If I become moderately rich and still live in Asia when I am older, Singapore is a place I would take my mum. It reminds me of Shanghai if it was created by the British; they drive on the left, people politely queue for the metro, and there are safety regulations everywhere. But it isn’t just the familiarity that would make it a perfect destination for my mother; it is the atmosphere. Singapore is relaxed. The people don’t appear to be in a constant rush, the taxi drivers don’t seem to want to take out pedestrians, and in my experience mums -- and tired NYUSH students -- can appreciate an injection of urban tranquility. So Singapore was a much needed break for a few days and if a few days is all you have, a few days is all you need. DAY ONE We started with Kaya Toast. It’s sweet. It’s sticky. It features a slightly concerning amount of butter. Regardless, it’s delicious and it’s a delicacy. My arteries will have to understand the sacrifices I make for culinary explorations. Singaporean chain ToastBox is unsurprisingly very competent at toasting and is kind on the cash flow. We ordered traditional Kaya Toast as part of a set and so were also able to enjoy two soft (debatably cooked) boiled eggs and a (also very sweet) coffee.

Next we tackled the metro (MRT). Combined experience at handling the Shanghai metro system, the London underground, and the New York Subway provided zero assistance, but after a little practice we got to where we wanted to be, with limited hiccups. Besides, if you do happen to get stuck underneath Singapore for a while, it’s not the worst thing. Littering is heavily fined, eating is forbidden, and durians are banned. And it’s air conditioned. Against our inclinations to spend the day riding the beautifully clean metro, we journeyed to Marina Bay, home of Marina Bay Sands, the iconic three-tower hotel that has that rooftop infinity pool. Note: Yes, it is entirely possible to almost make it to the pool without a keycard. No, don't do it. Instead it was a far better plan to pay our way to the observation deck. As luck would have it, Singapore was horrifically hazy for the entirety of our visit, but I should imagine the view is quite lovely.

The Singapore Flyer was next, but was ditched due to the haze situation. Spinning around on a slow ferris wheel in a cloud of fog was just not very appealing, but under usual circumstances the price tag is most probably worth it. Gardens by the Bay, however, was impressive even in haze. It boasts ‘supertrees,’ which are as awesome as the name suggests, two domes (the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest - both worthy of instagramming), and most deliciously, Satay by the Bay. Here we extended our Singaporean food tour and feasted on satay (one of the most mouthwatering foods you can find on a stick), fried carrot cake (reminiscent-ish of an omelette), and fried kuay teow (a famous noodle dish).

Marina Bay also hosts other awesome things such as a spiral bridge and a very fancy mall - discoveries made from a panicked shoe purchase after the unfortunate discovery that sandals can quite literally rip into two. Orchard Road is the recommended place to shop. It took an incredible amount of self-restraint and a really quite depressing student budget to prevent me from spending a lot of money, but we did treat ourselves to ice cream bread. You wouldn’t think a chunk of mint chocolate chip held in a pastel pink and green decorated slice of bread would be incredible, but it works. It really works.

DAY TWO Singapore can be a little pricey, but a money-saving solution was to stay in pods or The Pod, a boutique capsule hotel. I was initially quite excited about the concept of pod-living, but multiple friends had sarcastically wished us good luck before our voyage. Despite a minor debit card crisis and a less than professional check in, the haunting commentaries of people back home subsided. There were issues, but for the price we paid I would have expected to be sleeping in a closet, with a bunch of cleaning supplies, sans pillow. Instead we got a bed with clean sheets, a towel, a plug socket and, should you shamefully inquire at reception, a toothbrush. What more does a student need anyway? We survived Motel 268. Note: I would not recommend the pods to my mother. In the hypothetical scenario in which I do get mildly to impossibly rich, I would treat her to something a little more upmarket. Maybe even with a door. I’m usually less than excited for excursions that focus primarily on nature, so I can’t say I was looking forward to a treetop walk -- a walk that required a hike to reach and was to take place in million degree heat. However, my two other travel companions were enthusiastic and I, notoriously fond of being inside, was forced to go and I almost enjoyed it. Despite practically sweating through a layer of skin, it was worth the traumatic amount of exercise to see monkeys and lizards and monkeys and trees and more monkeys.

Just as I thought I had cracked the healthy lifestyle, we went to Little India. Brightly painted buildings and multi-colored lights lined the streets and were very explorable. We finished with an Indian dinner of a lot of curry. Luckily, the yoghurt drinks were not necessary accompaniments. DAY THREE As if being away from Shanghai was just impossible to bear, we headed to Chinatown. It felt a little less authentic because I wasn’t targeted by a scooter once, but in the midst of celebrating the mid-autumn festival, we saw a pleasing amount of mooncakes and our temporary homesickness was cured. Our explorations of Chinatown coincided with a mission: to find, secure, and eat lobster. Being an island, Singaporean cuisine features a lot of seafood. Lobster still isn’t cheap, but it is accessible and fresh and all around incredible. My friends, due to a particularly calamitous separate booking situation, ended up arriving in Singapore earlier than I and elected to go prawning. Apparently fishing for prawns is hard as I met them empty handed. It is, though, possible to catch a prawn with your bare hands. Not sure if that is to be recommended. Without the time to visit Universal Studios, we wanted to do something that would induce a little adrenaline, so we decided to try the Extreme Swing Singapore. Next to the quay, it is a contraption made from a sphere and a bungee, which flings its passengers into the air. With the student discount it was worth it and has got to be even better at night. Concluding the hunt for culinary satisfaction, Singapore-style, we hunted down chicken rice and laksa (seafood soup). Washed down with lime juice and sour plum soda, we came to the mutual conclusion that food in Singapore is nothing short of amazing. To quench our thirst we went to Long Bar in Raffles Hotel. Birthplace of the original Singapore Sling, it would have been rude not to order the horrifically overpriced cocktail, a once in a lifetime experience. The ambience made the distinct lack of kick in the drink acceptable. In a lot of ways the beverage sums up Singapore; sweet and non-offensive. Perfect for say, my mother.

This article was written by Stephanie Bailey. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Stephanie Bailey and Maya Williams