SOLO TRIP… SHOULD YOU DARE?

We all have random thoughts, especially when we hear about someone traveling solo. We put it forth as ‘Sole Searching,’ ‘Getting off Some Kind Off Depression Phrase,’ ‘Loner’ or even as ‘Boring’ sometimes. But its high time we find out what it really feels like to travel solo…

So, when I initially decided to take up my first solo trip, like you’ll, I was in a dual state of mind (for sure). I was confident on taking up the adventure but on the contrary I was confused if it would turn in to a successful one. Doesn’t matter if you’re a solo traveller or planning to travel with a group of friends – this blog is your main, if discovery is your ultimate game.

Months before my trip, I made sure my tickets were booked through Paytm which cost me somewhere around 21K (they do have various cashback offers which you can try). Now your next step would be to book all your activities in advance; but I thought of leaving it a surprise.

A fair warning for all of you – If you keep your accommodation bookings pending until the last moment, probably the visa authorities would add an element of surprise by not giving you visa. It’s best to book 3 things before any trip – tickets, accommodation and of course visa.

I explored various websites because I thought Singapore could be a bit pricy, but websites like Agoda, Airbnb and TripAdvisor can be sure to astonish you with hotels starting from Rs. 1700 per night, you can even opt for a condo or try a hostel for much cheaper options. I wanted to try a shared condo because I thought of getting really social, but I’d recommend a hostel for that (you’ll know the reason soon) or if ‘Social’ is not your agenda probably just book a hotel and move on to your visa process which costs not more than Rs.2500/- (that can be booked only a month before your travel dates).

By now, all eyes were riveted on me and I was starting to enjoy their comments even though they were meant to be sarcastic… ‘Courageous Women – bohot himmat hai bhai tere mey,’’Liar – Just don’t wanna tell us who you are traveling with,’ ’Wouldn’t it be boring?’ My answer was?…

The day of my travel had arrived. I had a midnight flight and could hardly make it to the airport… 1 and a half hour before the flight. As I walked in and waited for my flight, my phone rang… “All set beta? he asked. Ya, pa…but I am starving. I want Foood…Why don’t you guys check if there’s something nearby? Wait, what? You guys, who? You and your friends… But, ahh I’m traveling alone! Are you planning to stay with your sister? Nah… I’m staying by myself. Shabash! All planned by yourself? Great. Enjoy” Well, that was the first person who sounded really confident about what I was doing.

Day 1
My flight was delayed, and I reached Singapore at around 8pm. Fresh air, a new country and a whole bunch of new people. I quickly finished my immigration check and looked up for a Changi recommends counter to collect my Tourist Pass with a local SIM. Now if you’re wondering what exactly is a tourist pass? It is like your EZ Link Card, but one with more privileges, for newbies in Singapore. Both have their own pros and cons, but we’ll get there later 😉

I booked a cab from the same (Changi recommends) counter (cost 25SGD), but I highly recommend you come out of the airport and take a cab at a comparatively lower cost (16SGD). Now usually people would want to take their first day off, instead I quickly freshened up and decided to start exploring the place.

Tip: In case you are planning on taking a trip to Singapore anytime soon, well, you are totally gonna be dependent on Google Maps.

I thought what could be better than tasting Fooood? Luckily, my apartment was close to all the spots, I planned on exploring. I changed 2 buses to reach the well-known hawker street, Little India, for lunch. As the name suggests, you’ll find plenty of Indian cuisines, being served with a pinch of Singaporean Style. I am way too choosey about food styles, so I choose to start with this very place, but in case you are open to newer options – you could try the China Street as well.

On my way back, when the sun was at its brightest, I was way too tired and thought of going home and taking a nap. Well, that’s where it gets tricky. I took the bus, as suggested by Google Maps. Ahhhh, I should’ve said buses.! I changed 3 buses and returned to the same place where I boarded the first bus, Little India. Funny! Isn’t it?! What’s funnier is that, my condo was 2 stops away (that’s like 11-15mins from Little India). I got off the bus and quickly asked a lady to help, (let me tell you – not a lot of people can help you with directions – remember the tip), she helped me with the right bus number but let me remind you! It’s Me! I boarded the bus going in the wrong direction, changed 2 buses, only to notice I was heading back to the airport. Ahhhhh! Was getting a little too much! No… Don’t worry. I finally managed getting back to my condo. I resumed my day in the evening, going to places like Garden’s by the Bay, enjoying the view of Marina Bay Sands and walking through the Bugis Street. Garden by the Bay closes down by 8pm if you want to take the tram or buy a ticket to the shows, but you don’t really need any of that if you want to take a walk in the park; evening as well as early morning is an ideal time to visit this place.

