My term break began this Tuesday and lasted for a week. I just needed to make a getaway and Mom was fortunately on board. No, we did not explore every nooks and crannies of Singapore, but yes, we walked a lot.

Day 1

We arrived some time around noon at Changi Airport and took the MRT to Orchard. We spent the first night at Hotel Chancellor, located conveniently along Orchard Road. Of course, we could not resist buying the world-famous one-dollar ice cream, which is now $1.30, by the way. We spent the evening inside Takashimaya mall and I could not not give Kinokuniya Bookstore a visit. It has an unbelievable collection of books.

Day 2

We moved to a different hotel, Orchard Parade, which is actually better and more comfortable compared with the previous one. They were over 1 km apart and we took our time walking from one hotel to the other.

We also stopped to buy a premium lamb kebab from Shiraz Mazzeh. It was priced around $9 and we shared one among the three of us, considering we’d had our breakfast already. Would make a delicious, quick bite. The meat was tender and slightly crispy, the seasoning just right.

Next stop: Gardens by the Bay! We took the MRT to Bayfront and bought tickets to the flower dome and cloud forest. It costed $28 for adult entries to both conservatories, and $15 for kids under 12. Or you could just walk around for free. It’s just as relaxing, beautiful and a lot of fun.

Finally, we decided to enter one of the conservatory, the flower dome, which is 1300 m² wide and can accommodate up to 1000 people! It has a cool-dry atmosphere and the endless colors of spring will strike you from your first step in.

Oh, and you might not know, but it’s also the world’s largest columnless greenhouse! I regret not walking through every inch of the conservatory as I look back now, it was yet one of the most colorful and prettiest place I’ve been.

The other conservatory, the cloud forest, was just as stunning. It showcases plant life from tropical highlands up to 2000 meters above sea level. The cool, moist environment will trick you into believing you’re actually in the mountains.

I could spend hours inside this domed mountaintop! Every single glance is like looking through a magical glass, I felt as if I had been transported someplace not in Singapore.

You know what? I’ve decided I’m going to put cloud forest onto my list of ‘places to visit’.

Day 3

To start off the day, we hailed a cab to Toa Payoh Lor 4, Blk #92 for breakfast at Kim Keat Hokkien Mie, easily the best meal I had throughout this trip. There were several choices of price and we chose the $15 claypot Hokkien Mee, which was just the right amount for three.

Then, we (on my whim, really) headed to 20 Duxton Hill, Tanjong Pagar, where a nice little bookstore, Littered with Books, is located. I had no problem staying there all day. I could spend hours browsing through their collection alone, but the rest of my family wouldn’t feel the same, so I had just a little over one hour. The ambiance was cozy and warm, every shelf decorated with such meticulousness and care. Despite how much I loved the place, the books are seriously overpriced, so I ended up purchasing only two books. If only, if only, they had lower prices, I would’ve left with a cardboard box of those papyrus-scented delights.

Next, we did a little walking around Chinatown, wandering aimlessly among souvenir shops and food stalls. Dinner time, we stopped by Maxwell Food Center and gobbled up some classic Singaporean chicken rice before taking the MRT back to Orchard.

Day 4

Time to say goodbye to good old Singapore, we headed to the airport first thing in the morning. And we had nearly missed our flight, for real.