Singapore, playground for the rich

Located at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula, Singapore is a tiny city-state that holds a heavy reputation. It's home to some of the wealthiest people in the world and it holds the record for most populated collection of billionaires. Singapore is known to be expensive, and of course I've had my eyes set on one of the most expensive places in the city; The Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I planned a trip to Singapore specifically for this dazzling hotel, and I honestly don't think I would've bothered coming if I wasn't so enamored by the hotel. I planned on having a "staycation" where I'd basically live either in my bathrobe gazing out at my bedroom views, or in my bathing suit at the highest infinity pool in the world. Though I did do both, I managed to do much more than I was planning in Singapore, and absolutely loved it!
For as much as I've traveled, I've done very little solo travel and Singapore got off to a slow start, as I figured it would. Although I light up around people I know, I'm painfully shy when it comes to strangers and I'd rather spend time alone as opposed to making small talk with people I don't know. My first afternoon in Singapore I checked into a far less expensive hotel and spent the afternoon lounging at the pool. I enjoyed quiet meals at the poolside restaurant with the company of my book, but eventually I had to get out and see the city that I had come so far to explore. I was just over a mile from the infamous Marina Bay, so I headed in that direction on foot, hoping to check out some sights along the way. The further I walked, the more I realized what a strange city Singapore is, especially compared to other Asian countries and cities. For starters, it's not crowded. I'll blame that on the fact that I was wandering through the business section for a while, but even after that there were very few people even out in the touristy areas. I never had to fight for space on the sidewalk, never had to fear my life while crossing the street and there was always room to sit on public transportation. It was weird, but a very nice breath of fresh air compared to the normal insanity of Asia.
Another huge difference in Singapore is how well it's maintained. Besides Swiss cities I don't think I've even been in a place that is so clean and proper. There are garbage cans and recycling bins always within your vision, the sidewalks and streets are clean and taken care of and there's absolutely no litter anywhere. Singapore is known as the "fine city", meaning that there's a penalty for almost any negative action you take towards the city. There's a hefty fine for littering and there's mixed reports on whether chewing gum is illegal (I think just purchasing gum in large quantities isn't allowed). This system is clearly working for them, because Singapore is spotless.
Although I did very few activities during my 48 hours in Singapore I absolutely loved this city, especially compared to other Asian locations. Although the energy of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur can be fun at times, I'm a sucker for order and simple things and Singapore gave me exactly that. There's no questioning or guessing here; restaurants and coffee shops are clearly labeled as so, there's no wandering down a random alley and eating at broken plastic tables. Signs towards the public transit are clear and large so there's barely an opportunity to get lost. And most importantly, they follow traffic laws! A red light actually means stop, and there's no chance of a car barreling past you even though you have the walk signal. Coming to Singapore alone I thought I would always be second guessing myself, questioning which way to go or struggling to find a good place to eat. I think this was a great city to visit alone, because it was so simple! It also doesn't hurt that English is a national language, making directions a lot easier.
Singapore was a good end to my seven months in Asia and it helped ease me back into the Western world. A world where water is free, streets are clean, people drive on the right side of the road, and the currency doesn't require complicated math.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

The Marine Bay Sands hotel, as seen from the harbor. 

 

 

Many moons ago I sat in my Intro to Tourism class at Ohio University and learned about the beauty that is Marina Bay Sands (MBS). Designed by Las Vegas Sands (the mastermind behind the stunning and intricate hotels of Vegas), MBS is a noteworthy contribution to their collection of unique hotels around the world. It's rumored to be the most expensive casino property in the world and it also is home to the world's highest and largest infinity pool. When I studied this hotel in school I couldn't even place Singapore on a map, but I still added it to my bucket list, knowing that I had to stand on top of that hotel one day.
As soon as I began looking into jobs in Asia I started planning a stay at MBS and subconsciously prepared to spend $450 for one night in a hotel. I like to think that the past six years of staying at cheap hostels helps even out the price a little. As my Asian adventure was coming to an end I figured it was more than a good idea to go out with a bang, and I spent my last two nights in Asia blowing my money in Singapore. I started my stay with a sensible mind and booked a smaller and cheaper hotel for my first evening in the city. I spent the first 24 hours wandering through China Town and various other classic Singapore sights, because I knew that the rest of my time would be spent inside MBS. Check-in at MBS technically starts at 3pm, but my overeager self showed up an hour early which seemed to be no problem to the staff. Check-in was a breeze and within 15 minutes of arrival I was in my hotel room. With over 2,500 rooms I figured that the lobby would be crazy during the afternoon but they seemed to have a pretty good system down, and there were never any long lines.
I'll let the pictures do most of the talking for this post, but needless to stay, my 21 hours at MBS were amazing. I was worried that such a large hotel wouldn't have the customer service and general attention that I'm used to from smaller hotels, but they appear to be very well staffed for the amount of people they host each day. I've read that they directly employ 10,000 people, but that can't be confirmed.

