controlled by the British at one point in time.

3:02

So that’s why English is a common language there and one of their official languages.So just a little bit about Singapore before we get into the episode and talk about what we did.I mentioned this earlier, but Singapore is a city state, basically meaning it’s its own independent, sovereign city that happens to be its own country.

3:23

So there is no other cities in Singapore other than Singapore.It’s a city and it’s its own country.There’s really only three places in the world that are like this, Singapore being one of them, Monaco and Vatican City.And out of those, those three that I just mentioned, Singapore is the largest and most populous and is truly considered to be the last real city state left in the world.

3:48

And a lot of people don’t even count Monaco or Vatican City anymore because truly Singapore has its own fully international borders, its own currency, its own military and just influence around the world.So Monaco, of course, is a monarchy and a city state, but it’s tucked in the corner of France and its military is all protected by France.

4:12

So even though it’s its own country, it doesn’t have its own military.They don’t have their own currency.Vatican City, you know, we’ve been there.We’ve all been to Rome.There is no border check.Yes, it’s its own country.So that’s why people really consider Singapore the last true city state, because it has all these things, even though Monaco and Vatican City, again, are their own cities and countries, but just a little bit different in scale.

4:33

And Singapore used to be and still is a major maritime trade team post.And that’s why, of course, at one point the British took control over Singapore in 1867 and finally gave Singapore its own independence in 1959.Wow. 1959, that’s relatively recent.

4:52

Relatively recent for sure and since then of course, like I said, just Singapore is known as a major world finance center and global business hub and of course still very vibrant in that maritime shipping.It’s just a convenient location.That’s why it was and still it is.

5:09

So it leads to Singapore being what it is today.That was a very robust history of Singapore.Jamal.Thank you for delivering.It’s very fascinating.I mean, it’s a city state.There’s only, like I said, three of them in the world, and it’s the only one that truly is and based on.The definition, we were in Singapore and I said to Jamal, I said are there any other cities here?

5:29

And he said Nope, it’s an island country.So it’s its own island, its own country.It’s a city state so has a lot going for it.So we do have some tips for you guys for visiting Singapore.When we went, we went in January and the weather is very hot and humid all year round because of its proximity to the equator.

5:47

And Singapore only has two seasons.There’s a dry season from March to August and a wet season from September to February.So we went in January, like I said, but we were really lucky that we did not get any rain, but it really was hot and humid while we were there.The city of Singapore is walkable and Boston metro friendly.

6:07

What I really loved about the metro system is it was super easy to use and you don’t have to buy tickets.You don’t have to buy the card.You can actually just tap your credit card at the entry and exit gates of the subway to pay.No need for the tickets or passes.And then based on your route of where you tap on and top off, it charges you what you owe.

6:26

Makes it really convenient and very, very inexpensive.Some of our rides were $0.35 like really inexpensive and of course it added up because we we took multiple in a day.But not very expensive at all to ride their subways and metros.

6:42

Really efficient, really clean.They have rules here in Singapore too.I guess this is good to mention here in the tips.They take their cleanliness of their surrounding area very seriously.You cannot eat on the subways.There is a major fine if you do.You can’t even find gum sold in Singapore because they don’t want spit out gum on the street.

7:04

And just on the cleanliness aspect of it, while we’re on this, I didn’t see one piece of graffiti like that is how clean this city is.And the metros were pristine.And if you are taking the metros, you can use Google Maps, use a public transport section and it’ll tell you the best way from one destination to the next, which includes the metro.

7:23

So that’s what we use to get around.That’s a great tip.Is that available when you download offline maps or do you need to be connected to Internet?You do have to be connected because it pulls the real time times for the metro when it leaves next and it’ll tell you how often it leaves.And I guess that’s a really good point then too to the next tip that we’re going to recommend is if you don’t actually have cell service that gives you free data while you’re travelling internationally, we really love and recommend that you guys purchase an E SIM with Aerolo.

7:56

So Aerolo is a company that gives you the ability to purchase E SIM.So you don’t need to switch out the SIM in your phone with the new one, you just download it through an app with whatever country you’re going to and you can purchase 3510 gigabytes of data at a really affordable price versus you bind that data to travel internationally from your phone carrier.

8:16

So we’re actually going to go ahead and give you an Aerolo link in our show notes.So be sure to check it out.And we recommend Aerolo whenever you’re travelling internationally.That way you can have data if your phone service doesn’t provide it for you.So most places do accept credit card in Singapore.

