Derren's Encore Blog Post: Singapore Edition

Since you all couldn't get enough of me and I guess because I missed all my many fans, I have decided to do one final encore blog post chronicling my Singapore trip post finals, a fantastically exhilarating experience perfect to bookend my study abroad experience.

As many of you know as much fun as I had during my time here in Korea, many of my experiences here have had the dark cloud of COVID-19 looming over me. While I had lots of fun exploring the many different cities Korea has to offer, part of what makes study abroad so fun is the fact that you are a stones throw away from so many different countries and cultures, something that if you are from Hawaii like I am is a foreign experience. Coming from Hawaii where the nearest Asian country is approximately 9-10 hours away via tiny cramped airplane, the prospect of being able to finally cross off so many countries on my bucket list was definitely one of the defining factors in my choice to study here in Korea. Unfortunately as you all know from my previous blog posts the journey to simply make it to Korea from Hawaii was incredibly arduous let alone trying to leave and re-enter the country under such heavy restrictions, it was a forgone dream to me that I put aside in fear of crippling disappointment. But then something changed, little by little restrictions in Korea started to lessen and then finally travel restrictions slowly followed. Not wanting to get my hopes up too high I carefully monitored the situation as the race between the opening of Korea's borders and the countdown to when I would have to return home to Hawaii was incredibly close. Finally, finally the answer to my many prayers were answered, gone were the travel restrictions banning leisure (tourist) international travel and with a mere 2 weeks left remaining until my time in Korea was up to say that the timing was impeccably perfect is an understatement. With the rush of adrenaline and excitement we quickly purchased roundtrip tickets to Singapore (for a measly 400USD) and while it was a much smaller turnaround than I usually like in terms of allocating time to properly plan for a trip, I harnessed the power of oh so many iced americano's and punched it into high gear! After a few days worth of sleep deprivation and about 10 or so hours dedicated to pure planning (yes I know I'm meticulous, sue me) we were ready for our first highly anticipated trip out of country via Korea!

Before I get into the fun stuffs recounting my trip, I feel like it's also my obligation to give you a little background on the processes we had to go through, since even though international travel was finally opened there were expectedly many precautions and preparations that had to be made in order to travel safely, securely and smoothly between Korea and Singapore. First off in the case of Singapore you do not need a rapid antigen COVID-19 test to enter the country as long as you are fully vaccinated and boostered, and per regulations your last inoculation can't be more than 120 days ago or you are considered "at risk" and must provide a COVID-19 test. Singapore has there own version of a COVID-19 tracing app used by residents and tourists alike called "TraceTogether" that stores your vaccination records as well as functions as a close contact meter via bluetooth (if someone near you comes into contact with COVID-19 or tests positive, your app will send you an alert to get tested) and also functions as a QR code reader that must be scanned to enter restaurants and certain establishments to prove your'e fully vaccinated. For a speedy immigration process when arriving in Singapore please be proactive and download and fill out all pertinent information in the "TraceTogether" app beforehand because seeing it firsthand there is nothing more frustrating than standing in a 20 minute queue only to be sent to to the back because you don't have the sufficient requirements for entry. Transitioning to the Korean side, to enter the country you also need to fill out a COVID-19 form prior to entrance into the country called "QPass". Just like its Singaporean counterpart you will have to fill in your COVID-19 health records as well as personal information such as address of stay and phone number for public health records. The only difference between the two countries COVID-19 interface and it is a big one so I hope you're listening is that you NEED to provide a negative rapid antigen COVID-19 test within 24 hours of your departure for Korea and also when you land you are required to get tested at a local health center within 3 days of landing. Tests were not hard to find in Singapore and they were relatively inexpensive (about 35SGD which is about 20USD). While you might be thinking this is too much hassle I assure you the process is pain-free and very easy so please don't let it discourage you from traveling while in Korea, to compare it with what I had to endure during my initial immigration process when entering Korea for the first time it's a cakewalk.

