The famous, ultra-modern island of Singapore is at the top of most travelers’ to-do lists. The island is diverse in every way: the people, the neighborhoods, the food, etc., so I needed two posts to explain it. This first post is dedicated to the shiny, futuristic, skyscraper and super tree-filled Singapore that I was expecting.
Also, my friend Pat visited Asia for ten days! Being the obsessive photo-taker that I am, he became the subject of about five million photos that I took for the duration of his trip. We met at the airport in Singapore and as soon as we arrived and saw the giant indoor waterfall (the tallest indoor waterfall in the world by the way) it was very clear that it would be unlike anywhere else I’d visited in Southeast Asia.
The forest in the airport…? 
Kind of cool but also kind of really excessive…. 
Pat inspecting brochures that we wouldn’t end up using at all.
Gardens by the Bay is where the iconic “super trees” of Singapore reside and was the most highly recommended activity in Singapore, so that was our first stop. The super trees were cool, but the best part of Gardens by the Bay was the Cloud Forest, a huge indoor rainforest. The point of the attraction is to learn about cloud forest environments and the plants and nature there, but we just walked around and enjoyed the colorful flowers, waterfalls, weird carnivorous plants, and (most of all) escape from the heat outside.
First glimpse of the city. 
Supertrees! 
In the Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay. 
This was pretty cool. 
Pat made fun of me for taking close-up photos of flowers but I think they really add to the aesthetic of this blog post. 
Murderous (carnivorous) plants. 
Falling water. 
We walked up there on that bridge. 
Okay, maybe the flower close-ups are a little bit basic. 
Purty. 
Supertrees! (And the walkway we didn’t pay to go up to.)
We spent a good amount of our time in Singapore getting lost because the maps were confusing. It was alright though (see photos below).
Pat being a tourist. 
Artsy photo of the skyline. 
Future bridge. 
Another photo of the future bridge. 
Non-artsy photo of the skyline.
We also went to the National Gallery of Singapore, which was extra cool because apparently it was National Museum Day, so we got to go for free!
Yes, I took a photo of the free entry sign. I was very excited about saving $25 okay! 
Favorite #1 from the National Gallery. 
Favorite #2 from the National Gallery.
Day one in Singapore ended with delicious Indian food near our hotel in Little India.
The Indian food! (And Pat) 
This is a vending machine for fresh-squeezed orange juice. Singapore is way ahead of the game.
😀