They think of everything

We had no intention of ever going to Singapore when we were planning this trip.

Honestly, I probably couldn’t have even pointed to Singapore on a map if you asked me 6 months ago. But it turns out that this little city-state that gained it’s independence from British control some 50 years ago is actually a nice little green oasis in the middle of Southeast Asia.

Our first impression was that Singapore is an interesting mix of Miami and London; there are huge skyscrapers everywhere, tropical plants in the medians, fancy cars on every street, everything is in English, and they drive on the left. The city is expensive (our windowless hotel room cost more than our 4-star hotel in Chiang Mai), but exceptionally clean. They actually have laws against littering, spitting, even chewing gum – and it looks like its paying off!

One of the first things we appreciated about Singapore is their extensive public transit network. The island of Singapore is only a little bigger than the Columbus, Ohio outer-belt, but you can get to almost every corner of it using their underground system. We were also excited that this was the first country we had been to in about a month that we could drink the water from the tap!

Our biggest to-do in Singapore was paying a visit to the Gardens by the Bay. This lush, tropical botanic garden is on pretty much everyone’s list of things to do in Singapore and it did not disappoint. The outdoor gardens, which are spotted by the iconic water towers made to look like trees, is actually free to visit, but we splurged for tickets to the two indoor conservatories. These conservatories are basically giant greenhouses shaped like supersized versions of the Chicago bean. One houses a large array of trees, flowers, and cacti, the other is more like a tropical rainforest.

We only had a few days in the city, so it was mostly interesting to walk around and see the nicest version of everything so far on this trip. Nicest subway? Check. Amazing airport? Yep. Malls and food courts that can win over mall haters? Oh yeah, that too. They think of everything. Just don’t sell any gum while you are there or they will actually put you in jail.