“B” is for Bucket List (Singapore)

Chinese Gardens (March 18,2026)

We have five days in Singapore before heading out on our cruise.  We have been here before, when we stopped on our cruise in 2023.  Feeling like we had a pretty immersive overview of the city the last time, we wanted to delve deeper into everything with this trip.

If you have ever traveled with me, you know I am a planner!  With every city or new country, I set a list of intentions.  Some people call them “bucket lists”.  They are really just goals and ambitions, purpose to our days, if you will. Isn’t that what an ABC Adventure is all about?

Singapore was no exception to my preparations.  To turn a bucket list into an ABC list, I simply map out the possibilities. When we set our intentions, I am always thinking about what kinds of foods I want to try, the must see places I want to visit, the kinds of animals we might see, the photos I want to take and the stories which must be told. On the ABC list, you might see a color, or a verb listed, perhaps a journal question…these are reminders of what I want to document.  The ABC list (my bucket list) becomes a huge collection of ways to capture our adventure.  Singapore was a very big part of our ASIA exploration, which I will cover in greater detail at a later point on the blog.  For now, we are following along in real time.  Today, March 18,2026  we landed in Singapore, we are going to get a few hours of rest then begin our exploration.

After much research, we realized we had actually created a pretty comprehensive plan for ourselves in Singapore.  Our first day would focus on gardens.  Our second day was all about exploring modern Singapore.  The third day was going to be filled with culture.  The fourth day we would be visiting the Colonial areas and finally the fifth day was about taking it easy, as we boarded our cruise.  Within each of our days, in Singapore, there were many things we wanted to see.  I wondered if we could complete an entire alphabet adventure while we were here.  The next few days will tell.  So here is what we have planned to see/do or experience, while in Singapore.  Here is our ABC Adventure.

 

 

ABC Singapore

A

Accommodations

Abdul Gaffoor Mosque

Amoy Street

Ann Slang Hill Park

Ann Slang Hill Rd.

Apple Store

Arab Street

Architecture

Art

Art Science Museum

Arthur Bordelo Sculptures

Asian Civilization Museum

 

B

Baba House

Best Memory

Biggest Surprise

Boat Quay

Bonsai Garden

Breakfast

Bruce Lee Tributes

Buddha

Buddha Tooth Relic Museum

Bumboat

 

C

Cavanaugh Bridge

Challenges faced or expected to face

Chinatown

Chinatown Heritage Center

Chinese Garden

City

Civil Defense Heritage Center

Clark Quay

Cloud Forest

Cocktails

Coffee

Colonization

Colorful houses

Costs

Culture

Cultural differences/cultural misunderstandings

Currency

 

D

Distance traveled

Document daily life

Dragons

DREAM sign

 

E

Eat

Elevate the view (Marina Bay Sands/ Skybridge & Supertree Grove Skywalk at Gardens by the Bay/ Singapore Flyer)

 

F

Famous Streets

Favorite anything

Fears you faced and how you overcame them

Flag

Floral Fantasy

Flower Dome

Flowers

Food

Fort Canning Park

Fullerton Hotel

Funniest Moment

 

G

Gardens

Gardens by the Bay

Garden Rhapsody Light and Sound Show

Green spaces

Gelam (a type of eucalyptus tree that grows near Kampong Gelam)

Gopuram (a monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South Indian architecture.

Government

 

H

Haji Lane

Hawker Center

Helix Bridge

Henna art

Heritage

Hindu

History

How will this trip differ from previous visits

 

I

Ice Cream

Indian

Indian Heritage Center

 

J

Jewel Change Airport

 

K

Kampong Glam (Kampong means “village”)

Kaya Jam/Toast

Keepsakes from our travels

Koon Seng Roaf

 

L

Lightshows

Lily pond

Little India

Little India Arcade

Local foods you are excited to try and why

Long Bar (Raffles Hotel)

 

M

Majong

Malabar Mosque

March

Marina Bay

Marina Bay Sands Casino and Hotel

Market

Masjid Jamae

Masjid Sultan

Maylay

Maylay Heritage Center

Meadow Garden (See Gardens by the Bay)

Merlion

Mosques

Muffasa Center

Museums

Music

Muslim

Mustafa Center

MRT (Mass Rail Transit) System

Murals

 

N

Nature

Nightlife

Nighttime

 

O

Observation Deck

Old Hill Police Station

Old Parliament House

Orchard Rd.

 

P

Pagoda

Pagoda St.