8:32

We exchanged $50.00 to Singaporean dollars and we only used it for tip at the hotel so just keep that in mind.So very different than Thailand where it was very much cash based here in Singapore.Honestly, maybe trade in a little bit of money just to have in case of tip, but even then $50 was way too much.

8:53

Pretty much everything can be done and handled with credit card here for you.Food wise, Hawker styles are very popular.They’re open aired food centers and there’s a ton of different food vendors that you can go and choose from or have a bite to eat, eat from multiple different places.

9:09

So that’s what’s really popular there.We’ll talk about the most popular one that’s in the city and that we went to.And also when we were walking around Singapore, we noticed that there wasn’t a ton of people.It wasn’t crowded.And part of the reason is they have a lot going on underground.

9:24

They have underground walkways of malls, food courts, some of the food courts even have Michelin recognized food vendors down there.So they have this whole underground world, because it’s so hot and humid there, you don’t see a lot of people on the surface level.Is it underground because it’s cooler naturally or ACAC?

9:44

So just think, oh, here’s a mall, but instead of building it above ground and it’s AC, let’s just build it below ground.And then while you’re below ground, here’s tunnels to get you across the street and from one place to the next and pop up.Or hey, this will actually link with the metro.

10:00

So they have a lot of stuff that’s underground.Most of the stuff that’s underground will link up with metros because you’re under there anyway.But even though there’s a lot going up on the actual surface, most people in certain areas, of course not entirely throughout the whole city, but in certain areas you’re going to find a lot of people underground and not walking on the sidewalks on the main streets because of the heat.

10:24

That is very cool.That’s very unique.Hey squaties, Before we get into the thick of this episode, I do want to remind you that we have a twice monthly newsletter that comes out with special deals, updates on where we’re at, but where we’re going, recent episodes.You can sign up for that on our website, travelsquadpodcast.com, and you’ll get first access to the latest information.

10:46

So we flew from Chiang Mai to Singapore.Our flight out of Chiang Mai was at noon and we landed in Singapore at around 4:00.We decided to stay at the Saint Regis Singapore for two nights because we wanted to vacation in luxury.

11:03

The room had a Butler which you could have deliver coffee and tea between 6:00 AM and 11:00 AM.You can get two pressings per day, so if you had two garments that you want pressed so that you look all prestige when you go out, you could request that.

11:19

And you could also have them unpack or repack your luggage upon arrival or departure.Tell me you took advantage of that.We did not take advantage of them packing and unpacking our suitcase of the other stuff of the pressings and our morning coffees that they would bring up.

11:37

Absolutely, we took advantage of that.I would feel like it would be really weird to call somebody up and just be like, pack my bag.Plus I like my bag packed in a certain way and I didn’t want to micromanage, but you can actually do that.Well, they’re professional Packers it sounds like, so I bet you they would pack.

11:54

You are probably correct in that assumption, but nevertheless, it just felt really awkward when we thought about having somebody pack our luggage.So we didn’t do that, but we took advantage of all the other amenities.Now when Brittany says we wanted a vacation and luxury, she’s not lying.

12:11

But at the same time, we have to be honest.This was redeemed 100% on points through my Marriott card that I do have because the Saint Regis is part of the Marriott Bonvoy family.So we redeemed points at a very affordable cost for staying at such a luxury hotel, I thought.

12:30

So we were like, we’re in Singapore.Singapore is a city of opulence and to some degree even wealth.And so we’re like, we have to stay at the Saint Regis.And it didn’t disappoint.Well, what else was so luxurious about it?They had the daily champagne savoring.

12:47

It was one of those rooms where you just press a button and the blackout drapes go up and down.Love that.Same for the bathroom lights.There was a tub in the middle of the bathroom and then a separate stall for the shower with multiple shower heads.

13:03

And the bathroom fixtures were all beautiful marble.Of course you had your slippers.You had your robe.How were the robes?The robe was really nice.Slippers, honestly not as impressive as the slippers they gave me on Singapore Airlines.

13:18

Those were so much better than the ones that they gave me at the Saint Regis.But the robe was really, really nice.I mean the room just like lush, beautiful, refined and all sorts of amenities that just made it really opulent.There was a couch at the end of our bed and then along the window that looked out to the city.

13:36

It was a little day bed sitting area with cushions.There was a full desk in our room too, so it was pretty big.And then in the entry there was a little bar with tea and espresso, so you could have your coffee and tea there.And then of course in the morning you could request that they bring you up fresh coffee and tea as well.

