Accommodations in Singapore are quite expensive. We're trying to go for the opposite of expensive.
Solution: crashing at a hostel! That cost us "only" ~40€ per night for an 8-bed (4 bunk beds) room. That was actually the cheapest I found in Singapore for 2 people.
However, the beds in our hostel have a special feature: they are enclosed from all sides and are called "pods". That means you have privacy! Another advantage compared to regular hostel beds is that there are wider bunk beds available for couples.
You can still hear the other roommates without any restrictions. Although I must say, the people here are really, really polite! I don't think I've ever experienced people being so quiet at night. Besides the considerate culture, I believe it's also because it's not lucrative to get drunk here (at least for other travelers from around the world). Alcohol is said to be quite expensive (we didn't actually try it). Moreover, most bars are not allowed to serve alcohol after 10:30 PM. I think drinking outside of restaurants is also prohibited. Overall, anything that can be addictive, like gambling, is heavily regulated.
To promote tourism, casinos were built. Locals face significant entry barriers to casinos through high entrance fees.
Smoking is prohibited in all public areas, including bars and restaurants, except in officially designated zones (although we still saw quite a few smokers). Harsh penalties are imposed for drug possession, including cannabis. These penalties range from hefty fines to imprisonment, life imprisonment, and even the death penalty (for possession of large quantities).
The prices, the alcohol, all of it makes Singapore less appealing for low-budget travelers. Backpackers usually don't stay here for long, some even just for a night. Roughly speaking, prices are comparable to those in Germany. Some things are more expensive, others are cheaper. Considering that everything in the rest of Asia is supposed to be much cheaper, I can understand that.
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A few days ago, we spoke to a fellow traveler who said, "You will experience crises every day. Sometimes bigger ones, sometimes smaller ones. But at the end of the day, you'll overcome them."
This morning, we had to change hostels at short notice because we had only reserved a few days and expected an extension to be no problem, but it was fully booked. However, we found another hostel. Crisis overcome. :)
📷 You can find more pictures in the photo album
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