Singapore

It is stop over time! On our way back to Germany we took a break to explore Singapore and to celebrate Chinese New Year.

After half a day in an airplane and three additional hours in the airplane we arrived in the baking heat. The warm summer days in New Zealand were nothing compared to this. Not being used to the wet heat, we were sweating all day.

We took the MRT (public transport) to our first hostel. The MRT is an easy and cheap way to get around Singapore, I can really recommend it. Sadly, our first hostel was not that good. The bed was way to small for me and the bathrooms were quite dirty. The hostel hosted a lot of people in a very small room and the breakfast was okay at best. Our other hostel on the other hand was much better, with a hotel like atmosphere, clean facilities and friendly staff.

A huge difference was the food. It had more flavour in general and was specially sweeter than the food in New Zealand. We found variations of food we did not knew before, like red bean ice cream. Another difference to New Zealand was the attitude of the people. Kiwis were friendly, laid back and welcoming, while the people in Singapore always treated us as business partners. Singaporeans were always polite towards us, but never as open as the Kiwis.

Singapore is a great destination to be a tourist. It has just stunning architecture, great museums, art galleries and colorful markets. We visited mosques, temples and churches, also many fantastic gardens. It is such a diverse city and has very different corners.

Maeve and I were very lucky with the time we had chosen for our stop over. We were just in time for Chinese New Year, one of the world’s biggest celebrated festivals. To celebrate the beginning of the year of the dog, the hole country was going out. We joined the huge mass of people in Marina Bay, where the famous firework took place in the evening. But the CNY celebration takes longer than just this one evening. Days later we ran into a CNY-parade and the hole Chinatown district was decorated. I am very happy we were able to take part in this madness, this was surely something to remember.

Singapore and New Zealand are quite the opposite in many aspects, but that is the reason, why they fitted perfectly together for this journey, which is nearly over after Singapore. It was a wonderful time and I can recommend everyone to do this or something like this once in a lifetime.

Thanks to everyone who shaped this journey or followed us online. Thank you for listening, I really enjoyed writing this blog.

“The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone.
Let others follow, if they can!
Let them a journey new begin.
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

Still ’round the corner there may wait
A new road or secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.”

–Roads Go Ever On by J. R. R. Tolkien