13:54

And the tea and coffee that they gave you just complimentary in your room to make at your convenience, not taking part of the Butler service.If you Google those Nespresso pods here in the US are like 5 bucks a pod.The tea company that they used, it’s a very high end tea company, so they’re not giving you cheap stuff either for free in there.

14:15

They stocked us up.You know you a lot of times when you get free water, they’ll give you one or two water bottles.There was six or eight each time we went in there, so you really felt like you were getting taken care of.Speaking of water, can you drink the faucet water there?You can actually.

14:31

Singapore’s known to have some of the cleanest water in the world for a major city, so it is safe to drink absolutely.So we had taken a grab to the hotel, and once we checked in, we took a grab to Chinatown.And Chinatown has a lot of ornate Chinese, a Buddhist, Hindu temples.

14:50

It’s a really rich history, colorful streets, a lot of diverse culinary offerings.And it became Chinatown because in 1822, a British colonial officer named Stanford Raffles designated the specific area on the southwestern Bank of the Singapore River as a location to settle Chinese immigrants into the Mass town plan.

15:12

So when they were drawing up the plans of the town, unfortunately that’s just a sign of the times and what it was they were like, well, this area is designated for the Chinese when they were segregating people and communities.So from that history, it’s become a just a really vibrant Chinatown and I really enjoyed our time there.

15:30

Of course the temples were cool, not as many as we saw when we were in Thailand, but lots of good food, lots of good shops to roam, people watching, just really, really vibrant.This one was really something that was enjoyable I felt.And we went out for dim sum in Chinatown based off of Gavin’s recommendation because we had just met up with him in Chiang Mai, so he had been to Singapore.

15:52

He recommended Yum cha for dim sum, so we went there.Then we headed over to a temple called TN Hawking Temple and it’s a temple built for worship of Mazu, a Chinese sea goddess, the oldest and most important temple of the Hokian people in the country.

16:09

So Brittany really wanted to see the this one.It happened to be on the way of where we were walking to, but at this point in time, it happened to be night and it was closed.So we only saw it from the outside and we never made our way back here to go inside.

16:25

When it’s actually open, it is free to go in unfortunately, just no time.But even at night, it was really pretty to see because the street in front of the temple was done up with the typical Chinese red lanterns and they were all, and so you really got that beautiful ambiance and aesthetic in front of the temple.

16:45

And it was, it was really enjoyable to see.And I, I wish we had the opportunity to go back and go inside, but we did not.Yes, we were on our way to the Marina Bay Stands light show.So this is a light show that they have on their waterfront where they have choreographed jet fountains, a whole colorful visual projection, lasers, mist, whole orchestra soundtrack.

17:08

And it’s free, it’s nightly.It lasts 15 minutes.So we wanted to make it to see that.Sounds a little bit like the Bellagio fountain show.I was going to say exactly that.It’s like the Bellagio fountain show as well as a little bit of World of Color at Disney’s California Adventure, if you’ve been to that, because they also have the water fountains and then they project images onto the water choreographed to music, etcetera.

17:32

So it’s a little bit hybrid mix of that.I wouldn’t say as grand as a scale of either one of those two, but still something really cool and free to do.But what was really more exciting about it is where they do the show.Are you familiar with what Marina Bay Sands is Kim?

17:49

Or have you ever even heard of that?No, not at all.So Marina Bay Sands is a hotel, resort, casino.So there’s a casino, there’s a luxury hotel, and then an amazing multi story mall with all sorts of high end vendors and shops in there.

18:05

And what really makes Marina Bay Sands famous beyond that is, of course, its location right on the Marina, so on the waterfront, really cool.But I promise you, you have probably seen an image of this building.It’s one of the most iconic buildings in Singapore, if not the most iconic and just really well known.

18:23

It’s three independent towers that on the top is a roof that spans.And at the top of that roof, so many feet up is an Infinity pool for the guests and restaurants and observation decks.And so I, I promise you, Google Marina Bay Sands, you, you’ve seen this image.

18:41

So it’s really cool to go there and see this iconic building that Singapore is famous for.And of course, enjoying the free show.Once we left the waterfront at Marina Bay Sands, we walked directly across the way to Mer Lion Park and the Mer Lion is the official mascot of Singapore.

18:59

It’s half fish, half lion statue has the head of a lion, body of a fish and the Mer Lion symbolizes Singapore’s origins as a fishing village and the statue which’s head represents the city’s original name of Singapura Jamal.What kind of picture did you want to get at this park?

