8 days, 5 world cities. City 1: Singapore
In my previous blog I told you how I took an insane 8-day inspection trip to Asia with a regular client, visiting 5 different locations. Today, I'll take you to the first city we visited: Singapore. Singapore is the most Western city in Asia. In 1819, Singapore was colonised by Great Britain under the leadership of Sir Thomas Raffles (who, incidentally, has a Dutch mother). Due to its strategic location, Singapore became the British base for trading with Southeast Asia. Singapore has been independent since 1965 and has since grown into an economic superpower.
How could that happen so quickly? One man sorted that out and that was Lee Kuan Yew, who was a sole ruler for 30 years.
- He introduced the free market economy but with good government control.
- Crime is heavily punished
- Property = Property
- Corruption will not be tolerated
- And not unimportantly: first work, and only then enjoy the prosperity!
If you quickly want to know some more facts and figures about Singapore, take a look here.
Explore Singapore
After a flight of approximately 12 hours with KLM, we landed with the client at Changi Airport, Singapore's international airport, around 3 PM.
We left on Sunday morning, but due to the time difference, we will arrive on Monday afternoon. You can easily get to the city centre from the airport by bus or taxi, but with a group, it's much more fun to travel by public transport. It's also better for energy levels, so we took the train. Within an hour, we had reached the very pleasant and welcoming Park Royal Hotel on Pickering. The hotel wasn't chosen entirely by chance; it's within walking distance of the station, which will be very convenient for the group.
Day 1: Cycling and Recharging
After a long journey with a group, it's always wise to head out straight away upon arrival, especially around 5 p.m., rather than lingering in the hotel bar.
Not too much walking, but something fun and relaxing to do. So after a quick check-in and a short freshen-up in the room, bikes will be ready at the hotel at 5 p.m. With a guide, we took a beautiful bike tour along the Marina Bay Area, via the Formula 1 street circuit (where Max Verstappen 6e (this year). GoMICE also organises Sports holidays to visit such events! We drove on past the famous Fullerton Hotel towards the bay, with a lovely view of the majestic Marina Bay Sands building, and so on to the Gardens by the Bay park.
After a leisurely two hours of cycling, it's 7 PM. We park our bikes back at the hotel and walk to a restaurant just around the corner. After enjoying some delicious Sushi & Sashimi with a nice glass of beer at Koji Sushi Bar, we walk back to the hotel at 10 PM, knowing we already have a great itinerary planned for the group on the arrival day. So, “so far, so good” and day 1 is complete!
Day 2: The Concierge
After a night's sleep, the jet lag has actually disappeared and after a good breakfast, we are ready to explore Singapore's retail scene. Of course, we prepare ourselves excellently for the trip, but people often forget that there is one person who can give you the very best tips on the spot, and that is... the hotel concierge. In the Netherlands, this is a fairly unknown profession, but abroad, and certainly in good hotels, these are very knowledgeable people who know the city inside out! So, always go to the hotel concierge, show them your map, tell them who you are, what you want to do, and when. Not only will they know good restaurants, but they will also know when there are local holidays, which roads are open and closed, and what you should and shouldn't do! In short, always seek them out and be friendly, and you'll know you can get a head start on your itinerary (and you'll have a “buddy” when you arrive with the group on the actual trip)!
Day 2: The Suburbs
Because we want to move quickly and see a lot in a short time, we'll opt for a taxi. We'll explore the different neighbourhoods like Little India, Arab Street, and China Town. It's naturally very easy to stay in the city centre as people often believe that's where culture, architecture, retail, and atmosphere all come together. A mistake that is unfortunately often made when organising group trips. In every city, you see the Prada and Gucci shops, and the usual suspects like Muji and Uniqlo are naturally there too. No, that's not what we're looking for. We're looking for new things and something that is good, innovative, new, and successful. And that isn't located in an extremely expensive prime spot. You'll find those in the busy outskirts.
So you have to cover all those neighbourhoods, and that's what we do. Quick stops and short chats with people on the street, asking about new shops, quickly looking around everywhere and trying to make a comparison with the goal of the final group trip. It's tough sometimes, but when you discover something, that's really awesome!
Day 2: Street food
After a long day in Singapore, you'll naturally want to enjoy some Singapore-style food. In fact, there's only one place you should go, and that's Boon Tat Street!
We take our seats at a long table:
- First, a man in everyday clothes comes, who asks what we want to drink.
- After that, another lady who lays down the napkins.
- Then another chap asks what we'd like to have as a starter.
- And then another man asking what our main course should be...
Of course, we know where we are, and for a group, an unusual experience! We are actually sitting on a street that has been cordoned off. On the side of the street, there are stalls where different owners are making the most delicious gambas or satay. Someone else is tapping beer, and there's also a lady bringing the plastic cutlery and napkins.
After enjoying this lovely atmosphere, we also had to pay at 4 different people. And what we had to pay was incredibly little for what we received.
Incidentally, there's no need to worry about the quality or HACCP standards, as there are severe penalties for serving substandard food (which is bad for the economy and the “brand” of Singapore!).
Day 3: City Centre and Flight to Taipei
After a balmy evening, we head to the popular city centre. We walk quickly through those streets too, but don't go into the well-known global brands, although we do check out a flagship store to see what the latest trends are. What you definitely shouldn't miss in Singapore are the famous shopping centres like ION Orchard and the enormous shopping complex of Marina Bay Sands. Incidentally, a nice stop is a cup of coffee on the hotel's rooftop. There's also a swimming pool there that overlooks the entire city (see photo below).
Furthermore, a visit to the Raffles Hotel is a must, where you can enjoy the best Singapore Sling in the famous Long Bar.
Around 2:00 p.m. we'll pick up the suitcases from the hotel and take the train back to the airport. We'll check in for our flight to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan! We've had an intense time in Singapore and are now ready for the next undiscovered country for many. A new adventure in Taipei, then, where I in my next blog come back again!