Singapore slings and Bali beaches
Singapore
I have to confess I almost didn’t go to Singapore. My friend, Lynda, got a stellar deal on this specific itinerary, but since I didn’t know anything about Singapore I contemplated spending a couple more days in Tokyo. I’m so glad I changed my mind, despite the seven hour flight.
I didn’t really know what to expect in Singapore, except that they spoke English. Our two days there were jam packed and perfect. The first day we walked around the Botanical Gardens and then paid to enter the rightfully famous orchid garden. The orchids were some of the most colorful I’d ever seen, and worth the $3USD entry fee.
Chili crab is best eaten with friends and while wearing plastic food service gloves.
This was probably the most time all six of us were together, so we went looking for chili crab, one of Singapore’s national dishes. We knew it was going to be messy when we saw food prep gloves on the table, and it was. I also enjoyed a Tiger prawn and Tiger beer before I headed to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel; after two nights in capsule hotels, I splurged. The threatening rain clouds couldn’t even keep me out of the hotel’s infinity pool that overlooked the city 50 floors up.
Met A Space Pod – Capsule hotel. From this…
To this. Palm tree in the sky at the rooftop infinity pool.
The group decided to split up, so I spent about a day checking out the sites by myself. And there was plenty to keep me
busy. There’s a light show that runs three times each night on the bay for about 15 minutes, I watched it twice. The Gardens by the Bay also has a light show and because it was November it was Christmas themed. I walked over to the Gardens by the Bay and laid down under the trees to enjoy the show. The holiday spirit was upon me when I heard Mariah’s All I Want For Christmas! As I walked by the food court, I was surprised to see a restaurant called ‘Texas Chicken’, who’s logo looks a lot like Church’s Chicken. Mariah and fried chicken? I felt right at home.
Texas Chicken!
I hit the hay about 11:30 pm and set my alarm for 4 am. While we were walking around that first morning, I saw a banner for a women’s race that was starting right by the hotel. 
Problem was everyone I asked either didn’t know anything about it or told me there was no day of registration, but I had to find out for myself. I didn’t know the distance, how much it cost or if I would even be able to register but I knew it started at 5 am, and that I would be there if only to cheer on the runners. But God is good and when I showed up at 4:30, of course they let me register. The race would highlight a half marathon, but also included a 10k and 5k. I handed the volunteer all my cash which gained me a 5k entry and a feeling of home. To line up with all those ladies at a start line reminded me that we really are very similar. I couldn’t have been more thankful for that moment. The weather in Singapore was quite warm and humid, similar to the weather at home, so I ran quite well. After collecting my metal and customary finisher photo, I headed back to the hotel for one last dip in the infinity pool.
The best thing I ate in Singapore were these soft bread ducks filled with yam, and they look cute too!
I met up with one of my travel buddies, and we decided to take the cable car from Faber Peak to Sentosa Island. Sentosa is a touristy area with a Universal Studios, Wax Museum, aquarium, restaurants, and a beach. It was a pretty cool area, but basically the same tourist trap as every big city. While my friend did the Luge, I took a nap on a bench. Ten days of go-go-go was catching up to me.
This is not what I expected to see in the vending machine.
Prawn and crab flavored snacks are popular, as are hotdogs for breakfast.
Our last stop was the Raffles Hotel, the spot that originated the Singapore Sling. This drink has too interesting of a backstory to skip. Now we could officially leave. I recommend checking out that hotel, it’s beautiful and the gin isn’t so bad either. Now we just had a short flight to our final destination – Bali.
A bag of peanuts accompany your drink. It’s ok to toss the shells on the floor, but don’t get caught littering anywhere else.
Bali
We would spend our last three days in Indonesia. Relaxing on the beach was exactly how I wanted to end a long two 
weeks of traveling. The food in Bali was quite good and cheap. So, we ate well, got massages and bought cheap souvenirs. Our second morning we decided to explore more of the island, so we hired a driver to drive us around for the day. The first stop was a place to snorkel. After negotiating the price of about $25 for each of us we got on a little boat that took us to a nearby cove. I had to laugh when one of the girls asked where the life jackets were and the guy said back on shore because we didn’t pay for them. The snorkeling was just OK at that spot, but it was the first time I saw an octopus and that alone made it worth my $25. The beaches were quite nice but the water wasn’t crystal clear there like other places I’ve been. Apparently, those beaches are located on nearby islands.