19:17

Well, Mer Lion Park is known, of course, for the statue, but everybody who has an inner child will go here and take a photo with their mouth open, catching what the lion is spitting out of its mouth, right?So it’s not just a statue, it’s also a statue that’s a fountain.

19:34

And out of his mouth he is shooting a spout of water.So it’s known to go there and take the photo of getting being showered by it opening in your mouth and catching it or doing some sort of, you know, maybe X-rated act with it, right?There is a very famous thing on Instagram, maybe you have seen it, where it says tell me you’re in Singapore without telling me you’re in Singapore.

19:59

And it’s all the images of people at Mer Lion Park with their mouth open trying to catch from the fountain.So if you don’t know it now you do.It’s an iconic spot to go.I mean, we went because.It was close by.I would say maybe you can pass it.

20:15

I mean, it’s really good for a photo op.It’s a tiny little park and not really much going on there.But from that perspective of the park, what’s even more cool is the view of Marina Bay Sands than, I would actually say, the statue itself.Well, I did see the photo that y’all posted with the water spouting out and I was taken aback.

20:35

I was clutching my pearls, Jamal.Were you?Was it too graphic for your liking?I, I, I, I did.I did a tame one.I’m just saying some people will do other types of images with that.I got an image.But the common 1 is just open your mouth and catch the lion.

20:50

So I’m sorry you were taking it back.If I if I scarred you a little bit there, Kim.I will say if you’re going there to take pictures, it’s better to go during the day than it is at night, but still good to see it at night and see the Marina Bay Sands Hotel all lit up in the background.

21:07

After we were done here, we decided to go out for some chicken satay and we went to the Hawker stall area called La Passat, which is the most famous Hawker stalls area in Singapore.And we decided to get a combination of chicken, beef and shrimp saute and we decided the beef were the best.

21:26

We thought so.And so chicken satay and satay in general is really, really popular food in Singapore.So pretty much all of these Hawker stall locations are going to have satay.So again, when we’re talking about Hawker stalls, just really think food vendors.But you could get much more than satay.

21:42

You could get all sorts of noodle soups.There’s a big Indian population out here, so there was even a lot of Indian food.You could find dim sum, all sorts of stuff, sweets, desserts, other traditional mainland Chinese foods, etc.So you can find a whole plethora of things here.

22:00

And I alluded earlier to one thing disappointed me about Singapore and I see so much online about Singapore being like really good for its food and places like this.It was enjoyable but I was just expecting it to be better and it didn’t impress me.

22:16

And maybe coming from Thailand as like the food in Thailand is substantially better.But if one thing really disappointed me about Singapore is for all the pipe that these Hawker stalls get and how delicious the food was, I thought it was good but just OK.I would agree I was expecting a much higher caliber of food and I was a little let down by what we actually ate and tried.

22:39

We even went to one location here that was a Michelin star rated noodle soup and how you know how I don’t understand it just didn’t have it for me.Ironically, at one of those underground malls, and we’ll get to a little bit later, we went to a Michelin rated one and that was fantastic.

22:57

So that was probably the best thing we ate in Singapore.And again, we’ll get to that a little bit later.But just Speaking of the food, I have to say kind of disappointed with the food experience in Singapore.So the next day we were having a full day exploring Singapore and we were starting our day at Gardens by the Bay, which is right behind the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

23:17

It’s a large garden area spanning 260 acres and in 2024, TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards ranked it 8th best attraction in the world and the best in Asia.So this garden area, you can walk the grounds for free, but if you want to do any of their attractions like the Cloud forest or the Flower Dome or the Supertree Grove, you do have to pay to book that.

23:41

And we had flown Scoot Airlines from Thailand to Singapore, and Scoot is Singapore Airlines, Budget Airlines.I love the name Scoot.Scoot.You know what they call the flight attendants?What they call them Scooties.So, so they have an announcement, just side note, right, They have an announcement on there.

24:00

If you need anything on this flight, call over one of our Scooties.You know, they just make it really lively.But Singapore Airlines, of course, This is their budget airline, Scoot.So I had seen advertisements for a website called Palagro and if you had booked on Scoot previously, you can get a 10% discount on the tickets that you got through Palagro.

24:19

So we booked a ticket for Gardens by the Bay that included the Cloud Forest, the Flower Dome and the Audio Train tour.So we started our morning in the Cloud Forest.Yeah, and before I get into the cloud forest here at Gardens by the Bay, you know, Brittany mentioned we used Peligro and of course Flu Scoot.

