Day 16: A Chill Day in Singapore, Singapore (Saturday May 27th, 2023)

After yesterday's long adventures, I wanted to sleep in today. I still woke up around 8:30 and finally got up around 9:00. Check out time at my hostel was 10:00, so I had about an hour to get ready. I did a quick 5min yoga session to kick off the day. Since all of my roommates were awake, I did it in our room with A/C since I figured the main common room would be quite busy by now. After I got ready and packed up all of my things, I went down to the common area to eat breakfast and check out. 

Afterwards, I caught the bus to go over to Michael and Van's apartment. They graciously offered to host me for a few days! It was about an hour by bus plus a little walking. 

When I arrived, it was around 11:30. We hung out for a while and chatted, getting to know each other. Then we all headed to the grocery store together to pick up a few things. I got some items for breakfast and to make a picnic lunch, plus aloe because I got sunburned on the grab ride on the way to the airport in Indonesia, and it was worse than I thought. Buying aloe in Singapore ($15 SGD) isn't exactly what I wanted, but I needed it to take care of myself and was better than nothing. 

Once we got back to their apartment, we ate lunch and stayed talking for a while. Eventually, Van got really tired from working night shifts and went to take a nap. I wanted to explore a bit more today, and thought a chill beach day would be nice. Then followed by the light shows down by the bay. 

I packed up my backpack for the beach and took the bus to Sentosa. It took about 1:30 by bus, so I didn't arrive until almost 4:00. Which was late, but also meant it wasn't the hottest part of the day. Taking the bus also took longer than the monorail, but it also avoided the $4 entry fee onto the island. 

Once I arrived, it was very obvious that it was a manmade beach. Even from the map I could tell because everything is perfectly shaped. There was a lagoon formed bay to protect from the ocean and boat waves. Plus, a large blow up play area for kids. All protected by rock formed jetties. 

I took a dip in the water, hoping to cool off and feel refreshed. But it was honestly so warm! It was slightly cooler than the air, but barely. The water was also pretty clear for it being oven water. Not the same crystal blue of Indonesia though. 

I stayed at the beach for about an hour while I worked on my blog. But I eventually wanted to make my way downtown for sunset and the light show. 

After enjoying the beach, I went to checkout the jetty nearby because it had a lookout tower. It was connected by a narrow suspension bridge - that people were so slow and hesitant in crossing. Once I arrived on the jetty, it also turns out to be the southern most point of continental Asia! 

I took in the views, then headed on my way. They had showers to rinse off in, which was nice. These were honestly cooler and more refreshing than the ocean too! 

Once I got to Marina Barrage, which is a locally known spot for sunset, it was about 6:30 which was perfect time for golden hour. I had arranged with some other backpackers via the Singapore group chat to meet up here too. I met up with Elsie but unfortunately right before sunset, it started to pour! We went under the roof to stay dry. We were meeting a few other people as well, so we stuck around until about 7:15 at a meetup spot. Two more people joined us, and then we made our way towards the Garden by the Bay Light Show. Elsie and I also hadn't ate dinner yet, so we stopped by the hawker center by the bay to get some noodles and rice. By then, another girl metup with us too. 

We made it to the light show just in time at 7:45. It was crowded, but thankfully since the show was above is in the trees, it was easy to see. The show was alright, but I wasn't blown away. I think it was partly the music choice accompanying the lights. It is probably better suited towards kids and families. 

After that, there was another light show in front of Marina Bay Sands Hotel. The 8:00 show was cancelled, which gave us time to get over to the other side for the 9:00 show. I almost went home at this point since I was so hot and gross. Even though I rinsed at the beach, I still felt covered in sweat, sunscreen, salt water, etc. But I knew I wouldn't come back down to the bay another night to see it. So I figured since I'm here, I should just wait.

I was more impressed by this show and I'm glad that I waited around to see it. The lights and music were timed perfectly with the fountains and it had more of a "wow" factor to me. 

After the light show, the others met up with more people from the group chat for some drinks, but I headed back to Michael and Van's apartment. It would take me an hour to get there and I wanted to shower and go to bed. I'm not as much of a late night party person, and would rather get up early the next day. Plus, I was considering extending a day to see Pulua Ubin, so I would rather use the time and money exploring than on a $20+ drink.