On the way home we planned another 3 days in Singapore. As we didn't arrive at the hotel until almost 10 pm, we could only visit the hotel's rooftop bar and it was only 2 full days net. This time we are staying in the Tanjong Pagar district, in the neighborhood of Tiong Bahru and Chinatown, an area with many dining options. And this time both the bed and the room are large.
I had already written a lot about Singapore at the beginning of our trip, so here are just a few more additions and impressions of our new neighborhood.
Probably in contrast to Hoi An, we find Singapore incredibly expensive. We also constantly forget that they show net prices in restaurants and that tax and service are on top. But even without comparing it to Hoi An, isn't it not very expensive when a 0.1 glass of Chablis or a cocktail costs €15?
After seeing this store here too, I have to tell you about Don Don Donki. The chain is even advertised as a tourist attraction. First, our daughter-in-law introduced us to this chain in Taipei. Then we saw a store in Hong Kong and now several in Singapore. It's a crazy discount concept from Japan. Depending on the store size, they offer product categories such as beauty and cosmetics, household goods, sweets and snacks, food, drinks and spirits, convenience food and snack bars. Of the stores we saw, the Ximending store in Taipei had implemented the concept most extensively. Customers are encouraged to buy through extreme audio-visual overstimulation, the Donki song playing at a high volume and a crowded, colorful display of goods. It is almost unbearable, but the Japanese products, which are unfamiliar to us, are interesting and enticing.
Unfortunately, there were no art exhibitions of interest to us on these two days, but there was a small exhibition of miniature art by Tatsuya Tanaka at the Muji Flagship. He very creatively used Muji products to build scenes related to Singapore.
Finally, I have to say something about Changi, the best airport in the world. After learning that many Asian airports work with online arrival cards, immigration worked great. If you fill in and send the data beforehand, you can get through an eGate at immigration in just a few minutes. On departure, immigration takes place at the entrance to the gates. As in Hong Kong, you are photographed when you enter the departure area, only here it is immigration and not the airport as in Hong Kong.
The departure hall is incredibly quiet, as there is a thick carpet over the entire area. The airport also has a high recreational value. Terminal 3 has a butterfly garden and free movie theater. In 2019, an additional building, the Jewel, was added to the airport. It consists of a large glass dome, which houses the highest indoor waterfall in the middle. If you take the Skytrain from Terminal 3 to 2, you pass through the dome and the waterfall is very close. Unfortunately, our departure was too early and it was not yet switched on at this time. So we could only see the small rainforest around it.
And, here are some further impressions from our neighbourhood.
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