24:37

Flying Scoot gave us a 10% discount on those tickets.But the same thing if you fly Singapore Airlines into Singapore, you can use your booking reservation code and get a discount as well when you book through Peligro.But you have to use that reservation code within so many days of your arrival in Singapore, otherwise it becomes invalid.

24:59

So just be sure if you’re going to do any of the attractions to check out Pelagro and use your confirmation number if you flew any one of those two airlines.So Gardens by the Bay is a free park.If you want to do some of the paid stuff, which we did, you got to pay.

25:15

And one of the most iconic things to do that is pay to do in Gardens by the Bay is the Cloud Forest.And the Cloud Forest is an enclosed Conservatory that replica the cool, moist conditions that you’re going to find in tropical mountain regions at 3000 feet to about 10,000 feet in elevation above sea level that you’d find in Southeast Asia and Central and South America.

25:40

So Kim, you know, when we went to Peru, we were hiking through certain layers and it was like a cloud forest.And you have all that type of greenery lesbian environment moisture in the air.So they really replicate this inside and they have a cloud mountain that you can actually climb, scale, walk around that’s covered with waterfalls, plants such as ferns, orchids, Moss, and all the types of plants that you would find in these environments.

26:05

And I thought this was a really cool experience.Yeah, I really liked it.It was really cool inside there because you can take this elevator up and you start seven floors above and you just kind of spiral your way down and you get to see like the misting, the waterfall, all the plants, the different exhibits.

26:23

So we probably spent a little over an hour in the cloud forest, and then we went over to the Flower Dome, which is an enclosed flower Conservatory.Think of it like the Bellagio Conservatory, but on a much grander scale.Much grander.I mean, this is on steroids in comparison to the Bellagio.

26:40

I mean, the Bellagio is nice, so it has that nicety to it, but just, I mean, this is so large.In 2015, Guinness World Records listed the Flower Dome as the world’s largest greenhouse.I don’t know if it still has the title.I don’t know who else would have beaten it, but that’s how large this Conservatory is.

26:58

And flower garden.Yeah, there’s 8 themed garden area, succulent garden, Australian garden, South African garden, olive Grove, whole bunch of different gardens.So we explored that.It was really beautiful.And then we took the audio tram tour, which is a guided tour through the walkable free portion of Gardens by the Bay.

27:18

Really glad we did it with the audio guide because it saved us a ton of walking in the heat and humidity and it was great way to to see all of it without having to walk and decide what area you want to explore later by foot.Well, you see all of it and also you get a description of what it is that you’re actually looking at.

27:35

So our ticket that we bought through Pelagru included all three of these items.Also in Gardens by the Bay is the Super Tree Grove and these are the iconic images when you Google Gardens by the Bay that you’re actually going to see.

27:51

And it’s 18 tree like metal structures that Dom the landscape.They range from 82 feet to 160 feet in height.And of course they have multiple functions.They have plants growing on them.They provide shade to the plants that are growing down below.

28:08

And of course at night they light up, they have a light show.So these are just like really iconic features.You can meander around the Super Tree Grove at no cost.You can pay to use the suspension bridges that connect the trees.So it’s also free, but it’s also paid depending on what you want to do.

28:26

We did not do the suspension bridge that connects these trees.But I do think if you wanted to get the best photos, that’s probably what you should do because when you’re down at ground level looking up at these, I mean, you’re not going to get any good photos.And from a high up perspective, I think it would be really cool to do so.

28:44

Something else that you could also do in Gardens by the Bay is the Super Tree Grove.Once we were done in Gardens by the Bay, we went over to the Lava Bar.We already mentioned the Marina Bay Sands Resort.This is in Tower one of that resort on the 57th floor.It’s the same floor with that Infinity pool.

29:02

So when you’re at the top and you grab a drink at the bar, you can actually look over and see the pool up there too.You don’t have access to it, unfortunately, unless you’re a staying guest, but it was still nice to see the city of Singapore from above get a nice drink to get up to this bar.

29:20

They do have a minimum spend of $30 per person, but the cocktails start at $23.So so easy to hit the minimum spend per person.Yeah, because you can actually pay to go to an observation deck here at the top of Marina Bay Sands, and what you would pay is going to be pretty much the equivalent of what that minimum spend is per person.

29:42

So we thought to ourselves, well, let’s just go up, get ourselves a drink, enjoy the views, atmosphere, have a cocktail.And if we were going to do the observation from above, I might as well get a cocktail in it included.So that’s why we went here to Lavo Bar and I, I really enjoyed the experience up here, minus the the steep price for the drinks.

