Singapore in 10 Days

Our best friends came for a 10 day visit the previous two weeks which proved to be a real challenge. Here is the thing. There is just too much to cover and although it sounds like loads of time the reality turned out to be quite different. As Expat's and very proud of our new home, we wanted to show of the best and awesome sights Singapore has to offer and share the awesome food we have experienced so far which did not turn out to be quite the expectations our friends had. Don't get me wrong, the trip was awesome.

Prior to their visit I had done extensive homework and worked out a budget that would be sufficient to cover the trip from their perspective. Some of the things that you have to consider is the weather, the amount of walking involved and its effects, and what your visitors actually want to see and do which is not the same as what you may have planned. If shopping for specific items is involved it will take up more time than planned which leaves less time for the other planned excursions.

Hit the weather depending sites as soon as possible and incorporate things like Chilly Crab, Singapore Sling etc into other excursions which we did not do and ended up not getting to do it as the weather ruined the last planned evening trip. Allow time to take a break in the planned schedule when the feet need a rest and mix trips with lots of walking with some less walking ones.

I guess the biggest lesson I learnt was to not Plan the trip and allow your visitors to decide what they would like to see and do based on their personal preferences to avoid disappointment. The bottom line, you can not cover it all in 10 days.

December is definitely not the best time for a visit as it is very busy and most attractions also more expensive due to peak time rates. Universal Studios turned out to be a real challenge as a result with long ques and unless you pay for an additional VIP Pass (pricey) you end up not doing half of the available rides due to long waiting times. Between us we took 812 photos, obviously too many to post

The things we managed to do include East Coast Lagoon, Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands and the Skypark, Orchard Road (some of it), Universal Studios, Funan Digital Mall, China Town, The Singapore Zoo, Dempsey Hill and some local shopping centres. The highlight of the trip, Universal Studios and my personal favourite ride, Battle Star Galactica. We did both the Red Human and Blue Cylon rides and without a doubt the Blue ride the most Thrilling and outrages. Did it 3 times in a row just for good measure.

Grab a mouthwatering Burger at Mel's Drive Inn in the Hollywood Boulevard and a must see the Mel's Dinettes show outside the diner. Great Music!!

And so another memorable trip came to an end with 2012 around the corner.

I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year.