A Visit to Judy in Singapore!

I landed in Singapore on Wednesday afternoon and took the metro to Judy's apartment. The transport system was super easy to use and much nicer than in London. You are not allowed to eat (or drink Durian) on the MRT, so it was super clean, and the air conditioning was incredible. Everywhere in Singapore has fantastic air conditioning. 

At Judy's house, I dropped off my stuff, showered and then walked to a Hawker Centre near hers in Chinatown. A Hawker Centre is a large food court with various food stalls which are reasonably priced. We got some dumplings, baos, tom yum fried rice, spring rolls, and a Singapore white carrot cake, a fried radish dish; it was delicious! It was so nice to eat food that was actually spicy for a change! After dinner, we wandered around Chinatown and headed to a bar called Coq & Balls for cocktails; I could not get over the prices! $20 (Singapore dollars are almost the same as Canadian) for a cocktail, and Judy said those were some of the better prices she has seen... oh my god! Despite this, we had three: a Soju Mojito, a Singapore Sling, and a Negroni. After that, we went for a walk. I thought we were heading home because it was a Wednesday night, and Judy had to work the next day. Still, we stopped at another bar called Blu Jaz for a delicious frozen margarita. When we finished, we wandered along Boat Quay. We saw Marina Bay Sands all lit up and stopped at ANOTHER cocktail bar that had a stunning view of Marina Bay Sands across the river. I had a Strawberry Negroni, and then we made our way home. It was such a fun, spontaneous night. Once home and ready for bed - literally teeth brushed, face washed, pyjamas on, and IN BED - Judy decides we should have a gin & tonic! So we ended up drunk in her kitchen at 3 am on a Wednesday night; let's just say Thursday was no fun for her! 

After relaxing, doing some laundry, and talking to Mom, I headed down the street to the best cafe ever called Bakers Bench. I had a coffee and the most delicious broccoli and camembert sourdough pastry. I could not get over the humidity in Singapore! My hair was wild. I really loved the rainforest/ trees vibe against the city backdrop. I made my way to Judy's school is unbelievable!! It is enormous and has the nicest facilities and learning spaces. She toured me around, and I met many of her coworkers and students and even sat in on some lessons. It was hilarious; I was there for about 15 minutes and saw kids singing karaoke, and a teacher lost his pet fish! After school, we headed to a different Hawker Centre called Lau Pa Sat. We got the most delicious Mala Beef Noodle and Zha Jiang Mian; the food was so tasty! After some food, we headed to a shopping mall (Singapore has so many malls) to get a permanent bracelet together. When that was done, we returned to Judy's and had a chill night in, as we were both tired from the previous night. Singapore feels so bougie; I almost feel a bit out of place sometimes!

Friday was jam-packed! I woke up early to a thunder and lightning storm. Judy brought me a coffee in bed; she is such a fantastic friend! I hung out and drank coffee while she got ready; it was such a lovely, chill morning. Judy has the comfiest bed I have ever slept in in my life! After she left for work, I got ready and went back to Bakers Bench because it was so amazing. I got another fantastic pastry and then started out on a walk. I walked throughout Chinatown and down to Clarke Quay, where I saw the Old Hill Street Police Station and wandered through Fort Canning Park. I went to a cool cafe called Monochrome cafe and got an overpriced coffee. Then I walked around Bugis Street, Arab Street and Haji Lane. They were cool hipster places, like Inglewood in Calgary or Shoreditch in London. I went to see the Supertrees and walked around an observation deck. They were cool to see but could have been more impressive/overpriced. They would be cool to see at night with the light show. I also saw the Flower Dome and returned to Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre for lunch; the food was so good and cheap (for Singapore). I went to see the Merlion and Marina Bay Sands in the daylight. I went home, read my book, swam, and lounged by Judy's pool until she got home. We went for dinner. It was my first time having a hot pot; it was so good! We went and saw the movie One True Loves, which is so random, but it just came out and we both read the book in a day in Cambodia. It was cute but painfully cheesy. Then we went to Blu Jaz on Haji Lane for margaritas and met up with one of Judy's friends. We headed to another bar down the street and got bulldogs and some guac; it was a good, chill night! 

On Saturday, we had a relaxing morning, we once again went to Bakers Bench haha (it is REALLY good), and then we went for a walk. We strolled around the Marina Bay Sands and Boat Quay areas and headed to Level 33. It is a fancy restaurant/brewery known as the world's highest microbrewery. We had a tasty beer and a cheese plate which was tiny but delicious, and we admired the stunning view! Judy then took me to a different Hawker centre called Newton Food Centre, and we got the most delicious baos; I tried Stingray, which was surprisingly good! Back at Judy's, we hung out by the pool, swimming and reading and then I packed up my stuff, ordered some food, and headed to the airport. 

The Singapore Airport is gorgeous and super efficient; it was a fantastic experience! I saw the famous Jewel, the impressive indoor waterfall in the mall across from the airport. On the way home, I flew 13.5 hours from Singapore to Helsinki in Finland, had a 2-hour layover and then flew another 3 hours from Finland to London. It was a long travel day, but I slept a lot, so it didn't feel too bad! Overall, I loved how clean Singapore was. It had a very different feel to anywhere I have ever been; it almost didn't feel like real life - it had a Utopic feeling to it. The sidewalk was super slippery when wet and everything smelled a little like Durian. It was so lovely to spend time with Judy and see her life in Singapore, and it was a nice relaxing way to end my chaotic adventure.