Bedroom view

 I booked the most simple of rooms with no package add-ons (such as breakfast or airport transportation) and I also chose the garden view over the harbor view ($30 cheaper). I figured garden view meant I would be looking at a courtyard, but clearly Singapore has higher standards than that. Pictured above is the stunning view from my 43rd floor balcony. Off to the left I was able to see part of the harbor that wraps around to the front of the hotel and the rest of my view looked out to the Singapore Straight. Singapore is home to the world's second busiest freighter port in the world and it was very interesting to see the number of ships that came and went during the day.

From certain angles it seems that the water just drops off the edge into the city below

The biggest appeal to MBS is the rooftop pool, which is only accessible to hotel guests. It sits on the roof of the hotel, connecting the three seperate buildings. Although it can definitely get crowded at times, the pool itself is more than 3x the length of an Olympic swimming pool, so it can hold plenty of guests.

No need to be nervous about swimming up to the edge, there are plenty of barriers between you and the ground

Sitting 55 stories high the infinity pool gives unparalleled views of Singapore. Getting close to the edge will offer you views of the harbor below, including the floating soccer field which is visible in the bottom left of the above picture.

The length of the rooftop platform is longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower

The majority of my stay at MBS was spent lounging in the pool and drinking $14 beers. Pool hours are from 6am to 11pm so there were plenty of times to enjoy the area without swarms of people in my personal space. $450 is a lot to spend on a hotel, and I never would have considered it had it not been for this record breaking pool. For me, this was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm grateful that I saved up for one night in this crazy location.
I was also very satisfied with my room in the hotel. The bed was comfortable, there were many English channels on TV and the blinds closed with a remote control. Besides that there's not much to write home about and the room itself doesn't rival my first night in Singapore where I spent $130 at Park Hotel. I had good service from friendly staff but I'm a firm believer that if $10/night hostels can provide free breakfast, then I could at least get some eggs from a five star hotel. Did I love it? Yes! Will I stay there again? Not unless someone else is paying.





** This post was written on a German keyboard with no spell check, so please ignore any errors you see :)

Bali, Indonesia

Bali is a small island located in Indonesia

After a few days of falling in love with Kuala Lumpur, Emiliya and I headed south of the equator to Bali, Indonesia. My major bucket list item for Indonesia was the Gili Islands, which are located east of Bali, so it seemed necessary to at least take a few days to explore the much-loved island of Bali along the way. Bali got it's claim to fame after Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love hit the shelves in 2006. The book tells the true story of Elizabeth Gilbert as she travels the world in search of herself after recently ending her marriage, along the way she stops in Italy, India and ends her year of travel in Bali, Indonesia. Known for it's "soul-searching" aspect, Bali is home to yoga retreats, medicine men and is rumored to have more temples than homes. Gilbert finds true happiness and love while in Bali, and as a result there has been a huge increase in travel to this part of the world ever since her book hit the New York Time's best seller list. A typical trip to Bali usually includes yoga retreats, temple visits and general detox from the world.

Front entrance to our hostel

I, however, had different plans for my quick visit to Bali. I've never found myself to be much of a spiritual person, and personally I don't feel that I need to do any soul searching. For me, Bali was a nice vacation lounging by the pool and enjoying delicious (and cheap) food. With no real plans it was easy to just relax and talk to the other backpackers and travelers staying at our hostel. Each day we took to the streets, strolling along in search of cute boutiques, souvenirs and gelato. Our hostel itself was an awesome experience to be a part of. It reminded me much more of a resort as opposed to a hostel and the area took up a large portion of land with many different buildings. There were hammocks hung up in the shade, koi ponds filled with fish, bamboo huts for taking naps, bookshelves everywhere, and plenty of rooms for sleeping.