It was our last day and I was determined to surf before we left. I stepped into a surf school and for two hours it only cost about 25 bucks. Although I didn’t really need a lesson, my coworker did so I joined in. We surfed in the white water for an exhausting hour and a half and it was a blast.
Time to get some souvenirs!
Now one more massage before we are off to the airport and head home. I had no desire to spend any time in Jakarta but our return flight started there, so we took the last flight out of Bali. We only had about 4 hours to sleep before we caught our flights home. I was impressed that the free continental breakfast started at 3am, I guess there are a lot of early flights. I wasn’t looking forward to the 30 hour travel time, but I was ready to get home.
There is an excessive amount of zeros. 100 Rupiah was worth about half a cent.
Tips:
- In Bali get a massage…everyday. An hour massage costs less than $10.
- Kuta beach in Bali has great beginner surf – give it a try!
- Be willing to throw away your itinerary if something comes along that moves you.
Sea turtles, stingrays, and painkillers in the Virgin Islands
I was a tad concerned about traveling to St. John. The logisics of renting two cars, taking ferries and getting my family from one island to another could have been painful. But it was surprisingly easy, and I think the Cruzan rum samples at the St. Thomas airport helped. Driving on the left-hand side in American-style car is always a little tricky, so it took a day before we were consistently driving on the correct side of the road.
Due to the car ferry schedule, we headed straight to St. John, and didn’t spend any time on the larger island of St. Thomas. Although St. John is only seven miles long with no stoplights, there was plenty to keep us busy for a week. The few roads are steep and windy, but the speed limit is only about 35mph on most of the island. The rental car companies really like to stress renting a Jeep, we did just fine with a standard car at half the price. Someone even has an excellent sense of humor, because we really enjoyed the funny sayings on many of the road signs.
The Cruz Bay town has most of the island’s shops and restaurants. Our first stop on the island was at Joe’s Rum Hut right on the water, which is an excellent bang for your buck. There are many casual restaurants with happy hour specials to check out, but as with most islands most of the food was just okay. Our Westin hotel room had a kitchen and grill, so we ended up buying groceries and cooking our own meals a few nights. But do not miss their popular and delicious island drink: Pain killers.
St. John’s numerous beaches all offer excellent snorkeling. I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite, because we went to five and they were all slightly different, but they all offered the same clear blue water. Maho was shallow and teaming with sea turtles just off the beach. Cinnamon Bay had less snorkeling but a longer beach with facilities, and we easily ducked under some trees during a passing rain cloud. A lot of cruise ship passengers end up at Trunk Bay, which is also the only beach that charges a fee, so it can be a bit crowded.
Not only are the beaches a bit of paradise, but 60% of the island makes up the Virgin Islands National Park. We forgot our National Park Pass at home, but all of the trails were free. There are only a couple of roads on the island, so it’s easy to find the well marked trailheads. We ventured to Ram’s head, a 2.5 mile trail located at the southeast tip and lined with giant pipe organ cactus and turk’s head cactus with its hot pink fruit. After a hot hike, we jumped into Salt Pond Bay to check out its turtles and reef fish. On the way back to Cruz Bay, we had lunch at Shipwreck Landing, which had the best grouper sandwich on the island.
Don’t miss the trek to Waterlemon Cay. We took the 30 minute shaded hike to snorkel among stingrays, colorful fish and lots of sea urchins. It definitely had one of the better reef areas for snorkeling, but only offered a tiny rocky beach. Oh, and its WaterLEMON. I mistakenly called it “Watermelon” the whole time we were there.
Ignoring the rain clouds and starting the hike to Waterlemon Cay.
On one of my favorite days, we took a day cruise on the Bad Kitty to check out some of the BVIs. After getting our passports stamped and paying our exit fee, we headed to Virgin Gorda. We were whisked through the batholiths, and didn’t have much time to explore or hang out on the amazing beach. I definitely wished we had more time there, and if I ever make it back I will plan a day trip just to Virgin Gorda. We had an unexciting stop on Cooper Island for lunch before heading to the Indians for snorkeling. You can only get here by boat, and it was easily the best snorkeling we did. And we had already had days of amazing reef exploration. We only had about 30 minutes, but my family was the very last ones back on the boat. We were dragging our fins, if you will! Our last stop, was Jost Van Dyke – an island of 250 residents and 29 bars. I’m almost positive Kenny Chesney has written whole albums while sipping pain killers at their tiny Soggy Dollar Bar.