Surrounded by chaos, yet devoted to self…was all about how, the first day comes to an end.

Day 2
Alone in the city, where do I book? I’m sure there are animals off the hook… What if they could play beside you while you’re shook? It’s time to play by the rules and take get a log for your notebook.

Sure, you’ve predicted that my second day had to do something with animals! As the day began, I stepped up to booking my tickets to the zoo online. I took a package of 4 parks (Juborg Park, Night Safari, River Safari and the Singapore Zoo), but let me tell you… you’d get these tickets at cheaper rates in the park. I headed towards Khatib MRT station and took a Mandai Khatib Shuttle.

Fair warning – the shuttle takes 1SGD to drop you off at the Zoo; alternatively, you can pay using your EZ Link card. Tourist pass doesn’t work for shuttles and express buses.

Now, when you reach your destination… you’ll find 3 parks right next to each other; whilst, Juborg is on the East side of Singapore. My tickets came along a tram ride and I planned on kick starting the hot day with River Safari. Now don’t confuse you’re self with the name. You won’t see any river or boat rides here. But…. mmm. let’s see what we find inside.

RUN…!! THE FISH WANTS TO EAT ME!

Let’s take a tour

You will be able to roam around and see all that you want to in the River Safari Park in just an hour or so…

An interesting fact about Singapore is that, biryani will just find you. Wherever you go… it follows!!

My next catch was the Singapore Zoo. I started off with the tramp ride; while most people think that they can’t get off at tramp stations…this remains a misconception. There are 4 tramp stations and you can hop off any time you want and hop on to the next tram anytime. But you must make sure you have you’re pass handy. And don’t forget to collect a map from the help desk before you enter, will only help you locate the 4 tramp stops and find various animal zones inside.

You can’t afford missing the Water Splash Show and various heart touching presentations they have. Remember to check their timings, as soon as you go inside the Zoo. These animals will be sure to teach you something about how to make the world a better place. Well, they do teach you bigger things than that… like the hazards of dumping waste in water. The splash show got me thinking about why we humans are not extending our hand, even when animals are ready too. Why are we not ready to understand that both, humans and animals, need to work together to make earth a better place…?

In the evening, it was time for the ‘Night Safari. If you’re planning to visit this place and I’m sure you will, you’ve to start queuing up from 6:00 pm for the 7:15 safari. Otherwise, you’ll find a HUGE queue.

Spoiler Alert: The place is unlike what you’d see on the website photos and videos. I initially thought maybe, I was going to be in a tramp with bars around it and would get to see animals very closely. Instead they all have their own territories where they can roam around, and we’re not allowed inside. But I do understand the reason they did that. As in what if they left a Tiger somewhere near the Kangaroo? Or what if they left a wild Tiger very near to the humans? We all know what happens then!

When you’re heading in, make sure to see the ‘Creatures of The Night’ show at 7:15 pm. It is worth the watch and the only thing you might enjoy. They will take you on a tram ride and you cannot get off this tram. You know why they call it the Night Safari? They quote that You’ll be able to see all Night Creatures during this time (when its dark). These creatures/animals are highly sensitive to Flashes, so you can’t use the flash on your phone. Unless you have a night mode on your phone, visiting this place will be useless. I couldn’t see most of the animals clearly, as it was too dark and our tram maintained a good distance from the animal territory, while a few couldn’t be traced at all. That’s how my ‘Day with Animals’ ended, and I headed straight to my condo. I somehow landed up to a place which looked like a shopping street. Guess what I planned for Day 3?

Day 3
A day full of relaxation and shopping. Haji Lane, Arab Street, Bugis Street and wherever I land by day end …let’s begin! Since, I didn’t have much to do today… I’d chosen this as the perfect day to visit the Singapore Flyer (A Huge Ferris Wheel). The splendid view of Singapore is sure to enthrall you, so there is nothing as the perfect timing to visit the flyer.

An exclusively designed capsule for a premium dining experience

165 meters above the ground I 30 mins I 360⁰ rotation

I took the day off to explore everything I could. Remember how the other day I landed up somewhere around some place that resembled a shopping street? That was Bugis – the biggest shopping street in Singapore. In reality it is a street style shopping mall with 3 floors and if you’re visiting it for the first time, you’ll surely be lost. This is a place where you can look up for anything and everything, right from clothes, bags, accessories, watches, shoes, and even food.