All right now that we got the nitty gritty (but 100% necessary) things out of the way let's get down to business, with what you came to my blog for...my 100% candid thoughts and reaction to my Singapore trips filled with both highlights and lowlights, just 100% honesty all around. We decided to stay in Singapore for a whole week because while the country itself is on the smaller side, the amount of food and activities there were to do could only be accomplished with a generous amount of time in order to be fully enjoyed and appreciated in its entirety. While you might be wondering why we chose Singapore out of all the countries to visit, the sheer amount of good food/activities, positive feedback from friends who have previously visited and the overall vibe and culture Singapore is known for made it the overwhelmingly popular choice when we discussed potential countries to visit (also Japan remains closed :( and who doesn't want to visit Singapore after seeing Crazy Rich Asians). Before I give you my highlights and lowlights of my Singapore experience let me first go over everything we did throughout our trip:

- ArtScience Museum

- Gardens by the Bay

- Helix Bridge

- Holey Moley (Indoor miniature glow-putt)

- Jewel Changi Airport

- Merlion Park

- Museum of Ice Cream

- Sentosa Cable Car

- Singapore Botanic Garden

- Singapore Flyer (Ferris wheel with 360° unobstructed view of the Singapore skyline)

- Singapore Zoo

- Universal Studios Singapore

And of course the most important thing, the FOOD!:

- African Food (Authentic African Food)

- Char Kway Teow

- Dry Pork Noodle

- Grouper Fish Head Noodle

- Hainanese Chicken Rice

- Hong Kong Roast Meats (Duck, Char-Siu and Roast Pork)

- Kaya Toast

- Laksa

- Nasi Lemak

- Oyster Cake

- Sago Pudding

- Scissor Cut Curry

- Shake Shack

- Singapore Sling (Gin-based cocktail originating from Singapore)

- Soya Sauce Chicken Rice

- Taiwanese Bubble Tea

- Thai Food (Authentic Thai Food)

