Food, Fun, Friends: The Singapore Edition

I spent a lot of my life wishing, or thinking I should be, an “a to b” type person – know what I want, set my sights on it and be diligent about making that thing/goal/dream/wish/desire, etc., etc., etc. happen. I have been surrounded by a lot of these people in my life, and I admire them for this. But, I am not, and don’t think I have ever really been, an “a to b” type of person. For a very long time I felt bad about this (societal conditioning can be a bitch!) and just thought maybe I wasn’t ambitious or driven enough to be “successful”

But, I’m not and never have been designed to function this way. I do best when I respond to what comes at/to me, and I don’t always know what I want (sometimes it feels like I often don’t 😝), but that’s ok because I’ll know what I need to know when I need to know it. ‘Winging it‘ does and ALWAYS has worked out for me and, in an interesting way, feels right even though I’m STILL not entirely comfortable with this way of being.

What I love about the way B-Rod and I travel is I am forced to embody the “winging it way” On my last few trips, I’ve especially tried this way with the stopover city I find myself in by choosing to stay for a bit to get a flavour and feel for the city instead of viewing it as simply a way to get from point a to point b.

Singapore was my latest exploration of a stopover city, and I LOVED it!!! Food, fun and friends seemed to be the themes that emerged this time around to the point where I extended my stay by a day and could have stayed longer if I didn’t actually have to be somewhere else at a specific date.

This was my second time having Singapore as a stopover and part of the appeal for me is definitely the fact that I have developed a few friendships here with people who I always look forward to connecting with. I never take it for granted when my peeps make time and space for me (especially since I often only give them a few days notice that I’ll even be in their area 😝) and I’m always sooooo grateful for their presence, and the opportunity we have to bond. This time, one of my good buddies was able to gift me a lot of his time showing me around. It felt like a local expedition, and there were very few times I was around other tourists as we were always in neighbourhoods where people simply live.

FOOD

Food in any country/culture I am visiting is always a HUGE thing for me, so how fortunate that my friend is a foodie, knows local gems and took me to as many as we could get to in the time I had . . . . 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!

I honestly can’t remember the names of my favourites (of which I had many), or how I would ever be able to find these places again on my own! I just know I left Singapore happier, probably a tad bit heavier and grateful for the instructions and guidance for how to eat certain dishes (and the laughs we had when I shared with him how I ate something he recommended, but was baffled how to eat it (he wasn’t there when I had it, and I actually thought they had cooked it wrong!!) 😮)

One highlight and place I would recommend to EVERYONE is a small coffee shop (Kopikhoo) in a nondescript alleyway that is run out of the widow of a lady’s home. My friend had been here many times and told me all about it. This was my one and only MUST DO item I had on my list! This place/idea/concept was started during Covid and simply continued. There are chairs to sit on at the opposite side of the alley if you want to stick around, the woman was super sweet, and she even had us complete some “art projects” during our visit. So cool!

FUN

My friend was prepared with sun and rain activities. So on the first (and only rainy) day, we hit a few places including the national library where there were views over the city, art exhibits, interactive activities and displays illustrating and educating about the history and culture of Singapore.

Singapore is filled with greenery and green spaces, so one morning we spent a couple hours in one of the nature reserves. I ❤️ nature!!!!

There was also lots of time to wander the city, both with my friend and on my own.

We even took an outing to Malaysia for the day 😃 where we basically spent our time playing!

Wow!! I felt like I did/saw more things than I possibly could in only 5 days!

FRIENDS

The first time I had Singapore as my stopover city was 2 years ago. I met up with my friends “M” and “S” then. I was very happy to come back to see them again, AND (like I previously mentioned) they were able to make something work as I think I literally gave them 0-1 days notice that I would be in town! Thank you “M” and “S” for the opportunity to catch up, the great chats and of course . . . . round 2 of jump shots! 😃 It was sooooo great to see you both!

The other friend I got to hang with again was “B” We met each other at a meditation retreat in Thailand just over a year ago. We connected over the morning chants, and I think recognized fairly quickly that we are kindred spirits. How amazing was it that I got to hang out with him on his home turf and that the days I ended up there coincided with the days that were a bit more open for him to wander! Thanks “B” for exploring with me, for the meaningful conversations, the laughs and ALL the food!!!! This is the way, and it is ✨magical✨!!! 😝

So . . . remember that coffee shop run out of the window in an alleyway? Well, “B” and I planned to go a second day, but the owner informed us she would be closed as she had an appointment. When she found out I was staying at a hotel within walking distance, so made arrangements to drop our drinks at my hotel instead. How amazing is that?!

When she came by that day with our coffee delivery, without giving specifics, I shared something with her that ended up being exactly what she needed to hear at that moment. An instant connection was made, hugs were shared and a new friend was made! I ❤️ these moments in travel (and in life) sooooo much!

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My stopover had turned into an actual destination, and to be honest . . . . it was a bit difficult to leave! Food, fun friends . . . . . does life get much better than that?

Thank you Singapore 🇸🇬 You kick ass!!!!