Meag Rad
yum seng!
Hey everyone! I have to start by saying that Singapore is amazing!
The flight from Chicago was 22-hours total. We started with a 15-hour flight from Chicago to Taipei, Taiwan (3-hour layover) then finished our lengthy travel adventure with a 4-hour flight from Taiwan to Singapore. The flights went pretty well and surprisingly fast since we traveled mostly at night.
How it all began
I was originally drawn to Singapore through a class project to promote the sale of a construction product. I, being the overachieving student that I am, wanted a product that sold itself. So naturally, I googled “cool sustainable products” and “amazing construction that saves the world”. Imagine my surprise when I came across, “Gardens by the Bay”, the new 250-acre nature park set to revitalize the infrastructure in Southeast Asia. I was even happier to learn that the “national garden” was reasonably priced and inexpensive to maintain. An easy sell for sure. When the Ryerson Travel Fellowship opportunity came along, I knew where I wanted to go.
Marina Bay Sands & Gardens by the Bay
When planning for the trip, I tried to plan activities along the coast and inland so we could get a good sense of the culture. We started at Marina Bay Sands … most notably recognized for the largest and tallest infinity pool in the world (how could anyone say no to that?!) … we had a room with a picturesque view of the gardens and ended our first night with the supertree light show from our balcony.
Our first full day was spent at the gardens, beginning first with the walkway (admission: $8 SGD) among the trees since it was closing early due to the five-year anniversary celebration. This was followed by trips to the flower and cloud forest domes (admission: $28 SGD). The flower dome was not what I expected, it was very crowded and more green than the colorful flower spread I imagined but the cloud forest did not disappoint! We walked through a vegetated man-made mountain equipped with the tallest indoor waterfall in the world. The walkways weaved in and out of the structure just as if you were walking through a rain forest. We followed this up with a walk around the bay (stopping for photos with the scenic backdrop and famous merlion) and the five-year celebration under the trees.
When we weren’t at the gardens, touring the Louis Vuitton or walking the helix bridge, we spent our time at the pool or in the streets eating amazing food along the water’s edge.
Sentosa Island
Our second day, we took an uber (yes, they have uber) to the S.E.A Aquarium on Sentosa island. We must have gone during feeding hour because the tanks and pools were filled with scuba divers! There were a few glass floor water walkways and underwater tunnels, probably one of the cooler aquariums I’ve been to. Definitely worth it. After our quick but casual walk around the S.E.A., we walked around the town center (Universal Studios entry grounds) and boarded the (free) train to the beach where we sipped drinks that I can’t pronounce until the island ran out of fruit.
Downtown
While coast surfing and island hopping was amazing, it was also more expensive than my shallow, newly graduated and unemployed bank account could afford. We moved inland and spent the rest of our days at the ParkRoyal on Pickering in Chinatown. We set out to visit the Sri Mariamman and Buddha Tooth Relic Temples and ended up taking the MRT (Metro Rapid Transit) to find the nearest hop-on-hop-off tour bus to make sure we saw all there was to see ($49 SGD for 48-hours). Definitely one of our better ideas.
MacRitchie Reservoir Treetop
What’s any vacation without a little hard work? I read somewhere that there was a bridge among the trees and while the website said it included a hike, I don’t think my mom was ready for the 11 km (7 mile) climb to the top in 90-degree heat and 1000% humidity. In any event, the 300 stairs among the steep hills and dense trees was worth it when we finally did reach that treetop bridge. The 300 stairs on the way down didn’t seem so bad either once we got over the initial shock factor. The whole adventure took us about 3 hours.
Champion climber tip: avoid keeping croissant breakfast leftovers in your backpack for fear that monkeys will attack like something straight out of the Wizard of Oz.
Extracurricular Activities
If you’re travelling to Singapore and have extra time I suggest stopping by the famous Raffles Hotel. The colonial-style hotel has been around since 1887 and allows the public into the pool & billiards room, home of the original Singapore Sling ($27 SGD) and the classiest place you’ll ever throw peanut shells on the floor.
Also, be sure to visit Clarke Quay along the Singapore River for more restaurants and night life after visiting the famous Orchard Street for the best shopping in the country.
In Conclusion
Singapore is very clean, organized and visitor friendly! Since it was under British control until 1965, everyone speaks English (and drives on the left side of the road…)!
I would suggest splitting your time between water and land activities. There are plenty of things to do for people of all ages. Next stop, Thailand!
sustainable singapore!
