And so it begins! The start to an incredible opportunity that I had been thinking about for several years. Needless to say, I have been stricken by so many different emotions these past few weeks, but I am finally here! Before taking this trip, I had feelings of excitement, anxiety, sadness, depression, and happiness, which tried to fight each other every different hour. And well, right now I am still processing everything, but doing various work on my laptop helps with some of the emotions sometime, and the expeditions, current and future, are definitely keeping me very excited about what’s to come.
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The first step (and arguably most painful), was the 17-hour trek from Los Angeles International Airport to Singapore Changi Airport. Sitting on this long ride in Economy class (no upgrades available) was something I had been dreading for some time. I normally do not sleep well on airplanes and I was well convinced that I was going to endure this ordeal on maybe 3-4 hours of combined slumber. Fortunately, due to the fact that the flight originated at 11:30pm and with the help with a couple glasses of wine, I was able to squeeze out a full 5 hours straight after dinner. Unfortunately, that had not even scratched the surface of the flight and I was still stuck with over 10 hours left. I was able to squeeze in a few cat naps here and there and entertained myself with a movie marathon along with Brooklyn Nine-Nine. All in all, it wasn’t absolutely terrible, but I did tweak my lower back during that initial sleep.
Honestly, airplane food isn't all that bad!
Arriving in Singapore, the first thing I wanted to do was to get accustomed to the railway system as it is my favorite and most efficient way to get around in at least the big cities. Fortunately, since Singapore is one of the top Financial capitals of Asia, everything was easily accessible due to English being absolutely everywhere. The Inncrowd Hostel, was everything you could expect from a low-priced place: Decent bunk beds, a free breakfast consisting of hard-boiled eggs and toast, and plenty of workspace laptop work.
I absolutely loved the diversity that Singapore has to offer. From various boroughs ranging from Little India, Chinatown, and Arab Street, there was so much culture to see (along with plenty of incredible ethnic foods that I had to try!). There are also many different areas where once can grab a few drinks, though be careful. As alcohol taxes are very high in this country, you are liable to go bankrupt if you’re not careful. (Most places are comparable to alcohol in LA).
Fresh noodle soup with a Tiger Beer
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A beautiful view of the Sultan Mosque on Arab St.
At the cost of being touristy, the first couple days of my visit have consisted of constant walking, subway riding, and eating. I got a chance to see Marina Bay Sands as well as the Botanic Gardens. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had decided to literally rain on my figurative parade while out in the open. Albeit, it was only for about five minutes, but I got to experience a torrential downpour during those five minutes. There are other incredible sights to see as well, such as various Buddhist temples and Muslim mosques. I even got a chance to listen to an Islamic prayer outside one of the mosques.
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View from Marina Bay Sands
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Wanted to take a leisurely stroll through the Botanic Gardens, but the rain decided against it.
It’s such a long time for a year to come by, so I have decided to take my time on most things and to keep things really chill. The last thing I would want is for this to become tedious for me. But as always, I take things one day/hour/step at a time and experience things as they come. Thank you again for listening to my rant, and I look forward to talking to you more in the future!
On a darker side, I still haven’t seen a cat ☹
Cheers!
PS: You can catch more pics on my instagram account @planetzeebs