Breakfast at Killiney Kopitiam
After a long day of travel and a full nights rest and sleep in, I felt refreshed and ready to explore Singapore. I had a quick chat with my hotel front desk. They recommended a nearby cafe called Killiney Kopitam for traditional Singaporean breakfast fare. I may have been slightly overambitious but I ended up ordering a Nasi Goreng and a Kaya toast with egg and soya sauce. It was way too much food, I was full and couldn’t finish but it was very tasty.
The River walk and the Merlion
After breakfast, I set to explore Singapore. I didn’t have a destination per se, but I did have a direction. From my hotel I started walking along the Singapore river enjoying the cityscape.
Once the river opens into the bay, I walked along the side of the bay until I ended up at the Merlion. The Merlion is considered a mascot of Singapore and is a statue of a fish body with a lion head.
Helix Bridge and The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
I walked around the bay taking photos along the way. Then I crossed the Helix bridge towards the Marina Bay mall. I liked walking along the bridge as it offers some great views of the bay.
With the sun out it started getting warm and heading into the mall was a welcome reprieve from the heat. I spent an hour walking around the mall and eventually settled into their food court for a cold Watermelon drink!
ArtScience Museum
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay in the air conditioned mall all day, so I hopped across the street to the ArtScience Museum where I went through the technology exhibit.
It’s cool because there are a lot of exhibits that demonstrate how art and science work together. There was even a display where I could draw my own minion fish and have it show up on the larger display.
Flower Dome
After the Art and Science building, I walked a short distance along the water until I arrived at the Gardens by the bay. This is a park area located near the Marina Bay Sands hotel and is home to the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. I entered the Flower dome first and was impressed at how elaborate and beautiful the whole dome is. Its lovely and very well maintained. The sheer scale of the dome and how the whole climate is controlled is very impressive! I spent some time going through the different plant species and displays.
Cloud Forest
I moved to the next dome called Cloud Forest which is the world’s largest indoor water fall. Its called Cloud Forest because there are “misting” shows that occur at different times in the day which creates clouds and is its own ecosystem.
After walking around the base, I took an elevator to the top of the waterfall and made my way through the different paths down. Its truly remarkable some of the climate that this building can produce despite the heat of Singapore.
After walking through the entire exhibit, I caught a Grab back to my hotel to rest a little after a good amount of exploring.
328 Katong Laksa
In the evening I bussed out to 328 Katong Laksa for dinner on the recommendation of a friend. Its a famous Laksa spot that has been frequented by some celebrities and I thought I’d give it a shot. It wasn’t busy at all and I ordered one of their famous Laksa dishes.
Its an extremely flavourful broth with lots of seafood and contents. When my order was ready I walked to the counter to pick it up only to find a spoon in the bowl. I asked for chopsticks but the lady said I didn’t need it. What they do is cut up the noodles to smaller pieces so everything can be picked up with the large ladle like spoon. It actually makes for a very easy to eat meal and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Clark Quay
With my stomach full I headed to Clark Quay. I’ve heard it’s a bit of a lively spot in the evenings. Its full of bars and clubs with live entertainment and is a poplar spot among expats. I walked around a little, but eventually didn’t want to partake in any of the partying. The prices are more expensive then other areas and it did seem a bit dead when I was there.
Instead I retreated to my hotel after a long first day in Singapore. My plan for the next day would be a bit more food centric so I hit the hay early with excitement for the next day.