27 Before 27: Chinatown

Following my surprisingly wonderful 6 days in Vietnam, we set sail for two days before arriving in Singapore for the weekend. I was very excited to visit Singapore, as I’d heard good reviews from friends who had previously visited, but in the end I think one weekend in Singapore is enough for me. It wasn’t my favorite city but regardless, I’ll tell you how I spent the weekend.

We arrived in Singapore on a Saturday morning. I was very busy working that morning because one of the field labs I’d planned fell apart the afternoon prior so it was a hectic few hours as I tried to find something different for these students to do. I confirmed the new field lab itinerary one hour before the student’s departed-talk about cutting it close! I continued working into the late morning, making sure everyone got off the ship, and my co-worker Andrew and I were treated to a wonderful dim-sum lunch in Singapore’s Chinatown by Semester at Sea’s tour operator! It was a-mazing – so much food and the tour operator was very nice and generous. This is the first time the tour operator has provided my field office co-workers and I with any kind of meal or gift, so it was a welcome surprise!

Raffles Hotel in Singapore

After lunch, the tour operator brought Andrew and I back to the ship and I went out into the city on my own. First I made my way to Raffles Hotel, a hotel named after Singapore’s founder Stamford Raffles. It is a beautiful hotel and rumor has it that the “Singapore Sling” drink was created at this hotel. The hotel has capitalized on this and the Slings were far too expensive for my taste!

I then walked about the city and made my way to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel area. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is a futuristic hotel with an infinity pool on the top floor offering amazing views of the city. Many students reserved rooms in the Hotel and rumor has it that an evening of shenanigans occurred. I kept my distance, not wanting to see my students completely wasted, and just took some pictures from afar.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

I then made my way back to Chinatown for dinner with 3 friends from the ship. Singapore boasts a number of “hawker stands” which are basically like cheap, but clean and safe, outdoor food courts. I loved it! I got a whopping portion of chicken rice and a berry smoothie for $4. My friends and I went out for a few drinks, visited some markets and made our way back to the ship for the evening.

I worked again on Sunday morning and had the remaining day free. The cruise terminal was connected to two malls, so I looked around for a bit, spent the rest of my Singapore dollars and made my way back to the ship shortly after lunch. I worked on my capstone paper for the rest of the day.

I’ll admit I didn’t take full advantage of all the things to do in Singapore (for example Singapore boasts a world-renowned zoo and botanical garden, neither of which I visited). Regardless, I enjoyed my weekend in Singapore but also enjoyed the chance to get some homework done. It was a good balance and I felt like I had accomplished more than just spending money as we pulled out of Singapore on Sunday evening. Adios Singapore. Maybe I’ll see you again.