After traveling for over a month we made it to our last stop on this journey: Singapore. Singapore was another incredible, bustling and growing city which reminded me again a lot of New York City. Singapore, an island city-state off southern Malaysia, is a global financial center with a tropical climate and multicultural population. I prefer walking around cities instead of taking an underground subway system and since there was no Hop-on-Hop-Off bus tour available walking was the best way to explore a few different areas. We visited Chinatown and Little India and later that day the Waterfront Promenade. When in Singapore I highly recommend spending at least one night at the famous Marina Bay Sands. We stayed the whole time there and it was a different experience for us as well. I usually prefer small hotels, after Bali I felt ready for a huge hotel complex. Marina Bay Sands is unique and different compared to other big hotels but in my opinion worth the money. The views are incredible and it is the only hotel with an infinity pool at that height which offers breathtaking views over the city. The restaurants are excellent and the cocktail bars are unique. We enjoyed the last few days of our trip and sipped the first night on a Singapore Sling overlooking the city.

After our stay in Ubud we went farther north to Gobleg. Our next destination was Munduk Moding Plantation where Bali’s skies blend with the water of their infinity pool, the Bali sea and the towering volcanoes in Java where nature creates art. Incomparable views serenaded by birdsong and a choir of crickets. A hideaway nestled in a working coffee plantation surrounded by jungle. Here the real Bali is alive. I’m so glad we decided to go to this hidden place and I got to explore another side of Bali. The location was just breathtaking, the food incredible and the staff very friendly. We stayed at a villa, nestled into the jungle and surrounded by the resorts’ own coffee plants. This atmosphere changed my mind and I felt finally welcomed on the island.

Bali. Bali is a tiny island in Indonesia, a ton of people visit this place every year and I have to say writing a post about it is going to be tough. After I’ve visited the island I noticed this is not my place on earth and it’s okay. Not everyone is the same, we all have different opinions, different mindsets and especially we all want different vacations. My expectations for Bali where pretty high right from the beginning. I saw a lot of documentaries and read a few blog posts but at the end, it was different. Yes, it is most of the time different than expected but it was absolutely not what I had pictured in my mind. The locals were so different, I didn’t feel welcomed and I had lots of problems with their food. Yes, I’m aware that everyone is different, but Bali, well I would say I just didn’t feel it at all.

Kuala Lumpur was our next stop after Cambodia and we only spent one day there. Kuala Lumpur’s dynamic, high-rise City Center is known for upscale fashion malls, luxury hotels and expansive views from the futuristic Petronas Towers. Overlooked by skyscrapers, the green expanse of the Kuala Lumpur City Center Park offers walking paths and musical fountains. Dining options range from stylish bistros offering Asian and European fare, to elegant rooftop bars serving innovative cocktails. We didn’t do a lot of things in Malaysa due to our tight schedule. Early in the morning we left our hotel and walked to the Petronas Towers. Before we booked a hotel we made sure we are in a walkable distance to the towers. After spending a while outside in the surrounding park area with our morning coffee we walked into the mall, purchased a few goodies and looked for a nice lunch spot right after. We found a nice place outside the park and sat there for a few hours. Later that day we went back to our hotel for drinks and canapés, followed by a romantic dinner. Our day basically flew by and it felt like only a few hours since our last airport visit, we sat in another plane and flew to Indonesia, Bali was our next stop.