The train is one of the best ways to get around in Southeast Asia. From Kuala Lumpur, it took only seven hours to reach Singapore. We had only a few days here, as our flights to Bangkok and then Cambodia were quickly approaching. As most tourists, we started by exploring the bay area. The bay area consists out of the waterfront, with tons of skyscrapers, most of them owned by banks (Singapore is a tax haven). On the other side, the magnificent Marina Bay Sands hotel dominates the view. These three towers are connected by a large “hotdog”, as the locals call it. This skydeck provides an observatory space, and also an Infinity Pool. On ground-level, the hotel is surrounded by giant shopping malls. How more Western can it get?
We spent most of our time exploring the bay area, especially since the Botanical Gardens are located next to it. Yet, on our last day, we went to the Sentosa Island. This island is located south of the city, and is home to tons of water-related entertainment: a waterpark, aquarium, and tons of beaches and resorts. We spent a few hours in the state of the art aquarium, before walking to the southernmost point of continental Asia. On our way back we were just in time to catch our first tropical downpour: it rained non-stop for a good three hours, and it took only seconds before being soaked. Luckily, we were mostly able to stay dry.
In the early evening, the sky cleared up and we concluded our three days with a walk around the old town. Old being relative, as the malls located in this area looked pretty new. Since Singapore is quite a small city, three days turned out to be just the right amount. We had no choice either way, as our flight back to Bangkok was awaiting us. Where it took us four seven-plus hour train rides on our way south, the flight north only took two hours. What a difference!
