Reflections on a month in Singapore: of Gardens, Social Order, & Merlions

We just spent a month in Singapore. This was a big splurge for us, because Singapore is extremely expensive, especially the housing for tourists. Food costs are also pretty high, about on par with the U.S., Australia, and N.Z., if you stay away from the high-end restaurants like the ones at our serviced apartment hotel (which, of course, we did not stay away from).

After living for 3 months in Kuala Lumpur (mid-November, 2024 to mid-February, 2025), I find it impossible to evaluate our experience in Singapore without comparing it to KL.  This is because so much of the place is the same, and yet so much is different.  I have often thought that Singapore and KL are like the same place in different universe/timelines.  They have the same 3 largest ethnicities (Chinese, Malay, & Tamil Indian) but in extremely different proportions. They were briefly part of the same nation, from 1963-1965.  They are just off the tip of the main Malaysian peninsula. And, they are both Commonwealth countries with shared history. But many government policies are quite different. I wrote about these similarities and differences here. I always got the feeling that if history had veered one way or the other at just the right moment, they could be the same place in alternate timelines.

What did we think about our time in Singapore?

It is beautiful.  No question why it is called “The Garden City”

The most positive aspect of Singapore, for me, are the plants, flowers, and gardens. In 1967, then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (who served as first prime minister of the new nation and for the following 30 years) introduced the vision of transforming Singapore into a place with lush plants and a clean environment – a -place where residents would feel happy to live. His vision was wildly successful.  Everywhere you go, you see green plants and flowers growing in ordered beds, up the sides of tall buildings, on balconies, on roof gardens, in and near hawker centers, and on the grounds of malls, hotels, and parks. 

In addition to this constant presence of vegetation, we visited 3 dedicated attractions devoted to the preservation, display, and growth of plants. 

1. Singapore Botanic Garden.  Founded in 1859, this is the oldest of the 3, and is the only tropical garden that is a UNESCO Heritage Site. We visited this garden first because it was walking distance from our residence. The Botanic Garden is immense – much, much larger than we were able to walk in a day.  It is about 200 acres. We entered through the Tanglin Gate.  After walking a short bit to the right, we got a map from very helpful information staff.  Then, we walked to Swan Lake where a sole swan floated in a picturesque manner near a large swan sculpture.  This sculpture, and many others in the gardens, is made from an old tree stump. Beautiful trees were everywhere, and equally lovely flowers lined the walkway by the lake. We then made our way to the National Orchid Garden. We thought we had seen all the varieties of orchids on our residence grounds, but we didn’t understand how many more varieties existed! We walked by one beautiful orchid species after the next, proclaiming delight when we went into a self-cooling building to see orchids that grow high in the mountains (and hence had to be cooled). The day was extremely hot and humid and, after enjoying a cold tea at a café near the orchid garden, we took a Grab back.

2. Gardens by the Bay. This 260-acre park was opened in 2012 and the largest part of it is across from the Marina Bay Sands complex, the iconic casino/mall/hotel/skypark/convention center/theatre space that you can see from many places in the city.  The top resembles a boat and/or a surfboard, and has the longest pool and biggest cantilever anywhere in the world.

Marina Sands complex as seen from inside Cloud Forest

Like the Botanic Garden, the gardens in Gardens by the Bay  are too vast to see everything in one day.  We took a bus to one of the entrances, rode up an elevator and entered the Gardens at a higher level.  The view from there was stunning. 

We walked across the Dragonfly Bridge, through the India and Malay gardens, to the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. We could see the Sky Trees but did not have sufficient time to walk the higher level.

The Gardens themselves are free, but special attractions require tickets.  Tickets for the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest were SIN$64 for two of us (about $47 USD) and well worth the cost. The Flower Dome is the largest covered greenhouse in the world, featuring plants from a variety of climates. We were treated to blooming cherry trees in a Japanese-inspired setting, and plants from many other climates including “exotic” geraniums, scarlett sage and silver ragwort (which my Grandmother called Dusty Miller) from California! Made me realize that in Singapore, if those plants are considered exotic, orchids are probably considered ordinary.

After the Flower Dome, we walked through the Cloud Forest building, another incredible experience.  When we entered, we were greeted by a large waterfall.  We saw many orchids and other vine-growing blooming plants.  We walked street level and high in the rafters, where mountain plants were growing. You could see ships in the Marina Bay from the top of the structure.

One sculpture that really caught my eye, "Thinker", modeled after the Rodin sculpture but from an Asian perspective. My family grew up with a Rodin "Thinker" at the University of Louisville, a sculpture my Grandmother listed as her "best friend from college"! (Note: she didn't attend college, but she said she picked up a lot of children from U of L near The Thinker statue.

