Singapore in December
Thursday, July 3rd 2008
Author: Lynne Wymore Moo
When visiting Singapore, always bring an umbrella.
We thought we had packed well. We stocked our duffels with two different kinds of mosquito repellant, loads of sun screen, plenty of swim suits and all of our summer clothes. We’d read the guide books and had scratched out a rough itinerary for our days in Singapore.
Our plane landed in heavy rain, which turned to a torrential downpour during the taxi ride to our hotel.
I sure hope this lets up soon, I said casually.
It will rain every day, the taxi driver replied. Just as casually, and just as seriously. Carry an umbrella.
By the time we had reached our hotel, the rain had dried up and we determined not to take the cab driver’s warnings too seriously. After settling in, we walked toward the Colonial District and Clarke Quay. We walked in bright sun, but we were sunblocked – no problem. We walked by a tropical river, but we were mosquito-proof – no problem.
The sun hid behind a cloud, and didn’t return. The rain started to fall in small drops. A little water won’t hurt us, we said. And we kept walking. The small drops got larger, and a little water turned into a downpour. We huddled in a doorway, thinking our day might be lost.
A main difference between Singapore and Shanghai can be summed up in our search for an umbrella. In Shanghai, it is not necessary to carry an umbrella. As soon as water falls from the sky, umbrella hawkers place themselves at every doorway in town. It is difficult to walk up the steps from the Metro without treading on someone’s rows of cheap umbrellas. In Singapore, street vendors have been tagged and regulated and placed in hawker centers and shopping malls. No one sold us an umbrella.
We finally found 2 small umbrellas in the basement of a shopping complex, and continued our day with dry faces and shoulders. Through the rest of our weekend, we carried our 2 umbrellas and managed to keep the rain at bay.
We found Singapore an immensely child-friendly city, with nary a crack in the sidewalk and rarely a busy street without an escalator equipped pedestrian bypass. Now, I know that Singapore is best known for its shopping along Orchard Road. And we did ask a taxi driver to take us by Orchard Road, so we could say we had been. But our 1-year-old and 2-year-old have very little patience with department stores, so we headed instead to the cultural sites.
Both the Asian Heritage Museum and the Singapore Botanical Gardens provided places where our children could run and play safely without getting sunburned or trampling on other people’s toes.
Located in the Colonial District and a pleasant walk down the river from our hotel, the Asian Heritage Museum provided an interesting history of Singapore and the islands within its region of Southeast Asia. Many of the displays were colorful and thickly textured, making them eye-catching for young children. But even more to this mama’s liking, scattered throughout the museum were children’s corners stocked with relevant books, dress-up clothes, puzzles and more. These stretched what would have been a quick tour of a museum into an all afternoon outing, where the girls wandered through the nearly empty museum halls from one kids’ room to the next, while my husband and I were able to study the more interesting displays and scan their descriptions.
The Botanical Gardens are located up a tall hill from Orchard Road, and probably only accessible by taxi. But since all taxis are equipped with seat belts, we didn’t mind a bit. Admission is free to this world-class garden, which many people treated as a public garden, bringing their dogs on leashes and their children on bicycles. With wide sidewalks, loads of genre specific gardens and plenty of small, secluded walkways, no one got in each other’s way. The greenery was beautiful and well-displayed. No visitor to Singapore should miss the chance to view the island in its natural yet well-kept state.
Our visit began and ended with hours spent in the Changi Airport, a worthwhile place for any layover or flight delay. We explored multiple playgrounds, gardens and cartoon screening rooms, and never reached most of the entertainment options available.
Essentials:
Flight: Garuda Airlines
www.Garuda-Indonesia.com
Pros: Great stewardesses, armed with spare diapers, toys and baby food; a free stopover en route to Bali.
Cons: Horrible organization; all flights were hours late and counter service at the airport was horrendous.
Price through to Bali, Indonesia: Adults: RMB 3990 + 1690 tax per person; Child in seat: RMB 3080 + 1590; Infant on lap: RMB 1530 + 1480 tax
Hotel in Singapore: The Robertson Quay Hotel
www.RobertsonQuayHotel.com.sg
Pros: Good location, on the river and a simple walk to the colonial district and loads of restaurant choices; simple facility with nice outdoor pool and basic breakfast included. Unbeatable price.
Cons: Our non-smoking request denied, we chose a room with 2 twin beds, which left barely enough floor space for 2 baby travel cots – pack n plays would not fit. Amazingly small rooms and compact bathrooms.
Price: US$130 per night for a double, including breakfast
Sights:
Asian Civilizations Museum – www.ACM.org.sg
Singapore Botanic Gardens – www.SBG.org.sg
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