Welcoming the new year with old friends
March 2023 will be an important milestone for all the wrong reasons. It would signify the three-year mark since I stepped foot at my alma mater Skidmore and, more importantly, most of my close friends. However, December of 2022 saw a fun opportunity to be reunited with yet more Skidmore friends, namely Karan and Matthew. Planning for their trip took place in August 2022 when the boys wanted to come to Singapore and travel to another destination with me, specifically Phuket in Thailand. It was shaping up to be an exciting trip, and in hindsight, I can safely say it was, despite how it ended. Welcome to a fun story involving copious amounts of food, sunshine, stunning views, and adventure.
I was excited for my friends to come to Singapore, especially for Matt, as it would be his first time in Singapore and anywhere on the Asian continent. His approach to traveling to new places is broadly like mine, i.e., centered on and around food. For Karan, it would be a second opportunity to visit the country, having previously visited during his exchange in Australia in 2019. I was keen to show the boys my weird and wonderful home country in the best way possible, with copious amounts of food and drink. I was also eager to introduce them to some of my Singapore crew. Eventually, after months of planning, the boys were set to come to Singapore, and I would join them for a few days in Phuket.
Trip highlights:
In return to form on this travel journal, a top highlight was the superb food and drink we had while they visited and when we went to Thailand. The boys were keen to sample some of the best food Singapore has to offer, and before coming, they had a list of dishes they needed to sample, ranging from laksa to satay to Hokkien mee, chicken rice, and chili crab. I am happy to report that we could cross off those things and some. Some classic venues visited included Maxwell centre, Lau Pa Sat, and one that typically isn’t in the guidebook, Golden Mile Complex. It is important to note that this building will be closing down soon for renovation, and many will miss the well-priced quality food available in this locale along with some of the other “amenities.” In addition to these iconic foods, I wanted to introduce them to Singapore’s cocktail scene while avoiding the Singapore Sling. I know what people will say regarding my comments on the Singapore Sling, but it is a drink that does not represent the caliber of creativity of bartenders in Singapore. It is why instead of taking them to my usual haunt, I decided to take them to some unique places, namely Native, a cocktail bar that takes pride in only utilizing spirits made in neighboring countries. To top off our drinking experience, I also took them to Level33, a rooftop bar overlooking the Marina Bay skyline, where they met the people, I call my family here in Singapore. In Thailand, we more or less dove into some classics such as Pad Thai, Thai Iced tea, green curry, and of course, mango sticky rice.
Their visit to Singapore allowed me to act as a tourist within my own country, visiting sites I would usually not visit. One of these was the brand new Capitaspring building, located right in the heart of the CBD. It is a recent mixed-use development located in the Raffles Place district of Singapore, playing home to a brand-new viewing deck showcasing a 360-degree view of Singapore and, if you’re lucky, parts of Indonesia and Malaysia. The best part about this viewing deck, it’s free for everyone to access (Note the operating hours of 0830-1030 & 1430-1800). I would highly recommend this viewpoint to visitors who come to Singapore as it offers some stunning 360 views of the city-state. In addition to rooftop views, I showed off some nature parks throughout the country. I led Karan to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to see Singapore’s tallest natural peak, towering at a dizzying 160+ meters above sea level. I also brought Karan while navigating old railway tracks and some monkeys to the brand-new Rifle Range Park near Rifle Range Road. When it came to natural sights, however, I was immediately taken in by some of the views we witnessed in Phuket. Being an island, Phuket is surrounded on all sides by outstanding sea views and some hidden gems in the hills and the old town, which reminded me of Penang in northern Malaysia. A personal highlight for me was visiting a big buddha statue offering some serenity from the madness of our villa locale and jaw-dropping views. One part of the trip that turned out to be rather exciting was a visit to the monkey hill viewpoint, where Matt had a slightly unexpected interaction with a monkey. In addition to the nature sites, a highlight came in the form of some of Phuket’s nightlife. Phuket has essentially returned to normal, with live music, dancing, and loud electronic music returning to all the bars and clubs. In addition, some of the more eccentric offerings were also open again though these we did not partake in. Enough of my words; it is time I let my photos do the talking (also want to credit Karan for some of the photos in this post).
Trip Summary:
It was a successful trip, though Matt and I fell sick at the end. I attribute it to multiple factors, but it was not Covid related. The biggest highlight of this trip was seeing my friends again after what felt like an eternity. I think the boys enjoyed the trip since they could get a modicum of reprieve from the horrendous winter back in their base of Boston and bask in the warm weather. Their visit inspired me to make a trip to the United States, but it is one that I am not so sure I could do it any time soon. I am aching to go back with many of my close college friends residing there. If there is one thing I would change about this trip, it is to venture out to try more food places, especially in Phuket. Phuket is home to some unique southern Thai cuisine not found anywhere else. It is one of the main regrets I have about this trip. However, I was glad I could experience the stunning beaches that Phuket is known for. In a future trip I would like to make a trip to the famous plane spotting beach right by the airport as it is a bucket list item for avgeeks worldwide. It’s hard to summarize this trip, but it was certainly a long overdue reunion with Skidmore friends, and I hope the trend of reunions continues into 2023.