Palace of the Former Sultan (see also Maylay Heritage Center)

Panadan chiffon cake

Parks

Passport stamp

Peoples Park Complex

People Watch

Perceptions

Picnic

Pineapple Tarts

Planet (Giant Baby Sculpture)

Politics

 

Q

Quays

 

R

Raffles Hotel

Rain Vortex

Recommended sight, event or experience

Red

Religion

Repeat visit

River Cruise

River Quay

Robertson Quay

Rules

 

S

Sage St.

Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple

Sampan boat

Satay by the Bay

Sculptures

Serangoon Road

Shophouses

Shopping

Signs

SINGAPORE

Singapore Flyer

Singapore is Spectra (Light show)

Singapore National Museum

Singapore river

Singapore Sling

Skyway Bridge

Skypark Observation Deck

Skypark Sound & Light Show

Smells

Sounds

Souvenirs

Spectra Light & Water Show

Sri Mariamman ahindo Temple

Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple

St. Andrews Cathedral

Street Art

Sultan Mosque

Supertree Grove

Supertree Observatory

 

T

Tai Chi

Tan Teng Niah House

Telok Ayer St

Tekka Centre

Temple of 1000 lights (see also Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple)

Temples

Temple Street

Textures

Train stations

The Promontory

The Skyway

Thian Hock Keng Temple

Thian Hock Keng Mural

Top Moments of this trip

Traditions

Traditional Trades of Little India Mural

Transportation

Travel Companion

 

U

Unexpected (because there is always some of this!)

Unique

Unplanned

 

V

Victoria Water Lily Pond

Visas

Vivid memories

 

W

Walk

Wander

Weather

White Rabbit Candy

 

X

eXcellent view

eXperiences vs. eXpectations

 

Y

Yen

Yin and Yang

Yong Kee Food Supply Mural

You/Yourself

Yummy/Yucky

 

Z

Zen

 

Gardens by the Bay Night Show (March 18,2026)
Marina Bay Sands Casino and Hotel (March 19, 2026)
Little India (March 20,2026)
Clarke Quay (March 21,2026)

 

 

 

“B” is for Bucket List Goals-ABC Words & Phrases

What is a Bucket List?  It is a list of all the things you hope to do in your lifetime.   Since we are starting our Pacific Island Adventure in a few days, I thought I would make a list of the things we hope to do while we travel around the the Southern Hemisphere.

Of course we used the alphabet to design our Bucket List,  because we love exploring “one letter at a time”!  Be sure to check back to see if we fulfilled our mission. This is just a small sampling of what we plan to explore on our Pacific Island Adventure.  Here are our goals so far:

A-Admire the ARCHITECTURE of the Sydney Oprah-house

B-Photograph the colorful BUSES of American Samoa

C-Complete a CIRCLE ISLAND TOUR of Papeete, Tahiti

D-DARE TO DRIVE the streets of Los Angeles

E-Cross the EQUATOR

F-Feel the freshness of a FERN GROTTO in Kauai, Hawaii

G-Gaze at GLOWWORMS in Bay of Islands, New Zealand

H- Play at HOBBINGTON & HOT SPRINGS in Tauranga, New Zealand

I-Experience the ceremony of crossing the INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE

J-

K-Kiss the KIWIS, KANGAROOS & KOALAS in Sydnee, Australia

L-

M- Marvel at the MOSSMAN GORGE & the Daintree Rainforest in Australia

N-Capture the NATURAL BEAUTY of New Plymouth, Australia

O-Get OFF THE BEATEN PATH in Moorea, Tahiti

P-Play all day at the POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER of Honolulu, Hawaii

Q- Sail on the QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND in Picton, New Zealand

R-Marvel at the ROAD TO HANA in Maui, Hawaii

S-Take in as many SUNRISES and SUNSETS as possible.

T-Travel by TRAIN in Cairnes, Australia

U-Get UP in the air in Kauai, Hawaii

V-View the sunrise over a VOLCANO in Maui, Hawaii

W-Witness one of the WONDERS OF THE WORLD (Great Barrier Reef) in Port Douglas, Australia

X the International Dateline

Y-Say YES again, as we renew our vows

Z-ZIPLINE above a forest in Auckland, New Zealand

A is for our Amazing Earth

Acadia, Maine and the mighty Atlantic ocean!
Acadia, Maine and the mighty Atlantic ocean!

 

Perhaps you desire to stand in awe of our amazing earth.  National Parks are great for this.  In Maine, you could visit Acadia to view the Atlantic ocean.  Across the country, in the state of Montana, you might choose to discover an alpine meadow in Glacier National Park.

If it is high “adventure” you seek,  you might want to add Australia to your ABC bucket list, with a goal to see the Aurora Australis.  You’ll have to go  further north to view the Aurora borealis.  I hear the Alps, Alaska, Argentina and Africa are awesome too.   Where will you take your next “A” themed adventure?