Last weekend in Singapore (for now)

The final weekend in Singapore has come and gone.  My emotions are a mixed bucket.  One second I’m feeling like the end of this trip is SO close and I start feeling all sentimental.  And then the next second it feels like I’ll just keep going on with life here in Singapore.  But this isn’t my final Singapore post so I’ll keep the sappy I’m leaving Asia and am so happy for the adventure and am ready to plan my next trip back but am also so excited to be reunited with my boyfriend, family, and friends post for tomorrow.

Let’s recap the weekend to take our minds off of the fact that its Monday and there’s over 3 feet (3 meters for you metric folk) of snow outside your windows!

Friday I was sitting in the office, twiddling my thumbs thinking of what I’d do for my last Friday night in Singapore.  Lucky for me (and Ethan) Glenn invited us to meet up for dinner at Din Tai Fung (have I mentioned it’s my favorite restaurant) and drinks after.  Did this girl turn down an invitation to Din Tai?  HAHA not a chance!  Once work was over I took the work bus to Bugis and then hopped on the MRT over to Marina Bay Sands to meet at Din Tai.  Glenn had brought along a friend of a friend who was visiting from Germany and it was fun getting her perspective on Singapore. 

The free dessert we got from Glenn's card promotion

After another delicious meal at Din Tai, we headed to Chinatown where we parted ways with Glenn’s friend.  Then the three of us (Glenn, Ethan, and me) were on a mission to find a speakeasy called The Library.  First we walked through the streets of Chinatown and saw all the horse…I mean goat decorations lining the streets for Chinese New Year.  Seriously though they definitely took the horse decorations from last year (year of the horse) and just changed the head to a goat, some of them were just creepy. 

 

When we were on the correct street and had the right address we thought we’d find it no problem.  No sense in calling it a speakeasy if it’s just another regular bar.  So I put on my Nancy Drew hat and put my detective skills to work.  The address brought us to a restaurant called the Study which I was thinking ok study/library, there’s got to be a link here.  Next to The Study was what looked to be a suit tailor shop.  However with a closer look I noticed the sign on the door for this tailor shop had an open book with a drink mixer on it.  Plus, there were two people sitting on a couch inside and they did not look like the type to be in a tailor shop.  So I do what I do best, I walked in and said umm is this The Library, with which the girl asked if I had a password to get in.  I rushed out to grab Glenn and Ethan and after a quick browse of their Facebook page we were let into a secret door. 

The tailor shop aka The Library

 Once again, this is supposed to be a speakeasy so of course it would not have been just as simple as a door leading straight into the bar.  The door led us into a small space with mirrors on each side.  It then closed and the 3 of us were left to once again tap on our mystery solving skills and figure out how the heck to get out of this place.  Good news is, you just open the door opposite the way you came in.  SO SNEAKY!

Finally we made it into this flat out, cool bar.  The best part was that the drinks were as cool if not cooler, than the bar.  (The prices were not cool but let’s pretend we’re all from Singapore and its ok to pay $30 for a cocktail).  My first pick was a drink called Plant vs. Zombie.  It’s in your heaaad, in your heaaaad, ZOMBIE, ZOMBIE, ZOMBIE-E-E (now that songs stuck in your head, its ok it’s in my head now too).  This drink was amazing!  Literally so good, bonus: it comes with snacks.  Yes, I promise there is a full drink below the watermelon, lime, lemon, basil, and cucumber!  It was also my first encounter with absinthe…I didn’t see a green fairy.

Up next was Rum DMC (see the play on words there).  It was a nice tart drink, good for sipping.  Although I do wish I had gone with Glenn’s pick which was called something like Oh Pesto and was infused with lots of basil and had fresh basil as a garnish which Glenn let me snack on.  Basil is an incredible herb to add to cocktails and also a great snack.  I’m definitely going to start utilizing it more!

                                                 

After we had our delicious and expensive drinks, we stopped at Potato Head across the street for a snack.  3 basil leaves were not so filling, but a basket of fries were!  Only complaint is they don’t serve cold water…I mean really?!  We enjoyed our fries without any water and then called it a night.

Saturday I spent some good quality time out by the pool soaking up some sunshine.  The Australian woman in my complex that I had met back in November was selling some of her goods (check out KikaWika on Facebook) and so I stopped by to see what she had.  I ended up with a few beautiful bracelets to take home (and share with my sister) and it was also nice to catch up with Kathrine again.  Luckily we were able to meet up for dinner tonight so I’ll be enjoying some good company on one of my final nights here!

Saturday night Ethan and I headed down to Chijmes for a nice bowl of ramen.  It was a good filling dinner, plus this place also gives out HUGE beers.  After, since it was so nice out we walked over to the Esplanade and on our way happened upon the fair that is being set up for Chinese New Year and I finally got to walk on the helix bridge. 

 

We capped the evening off with a Tiger beer while watching a soccer match and both agreed it’ll be hard to get used to the inside living when we get back to the US.  It’s just so nice sitting outside with the warm weather!

Sunday started off similar to Saturday.  I had a nice catch up with Elizabeth then headed back out to the poolside where I spent a good few hours reading, napping, dipping in the pool, and soaking up as much warmth as I can. 

The big excitement came that evening when Glenn, Ethan, and I headed to Level 33 brewery for a delicious farewell dinner.  Our reservation time of 630 allowed us to have a good sunny view out over Marina Bay and all of Singapore, and then watch as the sun set and the lights brought the city to life.  My dinner included two IPA’s, the Back and Belly (filet mignon and pulled pork), and a strawberry with mascarpone dessert.  Oh my it was heaven!  Level 33 knows what they’re doing!  Of course it’s also a snazzy restaurant so you pay the price, but it was a nice and special treat. 

Once we had our classic pictures looking out over Marina Bay (and after Glenn got a good laugh over the numerous pictures Ethan was adamant on taking of Marina Bay Sands in every light), we decided the evening would end best with a walk along the marina and a bubble tea from Gong Cha. 

It was a wonderful way to wrap out a great weekend and I’m not sure if we’ll get to see Glenn again before we leave so here is your blog goodbye.  Thank you for being a great friend and guide for my time in Singapore, Glenn!  Your kindness and generosity were more than I could have asked.  I was happy to spend my first and last weekend with you, enjoying what this country has to offer.  Thanks for some great memories in Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia.  Until our paths cross again, enjoy new adventures and keep in touch!  Cheers!