It was quite exciting arriving in Singapore not knowing what to expect or what the next few days would involve. My first experience travelling alone was liberating. I arrived in the hostel room late that evening to find a couple of girls in the room getting ready for bed. They too had just arrived and were tired from travelling all day. I was relieved that they were also thinking of having an early night but part of me was desperate to go out and explore the city that evening. Two other girls came in the room and they had also arrived that evening but separately. Melissa and Erin who I had met first were planning on going on a boat trip the next day, they kindly offered for me to join.

We all woke up feeling well rested and ready to discover Singapore. Melissa, Erin, another girl called Ruby and I all headed out. Firstly we went to see the island that was located just off of Singapore called Sentosa island. My first impressions of Sentosa island was that it is just like being at a theme park, there is lots of concrete, escalators, signs, amusement activities and a fake beach. I didn't really like this part of Singapore but it was interesting to see the attractions that had been built at this end of Singapore. What added to the strangeness of this place was that the horizon was filled with container ships so looking out to sea wasn't even that pleasant.

On Sentosa island we avoided the expensive restaurants and brands that you can find all over the world. Instead we went to the Malaysian food court where we could choose from numerous food stalls. It was cheap and easy. It was lovely getting to know the girls and finding out about their travel experiences. When you start travelling around with people you get close very quickly.

Next we headed to Clarke keys to find the boat tour we had been told about. The metro takes you to the mall and as you come outside you are greeted by a row of colourful buildings with a string of bars along the river. There were boats lined up on the other side of the river ready to take tourists. The boat ride was very relaxing and interesting as the prerecorded intercom told you about each building you passed. It was amazing to see the marina from the river as the sky scrapers towered above you. There were some people sailing outside the marina sands hotel which added to the calm atmosphere.

Not sure what to do next we decided to walk back to the hostel but via a park. It was interesting to see how Singapore creates a strong relationship with gardens and man made items. Every so often we would come across an escalator in the park - it was bizarre! However I did like the view of the skyscrapers through the trees - such a contrast. Many of the skyscrapers themselves either had plants covering their roofs or there were sections built into the side with greenery.

We got back to the hostel and suddenly realised how tired we were from walking and riding the metro around the city all day. But we got ready quickly and headed out to see the light show. The first show was outside the mall looking out across the marina. We sat on the steps and the show consisted of water being sprayed out to create a canvas and then lights were shone onto the water to create moving images. The images told a beautiful story as music played in the background. What an atmosphere was created with crowds watching and a backdrop of the lit up skyscrapers.

In awe as the show finished we had to get up quickly to beat the crowds to the next show. We had to push our way through the crowded mall and then through the posh marina bay hotel to get to the other side and access the gardens by the bay. The route wasn't made easy but we got to the middle of the gardens just in time to sit down and enjoy the lights. Gardens by the bay is a surreal place again with tree like structures which light up and look as if they are part of an alien planet. The trees lit up in time to music. This time the music was in different languages and much more lively than the music at the light show. It was impressive to see both.

Our next stop was the sky bar that had been recommended to me. Included in the entry cost was a drink, so of course we opted for a Singapore sling. The views from the 63rd floor bar were incredible. The skyscraper was itself towered over several of the other skyscrapers. We were able to see right across Singapore. We had no idea how big it was! Many many more skyscrapers than we had envisioned. The music was really good at the bar and we ended up having a good dance. Later on we moved down one floor to the club which we hadn't even known existed!

The next day we were all very hungover, Melissa and Erin had moved to the marina sands hotel to treat themselves for a night. So Ruby and I spent the day not doing much but trying to cope with the tiredness. The one productive thing we did was go to an electronics store nearby which was well known for selling products at wholesale prices. I invested in a proper camera because after spending most of Thailand watching Lexi taking amazing pictures I thought it would be a good purchase before Australia. The salesman was very good and Ruby ended up buying a go pro. That evening we went to see the girls at the marina hotel, we intended to have dinner there but the rooftop restaurant had an $80 per person minimum charge! Instead Ruby and I found a cheaper restaurant on the other side of the marina. It was still quite fancy and had a great view of the marina. Later on we joined the girls at the marina sands for a drink and to enjoy the views at the top of the hotel. It was so sad to say goodbye to them and weird that we had only known them two days!

I also had to say goodby to Ruby the following morning as she got her flight back to Malaysia where she was teaching in a school. So I was left on my own in the lobby that morning. I intended to go out and see some more of Singapore but also get going on some job applications for Australia. I saw a couple of girls in the hostel that looked like they were about to head off somewhere. So I went for it and asked them where they were going. They said the botanical gardens and the Thai market which coincidently was exactly what I had wanted to do! They didn't mind me joining and so we headed off straight away.

