Well, day one of Singapore is in the books! After an uneventful 16.5 hour flight direct from SFO I made it safely to the Lion City. It's been years since I've traveled internationally and the last trip to Jamaica hardly counts in my opinion. Nevertheless, I was expecting more of an issue coming through immigration but no issues! I only brought a carry on and a personal item so I could skip baggage claim. I'm forcing myself to learn to travel light with only the things I need. So much of this new adventure will mean downsizing my life and learning to live with the moments and experiences instead of the trinkets and souvenirs I've collected along the way. Leaving the airport, we had to queue for a taxi. I think that the ride leaving the airport was when things began to sink in that I finally arrived in Singers! First impressions are that it's extremely lush here and they drive on the opposite side of the road which makes sense seeing they are a former British colony.
My home away from home is the Marriott at Tang Plaza which is primely located on Orchard Road which is essentially the heart of the world renowned shopping district. It's SUPER, no ULTRA high end shopping for those of you that are into that sorta of thing. I couldn't care less, but that's one of the things that leads me here. Apple has officially announced they are building a new store that is not only new to Singapore, but the entire Malaysian area. The amount of traffic we will see will probably be unlike what I'm used to, but THAT'S exciting!
Back to day one...in lieu of resting, which is what my body would have preferred, I decided to venture out and see a few things. Lucky for me, directly attached to my hotel is an MRT (Train) station and an underpass. Most of the major shopping hubs have a significant amount of infrastructure underneath, which definitely helps with foot traffic above ground. I wish I could have attached a goPro to my head and walked around so everyone could see. It's a unique city for sure!! Buses and trains are pretty easy to access here which is in start contrast to the bay. Plus, it's cheap! One leg of my journey may have cost .88 SGD? I traveled from my hotel with several transfers and stops and back to my hotel for less than $5SGD. By comparison, my taxi ride from the airport during peak travel time at 7:30am was approx $26 SGD. Which is less than $20 US.
I know so many people, women in particular, that are afraid to even dine alone, and would never go to a new continent and explore. I'm so proud of myself for being brave (as one of my many followers has called me) enough to set forth and see new things and not be limited by my bank account or fear. Thank you for reading about my initial landing on my preview trip, I'll post more on the rest of the journey soon!
MRT system map
Some of the beauties on the MRT ride with me...