The pool area of our hostel

Talking with some of the other travelers at our hostel, it became evident that a trip to Bali isn't complete without a trek to the top of Mt. Batur for sunrise, so without even questioning it we quickly found ourselves handing over $23 and agreeing to a 2am pickup for the next morning. Mt. Batur is an active volcano located on the island of Bali and it has an amazing overlook to a lake and other mountains. Everyone was right when they said it's a popular thing to do in Bali, from our hostel alone we had 9 people going, and our entire hike up the mountain you could look down in the dark and see a steady stream of hikers lighting their way with flashlights. The day before our hike there were numerous people complaining about their sore muscles and sleeping away their exhaustion, so I built it up in my head as a pretty challenging endeavor. Fortunately my mind played tricks on me and the reality of the hike wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. The two hour hike was in no way easy, but it helped that it was still the middle of the night when we started the climb, so the chilly mountain air felt refreshing as we hauled ourselves up. While waiting for the sunrise we got a filling breakfast and got time to talk with our fellow hikers and then we all watched together as the sun slowly peeked through the clouds and lit up the lake below us. It was definitely a site worth seeing and I would advise it to anyone who finds themselves in Bali!

Sunrise from the top of Mt. Batu 

On our way back to the hostel we all fell asleep within minutes of leaving the parking lot, only to be woken up 30 minutes later when we arrived at a coffee plantation. We were all exhausted, but the promise of free coffee was enough to get us out of the car. Bali is famous for their coffee plantations, and no one seems to know just how many there are, instead they just know that there are a lot. We got a quick tour of the area and saw how the coffee beans are grown, and then we got to sit down for a sample of five coffees and two teas. I'm proud to say that after 24 years on this earth I have finally found a tea that I like! Lemongrass tea! Lemongrass is an ingredient used all over Asia, especially in Thailand, and it's a scent that I quickly fell in love with, but I never thought to try the tea. I found my way to the tiny shop at the coffee plantation to buy myself some lemongrass tea to take home, and I hope I'll be able to find more once I finish my first batch.

Coffee and tea sampling at the coffee plantation

Cloudy sites as we made our way down the volcano

After our eventful morning of trekking and coffee sampling we made it back to our hostel where I took the deepest nap I've ever experienced. Three hours of sleep followed by way too much physical activity leaves me pretty useless. We spent the rest of our day swimming and eating and then settled in for our last night in Bali. Next up: Gili Islands!

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Logistical Info

- We stayed at In Da Lodge Hostel for $9/night. It's in a good location in Ubud and is a very popular hostel for the area.

- Ubud is located about an hour from the Bali airport and a taxi ride was around $30 one way.

- Meals and living are very cheap in Indonesia. A meal including appetizers and drinks is usually only around $5.

- Most hostels and hotels are in touch with tour companies for Mt. Batur and they'll include pick-up and drop-off at your accommodations. The tour is $23 and includes transportation, numerous guides on the hike (in case your group gets split up due to speed), breakfast, entrance and sampling at the coffee plantation.
- We booked our transportation to Gili Islands from our hostel. It was $45 for a roundtrip van (to the ferry docks) and ferry ride. The return can be to your previous residence in Bali, or somewhere else on the island.

Paradise on Gili Air

Eating lunch on pillows at the edge of the ocean
The mountains in the background are from neighboring islands

We often saw storm clouds in the distance, but nothing
ever went over Gili Air

An hour east of Bali are the three Gili islands. Gili, means small island in the local language, and that's exactly what these islands are. Stunning photos of these islands have crept their way into my life over the last few years, and before I even knew exactly where the Gili islands were I knew I needed to get there eventually. Since living in Asia I've learned of countries I've never even heard of, and it's been really cool to see what the locals casually talk about in terms of geography. They may not be able to point out New York on a map, but of course everyone in Asia has heard of the Gili islands! Talking with the locals has given us great vacation locations that I never would've found on my own.
After talking with some other travelers it seemed that Gili Trawangan is the most popular (and largest) of these three islands, it's the classic backpacker scene filled with bars and hostels on the beaches. However, I've already had my fair share of backpacker scene, and instead Emiliya and I decided to splurge on a bungalow on the smaller and quieter island of Gili Air. Now when I say "splurge" I mean $40 a night for a poolside bungalow, walking distance from the beach. Gotta love Asia!