30:04

But I will say this, they do give you some free hors d’oeuvre olives to snack on while you’re having your drinks.And those are some of the best olives with a cocktail that I’ve ever had in my life.Like really, really good.And I forgot to take a photo of what they were called, but I remember them saying that they specifically shipped these ones in from Italy but they were dynamite.

30:25

Were they stuffed or it was plain olives?They were not stuffed.They actually still had the pit in them, but just whatever brine they soaked them in.The variety of that olive, the tenderness of it, the meatiness of the olive.It was passionate.

30:41

Yeah, I know.It was good.It was good.You know what?It’s the gentleman in me.A gentleman appreciates a nice olive with a cocktail.It just goes hand in hand.And from Lava Bar we went back to Merlion Park so we could see it during the day.So just a quick stop there before where we continued on to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral.

30:59

This is an Angelican cathedral in Singapore.It’s located near City Hall downtown core.It’s in the central area of Singapore’s business district, and it serves as a mother church to 27 parishes and more than 55 congregations.

31:14

It’s been on site since 1836.It’s a really beautiful church, just easy to go and stop by and stop in.So we did that.And then after roaming around all morning, we worked up an appetite and we wanted to go back to the pausat to get some more food from the Hawker stalls because the first night we really only had the setae.

31:35

And like we said, it was good and decent.We’re like, all right, there’s really good stuff here, at least so when you look online, right?So we went back, and I know you’re going to hate when I describe exactly what we had here, Kim.And this is not something that I would order myself either.

31:52

Brittany wanted to try it.And this is one that was actually Michelin rated, but it was a traditional fish ball noodle soup usually.Usually a hard pass for me, right?I like fish, but I’m not a big fan of fish ball noodle.But I said if it’s.Balls.

32:07

Fish balls.Fish balls, Yeah.So they basically like take fish meat and make it like a little meatball, just like you would like with beef or something, right.So I said to myself, if it’s Michelin rated, it has to be good.Pass pass pass pass pass.

32:23

Both of you didn’t like it?It was edible, but like it wouldn’t be anything I would go back and eat.But apparently Singapore food staples are chicken and rice laksa, which is a spicy noodle dish, which we thought was OK, fish ball noodle soup and satay.

32:40

So we thought the satay was OK.We were not fans of the fish ball noodle soup.We did get a version of chicken and rice, which we’ll talk about later, which was probably the best thing we ate, but we were just expecting so how much better food than what we had.Yeah, you did come from Thailand, like you said, and Thailand does have just the best food in the world.

32:59

It does, but when we were here at La Pausaat, I knew I just didn’t really want the fish ball soup in general, even before I tasted it.And I was getting it to appease Britain, of course, trying the fact that it’s Michelin rated.But we’ve just been seeing a whole bunch of Indian on this trip and we were hankering Indian food.

33:16

We love Indian food.So we ended up getting butter chicken and the butter chicken here was actually really good, had a delicious naan bread that was like 3 feet long, butter and garlic and it was just so delicious.So that was really good.

33:32

But when I say the food disappointed me in Singapore, again, I’m talking about like local authentic food.And I’m not going to count butter chicken as something being authentic, but that was actually really good.And then we also picked up some Singaporean pancakes and they’re not like pancakes of what we would think about.

33:49

But of course, it is a red layer and it is stuffed with many different things that you can choose from.We ended up choosing a peanut stuffing, which was really good, and then we got a black sesame one, which was not necessarily very good, but they have lots of sweets and desserts here just as well.

34:07

Yeah, I think one of the best sweets we got was a Hokkato cream lava muffin from Butter and Cream Bakery.It was really good that we had the next day, but after we had dinner at the Hawker stalls, we went back to Gardens by the Bay.We went to the Garden Rhapsody light show, which they have every night.

34:24

It’s a free 5 minute light show that they pair with music and it is every night at 7:45 or 8:45.I was actually expecting it to be a bit longer, a lot of height for a 5 minute show, but it was still nice to go to.Yeah, I did not know it was going to be 5 minutes, but those trees that I was telling you about are pretty much metal.

34:42

And of course they do have plants growing on it, but that’s what they have light up and this is such a big attraction.I looked at Brittany and I said I really feel like like I’m at Disneyland or an amusement park here.There was a queue to get in.They had security just waving everybody in.

35:00

And of course, like I said, Singapore’s really clean, really done up.So a lot of the time I was here and in Singapore, I really felt like this city is almost like an amusement park.Like that’s the vibes that I got when I I was here.And I don’t know how I feel about.

