I took a cheap bus which dropped me off right outside my hostel. Okay, now I've stayed in plenty of mixed-gender hostel dorms before, and they've (mostly) been great. So when I saw this cheap "20-person mixed gender" option online, I only thought about it a little bit before putting down a reservation.
I'm not gonna lie, when I checked into a room in the middle of the night and saw what felt like 19 half naked dudes in bunk beds, I didn't feel the most comfortable. But I managed.
5 hours later I got up to catch an 8:30 free walking tour a friend had recommended (best decision ever I also highly recommend it more on this later). Between the morning traffic and getting majorly lost inside a maze of a shopping center (Bugis Junction), I got to the meeting place half an hour late (typical Jenny). I was super sad but turns out the tour didn't start until 9:30, so I was actually the earliest I've ever been to something :p winning!
Wei, our tour guide of Indie Walking Tours, was amazing. Because I had a hectic couple months, I didn't do any research on Singapore/Indonesia prior to my travels, and knew nothing about them. Wei changed all that. He really showed us why we all should love Singapore. Also I made some awesome friends along the way :)
Why I love Singapore
Culture
Singapore is the most multicultural country I've visited, and yes including the US. There are about 10 official religions (each of which gets one official national holiday), and 20 sub-official ones. Since Singapore is such a small country, this means you've got temples, churches, mosques, etc. right next to each other. There are even cultures that are full-on combinations of 5 other cultures (Peranakan is one, I'm fascinated by it and can't wait to go to its museum). There is so much history and so many stories to be learned.
Because of this, as you walk around the city you'll find Chinese massage parlors next to Hindu temples, next to Muslim fabric bazaars, next to Malay food stands. Just cultural overload. I love it.
Food
It's a cultural food melting pot too! There's Chinese influenced Malay food, Indian influenced Arab food, etcetc. I'm gonna write a whole separate post on my foodventures :)
Other things
There are SO many museums. And musical light shows (which I can't wait to go to). And bazaars, and hawker food stands, and cheap freshly squeeze juice. I think I could spend weeks here and not be bored.
Favorite today
I spent most of my day in Kampong Glam near the Arab quarters. This existed because Muslims who used to make the Haj pilgrimage by boat will stop at Singapore to replenish supplies. There were beautiful textiles, colorful fabrics, mesmerizing Persian lamps, and perfume in beautiful bottles everywhere. I bought myself 3 bottles of customized perfume for a bargain price of $20!
Okay, the sun is down. I'm off to join the Ramadan party food tents!
Edit: and this is what that looked like:
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