Singapore

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As Monaco and Luxembourg, Singapore is a country town. However with 4.8 million people! But the country doesn’t have its own personality … It is a mixture of Chinese (75%), Malays (13%) and Indians (8%), what is perceived only by their distinctive culinary, clothing, and temples, as the city itself is super clean, organized, ultra modern and full of rules (chewing gum and spit on the ground is forbidden, with fine), something that is not very easy to find in this region here.

Singapore definitely has not stopped in time, but to keep the pace of its modernization the country erased almost all traces of its history. When we walk on the streets it is hard to imagine how it was before. So if you really want to know its past, the best way is to do a walking tour. It’s nice to take a brake while traveling in a country more modern, the only problem is that is very expensive (Europe level). So prepare your pocket.

What was worth it: The Original Singapore Walks (to learn city’s history in a very visual and explanatory way), Botanical Garden and Raffles Hotel (the first hotel in Singapore still with its original architecture).
What we wanted to do but we didn’t: Night Safari (it was expensive and we were going to Africa later so we decided not to do) and the Singapore Zoo.

A few tips:

• ACCOMMODATION: This is the most complicated part, because even to share a room with 12 people in general is expensive. So it is best to choose a guesthouse a bit outside from the main areas, but close to a subway station, as the subway is not so expensive. We stayed in a double room with shared bathroom but paying 42 USD per day and it was the cheapest we found.
• CROSSING THE BORDER TO MALAYSIA: After Singapore if you want to go to Malaysia by land the cheapest way is by taking public transportation to cross the border. There are companies in Singapore offering tickets to your final destination in Malaysia, but you can be sure it will be much more expensive. Take a bus at Queen St Bus Station to Johor Bahru, the first city in Malaysia, and they will leave you at the Larkin Bus Station, from there you will find buses in all directions of the country. We spent a total of 7 USD per person and the option direct from Singapore cost 18 USD per person.

Our itinerary (4 days)

We flew from Bangkok to Singapore and stayed there four days, which we thought sufficient. Then we took a bus to Johor Bahru, Malaysia.