Singapore - (Spring 2025) - Day 1

Our plane waiting to leave SFO on a beautiful day

First time to Singapore. People who are hesitant to travel to Asia should use Singapore as the gateway drug. There is a very western feel if you seek out the main areas and everyone speaks English.

All of the things that people say are pretty much true. Singapore is clean, safe, has great food and it is also very hot and humid.

You can find very expensive meals here but you can eat great food for ridiculously cheap prices at the hawker centers. Drinking, however, can be very expensive because of the heavy tax on the bars - like more costly than New York or Vegas for your cocktails.

I wish I took a photo of this but when you wait for your checked bags, they have people handing out drinks and snacks while you wait. One of the many little aspects that make Singapore pretty awesome.

I also liked how you can use your credit card (or phone) to pay for the subway as opposed to having to buy a transit card. One less hassle to worry about.

And of course, the subway was clean and efficient

Actually feels pretty big for a small country. The city has many neighborhoods and green spaces so you can get a pretty diverse experience depending on where you are visiting.

BBQ Box

After landing and taking a taxi to the hotel by the Chinatown area, the first order of business was to find some food. In my opinion, the Chinatown district is probably the best for your eating and drinking excursions.

This was a perfect after flight meal. Some beer, spicy cucumbers, and a bunch of grilled meat on sticks. We ordered a variety of lamb and beef skewers of different spice levels.

NIghthawk

After the eating of course followed some drinking. It was actually a bit hard to find this place. No good signage outside and it was semi-connected to a coffee shop in the front. Like you find in many establishments here, they pay attention to the details and make fine drinks. We had to wait a few minutes for a bar seat to open and started with our drinks off to the side on a counter. Creative bar menu and the matchbooks actually contain Mentos inside.