Needless to say, I am happy to have any opportunity or excuse to leave. And, before you pass judgment, I'm not alone. It seems that most Jakartans with the means take every opportunity to vacate their beloved city too- here's an example: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/07/16/the-madness-bandung’s-traffic-weekends.html
I was, therefore, extremely happy when it came time to renew my visa. This essentially meant that work had to pay for me to leave the country for a few days. And Singapore happens to be the closest and easiest renewal destination.
Having now been there, I can honestly say I wouldn't typically go out of my way to go to Singapore. It doesn't seem to be favored for any real particular charm, originality, appearance, or culture. It's beauty, in my opinion, is that it is a beacon of cleanliness, modernity, and order amidst, well,... the rest of Southeast Asia. It is where you come when you are temporarily living elsewhere in the region and need to recoup and enjoy all the amenities of home. It is a tree-lined breath of much-less-polluted fresh air.
Having now been there, I can honestly say I wouldn't typically go out of my way to go to Singapore. It doesn't seem to be favored for any real particular charm, originality, appearance, or culture. It's beauty, in my opinion, is that it is a beacon of cleanliness, modernity, and order amidst, well,... the rest of Southeast Asia. It is where you come when you are temporarily living elsewhere in the region and need to recoup and enjoy all the amenities of home. It is a tree-lined breath of much-less-polluted fresh air.
CT was in the same boat visa-wise, so we made the trip together. Due to work obligations, we couldn't leave until the Wednesday before our visas expired. We arrived Wednesday afternoon, did some work, and then headed out on the waterfront for some yummy Mexican food with very well-made Margaritas. It was a true pleasure hopping on the MRT and arriving at our destination on foot with ease only a few minutes later.
The next morning we headed to the embassy to drop off our passports, waited around for a small eternity, and were greeted with a brilliant stroke of luck. Our visas would not be ready by Friday as we had anticipated. We could not pick them up until Monday. Until then, we were stuck in Singapore. On work's dime. A whole weekend to explore and have fun, and, thinking ahead, one less day in Jakarta the following week. Walking between those banyan trees in Yogya a week or so earlier had worked. Luck was on our side.
While we did spend the rest of Thursday day, Friday day, and a good chunk of Monday telecommuting from our hotel rooms, there was plenty of time left for recreation and relaxation.
Thursday we celebrated with Singapore Slings at the world-famous home of the original Singapore Sling, Raffles Hotel Long Bar.
Friday we visited the world's largest (not to be confused with tallest) fountain. There's a mini fountain inside, so when the larger part is turned off, as it is intermittently, visitors can circle it 3 times for good luck. But you must keep your right hand in it the entire time! The fountain circling left me feeling very refreshed and energized and I decided I definitely need to take advantage of any other good luck rituals I come across in my travels. It can't hurt.
Saturday we attempted a hike through suburban rainforest, but before we got to the good part we were turned back by torrential downpour and trail closure. Still, it was great to be walking around out in the sun and fresh air while it lasted. When attempting to find an initial section of the trail we got turned around in the middle of a college campus that was not well mapped. We ran into a super nice student who spoke perfect North American English thanks to his Canadian mum. We chatted for a bit and he ended up giving us a lift back to the area where we were supposed to be. Although we felt a little stupid for having gotten so turned around, pleasant encounters with total strangers always contribute to the sense of having had a great day.
Saturday night we ventured out again for a delicious steak dinner and some meandering. One of the highlights was stumbling upon exhibits from the Elephant Parade, the "world's largest open air exhibition in conservation of the Asian elephant". This was one of my favorites:
On Sunday, our last free day to explore, we ventured over to Sentosa via cable car. It was odd to take a cable car without any snow beneath me or skis in hand, but a pleasant way to take in the scenery all the same. This still-in-development theme-park-like play ground has surely contributed to Singapore's reputation as "Disneyland with the Death Penalty".
We headed over here in search of "Asia's most extreme zipline", which takes you from jungle canopy to white sand beach, and which of course happened to be featured on the Amazing Race. Unfortunately we learned upon arrival that the zipline had been "closed until further notice". A little Googling led me to believe it might have had something to do with this, less than 2 months earlier: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_714142.html. Bummer.
This left us with some extra free time to find other adventures, which we luckily found without difficulty. The absolute highlight of the day, and probably the entire trip, was happening upon the new "indoor skydiving" venue. I had never heard of such a thing before, but when it started to pour down rain outside we decided to give it a try. SO. MUCH. FUN. Unlike anything I've ever before experienced, considering that real skydiving has never much appealed to me. Absurdly expensive, but I would definitely try it again.
An excessive amount of rain foiled our weekend plans to ride the Singapore Flyer, the world's largest ferris wheel that also happened to be featured on the Amazing Race....but we will no doubt be back.
