CAIT AROUND THE WORLD

May 16, 2023 — My flight to Singapore left at 10:50am on May 16 and I was so enjoying my king-size bed in my first private room in months that I almost missed it! (Sort of.)

I woke up to my first alarm at 6:30am (which I’d set so that I could get up, have another shower, have some breakfast at the hotel, and make sure I had everything packed before I left for the airport on the free shuttle at 8:00am) and turned it off, then rolled over for a little longer. I had alarms set for 6:45 and 7:00 as well but I can honestly say I don’t even remember them going off. Thankfully, I woke up to my phone buzzing at 8:13am when my mom called because I hadn’t texted that I was up yet.

I got up, changed, packed, and checked out in record time, then took the 9:00am shuttle to the airport. I’d chosen my hotel specifically because it was so close to the airport, so I arrived very shortly after 9:00 and joined the check-in line because I hadn’t been able to check in online. The check-in line was absolutely packed and keeping in mind, of course, that I was less than two hours from departure at this point, I was just a little worried. That said, I think that basically everyone in that line was on the same flight as me. It took a solid forty-five minutes, but eventually I got up to the front and was given my boarding pass, then made for security after pulling my stuff out. (I got flagged for my nail clippers this time!)

After I got through security (which always goes faster than I think it will), I headed toward the gate. Very thankfully, there were plenty of shops right near the gate where I could grab a coffee and a small something for breakfast because I was very hungry and very in need of caffeine. I sat down long enough to eat and gulp my coffee (both of which were very delicious) and by then they were calling passengers to line up for boarding. (Boarding was quite the exercise. Announcements were not put over a speaker so I was trying to listen for my rows and I could barely hear. People were grouped in a crowd rather than lines and I had to really shove through when my row was called. Definitely one of the more disorganized boardings, but ah, well.)

The plane to Singapore was hands-down the cutest thing I’ve ever been on in my life. I’m not saying that because it was small — quite the opposite, actually — but because it was Pikachu-themed. The outside had images of Pikachu and friends on it, the plane’s name was Pikachu, and there were stickers covering the inside showing Pikachu and other characters. The crew had Pikachu ears on and when they made announcements over the speakers, there were periods where they had Pikachu come on and speak. So cute, so funny. I love unique plane journeys like this.

The flight to Singapore took just under three hours. When we landed, I was on my way out of the airport when I remembered that I had meant to stop at the Apple Store in the airport (yes, an Apple Store in the airport) to inquire about fixing my watch before I headed into the city. I made my way back upstairs and headed to the mall area (yes, a mall in the airport). Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything they could do for me, but I got to see the waterfall! (Yes, a waterfall in an airport.) Having had no luck at the store, I headed into the city.

There are trains from the airport to a connecting station, where you can then take the train into the city (I say train — it’s a subway system).

I got off at the stop that Google Maps told me to (praise be for modern technology) and headed up, walking the rest of the way to the hostel. It took me a few tries to find it, though! I was staying at Atelier Hostel in Singapore, right in Chinatown, and it is connected to cafe at the front. I didn’t know this before I got there, and I actually walked past it a couple of times before I noticed the seating area in the back that looked like the pictures online. I went inside and got everything sorted. The staff there were so incredibly nice and their hospitality was amazing. They insisted I sit, take a load off, offered water (which was delicious) and checked me in with no rush whatsoever. They gave a full rundown on the hostel and the amenities and it just felt like such a nice place.

When I did get up to the room, I stowed my things and settled onto the bunk for several minutes before getting up because I was absolutely desperate for something to eat. I didn’t really know what to go for — I wanted something close by and there were a number of options. Nothing really floated my boat, though. At a loss, I pulled out my Singapore plan (taken basically verbatim from Lonely Planet) and found the name of the hawker centre they recommended. It was a few minutes’ walk from my hostel, and that made the decision for me. Away I went!

It turned out to be a really excellent decision. Hawker centres (the one I went to was the Maxwell Hawker Centre) are basically huge indoor cafeterias, with food stalls set up in rows, selling everything from coffee and other drinks to traditional dishes from tons of different countries. I walked by a Thai place and decided it sounded best. (Bonus: Hawker centres are also quite cheap! And Singapore is quite expensive compared to other Southeast Asian countries — think prices on par with Canada and the United States for food, accommodation, and activities.) I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and I got a homemade iced tea at a stall just a few doors down. It was, hands down, the best iced tea I’ve ever had, and I was really enjoying flavoured teas while I was travelling in Southeast Asia.

Full and thirst sated, I thought about walking some more and checking out the city. I was on my way to do just that when I changed my mind and decided I really just wanted some downtime. I headed back to the hostel and laid down for quite a while.

By the time I got up, I was just in time to catch the second light show of the evening at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which happens every night. The light show, called “Spectra,” is pretty cool, but I definitely suggest being nice and close to the show — don’t try to watch from the viewing spot across the water that you can see on Google Maps. It’s very nice, but I was expecting something a bit more impressive. After the show, I walked around for a while, exploring the area, and called home. I’d purchased a three-day eSIM from ByteSim for my phone before leaving Indonesia and activated it in the airport later that day. It worked really well!

I actually found out about the eSIM through the chat feature on Hostelworld. I booked my stay at Atelier Hostel through Hostelworld and when you do that, you gain access to a hostel-only chat! Someone asked what SIM to get for Singapore and another person responded with the ByteSim, which I discovered had a three-day option — perfect for my needs!

I walked around the Marina Bay Sands centre, which is a huge shopping centre attached to the hotel itself and which holds numerous stores, has a waterfall and a river that you can actually boat down, and houses a casino. Pretty crazy!

I headed back to the hostel after I got off the phone, went to the room, showered, and crawled into bed so that I could get up and do lots of exploring the next day!

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