I had a business trip to Singapore planned for the end of the year. The official reason for the trip was to participate in a digitalization training program for small countries. However, my notes will focus more on the adventures I had along the way to Singapore rather than the content of the training itself.
First, as a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, I needed to obtain a Singaporean visa. Unfortunately, it was impossible to apply for it directly; I had to go through a special accredited agency. Since there were none in Kyrgyzstan, I had to apply for a tourist visa through an intermediary who, in turn, contacted a special agency. Needless to say, this significantly increased the cost and processing time for the visa.
Secondly, due to the lack of direct flights, I had to fly with two stopovers: first in Almaty, then in Bangkok, and finally in Singapore. The flights were operated by two different airlines, so my luggage didn’t go directly to Singapore and I had to pick it up in Bangkok. And that's where I encountered an unexpected problem. To claim my luggage, I had to leave the transit zone. However, I was not allowed to do so because I was already in Thailand, and I was told that I needed to purchase a visa. I had long dreamed of visiting Thailand, and now my dream had come true – I got a Thai visa on arrival. However, I only spent half an hour in Thailand, which was all I needed to pick up my luggage and go through check-in again. It was my shortest vacation in Thailand ever – a mere half an hour.
When I arrived in Singapore, I was met at the airport and taken to the hotel. However, due to the fact that the training lasted from morning to evening, I never really got to see Singapore. By the time we finished training, it was already dark, and by the time I got to the shopping malls, they were already closed.
I looked at Singapore from the window of my hotel and bus. Singapore looked like a beautiful and clean city.
I should also mention the prices in Singapore. I wanted to buy my wife a perfume as a souvenir from Singapore. I found her favorite scent and brand, but the prices were higher than I expected. So I ordered the same perfume from Paris, and it cost me almost 70 dollars less with delivery than buying it in Singapore. The same goes for prices on all other goods.
Fortunately, I don't have a habit of hooliganism or breaking the rules, so I didn't encounter Singapore's famous fines for chewing gum or other huge penalties.