Week 3: Exploring Singapore!

Sentosa Beach Activities

Sentosa island is known as a popular spot for visitors and residents to have fun doing all sorts of activities that the island has to offer. We conveniently traveled to Sentosa using an above ground express train that was connected to a mall which is also not a far travel from the university dorms. In Sentosa there is Universal Studios, beaches, hotels, and numerous activities for thrill seekers to partake in. My friends and I tried an activity called Luge, where you can race down a hill driving a go cart. The cart has a break and release feature which helps control the speed going down. There were four exhilarating paths and you need to take a lift up to the top of the hill. It was a fun experience and I was told by my friends that I was going really fast down the hill! After the Luge we chilled at the beach called Siloso. Sentosa has three beaches called Tanjong, Palawan, and Siloso and each have their own unique features and beach clubs/bars. So far I've been to Palawan and Siloso beach, but Siloso was my favorite because it was less crowded and had nice waters.

---

Chinatown

As soon as I entered Chinatown from the mass rapid transit (MRT), it felt like I was back in Hong Kong. The street was crowded and there were food stalls everywhere full of delicacies I don't see often around Singapore. Some friends and I decided to explore the streets in search of a good place to eat dinner and we ended up at a small Thai restaurant. When it got dark outside, the decorations around Chinatown were more visible and beautiful. To end our night, we decided to try some durian as me and one other person had never tried or smelt one before. At first I was only interested in smelling the fruit but ended up wanting to taste it as well. Durian doesn't smell that weird to me and the consistency wasn't all too bad. But, the taste is something that I am not used to as it wasn't that sweet and has a aftertaste. One thing unique to durian other than its potent smell, is that you have to wear gloves when eating it because its smell can transfer to your hands!

---

National Gallery Singapore

After shopping we stumbled upon the National Gallery. Many people say that Singapore is a small place and that everything is so close together and I never truly believed it, until we randomly discovered the museum within a short walk from the mall. We only explored a small portion of the museum, but the artwork and architecture inside is beautiful and interesting. I've seen rooms with projector effects and ones where people can partake in the art through virtual reality. Since we couldnt stay long at the museum, we agreed on a spot that we all would like to see and in that case we chose the rooftop. It was a great decison because there were nice lighting which was perfect for taking photos!

---

Girls Night out

My lovely friends and I got dressed up to explore the urban parts of Singapore. We caught a nice sunset and even found this really cool building.

---

Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay is one of the many well known attractions of Singapore. The park is beautiful during the day but even better at night. From there, you can see the Marina Bay Sands hotel and the tall buildings right across the bay. Other than these tree like structures, there were many other scenic spots such as ponds, statues, grass sculptures and mini gardens.

---

Lazarus island

Lazarus island is considered relatievly foreign to some Singaporeans because its an island that requires transportation by a boat and there isn't much to do there as well. My friends and I purchased our ferry tickets online, which was the best plan becasue when you arrive at the pier, there were companies that could try to influence you to buy tickets from them, especially if you look like a tourist. It was around a 20 minute ride to Saint John's island and from there a 10 minute walk over to Lazarus island using a connecting pathway. The island is pretty undeveloped, so no stores or restaurants are built there, so it best to bring your own food. On the way to Lazarus island, I saw some monkeys, otters, and people camping or fishing. Once at the beach, it was also common to see people having a picnic and doing water activities such as stand up paddle or kayaking. There were also many boats close to the shore. It was a nice sunny day and the water looked similar to the beatiful beaches of Hawaii! I would say that it also gave a different experience compared to going to the beach at Sentosa, because Lazarus felt more secluded like a getaway trip and it wasn't too crowded. We spent our time there playing volleyball, swimming and tanning.