One Whirlwind Day in Singapore

Here's a recap of my first day of touring in Singapore--a very easy city to navigate, with excellent, safe and reliable public transportation.

Mounting the Singapore Airlines "hop-on, hop-off" bus at Stop #10 (and lamenting yet again that I did not take SIA, as a boarding pass gives you a significantly discounted rate), I took advantage of the air-conditioned bus that conveys tourists all around downtown and allows infinite on and off privileges for the one-day ticket. It has a convenient schedule and hits all the major tourist (and shopping) spots.

My first stop (#14) was the lush and verdant Singapore Botanic Gardens. I toured the Ginger Garden, took in the National Orchid Museum, and walked around the beautifully manicured paths. After an hour or so, I got back on the bus (thankful for the A/C) and took it to Little India (Stop #21). If shopping is your thing, you'll prefer Stop #20, Orchard Street, where Singapore's lavish wealth is prominently on display.

Walking on Little india's crowded, exotically scented streets, I visited several temples, all of which were packed with worshippers who didn't mind the presence of a tourist. I remembered to give token donations at all the temples I visited. All that religion got me hungry, so I adjourned to a local establishment (randomly selected) to eat a authentic and simply delicious Indian meal. I lamented to the owner (whom I thought understood me) that I cannot get Indian food as good as his in the U.S.)

Although by this point the sun was at its apex, beating down mercilessly, I walked down Syed Alawi Street towards the Sultan Mosque. It was a little hard to find, but I asked a local who answered me in "Singlish"--the unique patois of Singaporean and English that I somehow understood.

I walked down and around Arab Street, a pedestrian mall that's a slice of the MIddle East in the Far East. I haggled somewhat lethargically with a few vendors selling beautiful fabrics, scarves and pashminas. By that time I needed a snack, so I (again) randomly selected a cafe and ordered a authentic plate of hummus and pita. After that I picked up the bus at the Golden Landmark hotel and thought about calling it a day.

On a whim, instead I alighted at Stop #2, the Singapore Flyer. It's so new that my guidebook didn't mention it. While the ride is expensive and touristy, it's definitely worth it, and especially on my first day in Singapore--if only to get a sense of the sheer size of the city. It's a half hour--I skipped, of course, the gift shop and the overpriced mall at the base of the Flyer--and got back on the bus to Stop #10, and took it back to my hotel for a well-earned rest.

That's a eight-hour day of touring in Singapore, and I barely scratched the surface, missing Chinatown, the Merlion, the Museum of Asian Civilizations, etc. Well, there's always tomorrow.