Thinker statue by Mr. Lee Kuang-Yu

We could barely walk at that point, it being another extremely hot and humid day, but found a hawker food center, Satay by the Bay,  at the edge of the park where we had Pad Thai, pineapple rice (which has quickly become a favorite for Paul and me alike), crispy spring rolls, glasses of mango juice and watermelon juice – all for a very reasonable SIN$30 (about $22.50 USD). When leaving the park, we saw people flying kites from the top of the Marina Barrage dam.

3. The Jewel in Chiangi Airport.  The Jewel opened in 2019, and (in addition to being a mall and hotel) is an enclosed series of garden spaces, near Terminal 1, but walkable from Terminal 2, where our flight was departing.  The main area features the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.  Called the rain vortex, it recirculates rain water and cycles it up to the top to freefall in a beautiful display. The waterfall is surrounded by five stories of plants that you can hike up in a circular path (or, you can take escalators to get from one floor to another).

   
   
   

   

   

   

   
   
   

   At the top, the Canopy level, are additional gardens.  The main waterfall and gardens are free, but you can pay extra for attractions on the Canopy level. We paid SIN$21 for both of us  (about $15.75 USD) to enter the Hedge Garden and see the petal garden and topiary walk.

   
   

   The Hedge Garden was fun, but it has a wonderful surprise where petals emerge from the hedge near the end.  Don’t leave until you find it!

   
   
   

   

   

   

   

   
   
   

   The petal garden was pretty and the topiary walk was cute, with lots of animals made from plants.   We debated whether it was worth going to a different terminal to enter the Jewel, and we were both really glad we did!  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   
   
   

Paul says these giant indoor gardens are the future because of climate change. We will need to do something to protect the plants and vegetation.

Singapore is ordered.

Singapore is a very ordered city.  To extend the comparison with KL, if KL is barely controlled chaos, Singapore is the peak of societal order. Mostly, this is a good thing. 

The subways and buses are integrated into one system, easy to use, clearly labeled, and costs on par with other big cities.  We each paid between $1.50 to 2.50 USD on a bus or subway ride, one-way. We paid with our contactless credit card, so it was super-easy.  No need to purchase any kind of card or ticket.   By contrast, in KL, there are multiple light train lines (MRT, LRT, Monorel) that do take a common card (which you have to buy) but only costs an average of MYR 1.20 or $.27 US.  Back to Singapore - Google maps showed clear bus and train routes, and they were on time, every time. Trains & buses were clean.  Signs pointed out where to stand to allow others off the train before boarding.  Passengers were advised to put their backpacks and bags on the floor, to make room for other passengers – something no-one in KL would ever want you to do, because the floor would be dirty. (In KL, you are asked to put your backpacks and packages on a chair or seat beside you).

The plants, discussed above, are ordered.  Unlike KL, where the jungle feels like it is pushing into the city through cracks and walls, here plants are in pots, even on the sides of hugely tall buildings. In 2024, over 9,000 people worked in the landscape industry, which is about 1 out of every 400 working adults. There is world class theatre, arts, and public sculptures. It is the busiest port in the world, and you can buy everything, including Italian silk (which I bought!) There is a rich history.

The city is extremely clean.  It is very safe. There is no litter.  Everyone must return their tray in a hawker center.  There are lots of rules.  These rules are enforced, and signs clearly explain them.  A couple of Grab drivers told us that the plethora of rules is the thing many Singapore residents dislike the most. They feel constrained to behave just like everyone else.  For example, public protests are allowed, but there are limits and you must follow the rules. Drug trafficking offenses are punishable by death penalty. When you apply for an arrival card, two things stand out: first, how easy it is to apply (order).  With comprehensive drop-down menus (including a complete list of all resident hotels) it can be completed quickly.   Second, a large warning states: “Warning Death for Drug Traffickers Under Singapore Law”. You can’t say they don’t warn you.

Nevertheless, Singaporeans have a high life expectancy, high home ownership, and rank highly in education, healthcare, safety, and infrastructure, and a low level of corruption.

It is expensive.

Singapore is very expensive.  Lodging for tourists is especially expensive.  Maybe we missed some great site, but we couldn’t find a 1-bedroom apartment for less than $5,200 USD for a month.  There are studios cheaper, but we have learned that we must have at least two separate rooms when we stay somewhere more than a week – our sleep schedules are different, and our work schedules are different. Most of the apartments we found (we decided to rent for a month) were clustered in the Orchard area – an expensive if older luxury area. We just couldn’t find anything else.  We looked on Booking, Airbnb, VRBO, Agoda, and BetterHomes.  A 2 bedroom was $10,000/month.  We ended up in the residence unit of a fancy hotel – the Shangri-La, with a 1 bedroom, kitchenette/dining room/living room for $5,800 USD for the month. That was more expensive than the 3 months rent  combined in KL from mid-November-mid-February.

