Due to my work schedule keeping me inside during the day (which I’m not even a little mad about, thank you air conditioning), I end up spending a lot of time exploring Singapore at night. Every night after work, I venture out into the city, usually looking for dinner. Along the way, I get to see the city from another perspective. And let me tell you, it’s just as colorful as during the day.

I walked over this bridge on my first day of site seeing along the river. Tonight, it’s lit up in rainbow colors. I can’t say for sure if there is a meaning behind it, but in light of recent events here in the U.S., it seems even more poignant.

Remember those colorful lanterns in Chinatown? They also light up at night, adding to the festive atmosphere.

I end up walking through the harbor on my way back to the hotel most nights, giving me plenty of opportunity to visit Merlion.

And check out the view from my room! I photograph this view almost every day at sunrise and sunset because it just never gets old.

Despite Singapore not being heavy on the tourist sites, it is well known for its food scene. I’m excited to try the food and it definitely doesn’t disappoint. For one of my first meals , I stop at a place called Porn’s Sexy Thai Food. I pass by it in a mall after my Souther Ridges walk as I’m taking a break from the humidity and am so amused by the name, I have to stop. Turns out, the food is pretty good! It’s all different types of Thai soup, similar to Vietnamese pho, one of my favorite foods.

Aaron, my coworker who lives in Singapore, takes us to a different local spot for lunch each day and orders us his favorite dishes. We start with the famous chicken and rice at Sin Swee Kee Restaurant. Lian says she prefers the chicken and rice at Tian Tian in Maxwell Food Center, but Aaron insists this is better. They both taste great to me.

He also takes us for another traditional Singaporean dish – pork soup. The menu is so sophisticated!

For our team dinner Wednesday night, we were originally going to go to Jumbo – famous for its chili crab. Unfortunately, they don’t have any availability for us, so Aaron takes us to No Signboard on Geylang Road instead. It’s a bit outside of downtown and requires a taxi to get to (though you could probably get there via the metro), but it’s definitely worth it. There are a couple locations in the downtown area, but this is the original, and is much more popular with locals than tourists.

Funny story – the entire week, Aaron has been asking for forks and knives for Barrett and I, despite us not asking for, nor needing them. We’ve kind of been teasing him about this, but he just keeps on getting them. Chili crab is a notoriously saucy, messy meal and Aaron didn’t have time to go home to change before dinner, so he asks for a couple bibs. The servers come back and without asking, put them on Barrett and me. We both start to (jokingly) give him a hard time and I ask the waiters to bring us two more for Aaron and Lian. After dinner, Aaron finally agrees that we both know how to use chopsticks and eat Asian food without making a mess. Success!

I also try frog for the first time in this meal, and it is remarkably like chicken. There’s also a lot of bones though and it seems like a lot of work for a little reward.

After dinner, we walk around Geylang for a bit. Turns out, this is actually the red-light district of Singapore. Not sure this makes Geylang a must-see for most people, but if that’s your thing, there you go. Aaron and Lian are on a mission to have Barrett and I try durian fruit. I’ve passed this several times during my wanderings, and for those who haven’t heard of it before, it smells like death. Most hotels won’t even let you bring it inside as the smell is so strong and off-putting. But because I’ll try anything once, I agree to give durian a chance.

Both Lian and Aaron really like it, and I ask if it smells bad to them as well. They agree that, yes, durian smells bad to everyone, but it doesn’t smell like it tastes. So I give it a go. We wear gloves so the smell won’t linger on our hands.

And truthfully, it doesn’t taste as bad as it smells. But I also don’t like it. It’s mushy, kind of like baby food, and sickly sweet to me. I can kind of see why some people might, and at least I can say that I’ve tried it!

The following night I decide to check out the bar on the top floor of my hotel, just to see the views. I bring my computer to work on some blog posts, and order my one and only alcoholic drink. At $17, it’s really expensive, but I feel guilty just hanging out up here without ordering anything. And the views are pretty great.

And that wraps up my time here in Singapore! I really enjoyed everything this city has to offer, except that rampant humidity. I’ll be back on Wednesday with all my travel tips and an expense report. Hope you enjoyed following along with me!