***Hey there! I am following up my Singapore-play-by-play with a sustainability post because the country’s innovation and green motivation is what inspired my visit! I hope this post encourages you to get dressed in the dark and Rollerblade to brunch.***
Most people hear about climate change through world news and political campaigns, however, some countries are taking action to ensure the depleting ozone is a thing of the past!
Singapore, is the most sustainable city in Asia and the second most sustainable city in the world (trailing Zurich) according to the 2016 Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index. Singapore, having climbed from the #10 spot in 2015 to the #2 spot in just one year, has created innovative and cultivate programs that range from smart logistics planning and city master-planning, to green building and construction productivity.
To put things in perspective, New York is the first U.S. city mentioned on the list at #26 followed by Boston at #34, San Fran at #39 and Chicago at #60… with a few others in between.
Though Singaporean government officials are encouraging the movement, the public is the major driving force. Here are five ways Singapore is pushing the boundaries and keeping the competition on their toes!
1. NEWater
Singapore’s government has a goal to be completely water-self-efficient by the year 2061. They are well on their way to this standard with NEWater meeting nearly 40% of the country’s water needs currently!
NEWater is high-grade, reclaimed water produced and filtered by the city’s Public Utilities Board and sold to the public in recyclable bottles. The water is collected through a Deep Tunnel Sewer System and cycled through four different taps separating it into local catchment water, imported water, NEWater and desalinated water while filtering it for its specific use throughout the country.
NEWater has passed more than 150,000 scientific tests to ensure its safe consumption and authenticate its permanence in our future.
2. Local & Organic Mass Production
Singapore is home to several fishing villages and farms alike. Many people survive on their crops and produce being sold to locals and tourists in the streets.
In the last few years, Singapore’s large markets, grocery stores and restaurants have picked up the local goods and started selling them in mass quantities. The producers are now being supported by the thriving markets and the consumers are able to afford the once expensive goods due to the lower manufacturing and transportation costs.
Definitely a win-win!
3. Green Collar Jobs
Green is the new ‘blue’ and ‘white’! Across the country, jobs are being created to maintain the sustainable efforts from designing and manufacturing the new products to installing and keeping them secure to landscaping and monitoring the efficiency progress.
Since sustainability has become a major priority in recent years, Singapore created a new industry, “Facilities Management and Maintenance” or FMM, to support the growing epidemic. This sector has grown so rapidly, in fact, that colleges in the area are offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the subject and government leaders are encouraging enrollment.
To meet its goal of 80% of all buildings being Green Mark Certified by 2030, the country needs about 10,000 facilities management professionals.
4. Car Restrictions & Rebates
It is not very common for natives to have cars in Singapore, they rely heavily on public transportation. The per-capita car ownership rate in Singapore is 12 cars per 100 people. This is not for lack of trying, the Singaporean government has put in place several laws making it unfavorable to have a car in the city.
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Drivers must be 18 years old to qualify for a license including applying for theory lessons.
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Once a driver passes the Basic Theory Test (BTT), a Provisional Driving License (PDL) which lasts for six months, must be applied for before taking the practical driving lesson.
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The last stage of obtaining a driving license is the practical driving test, for which a student must have a FTT pass result slip and a PDL.
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New car buyers are required to buy a Certificate of Entitlement (COE), which is only valid for ten years. The fee of each COE is added on to the costs of a new car based on engine size—Category A is 1,600 cc engine and below; Category B is 1,601 cc engine and above—and is generally lower for Category A vehicles. There are provisions for a rebate of the COE if the car is scrapped before 10 years. The COE fee get up to $80,000 in addition to the price of the car.
If you can swing it, driving an eco-friendly car is rewarded by the government in the form of rebates determined by the Carbon Emissions-Based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS). These rebates range from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on the make and model of the car.
5. Green Building
I recently took a skyscraper studio and the first thing my professor told me was, “Skyscrapers are not sustainable”. While this is true, designers are trying their best to make them as eco-friendly as possible.
Several organizations have sprung up around the world to set standards for new and existing buildings. Green Mark is one of the organizations that monitors Singapore’s construction industry and measures how environmentally friendly a building is. It is Singapore’s plan to be 80% Green Mark Certified on new and existing buildings by 2030. Currently, they are 25% Green Mark Certified and the rate is steadily increasing.
All of these actions are set to inspire the green movement and instigate change. Though some of these actions cannot be done on a small scale, there are many things that can be done by individuals just like you.
Reduce, reuse and recycle.
Don’t take more than you need.
Turn off your lights.
Turn off your water.
Buy local.
Ride your bike.
Don’t litter.
Be a good person.
Get informed.
Get involved.