Singapore wasn’t in the original plan, but plans change, so here we are. A flight from Taiwan to Singapore to Thailand was the same price as a flight from Taiwan to Thailand. Why? Because sometimes airline prices make no sense. My 4-hour-and-40-minute flight to Singapore was around $80 on an airline I had never heard of: Scoot. I was a little apprehensive about the obscure airline, but that quickly changed when I got on the party plane.

Rainbow lighting lined the overhead storage and the windows were missing something: pull-down shades. They were instead replaced by a window tinting button that could darken your window from clear to bluish to black. Per instructions, I sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the flight. A looming typhoon cancelled several flights just after mine, so I was lucky I made it out. Is there a movie about escaping a typhoon last-second on an airline you’ve never heard of? If there is, it was exactly like that.

I arrived in Singapore around 8:30 p.m. and took the easy-to-navigate MRT to the Chinatown stop. The MRT had a hilarious thoughtfulness campaign telling people to be quiet and respectful on the subway. There is #HushHushHannah, #StandUpStacey, #BagDownBenny, #MoveInMartin, and #GiveWayGlenda, for your information.

Since I didn’t buy a SIM card, I got a little lost on my way to my accommodation: Capsule Pod Boutique Hostel. I ended up walking past a throng of staring construction workers to a grocery store and got directions from a very nice family shopping for groceries. Turns out I just went the wrong way on the street I was on, and it was a simple fix of turning around. When I arrived, the man who gave me a quick tour of the place was aghast at my one tiny bag. “That’s all you brought?” This was a recurring theme on the trip, and I even surprised myself at what I could fit in that bag. When I thought there was no more room, I found myself creating space for a stuffed elephant toy from Cambodia, a framed picture of Zack and me at the floating market in Thailand, and a folding fan (among other things). It was essentially the Mary Poppins’s bag of Asia.

The man failed to tell me that the front desk didn’t open until 8 a.m., so unless I returned the key the night before, I wouldn’t get my deposit back. Seven dollars lost for no reason. He also told me about the lockers and ushered me to what would be the “room of hell.” Perhaps that’s a dramatic label, but it was definitely one of the worst stays I’ve had at any hotel or hostel ever. I elected to stay in a 12-person, female, shared dorm because I thought that would be a good way to meet people, being in Singapore alone. I think I said hi to one person, and then I invited her to get food and she basically said no without saying no (very Asian). Anyway, that’s not even the reason it was terrible. Every time someone came in the room, a motion sensor light would come on and light up the entire room. It wasn’t a small nightlight, either; it was literally the overhead room light. And it didn’t matter what time it was… 4 a.m., 5:23 a.m., no difference. Another reason the room was terrible is that every time someone accessed their locker, there would be a loud, mechanical unlocking sound and several loud beeps. AND, my bunk was on the second level, right next to the fluorescent, bright green exit sign. Nothing like “EXIT” staring you in the face all night as you’re trying to sleep amongst the overhead light going on and off, interspersed with unlocking and beeping sounds. Oh, and it turns out they don’t make your bed or give you a new towel. It goes without saying that I was very excited to leave that place.

Now that I’ve ended my rant about the awful hostel, I can tell you about my time actually experiencing Singapore, which, unlike the hostel, was wonderful. I signed up for an early morning bike tour of the city that would go 4 hours. It’s unlike me to voluntarily do anything that starts at 8:15 a.m., but since I’d only be in Singapore for one day, I wanted to make the most of it. Not to mention, I hardly slept, so I was eager to get out. I stopped for breakfast at a 24-hour Indian place that was on the way, and after a back-and-forth of me trying to decipher his accent, I successfully ordered a banana crepe dish (with Indian curry sauce on the side?). We talked for a while, and by the end of the conversation he was semi-jokingly proposing to me. I swear, this is not even the first time this has happened. When I told him it was time for the bike tour, he tried to join me. I informed him it wasn’t free, and proceeded to the bike tour alone.