Jost Van Dyke Island – Home to the famous Soggy Dollar Bar.
The six of us had an amazing time, venturing off to different beaches and meeting up again for dinner. Usually after a week on a small island I’ve seen enough, but I can see why my friends return year after year. Our week ended way too quickly, and I don’t think I’d ever tire of that water. But we were off to upstate New York for a wedding.
To be continued in New York…
Tips:
- Someone check out Reef Bay Trail and tell me about it, since we didn’t have time to see the petroglyphs! And if the return hike is too much, schedule a boat with the park service to meet you at the end.
- You can rent stand up paddle boards (SUP) at a few beaches for an above water adventure.
- There are many cays with lobster hunting potential. There is a 2 per day, per person limit.
- Utilize the grocery stores, everyone is super helpful.
- Try to spot a mongoose.
- Did I mention happy hours?
- Check out their local brews, and rum here is cheap (its the mixers that are pricey).
- Why did the chicken cross the road? No, seriously. I stopped to ask one, but she was such a diva. There are chickens all over the island, including these two that wandered around the restaurant we were in.
Clear Waters in Turks & Caicos
The clear green water is exactly as you’d dream. You can see the barracuda checking you out, the water is so translucent! My sister and I spent five days on the sleepy island of Providenciales on Grace Bay, a 12 mile stretch of coast line. To my amazement, the beaches were uncrowded and incredibly clean.
While we spent most days along Grace Bay, we took a ($70RT) cab ride to Sapodillo bay for an afternoon. This shallow cove didn’t offer much snorkeling or much else to do in the area, but the water was equally beautiful. The water was quite warm because it was so shallow, but it was also clean and uncrowded with very little shade.
I preferred the Grace Bay area, which hosts easy snorkeling on Bight’s Reef and some restaurants. All of the beach front hotels have public restaurants and bars, except Beaches Resort, some even have daily specials. Do not miss Mr. Grouper’s though, which isn’t beach front but offers fish dinners for a great price. We walked about a mile to a popular sports bar to watch the NBA final game, and a USA Copa Americana game, along with all the other Americans on the island!
We rented a room in a condo from AirBNB for under $100 per night. We shared the condo with a couple (the girl was from New Braunfels – this happens often), but rarely saw them. The condo had a pool, washer/dryer, beach chairs, wine opener, everything we needed and even a local cell phone to call taxis. The beach was a 10 minute walk, and maybe 20 to the village. Each morning, we cooked our own breakfast tacos (we’re from Texas after all), and enjoyed amazing seafood dinners each night.
I read there are more churches than convenience stores on Provo, and considering we passed three to get to the beach each way, I’d agree. Everyone we met was incredibly kind, helpful and willing to offer their opinions on the best spots. Every time we walked anywhere we got honked at, but it didn’t feel unsafe, just annoying.
Some goats in front of a church.
I’m so glad my sis let me tag along on this trip. We had such an excellent time relaxing on the beaches that we made a pit stop on the way home. We booked our flights to allow us half a day layover in Miami. From the airport, we took the $2.35 (OW) airport flyer (#150) which has multiple stops in South Beach. After another beautifully hot day, we headed back to Texas for more of the same – weather that is, not beaches.
Tips:
- Although we planned to rent bikes, we were able to walk every where we wanted to go.
- Provo is a British territory so they drive on the left side, but some vehicles have an American driver side to make it extra tricky!
- US dollars are all you need, but take plenty because a 6 pack will run you $12-$18!
- Also, take your own snacks (see above). Grocery prices are about double.
- Cabs are expensive but they may stop to get other passengers. If they do, they should give you a discount.
- Don’t be afraid to travel to “exotic” locations – “all-inclusive” doesn’t have to be in the budget.
- Even if its unfamiliar, check out the public transportation options. Bus drivers are usually very helpful.