- Tim Sum

- Wanton Noodle Soup

I'm trying this new thing where I remain innately positive so I'm going to start with the lowlights first and finish strong with the highlights! Honestly, Singapore was one of the best countries I've ever visited and the only lowlights I could think of is the brutal heat and humidity. It reminded me of a slightly more mild version of Cambodia, where you start sweating as soon as you leave A/C and you feel like you need a shower almost immediately. The heat by itself isn't terribly miserable but combined with the humidity you enter what I can only describe as an eternal feeling of being damp, sticky and gross. The amount of masks I went through daily definitely made me a scrooge of the environment and while I luckily don't smell particularly bad when I sweat, I can't say the same for some of the people you'll find yourself in close proximity too...PHEW!! :'( My best advice is to mix up your daily activities, alternating between outdoor activities and indoor ones with A/C. I would say to try and avoid the outdoors all together (mother nature is terrifying and unrelenting) but Singapore's natural beauty and many tropical attractions are a must do to fully encapsulate your Singapore experience. All right now to the good stuff and lets be honest I could spend hours gushing about how much I adore everything in Singapore! Usually, I'll breakdown my list of activities and foods I tried into things I would recommend and pass on for your references but this time for the first time in what feels like forever, everything on my list is a 100% recommendation. First of all Jewel Changi Airport is amazing and is definitely worthy of the #1 airport ranking in the world that it has held since its official opening in 2019. OMG the shopping, food, atmosphere and layout are impeccable. The fact that you can and should spend at least half a day at an AIRPORT is frickin insane, I for one hate airports as they are synonymous with layovers and terribly overpriced food but wow Jewel Changi Airport has definitely changed my mind. The airport is so expansive and caters to all ages and demographics in a way that will make you forget it's even an airport in the first place. And finally, the crown jewel of Jewel Changi Airport the HSCBC Rain Vortex, the world's tallest indoor waterfall standing at 40 meters tall with water cascading down from the dome-shaped roof. It is truly spectacular and mesmerizing to watch and that's not even the best part because as the sun sets over Singapore the HSBC Vortex lights up every night and turns into a scintillating light show, truly truly spectacular. Let me rapid fire you the rest, the Singapore Zoo, ranked the #2 zoo in the world offers an amazing nature experience, lots of natural pleasant shade and even the opportunity to feed animals such as the elephants and giraffes up close! (giraffes are adorable to feed and personally they are the one's you should try and get up close with! they are super cute and provide an excellent IG photoshoot opportunity), at Marina Bay Sands there is something for everyone, the nature lover in your life will love Garden's by the Bay a truly amazing nature experience from all over the world including sky walks and seasonally themed flower exhibits, and for the tech fans just a stone throws away is the ArtScience Museum which is a large scale gallery from the worlds most popular artists and exhibitions (when I visited there was an exclusive Attack on Titan exhibit and also a light museum in partnership with teamLab Borderless the creators of the famous light museum in Tokyo Japan), at the Museum of Ice Cream and immersive ice cream experience awaits filled with fun group activities, ice cream history and trivia and of course all the ice cream you can eat in many fun and wacky flavors, the famous tourist spots such as Merlion Park with it's famed statue and Helix Bridge which lights up every night providing awesome photo opportunities with the famed Marina Bay Sands in the background and finally, Singapore Botanical Garden an UNESCO recognized attraction and Singapore Universal Studios for your groups resident adrenaline junkie! Basically, Singapore has something fun for everyone and the mix of both indoor and outdoor activities make it a fun change of pace ensuring you never get tired of too much of the same thing. And now the food! You might be thinking "Derren you're studying in Korea, that's some of the best food in the world!" and while you're not wrong Korea does have some great food, in its entirety the food scene in Korea can't hold a candle to Singapore in all aspects from taste to affordability. The food the food!! It was amazing and you can take one look at my waistline to see the proof! The melting pot of Malaysian and Chinese cooking techniques and flavors have created something that is truly special. I have not had a single bad meal while in Singapore nor can I choose a single favorite dish, they were all equally amazing in there own unique way. If you're like me fancy dining isn't your bread and butter, you believe that good food can come from anywhere and it's often the dingiest and most unassuming places that serve up the tastiest most mouthwatering food and Singaporean Hawker Centers are the perfect example to illustrate this. There is nothing special when you see Hawker Center's from the outside, they look like glorified food stalls in a hot uncomfortable school-cafeteria style setting, but the flavors and dishes these stalls are serving up everyday is a true work of art that must be treasured and appreciated. Food at hawker centers are served simply on plastic plates that sit on plastic trays and by no means is the food pretty looking, theres often sauce dripping over the side or messily strewn on the edge of your plate but in this lies the essence of Hawker Center food. Nothing matters besides serving up delicious traditional Singaporean dishes passed down from generation to generation at an affordable price. For a total of 10SGD you can get 2-3 full meals and a drink to boot, the epitome of value for your money. Don't believe me? Still a bit skeptical? Many of the modest stands at Hawker Centers are holders of Michelin Stars, the ultimate hallmark of culinary excellence, the symbol of the best of the best a given country has to offer when it comes to food. You can spend every single day at a Hawker Center for every single meal and barely scratch the surface of all the amazing eats Singapore has to offer, my advice is to do some research beforehand on what Hawker Center's you'll be visiting so you can compile a list of places you want to try. There is not enough words to explain how good the foos in Singapore was, and it extends to all the varying dining experiences from Hawker Centers to fine dining the culinary excellence persists. I think the easiest way to understand this high Singaporean food has me on is to go and try it for yourself! I promise you'll love it as much as I do and your tastebuds will thank you!

And that's it for my encore blog post I hope you liked it! For those of you who are reading this and are planning a study abroad in the future, hopefully the situation of the world continues to improve and you are able to enjoy more international travel than I did during your times abroad. You should take advantage of all the opportunities life has to offer you since it can all be taken away from you in a blink of an eye! I promise this is the last you'll hear from me during this study abroad blog series for better or for worse haha. So once again and for real this time, goodbye and thank you for reading! See you on my next travel adventure soon! Until then! :)

<3

Derren