Singapore feels like someone looked at the general chaos of Southeast Asia and said, what if we cleaned all this shit up, made the trains work and planted a few million trees?
Apparently, very fucking well.
Singapore is almost suspiciously organized. The streets are clean. Public transportation works. Changi Airport is nicer than many cities I’ve intentionally traveled to. Gardens by the Bay looks like someone gave a landscape architect unlimited money and absolutely no requirement to remain realistic.
Then there’s Marina Bay Sands, because apparently building three skyscrapers wasn’t enough. They needed to put a giant boat on top.
Sure. Why the fuck not?
The food is where Singapore becomes dangerous. Hawker centers let you bounce between Chinese, Malay, Indian and dozens of other influences while eating ridiculously good food for considerably less than you’ll spend on almost everything else in the country.
Because Singapore is not cheap.
Hotels can be expensive. Alcohol can trigger an immediate review of your personal finances. A night at Marina Bay Sands may require a brief conversation with your credit card company.
Singapore also doesn’t deliver the glorious travel fuckery you’ll find elsewhere in Southeast Asia. It’s polished, regulated and extremely efficient.
And sometimes that’s fucking wonderful.
You can eat spectacular food, explore futuristic gardens, wander historic neighborhoods, drink on a rooftop overlooking one of Asia’s best skylines and get back to your hotel without negotiating with a tuk-tuk driver or accidentally boarding a ferry to another province.
Singapore is clean, expensive, delicious, futuristic and almost annoyingly functional.
Come for the skyline.
Stay because everything actually fucking works.
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Gardens by the Bay: I Broke Every Rule the 1990s Taught Me
The ’90s taught me never to get into cars with strangers. The 2000s taught me never to talk to strangers on the internet. Then rideshare apps said, fuck it, let’s combine both. So at 1:13 AM in Singapore, I summoned an internet stranger, got into his car, and told him to show me cool shit. Somehow, this terrible childhood decision-making led directly to Gardens by the Bay.
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The Iconic Merlion Park: A Must-Visit in Singapore
Singapore’s most iconic statue of a lion’s head on a fish’s body has become a popular destination in the city center. Visit Merlion Park.
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