Singapore

Zach had been to Singapore before for an airshow, so with him already knowing the best sites to see, we did Singapore in a layover! Having a long layover in another city or country is an easy way to see a new place in a short amount of time! Lots of cities make it simple to leave the airport, hop on public transportation and have a much more enjoyable experience than sitting around at the airport. After changing clothes and checking our luggage into a storage facility, we were off to explore!

We had a reservation at the famous Atlas Bar for dinner, but since we had extra time, we wandered around the surrounding neighborhood of Kampong Glam. It is a historic district known for it's eclectic stores, restaurants and bars. In 1822 the district was allocated to the Arab, Malay and Bugis communities. The landmark is the Sultan's Mosque but the area is also known for being very diverse culturally, featuring Indonesian, Japanese, Mexican and Middle Eastern food. I wish I could've done a bit more shopping for some textiles like Persian rugs and fabrics, but I did leave with a few pillowcases! If we came back to Singapore, I would definitely spend some more time in this area.

Walking into Atlas Bar, you are immediately transported to the European art deco time period. Atlas was #8 on the Worlds' 50 Best Bars list in 2018. It is known for celebrating the food and beverage traditions of the 1920's- which is exactly why Zach wanted to bring me here. Really feeling the ambiance of Atlas, I went with a French 75 cocktail, made with gin and champagne, which were the pinnacle spirits of the Gilded Age. Dinner here was most definitely one of the best dinners of our lives and surely one we will never forget!

Singapore does everything exceptionally well. Why not build an attraction centered around horticulture and the greening of the city? The Gardens by the Bay are now world famous and was the next stop on our list. We mainly went at night, for the light show, but the area has so much more to offer including greenhouses with plants from around the globe. It was a full moon that night, which was a perfect backdrop for our light show garden experience. Seeing it in person, the garden "pillars" are giant! They are covered in plants and connect a sky walkway at the top.

After the light show, we made our way to the Marina Bay Sands resort, which is the big boat-like building behind the gardens. The Marina Bay Sands has an infinity pool which is the longest elevated one in the world. The main reason why everyone ventures to the top of the Marina Bay Sands is for the view! You can only access the pool if you are a guest at the hotel, so maybe next time we can experience that luxury.

I would love to come back and spend more time in such a multicultural, foodie and green city! Singapore is working towards becoming a "City in a Garden" and I hope to see it flourish even more than it already is. Glad we got to dip our toes into it even though it was for such a short amount of time!