On my trip was a Spanish guy in Singapore for work and a Russian family. We met our guide, got helmets and bikes, and were off to explore downtown Singapore. First we rode along the Singapore River, stopping by three of the most famous quays: Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, and Robertson Quay. The quays were originally warehouses, later converted into bars and restaurants after the government decided to move their cargo facility to a less polluted area. Between 1977 and 1987, the government cleaned up the river and revamped the entire area. Now the Quays are very high-end, colorful, and bustling with nightlife. Boats are docked along the river and bright bridges arch over the sparkling water. Once filled with squatters, this area now boasts some of the most expensive apartments in Singapore. Our guide also informed us that Singapore’s port (built in 1819) is the second busiest port after Shanghai. Boats go from Singapore to 123 other countries!

Although many countries in Asia are fairly inexpensive, Singapore isn’t one of them. A car permit alone (good for 10 years) costs $78,000 (USD). By the time you add the price of the car and other taxes and fees, a car will cost you $114,000, which is five times more expensive than owning the same car in the U.S. Not to mention, you have to renew the $78,000 permit every 10 years. The government purposely inflates the price to decrease traffic. Our guide told us that people in Singapore joke that a lawnmower costs more than a Ferrari because owning land in this tiny country costs even more of a fortune. In the city, a square meter is worth $13,748, which is apparently cheaper than owning city-center property in Hong Kong, Japan, or India. It is extremely rare for anyone to have a yard, and if they do, they are rich. Our guide mentioned that a lot of people rent government subsidized housing, which you can rent for up to 99 years, at which point it becomes accessible to the public again.

Next, we rode to Speakers’ Corner, the only place you’re legally allowed to hold rallies, speeches, and protests. Our guide told us that the people in Singapore are very apathetic to protests because they don’t believe it will actually change anything. He said that when the government decided it was going to increase the price of bottled water by 30%, only 105 people showed up to protest it. If you want to hold a rally, protest, or speech at the Speakers’ Corner, it cannot be spontaneous. You have to apply one month in advance, and they could reject your proposal if they believe it incites hate toward race or religion. Since Singapore is a major mix of groups, they try to keep things peaceful. Singapore is about 76% Chinese, 15% Malay, and 7% Indian, with Eurasians making up the remaining percentage. Because of this ethnic variety, Buddhist temples, Muslim mosques, and Hindu temples can be found throughout the city. The iconic hotel Parkroyal on Pickering, famous for its sky gardens, overlooks Hong Lim Park and Speakers’ Corner. On the day I visited, people were doing yoga on the lawn before the midday heat.

Next, we rode around the Chinatown area. We stopped at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, where a service was going on. The museum cost $75 million to build, including the 2,700 square meter plot of land, construction, and all of the real gold decorating the inside. The stupa housing the tooth relic is made entirely of gold. Monks in robes chanted words I didn’t understand off of scrolls. It felt surreal as I walked through the temple with tall ceilings and gold walls lined with Buddha statues, while the humming words of monks echoed through the microphone. Across the street is the Chinatown Hawker Center, an open-air food court of street stalls housing the cheapest Michelin Star restaurant in the world. At HK Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle, you can get their signature dish (soya sauce chicken and rice noodle) for $2. Sadly, when I went, I was greeted with a sign that said “Sold Out.”

Next we biked to Marina Bay and The Esplanade, where we saw downtown Singapore’s skyline. The Esplanade is Singapore’s performing arts center and concert hall, lovingly nicknamed “The Durian” by locals for its spiky exterior. Also on the Bay is the ArtScience Museum, designed to look like a blossoming lotus flower, and Marina Bay Sands, a hotel with three towers topped with a boat-shaped infinity pool. From the Bay, you could also see the Merlion statue outside the Fullerton Hotel, which has the head of a lion and the body of a fish.

Then we biked through The Helix Bridge, which is the same bridge used by Formula One racers when the city hosts the Singapore Grand Prix every year. Singapore will continue to host the Formula One World Championship until 2021 despite it being very costly and taking four months to set up the track.

After the Bay, we stopped by Raffles Hotel, a historic, colonial-style landmark opened in 1887. It was named after a British man, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore. A century after it opened, it was declared a National Monument.