Poolside view from our bungalow

We booked four nights at Gili Air Bungalows and enjoyed our long weekend of swimming and eating our way around the island. Gili Air is still pretty off the grid in comparison to other Asian countries, they just got their only ATM last year. There are no cars on the island, only horse-drawn carriages and a handful of electric bikes driven by the locals. The roads aren't paved, instead they're a mix of sand and dirt roads.

Indonesia has been very vegetarian
friendly. Veggie burger on the beach! 

It's been so refreshing to spend time on this little island with absolutely no plans. Each morning we wake up to a delicious and huge breakfast from our hotel and then we spend the morning swimming in the pool and relaxing in the sun with our books. From there we eventually head out to the main strip and find a new restaurant for lunch, soaking in the ocean views while we eat. It's rumored to only take about an hour to walk around the entire island, but we've mainly stuck to the main areas near the ferry dock because we can find all we need in that area. There are plenty of opportunities to rent snorkels or going on diving trips, there are kayaks to rent and stand up paddle boards; it's a water lover's dream!

Dirt roads and horse drawn carriages 

I think this is my first vacation in a while where I've spent more time talking with the locals as opposed to meeting other travelers, and I love it. Everywhere we go the waitstaff are so eager to talk with us, Emiliya is always getting complemented on her Armenian looks and people are always so amused by my curly hair. They want to know where we're from, where we're going next, and what we've seen in the world. We have yet to meet anyone that is specifically from Gili Air, it seems instead more people relocate to this island from nearby areas; but even if they've only lived and worked on this island for a few months they're always so proud of their new home and are eager to hear our praises about our stay.

Getting in my daily chocolate fix
with triple chocolate mousse

Southeast Asia is known for being a cheap place to vacation, and Thailand itself was a very cheap place to live. However, when it comes to touristy areas it's common to find higher prices and after a day site seeing in Thailand it's easy to find yourself spending much more money than you were planning. Indonesia has been the first place where I can truly splurge on whatever I want and not be startled with how much I'm spending. Even with eating out for every meal I've never spent more than $6 at a restaurant, and that includes drinks and appetizers. A "day out" for us on Gili Air would include both meals eaten in a restaurant, an afternoon stop for coffee, maybe some gelato, and purchasing a few souvenirs. Doing all of that in either Gili Air or in Bali would never total more than $15. The only place where I've been losing money in Indonesia is on the transportation. An hour taxi ride from the Bali airport was $30, which is good compared to the States or Europe, but compared to other Asian countries it's more than double. Ferries are also very expensive, my roundtrip ticket from Bali to Gili was $45, but expensive ferry tickets seems to be a common thing for all Asian islands.
While traveling around to more than one location the thought of my next city is usually enough to keep me moving, but right now there are no thoughts that can pull me from this beautiful island and lifestyle. If I didn't already have my next plane ticket purchased I don't know when I'd leave this place! I say this for practically everywhere I visit, but, I can't wait to come back to Gili Air.

Unexpected happiness in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is located on the peninsula of mainland Asia

After my sister visited last week it was time to jet off to some of the surrounding countries of Thailand. My first plan was to head to Kuala Lumpur (KL) to meet up with Emiliya. KL was an unplanned visit in our tour of Asia, we mainly stopped there because it's in between Thailand and Indonesia and we figured it was worth a visit since we'd be passing right by it. Before landing I only knew a handful of things about the country and city: they're predominantly muslim, homosexuality is illegal, and it's humid. Honestly, I had low expectations for KL and figured a long weekend would be more than enough to get my Malaysian fix. I don't think any opinion I've had on a city has been more wrong than my uneducated opinions on KL. Within 48 hours I was falling hard for KL and already planning visits back to explore more of Malaysia.
It's important to keep in mind that although I've traveled a little while living in Thailand I've mainly spent all of my time in developing countries. Malaysia was my first experience in a developed country in over six months, so that alone was a pretty exciting endeavor for me. The majority of my time in Asia has been in Thailand, so it's been easy to compare KL to what's fresh in my memory as opposed to an American or European city.

