The Move to Singapore

“Welcome to Singapore, the local time is 935 AM”

We landed in Singapore on October 6^th, 2022 and the adventure started right away. We are seasoned travelers and do our homework before we leave. We did the same for this trip and had all our documents ready and forms filled out online days before we left. The airport is large and the walk to customs was long. We were one of the first off, the plane which made us one of the first in line. Anyone who has stood in a customs line overseas knows that is a big win.

Brandi went to the window first and then came back to me. We filled out the online form for long-term residents, which we will be, but not quite yet. We had to redo the form as regular visitors. It did not take that long to complete the form. We were then last in a line not moving at all. One of the first impressive things happened at that time. I have never seen this happen on any of our trips. The customs officer who saw us get turned back walked over and asked us to follow him. He showed us to the front of the line.

We made our way to the baggage claim when the second surprise happened. We had all our bags. We expected there would be at least one, if not more, that did not make it. We had a shuttle waiting and loaded up to get to the hotel. During the ride to the hotel, I noticed traffic was not bad and most people drove well. The roads are marked clearly and well-maintained. We made it to the hotel for check-in and all the bags were placed in the room. We then took a bit to relax and clean up after the long flights.

The next day began by waking up way too early at 3 am. We usually try and reset our internal clocks the first day. I find this part of the world the most difficult to switch to. We ventured out to get some things done that are priorities. We need a Singapore cell phone first as almost everything requires a local phone number. This was easy to do as we planned by unlocking our phones in the United States. This was unique because we had to get a prepaid sim first. You cannot get a regular cell phone account, or any other type of account, without your Visa and your long-term resident ID.

We could not get a bank account without our ID and documents. Also, many things require a Singpass. This is a government app that is vetted by your enrollment when you receive your ID card. It allows you to log into things that require strict verification. I like it. We knew from previous travels, the use of NFC (Apple pay, Google Pay) applications on cell phones are used to pay for goods and services. Singapore is exactly like that. Stores, food, and the MRT (subway) use your phone. We started downloading the apps we needed. We then made a store run to get a few items to get us by, as well as some food. We were able to use the MRT easily, thanks to our previous experiences.

The pedestrian crossing is very different here. They are very strict on crosswalks and there are no crossings at every intersection. Our hotel is on a corner, and you can see to the east a large area with shopping centers however, there is no crosswalk to it. We would have to walk 4 blocks in a loop just to get directly across the street. Then my lovely wife remembered Hong Kong. The stations underground often stretch for miles. We went down and walked directly to our destination. This a good tip for travelers.

We spent the next week filling out forms, taking appointments, and eventually had everything we need to be accomplished. We received our ID, opened a bank account, and went shopping for some furniture. The apartment was sorted out with the utility companies. Now we just wait for the move-in date.

Singapore is wonderful. The weather is much like Florida. High humidity and warmth. It stays that way all year except for the rainy season. The city is very clean and marked well.  The people are very nice here. You can see any nationality walking around. The true Singapore people speak a version of Malay but everyone we have encountered speaks English. They have a slang term “Singlish” for Singaporeans.

The food is also wonderful. We have not had a bad meal. The hawker centers are the spot to eat. If you saw the movie Crazy Rich Asians, you saw the scene in a hawker center. There are almost 100 Michelin Star restaurants here. It is very safe here. We have explored quite a bit and always felt safe. I think it has something to do with severe penalties and enforcing those penalties.

There is so much more to follow but I wanted to get a blog posted on the updated site. We have already booked two trips. Next week we will be in Phuket, Thailand. This will be a relaxing trip and I will be diving. Expect some good photos and videos on the YouTube channel. We had a planned trip and had to rebook due to moving. That trip will now be to Doha, Qatar followed by Dubai, U.A.E. We will see if a quick trip over to Oman can also be done during the trip. We have a list of countries ready to travel to from here and we are looking forward to sharing the countries with you.