Traveling and eating. What more could I have asked for this summer? Exploring Southeast Asia for a month was an experience I will never forget. Out of the three countries I went to, I spent the most time in Singapore. It’s a little island off the Malay Peninsula known for its cleanliness, good food, nice people, amazing scenery, and busy city life. With a lot of family members living there, Singapore was my home away from home in Southeast Asia. It was the country that no matter where else I traveled to, I always came back to. Although the humidity was high, the rain, AC, and abundance of things to do made the tiny island one of my favorite places in the whole world. In Southeast Asia, food is a way of life. With fairly cheap good quality food, I got to experience new flavors and such amazing food that I never would have imagined. My inner foodie swooned at the multiple kinds of Xiao Long Bao (Chinese Soup Dumplings) at Paradise Dynasty.
Before my trip, I had never seen nor tried this many types of dumplings. I didn’t even know these types existed! Even the fast food chains like McDonalds had something different that I’ve never seen before, like their Nasi Lemak Burger and Chendol McFlurry.
Both the burger and the McFlurry were based on classic Malay dishes. Something that I loved doing was prawning. I went with my family there and got to catch and eat prawns (crawfish)! I caught the first one, which was pretty big. Prawning is definitely one of many favorite past times for Singaporeans. It consists of sitting around big pools or ponds that are often restocked with a ton of prawns. I even caught a couple!
A huge part of Asian culture is milk tea and boba (tapioca balls). You did not go to Singapore if you never had KOI at least once.
KOI was my favorite place to get boba when in Singapore. Don’t worry not everything I did was food related. There were so many different things for me to do and see. I must have gone to the National Gallery at least twice during my stay in Singapore. The different exhibits and even the architecture and history of the building was amazing. While I was there they had two special exhibits going on one was the Yayoi Kusama exhibit and the Children’s Biennale.
There was also the Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay which is basically a huge greenhouse dome where incredible gigantic plants fill the entire dome from floor to ceiling.
Along with the gallery and Gardens by the Bay, I also go to explore Chinatown a bit.
The entire island is designed for easy accessibility with public transportation everywhere. By the end of my trip, traveling around on the MRT, eating good food, and hanging out with family and friends made me feel like a true local. The many adventures around the island, the diverse culture as well as the land made me fall in love with Singapore and by the end of my trip, I didn’t want to leave! Singapore is definitely a place I recommend to anyone looking for somewhere to travel to.