The Petronas Towers, the world's largest twin towers

My first impressions of KL were very positive, the city itself has a good vibe and they're much more developed and clean than the crazy Bangkok I just left behind. I was grateful to see far less litter, which I can only attribute to the fact there are garbage cans everywhere (very unlike Thailand). The streets and sidewalks are well maintained and it's actually possible to walk on the sidewalk or cross the street without fear of getting hit (again, unlike Thailand). I also quickly noticed how little plastic is being wasted here. Thailand is notorious for their usage of plastic. No matter what you're buying they'll put it in a plastic bag, even if it's just a pack of gum or bottle of water. On top of that, everyone in Thailand uses plastic water bottles, going through many in a day. I immediately noticed how many people in KL were walking around with reusable water bottles, but that can be contributed to the fact that many locals in KL drink the tap water, whereas Thai tap water is unsafe for consumption. There is also much more English (and a higher level of English) in KL than I've ever found in Asia. Malaysia is much more developed than the previous places I've been, so a higher level of English is to be expected, but it was still a shocking encounter for me.

A mosque visible from the monorail line

There isn't one big thing that stands out for my love of KL, instead it's all of the little things combined. It just seems like an extremely livable city, and is much more put together than I was expecting for an Asian capital. There are plenty of places to get free drinking water, which is a necessity in 100% humidity. There are many boutiques and malls, making fashion an easy thing to come by. The streets are lined with restaurants and coffee shops, so there's always a place to stop and chat with friends, or relax in the AC for a bit. My personal favorite part was the mix of ethnicities, cultures and religions. The majority of Malaysians practice Islam, but Buddhism and Catholicism are also recognized. It was an incredible experience to be on the public rail system, whizzing past mosques and churches on the same block.

Entrance to the Batu Caves, home to
a Hindu temple

In the hopes of not sounding terribly ignorant or racist, I had a revelation that I'd like to share: Growing up in America I've basically been raised thinking that Muslim women are often wearing their hijab as a form of oppression. I've also been raised to think that Muslim societies are extremely patriarchal, and women aren't given the same opportunities as men (it doesn't help that I just finished reading I Am Malala, where these stereotypes hold true). I was amazed when I first landed in Kuala Lumpur to see women of all types in positions of authority. There were female police officers, decked out in their uniform and badges, also wearing a hijab. There were store workers, restaurant owners, security staff at the train stations; all women of different colors, backgrounds and religions, some with a hijab and some without. It was a breath of fresh air for me because I honestly thought I was going to be landing in this oppressed land, run only by men, and I was pleasantly surprised to see women in the work force as well. Now obviously I don't know the true logistics of this country, after only being there for four days, but I was glad to see that their presentation as a city came off as very well rounded and developed.

Trying out some Indian food

This Southeast Asia trip is quickly turning into a food tour for myself, and we indulged in as many new and delicious meals that we could find while in KL. Because the city is such a crazy mix of cultures they have an awesome variety in their restaurants, and I was able to try out a lot of Lebanese and Indian food. Thailand often holds the stereotype for delicious food in Asia, but I'm finding many more delicious vegetarian options the more I'm traveling. Bring on the falafel!
We really didn't do a ton of activities during our time in KL, instead we just soaked up the culture and enjoyed some of the sights near our hostel. I loved the vibes from this city and it was a really great place to just wander around and relax with a tasty meal. Everyone is friendly and very eager to practice their English and we had some really great conversations with some of the local people. Emiliya got stopped numerous times to have her picture taken with people, which we found very amusing! That's something that never gets old. I was very impressed with the people, culture and city itself in KL and I hope that I'll be able to return to Malaysia and learn more about their country.

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Logistical Info

- We stayed at Twenty5 hostel which was a great experience. It's on the 25th floor of an apartment building and offers stunning views of the city skyline. It's located within five minutes of public transportation, and the hostel itself is very livable and has a great setup. Rooms were about $10/night. I briefly mentioned the layout in this post.
- Public transportation in KL is relatively cheap and very widespread. KL Sentral is the main hub of all transportation, and from there you can transfer to various lines. However, their rail system isn't the same as most others. Instead of it being all one big system, KL rail is made up of various different companies and you have to actually leave the station and go inside the mall to transfer to a new line. It was confusing at first, but once you know where you're headed it's very easy to hop on the next train.
- The train connects to the airport, costing about $10 to get into the city.
- KL is cheap. A full meal starts at just a few dollars and public transportation is under a dollar for each ride.