When I used to think of subways, my mind always went to NYC. I had never been, and had always dreamed of riding the subway in NYC. It’s funny then, how I ended up riding my first subway in Washington DC and then went on to ride many other subway systems before actually boarding an NYC subway. By then I had learned that NYC is actually one of the worst metro systems based on cleanliness and it’s actual facilities. Still, it takes you all over the city at an affordable rate.

I had just finally experienced my first time on an NYC subway before coming to Singapore. So it was quite a shock to see the difference. It was by far the cleanest subway I have ever been in. It felt like a shopping mall. There were glass doors that closed when the subway wasn’t there so you couldn’t fall or drop something onto the tracks below, and it was all air-conditioned. Not to mention it smelled clean, nothing like the grimy metro stations of NYC.

It was extremely easy to buy a pass to wherever you wanted in the city. You could do by a trip-by-trip basis just based on where you were going. They even provide a map if you’re unsure exactly the station. You just pic your end destination, and whether you want one way or round trip then insert your cash and you were good to go! 

If you already have a card you place your card on the little platform provided and it refills it with the amount needed for your trip. It was perfect for just traveling to a few destinations in one day instead of buying a big pass. It was pretty cheap as well, only costing S$1.50-S$3 per trip.

In contribution to the cleanliness to the subways, there is absolutely no food or drink aloud on the subway itself, and if you’re caught with anything you can be fined up to S$500! Along with this the trains are extremely quiet. No yelling or excessive conversation or even screaming kids, just commuters going from one place to the next quietly, cleanly and efficiently. Singapore by far has the best metro system I have experienced so far.

The only thing I really knew about Singapore before visiting was that it was the location of the Marina Bay Sands Resort and The Super Tree forest. A few years back, I had seen a video when the resort opened showing off its top floor that was shaped like a boat with its giant infinity pool overlooking the bay and the city. When I saw this video I didn’t even know where Singapore was located, nor did I ever imagine I’d visit. So when I realized I was going to be in the city I knew I had to take a trip up to the top of this building.

I had looked online at the prices to enter the top floor prior to my arrival, and found that I could go to the observation deck for S$23, about $16USD. I was disappointed to learn that the pool was for hotel guests only but I still decided it was worth it for some cool city shots. What surprised me when I got there was that I could pay the S$23 to go to the observation deck, or I could pay S$20 to go to the bars and get a S$20 voucher for a drink while I was there. I asked the lady if the views were different and she said they were pretty much the same, so I decided a drink was definitely the way to go.

Sure enough at the top if you go to the left side bar the view is exactly the same as the observation deck and you get to see the pool! The drinks averaged S$25 after tax. So over all you spend S$2 more than you would to go to the observation deck and you get a free drink! Definitely the way to go in my opinion! Enjoy the sunset while drinking a top-notch cocktail at a fancy resort in a fancy city; it really doesn’t get much better than that!

Singapore is quite the melting pot, with people from all over the world coming to work and live there, so it makes sense that everything would be in English.  Even still, it surprised me that even the streets were named as if they were streets in the states, with names such as Wild Oak St, etc. It makes it much easier to get around and almost feels like home. (If home is an English speaking country)

Once the sun had set, I headed downstairs to the bay to take pictures of the skyline on the water. I noticed all of the people sitting looking out towards the water and asked someone what was going on. They explained that they were waiting for the lightshow. This excited me, talk about the right place at the right time! It happens every night at 8pm, 9pm and I think 10pm and it is totally worth it, since it’s free!

I had one last mission on my mind once the lightshow had concluded, and that was to photograph the super trees at night when they are all lit up. As I was heading over I noticed that apparently everyone had the same Idea as me, because the entire crowd from the light show wandered back across the street to the gardens. I found a perfect spot and set up my camera, right when I started shooting the lights changed and an announcement sounded, welcoming me to the super tree light show. I seriously couldn’t believe that I had just happened to walk into this twice in a row! The show was spectacular and made the pictures even more incredible than I could have imagined. I could not believe my luck. Sometimes it’s fun not doing your research when going to a new place because the exhilaration of simply stumbling upon amazing things is totally worth it!