35:16

I think that’s really cool but also really weird but in a good way because it’s enjoyable but gave me theme park vibes.So that was really the end of our full day in Singapore.The next day we were going to be leaving but our flight wasn’t until 8:00 PM.So we literally had the whole next day.

35:33

And this night my friend Tara from San Diego texted me saying on my way to Singapore now I’m like what time do you land?And she said landing tonight and I said we leave tomorrow but we don’t leave till late so maybe we can meet up for lunch or something.

35:51

She said OK text me in the morning.So the next morning Jamal and I went to the Singapore Botanical Gardens.The gardens are the 1st and only tropical Botanical Garden on the UNESCO World Heritage List.Interesting.Beautiful gardens.They have a lot of wildlife within the gardens too.

36:08

Within the 1st 5 minutes we saw a monkey, we saw Otter swimming in the lakes in the distance, and we saw a chicken.So we spent about two hours roaming around through the gardens, lakes, the trees, the outdoors exhibits and we had a really good time.There was an orchid garden we wanted to go to, but you do have to pay.

36:26

So we decided for the sake of time, we didn’t do that portion of it, but we explored most of the garden otherwise.Yeah, the botanical gardens are free and the centerpiece is the orchid garden because the orchid is the iconic symbol of of Singapore.

36:42

You’ll see a lot of orchids in the Gardens by the Bay and in the Cloud Force and other stuff, but they specifically have an actual orchid garden in the botanical gardens.But like Brittany said, you have to actually pay.Maybe we went a little cheap.

36:58

We opted not to do it.But at the same time I felt like this entire trip I’ve been seeing tons of orchids everywhere already as it is, so I didn’t need to see them all congregated together here.I know you said it was a matter of time really, but how much was the entry fee it?Was about like 10 bucks, maybe 10 to $15.

37:15

Yeah, 10 to 15.It’s really cheap if you’re a Singapore resident.I think they only charged like $2.00 but then it said oh foreigner and it was like 10 or $15 per person.So after the Botanical Garden we met up with my old Co worker Tara in Chinatown.She was how?Cool.In Chinatown, Jamal and I actually purchased chopsticks to bring home and enjoy on our own.

37:37

So we went and picked some out.She came with us.She took us inside the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, which houses a relic that Buddhists believe is a tooth from Buddha.So we went in there, roamed around, and then she introduced us to the underground world of Singapore.

37:53

She took us to a mall called Ion Mall.So before she had gotten there, on your days prior here in Singapore, you weren’t aware of this underground area?No, we really weren’t.Wow.So you were walking around thinking, where are all the people?Exactly.

38:09

Oh my.Gosh.She actually lived in Singapore for five to seven years a few years back, and so she knows all of Singapore.So she was like, yeah, let’s go to the mall.There’s a food court in the basement four stories down.There’s a whole bunch of food stalls there that are Michelin recognized.

38:27

So Jamal and I had duck and rice from a Michelin Bibb Gorman stand, and that was probably the best meal we ate in Singapore.I would definitely say so.And it was really cool to just kind of see this perspective of it.Again, in the Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay Area where we were.

38:45

There’s not really the underground cities or anything, but when you get more into the actual city, there’s a lot more of these underground malls connecting tunnels from one St. to the next just so that people aren’t having to walk outside in the heat.

39:00

And again, they really are more in proximity to the metro stations than anything else, but definitely there.So that was cool and I’m glad we got together with her in general, but also to give us that perspective of something that we didn’t really know, but.I’m surprised that you didn’t read about the underground malls and connecting tunnels when you were doing all this research before you went.

39:21

I didn’t really see anything about it.No, not at all.Well, a lot of the times the buildings or the malls are connected to condo complexes because there’s not really houses in Singapore.You really have high rise condo buildings.And so usually the condos and buildings that are connected to it or the business district that’s connected to it, they all know about the underground area because they kind of like have their own little pockets that they go to.

39:46

So it’s definitely more known amongst the locals.But Tara, having have lived there for five to seven years, she knew all about it.She’s actually moving back this summer and plans to be there for a few years.So she invited Jamal and I back.

40:01

She knows a ton of day trips to Kuala Lumpur and other areas and said we’re welcome to stay with her.So I got to take her up on that for sure.But when we were done hanging out and seeing Tara, we went back to the hotel to just finish up packing to get ready to go to the airport.

40:20

And we wanted to get to the airport a lot earlier than we would normally ever want to get to any airport for two reasons.When we were flying home, we were flying home business class and I wanted to utilize the Singapore Airlines business class lounge, which I’ve heard many good things about in terms of their offerings, which did not disappoint.

