Singapore - Yon Joo

I was way too focused on my doughnut because before I knew it, I had finished my doughnut and had landed in front of the Merlion in Singapore.  The Merlion symbolizes Singapore and is a traditional creature with a lion’s head and a body of a fish. The Merlion used to stand at the mouth of the Singapore River, as the representation for trade, but was relocated in 1997 to the current Merlion Park that fronts Marina Bay. There are five Merlion statues in Singapore but this one was the original one that spouted water into the bay at designated times throughout the day. The sun was starting to set and I thought it was the perfect time to view the entire city at a vantage point.

The ideal viewing point would be the infinity pool but only hotel guests are allowed to use the infinity pool but the Singapore flyer is just as great as the infinity pool. Being the world’s largest giant observation wheel, the Singapore flyer lasts 30 minutes and the view encompasses the whole city at a glance including the Singapore skyline and even some islands of Indonesia and cities of Malaysia. I ordered a cup of tea as I embarked my journey on the largest observation wheel and looked down at all the beautifully man-made sites of Singapore.

The vibrant green of the soaring trees caught my attention and I headed towards the Gardens by the Bay right after. To my surprise, the area is very articulately designed I enjoyed wandering through the vibrant plant life, escaping the city bustle. I passed by the Supertree Grove, with a cluster of the iconic, futuristic structures designed to perform environmentally sustainable functions. And on the way out, I passed by the Cloud Forest Dome to see the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.

By the time I came out, my stomach was growling and I had noticed the sun was setting. I went to the nearest hawker stall; a Singaporean style cooked food Centre, and ordered Chicken rice—a trademark meal that’s everywhere. It included steamed or boiled chicken atop fragrant oily rice, with sliced cucumber as the token vegetable. After a fulfilled meal, I bought an iced Milo and walked out the hawker stall to take a stroll by the Marina Bay when my wrist started to ache. I noticed that the straps were tightening up, notifying me that it was time to tap the watch.