the best layover of my life!

Heyy there,

It’s been a while!

How have you been? Did you eat enough chocolate this weekend? 🐣

I’m writing to tell you about the layover I had last weekend. It was the best I’ve had so far.

But first, here’s an update on my side:

• My one-year Working Holiday Visa for Australia expired at the end of February

• I said my goodbyes, left the country and headed to my second home - Thailand

• I surprised everyone and revisited Koh Chang, the island in which I lived for 2 months last year; it was very special

• I left Koh Chang after 2 weeks and was reminded of how much I LOVE Bangkok

• I visited Koh Samui - another Thai island - for the first time and didn’t like it at all

• I flew to the Philippines (for the first time) and had the most beautiful views during the flight

• I spent a week in Siargao surfing and driving around the island; the landscape is spectacular and I’ll be back there soon

• I cut my Philippines trip short and headed to Australia early because…well, because long distance is hard 😅

And four flights later, here I am. On the Gold Coast. Again.

So, back to the layover. Between Cebu and Sydney, I had an 11-hour transit in Singapore. Yes, eleven.

It was a conscious choice because, see, Singapore Changi Airport is considered to be the best airport in the world. There’s nothing that the airport doesn’t have.

A 24-hour food court, great WiFi, a spa, a Snooze Lounge, a swimming pool, a Butterfly Garden (and a Cactus Garden, a Crystal Garden, a Discovery Garden, an Enchanted Garden, a Sunflower Garden), a Hedge Maze, a Mirror Maze, a free movie area, indoor rock climbing, a Bouncing Net, the HSBC Rain Vortex — the world’s tallest indoor waterfall — surrounded by a Forest Valley, and much more. You name it, Changi has it.

I strongly recommend anyone to transit via Singapore and spend some time exploring the airport.

If you’re thinking that it sounds pretty cool, wait. It gets better. The airport also offers 2.5-hour free guided tours to travellers with a layover of 5.5 to 24 hours.

So that’s what I did last Saturday.

There are four different tour options available — Changi Precinct Tour, City Sights Tour, Jewel Tour and Heritage Tour.

I picked City Sights at 7 PM, and couldn’t be happier with my choice.

You have to “check-in” at the free tour counter one and a half hours prior. You’re given a sticker, and the option to leave any extra luggage and, when the time comes, the group is led to a large bus that reads FREE SINGAPORE TOUR. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more like a tourist than then.

We were told plenty of interesting facts on the bus, here are a few:

• Singapore, which comes from Malay Singapura, is believed to derive from Sanskrit “Lion City”.

• With a population of 6 million people for a total land area of 700 Km2, Singapore is very densely populated. For reference, the population density in China — the second most populated country in the world — is around 150 per square kilometre. The population density in Singapore is around 8590 per square kilometre. Yup, pretty dense.

• Roughly 80% of the population stays in public housing.

• Singapore has very strict laws regarding drugs. There is a mandatory death penalty — hanging — for people convicted of trafficking 15g of pure heroin, 30g of cocaine, 30g of morphine, 250g of methamphetamine, or 500g of cannabis.

• Due to its small size, Singapore largely lacks natural resources and is heavily reliant on imports.

• Due to the lack of space, the government tries to limit the amount of cars, which is why they are so expensive in Singapore. Most people use public transport, which is encouraged — public buses are affordable, have air conditioning and good WiFi.

• Due to its location, Singapore is one of Asia’s largest trading hubs. Besides being situated where major shipping lanes converge, its location blesses the country with no natural disasters.

I hope you learned something new!

Apart from learning a lot about the country, the tour also included information on Singapore’s main sites, as well as walks through the centre with spectacular nighttime views of Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the Esplanade theatres, the Singapore Flyer Observation Wheel, Victoria Theatre, Jubilee bridge and more. We even drove past the Formula One track 🏎

I’ve always been fascinated with cities, and visiting Singapore during sunset, and then at night with a full moon, helped amplify that.

Singapore has the wonderful temperature of those rare South European summer nights — except, of course, it’s not rare there — it’s way neater than other Southeast Asian cities and not nearly as polluted, which means the air doesn’t feel dense. With its skyscrapers, people strolling around, the river with bumboats and the water reflecting the city lights…what’s not to love?

But the real highlight of the tour came at the end. We got back on the bus and drove to Gardens by the Bay.

Huge pinch me moment.

For those of you who don’t know, Gardens by the Bay is a 101-hectare nature park in the Central Region of Singapore. You’ve likely seen photos of the Supertree Grove before. The Supertrees are eighteen illuminated structures that resemble trees and dominate the Gardens’ landscape. They serve as vertical gardens and their heights range between twenty-five and fifty meters.

I’ve had pictures of this place pinned on my Pinterest boards for as long as I can remember. I always dreamt of seeing the Supertrees in real life, but because I never travelled much, it always felt so distant. Scrolling through photos almost served as a substitute for visiting.

When we arrived, we were given the time to return to the pick-up point and were able to wander independently from the group.

Walking among the illuminated structures felt surreal.

Then began the Garden Rhapsody — a coordinated light and music show held at 7:45 pm and 8:45 pm every night, in which lively melodies blend with colourful lights, dancing in harmony as the Supertrees come alive. It’s hard to describe how it made me feel; All I can say is that the result is truly magical.

As the show came to an end, I started heading back to the bus with a smile stretching from ear to ear.

All my life I’ve wanted to travel. I even started making travel merch in High School, and at that point I had barely been anywhere.

And there I was. I had just been to the Gardens of the Bay in Singapore, a place I had wanted to visit for the longest time. So it all sunk in.

I made it.

I’ve always wanted to travel, and now I’ve been doing so for over eighteen months. All it took was booking the first flight for September 2022, after working alongside my Master for a year. Everything else came naturally.

Where I’m going with this is: if travelling feels like a distant reality — like it did for me — this is your sign to book that ticket. The rest will come easy, I promise.

Thank you for sticking around until the end! I hope you enjoyed the read.

If there’s any question you have for me, or anything you’d like me to write about, just hit reply. I’ll be happy to do so :)

Stay safe.

Speak soon x
Rosa