40:39

But I mentioned earlier that Singapore is really known for its airport just being really fancy, really done up, lots of attractions and things and activities for you to do while you’re there waiting or in transit.So we wanted to partake in that here at Shanghai airport in Singapore.

40:56

Yeah, you can actually go to the airport if you don’t even have a flight, really.Yeah, you can.Because they have a whole shopping mall connected to it.They have dining options, they have movie theaters, and then they do something different than what we do in the US and.Everywhere else in the world, for that matter.

41:13

Security is done at your gate.There is a general checkpoint where you do have to have a ticket to go past, but you’re not going through security until you actually head to your gate.So as you roam around all of this shopping area, dining options, you can just roam freely.

41:30

And there’s gardens, there’s a pool, there’s the Jewel complex with the largest indoor waterfall, which of course you have to see.So we wanted to do all of that before our flight.I really want to do the pool that they have there.

41:46

I’ve seen a bunch of videos about just chilling at the pool having a drink on your layover.Having a drink on your layover at the pool overlooking and just seeing planes take off in the runway.I mean, the airport in and of itself is an experience.And I think what’s really important to just really understand how grand this is, is a lot of the cool things to see are before security.

42:09

And again, a lot of people who aren’t even having flights come here because of the activities around the Jewel complex, as they call it, which is that big indoor center waterfall vortex type situation.It’s a big round circle, multi level, done up with greenery inside.

42:26

Really makes you feel like you’re in a lush environment.But when you go on the outside of the Jewel, still in that center circle, but away from the greenery, it’s a multi level mall on the outside of that area with different shops, restaurants, things to do the the famous activities and iconic things to see in the terminals.

42:46

Again, a lot of them before security.Not to say that there’s not some after.And when I say after security, again, just showing a ticket that you actually have a flight, but not true security of dump your liquids.Let me look in your luggage because again, they don’t do that till you’re about to board the plane.

43:02

So there’s lots of things that you can actually do.And if you technically, and I say go through security by showing your ticket and you want to step back out, it’s so easy because again, they’re not checking luggage, dumping liquids, doing anything like that.So really unique experience here at the Singapore airport.

43:21

They have a lot of gardens.Some of them are inside garden, some of them are outside.All of the gardens are free.We went to a cactus garden, a Lily pond, and sunflower garden.These are all outside and honestly I wouldn’t recommend them because they’re just fancy smoking areas outside.

43:38

But the indoor gardens were like the enchanted garden with the network kids in the Dreamscape garden.They’re small, but they’re nice.And if you’re passing by, they’re worth stopping at.They even have a butterfly garden, also small but nice.So lots of different things to do.

43:54

So we spent how many hours did we spend prior to our flight at the airport?At least walking around before going to the lounge.I would say about two hours probably, Maybe even a little bit more than that.And then we spent a few hours in the lounge, which was the business class lounge, which had a ton on a different offerings.

44:12

It had like dim sum type items, it had a noodle bar, it had salad bar, cheese crackers, all sorts of different cuisines, drinks.So we took advantage of that before boarding our flight back from Singapore to the US.

44:28

What a lovely trip and just a couple days and you covered so much ground and it sounds like it was a very beautiful little experience there.Would you go back?I would go back, honestly.Would I go back to Singapore to just go to Singapore?Probably not.

44:44

Would I go to Singapore, use it as a hub to go other places in Asia that I want to go and be sure to stop over for another day or two on my way back home?Absolutely.I really enjoyed it that much to do that.And I think it’s just a really unique city and country.

45:01

But just to go out of my way and say I’m just staying in Singapore.I I don’t think so because it’s so small.We really did pretty much everything that you could do.The only things that are of highlights that we didn’t do is maybe go to the zoo and really explore other neighborhoods more to just find better unique places to eat other than the Hawker stalls.

45:22

But in terms of like main attractions, if we really saw it at all?Yeah, I feel the same way.I would go back and use it as a hub and next time we go back, I’m going to definitely go, well, Tara’s still living there and I’m going to have her take me around like a local.It’s always better to be with a local.We always say that.Always better to be with a local.

45:38

Tell you what, maybe squad trip to wherever in Asia.Stop in Singapore, Infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands.We’re staying there.How about this?When we finally go to the Philippines, we make a little stop in Singapore.That sounds like a very good plan.

45:55

And when we were actually flying to Singapore, we flew right over the Philippines and it is just a short little flight away, not too far.So we.Perfect Brit pencil us in for wherever