Having been born and brought up here, I used to think that Singapore was a boring city place. Leisure highlights were few and far between and any kind of recreation was mostly confined to shopping malls, at least for me. So imagine my surprise when perhaps 20 years ago, I was once in another country for a holiday and while waiting in line at an airport, a friendly middle-aged couple enthusiastically told me they were headed to Singapore for a holiday. From out of so many countries, I thought how odd and strange that they would pick Singapore and what could they possibly do here and how were they expecting to spend their time in Singapore. With its small city land space and limited attractions, what could Singapore offer as a travel destination to its visitors? I wondered. Of course, it did not occurred to my naive young self then that what was already familiar and boring to me would be new and exciting for anyone who has yet to experience Singapore.
During my 2.5 years studying in Australia, I was enthralled by the wide spaces and the vast outback. There was just so much to see and do once you drive out of the city outskirts. So, no sooner had term break arrived than I had taken off with friends in our rented vehicle, driving for hours on end to explore the beauty of nature which lay outside the city. I was captivated by the natural landscape. But midway through the trip, I remember doing a pit stop in a quiet, sleepy town to refuel and recharge. But barely two hours had past and I was all too ready to leave. As much as it was a lovely quaint place, it was far too remote and slow-paced for me. I yearned for the busyness and vibrance of life. Sure, I could get myself out of the city but I guess you could never get the city out of me. I was a typical city girl at heart and Singapore is where my heart will always be.
But don’t get me wrong, I still love travelling to the countryside and in fact that’s usually what I insist to have on my itinerary which is exactly the point of any holiday. The worst part of every holiday is when it ends. I get all forlorn and dispirited when I have to check out of the hotel on the last day and head for the airport. But whenever the plane lands at Changi Airport and I see the twinkling of night city lights in full view or when the taxi drives out and the beautiful sight of trees that lined along East Coast Parkway during daytime greets me, that familiar feeling of being home washes over me and I am reminded of why I love Singapore.
Fast forward to today, many years later and perhaps a little wiser. My perspective of Singapore has indeed changed. I now see Singapore through a different lens. I have witnessed the physical transformation of Singapore’s skyline and landscape and the effort it has taken to restore and preserve our heritage and history. I have also come to appreciate and embrace my Peranakan roots better which is slowly fading with the passage of time. I now realised that there is much to experience and rediscover. As small as Singapore might be, I still uncover interesting places on our little island every now and then.
I still enjoy taking a walk along the Singapore River and the walking trails in the nearby civic district, which hold so much history. I could never tire of the tree tops walks and the nature reserves and I don’t actually have to visit Botanic Gardens in order to admire the foliage and the interesting splayed antlers of trees which have been in full display everywhere you go. And I still take delight in visiting the zoo and its other wildlife equivalent and I relish a visit to any one of the museums when new exhibits spring up. And at the risk of sounding like a nuthead, I still go to the airport just to hang out and relax not because Jewel sprang up but because it’s long been my favourite haunt with school friends back in the good old days and it still holds a special place in my heart to just walk and relax.
So I get it when it was reported that a whopping 13.6 million international visitors came to Singapore in 2023 alone. It heartens me to know that as a travel destination, Singapore is so much more than its architectural marvels and top-notch wildlife parks, visitors are also more keenly interested to know about its history and culture and the local food in store at our hawker centers.
Knowing that Singapore clinched the top spot for being the most Instagrammable place in the world in 2022 by travel publication Big 7 Travel, fills my heart with pride seeing that she has come a long way and knowing that Singapore is definitely not boring!
I enjoy creating a good travel plan and creating digital content. But instead of documenting my overseas travels, I figured why not do it on my home ground and showcase it to would-be visitors, hopefully I can offer a fresh perspective and a different experience as you travel your way through this city island. And if you spare some time reading my blog articles, I promise I will not use any stock free images and only use actual photos that are taken by me so that I can keep it as real as possible but where travel routes are shown to enable a more purposeful journey, I will use screenshots from google maps and give accreditation accordingly. I hope my blog reads about all things Singapore are informative and will be helpful in making your stay in Singapore a memorable one!
Photos below were taken during one of my morning walks and its also the same cycling route that my family and I will use on certain Saturdays.
“The more I learn, the more I realise how much I don’t know.”
– Albert Einstein