Singapore

The Singapore airport is a tourists destination in itself. They take great pride in providing gardens, entertainment, and opportunities for anyone with a boarding pass. It was tempting to just stay in the airport on our long layover and stroll the orchid gardens and find the giant indoor waterfall. But we also wanted to discover the city, so out we went. Our destination was the Gardens By the Bay and it did not disappoint. Giant man made trees stretched up over a hundred feet into the air, covered in plantation boxes. Different ecosystems were set up around the park bordered by ponds and rivers. The entire area is self sustainable with its own water conservation and drip system. We loved finding the baobab forest and strolling comfortably under the giant metal trees—all framed by the sleek buildings of Singapore. It’s a clean city, and more first world than America. It took me a minute to learn the contactless paying method and the touch screen ordering system for the food court. We made it back to the airport in plenty of time to explore, but it turns out you can’t be inside the airport to visit the famous indoor garden called the “Jewel.” And we were nervous about assuring we would get through the immigration line so we went through before we knew. So we looked at it on the airport shuttle. Singapore is an awesome option for a long layover. There is plenty to do in a short time.