Food was pricey too.  In KL, we could get a tasty lunch or dinner for $5-10 USD per person.  Sure, we often paid more for a premium dining experience, but we didn’t have to.  In Singapore, eating at comparable places cost between $20-35 USD per person.  Even the chili crab, fried rice, and fruit drinks at the Newton Centre (a hawker centre) cost $45 USD. And, the hotel restaurants, which were fantastic, cost more than the high-end restaurants in KL. Groceries were pricier too – we spent about the same in one month as in KL, but we bought a lot less, because we almost never cooked in the apartment.  It was a pretty tiny kitchen.  A few grocery comparisons, USD equivalent prices:

6 eggs ($3.14 in SG, $1.81 MY)

Starbucks coffee beans ($10.40 SG, $6.78 MY)

Coconut water 500ml ($3.44 SG, $1.18 MY)

Small, individual fruit-flavor yogurt ($1.20 SG $.68 MY).

The only thing we bought at the grocery that was inexpensive, were cut orchids! They were about $3USD, and lasted the rest of the time we were there.

Some of our food in restaurants, which was very tasty but pricey!

It is hot & humid and it rains a lot.

When we walked outside, we were pretty much miserable most of the time.  It was either raining (which it did every day, but not all day), or it was hideously hot and humid.  A lot of photos show me soaking wet from walking outdoors (I do perspire easily). Occasionally, a rain would cool things off, but just as often the rain seemed to make everything even steamier. It was better in the evening than during the day.  When it wasn’t raining, the sun was often blindingly bright. Sorry, I have nothing positive to say about the weather.  Even KL is more temperate than this.

People are nice, but a bit formal.

There is a sense of a service class and a privileged class in Singapore.  Because the residences available to tourists, even for a month, are in service hotels, staff are always in uniform and formal. I could get people, eventually, to chat with me, but it took some effort. A warm smile went a long way, though, to break through the barrier.  This was equally true in the mall stores and the various parks. We did find some Grab drivers who were more chatty and less formal. Everyone was kind and friendly and helpful, but there was a bit of a wall. 

Merlions are cool.  Almost as cool as kangaroos, but not actually real.

Merlion444, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1964 Singapore’s tourism board created a mascot, the merlion.  This mythical beast has the head of a lion (after the original Kingdom of Singapura, or City of Lions) and the tail of a fish. There are 6 approved merlion statues, the most famous being the one in Marina Bay. By the way, there were never lions in Singapore.  Apparently a Sumatran prince in the 14th century mistook a Malaysian tiger for a lion, which led to the name Singapura (lion city).

Which  brings me back to alternate universes/timelines. 

While I was in Singapore, I read a book by Kevin Martens Wong called Altered Straits, written in 2017. 

The book is set in the Singapore of the future, and also a Singapore of the past, but with an altered timeline.  The cause of the timeline shift was the creation of genetically-created merlions that are sent back to the past so that the future Singapore can use them to fight an invasive AI called The Concordance. So in that book, Merlions are actually real.  And very cool. I really love the merlion drawings you see all over Singapore, and in the book, they are bonded to certain humans and empathic. Reading it, you can see how Singapore might have been altered, maybe even being a bit more like KL (since a sultan’s son finds the merlions in the past, the country is Muslim in its timeline not majority Chinese nor having no state religion, for example). The author, Kevin Martens Wong, is the leader of the indigenous Eurasian community called Kristang, and he is also openly bisexual. In Singapore, Homosexuality was criminal until 2023 – it no longer is – and had not been enforced since 1990.  In KL, by contrast, same-sex relationships are still criminal, and while there is a gay community here, it is pretty under the radar.  In the novel – published in 2017 - one of the protagonists is a gay man who hides his relationship and identity for fear of prosecution.  It makes for interesting reflections on Singapore today – what it might have been, and what it might become.

So that’s a wrap on our month-long Singapore experience.  On balance, we’re glad we stayed for a month, but probably won’t do it again.  The price of accommodation is just not worth it. We’re happy to be back in KL for now– where the city feels a little gritty, the jungle keeps pushing in, where people are more open and friendly, and the chaos feels normal. But in the long term, we will not settle in a place where everyone is not permitted to be themselves.  Which is one reason why we’re looking to move to Europe – but that’s another post.