Singapore on a shoestring

Kim wrote a blog post the other day that sadly disappeared, so I'm going to try and recreate something here! I'm doing it on my iPhone so apologies for the layout but we will sort it later!

We spent a couple of days in Singapore touring the sights and eating up a storm. The Botanic Gardens were as beautiful as last time I went and I insisted Kim take a ride down Orchard Road to see the contrast in the different areas of Singapore.

The Botanic Gardens in Singapore

Our favourite thing about Singapore was the availability of cheap food. In an otherwise expensive city you can still eat for typical Asia prices. Our first night we ate at the Hawker Centre across from our hostel, which is the best thing about staying at the Green Kiwi, as well as the delicious breakfast they serve!

Breakfast at our Hostel

Both day we ate lunch in Little India, and if I could recommend one thing about Singapore it would be this! We went to a little restaurant where we were lead upstairs to eat with all the locals. The food was vegetarian and came out on what I think was banana leaves with a huge variety of sauces, and a man came around giving you seconds. We chose the rice set meal and dosai set meal. As we were waiting for our food I noticed everyone was eating with their hands. So when our food came we ate the dosai, which is a huge rolled crispy pancake, and then embraced the rice set meal with our hands when it became apparent we wouldn't be given a spoon or fork! It was the strangest experience to eat rice and curry with our hands as spoons, as I felt like I was going against everything I was taught about food since I was little. Don't play with it and don't touch it if it's not finger food! The family eating next to us couldn't stop laughing at our attempts to eat with dignity and not look like we didn't know what we were doing! We made a royal mess, when somehow they all made it look easy and clean!

Lunch at Little India

The next day we stopped by a food court by the MRT line and had some more delicious chicken masala and prathas, although this time they gave us plastic forks.

Our last day in Singapore we checked out Raffles Hotel and had a beer at the Fern & Kiwi bar in Clarke Quay.

We then headed to the airport early to have a fish spa. Fish eating at your feet is one of the weirdest things I have ever done! And ridiculously ticklish!

Fish Spa at Singapore Airport, Terminal 1

We arrived in Phuket pretty late that night due to a delayed flight and two hour night tour around Patong since we were the last people to be dropped of in our airport shuttle. I will leave Phuket and its insaneness for the next post!


-Sonja

P.S. We managed to only spend about $120AU in Singapore including accommodation for 3 nights. Budget success! Phuket on the other hand..