Funnily enough, both girls Katie and Lois were from England and in fact Katie had studied for a year at Loughborough. It was easy to talk to them both as we all had so much in common and they were both my age. The botanical gardens were initially underwhelming but once we got the orchid garden which we had to pay for we were more impressed. We then went to the other side of Singapore to find the Thai market that was on that day in an old railway. We were hungry and excited by the prospect of some good Thai food. The market was not what we had expected and nothing like the markets you find in Thailand. There were few stalls and only one food place. The railway was rammed with people so we decided to head elsewhere for lunch. Katie had noticed a popular Singapore restaurant on the way so we went back there to have a look. The restaurant was filled with locals so we decided to give it a go. We weren't sure what would be good so we picked 3 meals and all shared. It was the best Singapore food I had eaten so far! A triumph.

The girls had been on the hostel scooter tour the night before and had gone past an indoor ecosystem called the 'cloud forest' which they wanted to go and see. They were flying home that evening so wanted to check everything off their list. While I was tired and quite run down I couldn't turn down seeing more things and spending time with them. So we headed to gardens by the bay. The cloud garden was very unique, as you walked in the air was filled with droplets of water which gave the impression of clouds. In the centre of the glass globe building was a metal structure. It was very tall and covered in plants. It had a walkway that spiralled around it so that people could walk down from the top and admire the structure itself but also the views outside. It was again quite alien like and a bit strange. But we were starting to learn that Singapore was a city that loved to entertain and feature new and fascinating things. We noticed people taking interesting photos against the plant covered structure so we joined in and took lots of pictures alongside the flowers.

Finally, the girls wanted to go to a sky bar and I highly recommended altitude to them. I planned to head home as I didn't want to spend the $30 entry fee to go up again. However when it came down to it I was keen to continue having fun with the girls and also thought it would be good to see the views in day light. The girls deliberated aswell as to whether to spend the money and go up especially because it was quite cloudy that day. But we all decided to go, I think there is an element of not wanting to regret things when you are travelling. It's good to try everything. The girls weren't disappointed and I was excited to be back up at the bar. It was a great atmosphere as we watched the sun go down and the bar played a mellow playlist in the background. We got to see the view in daylight and then all the lights turn on across the city. It was a great end to the day.

That evening I had to say more goodbyes - one of the few downsides to travelling. Then I needed to work out what to do for dinner. I met a Austrian girl in the lobby and asked her if she was hungry and wanted to join me for dinner. She was keen and as others overheard the conversation, two other people asked to join. The German guy who joined us suggested an Indian place round the corner. Having avoided curries so far despite the hostel being situated in little India, I agreed to his suggestion as I wanted to go somewhere easy. The evening was nice as we all got to know one another having never met before. I crashed that evening after another hectic day exploring the city. I told myself that I needed to sort my job applications out the following day before my flight.

The next day I was still tired and packed up my stuff ready to check out. I started on the job applications early, using the hostel tablets which were a bit slow and not the easiest things to use. As I spent a couple of hours there, a guy got chatting to me, asking what I was doing. He too was from England and kindly gave me a contact in Melbourne he had so that I could enquire about a bar job. He hadn't seen much of Singapore and asked if I wanted to go and explore with him. As much as I wanted to see even more of Singapore and get to know yet another person I had to decline on this occasion. Not only did I want to sort myself out before Australia but I also needed to recover a bit to let my cough improve before the flight. Later I headed out on my own to find a proper Internet cafe. The one I found seemed to be designed for keen gamers as the chairs were proper gaming chairs and the desktop backgrounds were different computer games. There were lots of guys in there with headphones on, engrossed in their online worlds. I was not that surprised by this place as I had seen how popular virtual realities were in Singapore. Several times while walking along marina bay we had noticed that the crowds around us all had their heads down looking at their phones. They were all playing Pokemon go and following their phones to Pokemon which seemed to be situated primarily around the marina. I found this extremely hard to understand as the views of the marina were beautiful yet all these people were far more interested in their fake fantasy world.

All in all Singapore has been an amazing trip and I would recommend spending a few days there to anyone. It's just so different to anywhere I had been before. A friend described it to me as 'the South East Asian version of New York' and I think it fits that description quite well. If nothing else these last few days have made me very excited about travelling alone. But I'm also lucky enough to be linking up with my friend Jayne in Sydney so that's also very exciting! Next stop Australia.