One Day in Singapore
SINGAPORE
Once I arrived in Singapore, while clearing customs, the drone got noticed. I carried a DJI Phantom 4 Pro on this trip to try and get some unique photos and to add to my videos. The customs agents were very nice but let me know that I needed to register the quadcopter. I sat down in less than five minutes with an agent and filled out the necessary paperwork. They also informed me of the places that I could and couldn’t fly it along with giving me a link to a map that showed me the same. Though, this was not the first time while traveling with the drone that someone wanted to inspect it, it was the first time that I was required to register it. Overall though, it was a pleasant experience.
As soon as I exited the airport, it was clear that I had traded the desert heat for that tropical heat + humidity. I was able to get an Uber from the beautiful Singapore airport to my hotel in Clarke Quay. As soon as you leave the airport, you are put onto this beautiful drive along the water with lush tropical plants lining the road. It really was a stark contrast from my last two stops in Doha and Dubai. Once in the city itself, the first thing I noticed was the amazing architecture. It was a very clean city with buildings that were not the futuristic look of Dubai and Doha but very modern and unique. I made it to the Holiday Inn Express – Clarke Quay. It, too, was a modern building and very different from any Holiday Inn Express that I had ever stayed at. The lobby was expansive with tall ceilings and snacks and even a coffee stand. The room was small but had giant floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the city. This, coupled with the location make it an ideal spot to stay if you are ever in need of a place in Singapore.
On my flight from LAX to Doha, there was a gentleman sitting in the window seat of my row (with nobody in the middle seat) who was coughing the entire flight with his mouth wide open and not covering it. I knew that I was going to get sick from this and by the time I got to Singapore, I was starting to feel it. I decided to get some rest.
My main focus in Singapore was to see the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It is very unique with three towers that has what looks like a cruise ship spanning the tops of them. The next morning, I made my way down to Merlion Park, which is the best place to view the iconic building. Along the way I was able to check out the Riverwalk which I highly recommend spending time exploring if you make it to Singapore. I flew the drone around the hotel but the sun was just coming up and the light was a little flat for my liking. I decided to head back to catch the hop on-hop off bus and get a quick tour of the city.
While on the bus, I found out that Sentosa Island was a must see so I took an Uber across the bridge. Sentosa is home to some beach resort and theme parks, including Resort World Sentosa and Universal Studios. I was there to enjoy the scenery. As I made my way to western end of the island and Fort Siloso, I realized that Sentosa was home to the southern-most point in continental Asia. I added that to the list of stops for later. I was able to take a self-guided tour of the fort as well as fly the drone to get a different perspective.
I took advantage of the free shuttle that runs around the island and headed over to the southern-most point. The rope bridge over to the man-made island was closed for maintenance so I decided to fly the drone again. As soon as I took off, a lifeguard from the nearby beach came over and asked me if I had a permit to fly there. I told him that I had the registration papers that the airport had given me. Since he wasn’t sure if that was enough, he called for backup. Once the backup arrived, I showed him the paperwork and explained that the airport had told me that Sentosa was one of the areas that I could fly the drone. I also showed them the map indicating that the island was not in one of the restricted or prohibited zones. They went on to say that despite that, you needed to get a permit from the Sentosa Island Management. After quite a bit of back-and-forth, I basically let them know that the government and CAAS (Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore) were telling people that they could fly there and that the management should work with those agencies to get the island listed as a restricted airspace.
By this time is was getting to be late in the day and I wanted to head back to the Marina Bay Sands to get some golden hour shots and fly the drone there again. I was able to download an app called oBike which shows you where the nearest rental bike is and lets you ride it wherever you need to go. It took a bit to get it to work (probably because of my limited data speeds overseas) but I was finally able to manage. The concept is unique since you can leave the bike anywhere you stop. You don’t have to leave it at a bike rack made for the company. I finally made it to the park and the light at Merlion Park at sunset is amazing. I was able to fly the drone getting some amazing shots of the city, the Riverwalk, the Marina Bay Sands, the Singapore Flyer (giant ferris wheel) and even Merlion. It was an awesome way to end my day in Singapore.
It was time to head back to the hotel, collect my things and head to the airport for my flight down to Bali. I regretted being sick the first night and needing to rest instead of heading out to take night shots of the Marina Bay Sands and the Supertree Grove at the gardens but I figure that Singapore is such a hub in southeast Asia that I will be back at some point.
Take a look at some of my other stops on my 2017 Around-the-World trip.
Doha - Dubai - Singapore - Bali - Komodo - Sydney - Auckland