Fair Warning: Won’t find too many options for guys.

Before I made it to Bugis, I came across this small market which is worth a mention. What was fascinating?

See those collar mike that she has? Well, everyone in this market had one. They used those mikes to give demos and sell their products. Interesting..huh?

Haji Lane is particularly famous for food and has a lot of coffee shops; while, the Arab street is popular for handicrafts. If you aren’t a person who is in to handicrafts, like me, better skip this place.

After a whole day of relaxation and fun, I finally returned to my condo for the much-needed coffee break.

 

Day 4

The long-awaited time had finally arrived, and it was the day to go explore the biggest attractions of Singapore – The Universal Studios and the Sentosa Island. I made sure I took an express pass for the Universal Studios, so I could cover both the locations in one day. The pleasant breeze and those breath-taking rides, I wish I could go on and on. I chose to skip the smaller rides and made it to all the tempting rides.

2 of My Favourites

As soon as I finished with all the interesting rides, I took up a quick booking and planned my plan of action. Well, I am completely unaware about what I am going for now… so this was more like picking something crazy randomly. Ya, but I was definitely sure about going to this Ola beach club and taking up Jet Blade. Mmm.. but I’ll keep the best for the last. So, I started off with Mega Zip – they transport you to a heighted place first, then on top of the building and there you are standing on the bar as they open the gate and push you off! Now if this has already freaked you out, you have no clue about what’s coming next. My next pick was the Giant Swing. Let me tell you they have this weight criteria, if you’re going alone, you should weigh 60 Kgs minimum and if you opt for Bungy Jump, you should weigh 40 Kgs. Since, I was alone, I had to wait for someone to join me.

Until they found someone to join me, I explored the Ola beach club. If you are solo, this place is definitely not for you. Also, the Jet Blade was non-functional; so, this was place wasn’t really as interesting as it looked to me. After some exploration, I was back at the AJ’s for the Giant Swing. Now all I know if that, I have a partner. One of us had to hold the camera and one of us had to pull the rope for us to swing along. The next thing I know is we are high up in the air, if we fall… no one lives and there! She pulled the rope!!! Flying in the air at a speed of 120 kph in 3.5 seconds, we were swinging far beyond the concept of gravity. Now, if you want to know the best part of my trip, well you surely know which one it is.

But the day just gets better with time. On my way back, I got on the wrong bus. And guess what?! I discovered this amazing place called ‘The Riverside Point’. It is a well-known place for its river cruise; but I chose to enjoy the cool breeze…sitting by the bay and relaxing.

You know how you always dream about going to a place where no one knows you; so, you could do all the crazy stuff all by yourself without really caring about what people think? This was one of the most loved days of my life.

Day 5

It’s the fifth day and how could I leave without venturing the local delights? Before I talk any further, let me tell you… I can be verrry selective about food; that’s exactly why I didn’t try anything more than biryani or chicken wings until now. Now if you plan to visit Singapore… you just can’t afford to miss out on the delicious chicken and rice. It sure looks bland, but it comes with this amazing sauce that just adds up to its taste. You can visit the Maxwell Center and try some good local food, or you could also take a look at the Chinatown street.

After some shopping we headed straight to the Marina Bay Sands. Guess what?! They have a gondola that takes you for a ride. Yeah! You heard that right. A gondola inside the mall. Go sailing and take a tour of the mall. As crazy as that might sound, make sure you get a ride. But there is one thing you just can’t miss. Call it the musical fountain show or the Water Show. Make sure you reach the Marina Bay Sands and pay this a visit.

Take a glimpse of the mesmerizing rage of water

The rage of water is as fierce as you know…
A story it tells…is it just me or to you?
Listen carefully and look out for the vibes that pass…
Spectra it is… not just water.. they have sparks

Later in the evening, my cousin took me to this really nice place ‘ Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant Pte Ltd.’ to try some dumplings. More like, order without talking… You get this printed menu sheet and you just have to write the quantity in front of the items you want to order. Weird, isn’t it? But I’d highly recommend their food. Must try:

Sichuan Dan Dan La Mian and Shanghai Xiao Long Bao.

Day 6
Time to wish the wanderer a good-bye…
With enticing spirits as high…

An explorer or a picky hen?
No one shall ever know the chick, outside its den…

Adoring themselves is a dream…
Few relish it, when moving on the stream…

Don’t you miss the days and how joy grew?
Singapore…this is all Thanks To You 😉

It was time to leave but the loner spirit shall be missed until the next extravaganza.