We took a short break for lime juice and and kaya toast (two pieces of toast with coconut jam in the center) before we were off to the next stop: Kampong Glam. This area was full of quaint streets with colorfully painted walls and small shops, the golden dome of Sultan Mosque in the backdrop. Tall palm trees lined the streets of what is dubbed a “Malay enclave.” It’s said to reflect Malay heritage better than any other part of Singapore and it’s also the heart of the Muslim community.

That was the last highlight of the 20-km bike tour, and at this point I was hot, and a little sore from biking. Still, I wanted to see Little India, and preferably not alone, so I went with my new Spanish friend Luis to get lunch in Little India. The streets were filled with Indian spice shops, restaurants, and Indian people for that matter. It truly felt like I had stepped off the MRT and into India.

We walked to a South-Indian style restaurant Luis found online. It must have been authentic because we were the only people inside who weren’t Indian. They served our food on large banana leaves, and we saw others eating with their hands. We opted for utensils. It was very spicy, but it was a good meal, and Luis graciously paid on his company credit card (thanks, Luis!).

Since I had hardly slept the night before, I was about ready to pass out of exhaustion, so I went back to the “room of hell” for a nap. Since it was late afternoon, no one was there and I actually got a couple hours in. After I woke up, refreshed, I decided I needed to try one of these “hawkers” (open-air food courts) that Singapore is famous for, so I walked to the Maxwell Road Food Centre and ordered chicken rice, a very Singaporean dish. The spicy sauce added a kick to the mild, but juicy chicken breast over rice.

Full, I headed to Gardens by the Bay, a futuristic convergence of architecture and greenery. I bought tickets to the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, which were each incredible in their own right. The Flower Dome is an enclosed greenhouse full of flowers, trees, and plants from all over the world. The gardens are arranged by geographic region, and dotted with fun statues like Alice and Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh.

The art decorating the inside fit in seamlessly with the gardens. Animals carved out of bark were perched among the trees. The best tree bark statue: an epic, mythical-looking dragon, looming over the entire dome from the highest part of the gardens. Caterpillars made from linking, round bushes made the plants “come alive” as if they were moving. The dome overlooks the Bay and holds the record for the largest columnless greenhouse in the world.

The Cloud Forest was out of a science fiction movie. You walk in, hit with the mist of the massive waterfall towering over you. Then you take an elevator, exit at the very top, and view a makeshift rainforest from the clouds. Walk along the skyway that weaves in and out of the central waterfall column with treetops under your feet. The humid air adds to the ambiance. I can’t think of another place where you can observe a “rainforest” from this perspective.

I decided to meander over to the Supertree Grove, and I didn’t even know, but I was right on time for the daily light show. The man-made trees composed of concrete and steel range from 25 meters to 50 meters in height and are intertwined with 200 species of plants. They light up corresponding to a medley songs from Broadway musicals. Before the show started, a guy next to me asked me about my camera. Turns out his name was Wilson and we ended up talking for a long time… we actually talked until the next light show started two hours later. Encore, anyone? Wilson lives outside downtown Singapore and this was his first time ever going to the light show. He will travel to the U.S. as part of his study abroad for university. As the crowd was clearing from the last light show of the night, we decided to go up the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and check out the view and infinity pool. They wouldn’t let us into the infinity pool area, but there was a fantastic night view of the Bay from that altitude. Wilson told me all about Singapore, especially the foods I need to try.

All that talk of food actually got us going to a Hawker Center and trying the foods ourselves. Wilson ordered all the must-haves and we split everything. Highlights included: satay grilled pork, sweet and sour pork with rice, rice noodles, and bean curd. Delicious. So glad I could try all the best dishes with someone who knows what they are! We said goodbye on the MRT and traded WhatsApp contact info. I hope we can meet again in the U.S. sometime!

The next morning I begrudgingly left my deposit behind, a donation to the hostel I absolutely hated. I was on my way to meet Dan, Zack, and Josh in Thailand!