We Walked Across Asia's Smallest Country

Good morning. From the northern border of Singapore, just across the water behind me, that is Malaysia. And the plan for today is to walk from here, Woodland park, all the way south and end at the Marina Bay Sands, where if everything goes to plan tonight, we will take a well deserved swim in the world's largest infinity pool. Which is something that I've wanted to do ever since we first visited Singapore as broke backpackers back in 2016. Unfortunately, the hotel costs 400 a night and the only way to swim there is if you're staying in the hotel. We won't be doing that.

I don't think I could possibly put on enough sunscreen not to get burnt today. But before we get started, if we.

Understand that a pleasant thought is fleeting, then we're unlikely to try and hold on.

This is gonna be a long walk if I have to do it all twice. Our official start time is 9:21, which is quite a bit later than we intended on starting, but also kind of a miracle that we even got up this morning because Jet La is real. Future me is gonna pay for not sleeping on that flight. But I have zero regrets. Have you started your steps?

No. Boop boop, boop.

Now we have officially started.

What is happening? I think that was like a workout dance class.

I'm already sweating.

So according to Google Maps, it should take six and a half hours for us to walk across Singapore today. But I have a feeling it's gonna take a lot longer. That because we have a lot of stops planned. Admittedly, our Rhode island video got a little boring because all we had time to do was just walk without stopping and we still finished at midnight. So today our goal is to experience as much Singapore culture and food as possible along the way. So far, a really beautiful walk. We have some kind of military installation over here, a construction site here. I really did not expect this to turn into a physical challenge because Rhode island was almost twice as long. But I was not really taking the heat and the sun into consideration.

Literally sweat dripping into my eyeballs.

Oh, moving stairs. I'm pretty sure we've ended up on a college campus and we're walking through the school because it's air conditioned.

Yes. I'm actually really excited about our walk today because we've been to Singapore several times, but we've mainly just explored the Orchard Road area and the Marina Bay Sands area. And this is for forcing us to see more of the country, all 18 miles of it. Also, the last time we were in Singapore was during the pandemic. We actually spent Our first three weeks of quarantine here. Such a weird time. We were in the Philippines when the pandemic hit, and then we decided to fly to Singapore because we knew they had good health care here, and we weren't sure, like everybody else, how serious this thing actually was.

We thought we were gonna wait it.

Out, like in Singapore, like a few weeks in a hotel in Singapore. And then the world was gonna go back to normal and we were gonna keep traveling, so there was no reason to fly all the way back to the U.S. weird. That would be.

Two miles in at this point. We'll finish in nine hours, but we haven't even stopped yet. I don't know how much the fine is for jaywalking, but we're never going to finish if we don't do some of it today. Our first piece of litter. So we are currently walking along a double barbed wire fence. I have to imagine that this is the prison, even though it just shows a big empty blank space on Google Maps. And in case you didn't know, Singapore has some pretty weird laws that can land you in this prison. Annoying others with musical instruments or singing in public. You. You could find yourself in prison for up to 3 months.

Feeding pigeons gets you fined up to $500.

I agree with that one.

Walking around your house naked, if somebody else sees you, it could be considered pornography.

What?

Not flushing the toilet. Littering. Up to $5,000. Selling chewing gum. One of the worst offenses on this list. Two years in prison.

Come on, I give you a good prize. All.

This is not somewhere that I necessarily would have chosen to come on a day like today, but our route just happened to be passing right by it, so.

Oh, this is so refreshing.

So hot. So hot. So this is a free hot spring foot bath, which is apparently popular in the middle of the summer. Why is anyone here? Thank you. Two raw eggs. So in addition to the foot bath, apparently the thing to do is buy some raw eggs and then cook them in the hot spring water.

Ah.

Hey, Siri, how long does it take to cook eggs at 70 degrees Celsius? It says 10 minutes. That feels long. Just a girl and her eggs.

Shade.

It's night time. No, you're not supposed to pour it out. Daddy. Ready to rolls?

No.

Uh oh. Seems a bit raw.

I don't think we cooked it long enough.

I don't think I can eat that.

Proof that I'm flushing.

I feel like I'm hitting like a midday slump. But the problem is we're not even close to halfway across the country. I need a little pick me up.

This was a much needed stop. We have just arrived at our first hawker center of the day. These are all over Singapore. It's basically a big open air food court. And Kara doesn't know what I have planned for it here, but a couple very unique dishes.

Yummy ones I need.

Okay, this is what we were supposed to get. And Kara ordered something extra.

This is my first dim sum in Asia in literally years.

I don't really love that.

Look at the size of that bun.

It's amazing.

Okay, so now that we finished the delicious stuff, I ordered two new foods for us to try. Century egg and Rojek. You've got to see this egg. It's black and blue. And according to the Internet, it's a dish made by preserving duck, chicken, or quail eggs. So I guess it's a mystery. And they preserve them in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, and quick lime for several weeks to several months. So we're basically trying a rotten egg. I haven't really been pushed out of my culinary comfort zone recently, so I'm kind of looking forward.

Oh, wow. It's not bad.

I don't like it.

It kind of reminds me of like a gummy bear on the outside.

Let's try the Rojak and hit the Roj.

Okay. So Rojak, it's a local salad of mixed vegetables, fruits, and dough fritters that's covered in a sticky black sauce and garnished with chopped peanuts. Spicy.

My mouth is on fire right now. I really, really want a piece of gum, but I know I can't.

But it's just right in my pocket. Should I break the wall? No.

Should I? Okay, we have got to do some serious walking. It is already 1:30, and if you zoom out on the map, it looks like we've barely gone anywhere. Thankfully, I don't think there's a lot of interesting stuff for a.

9.67 miles.

Should be halfway. Probably not.

So Google said it was a total of 18 miles, but that's assuming that we're taking the most direct route. And we've definitely gone on some little excursions. When I zoom out on this map, we are not halfway.

I feel like the hardest geezer right now. Just gotta keep up those ones and twos.

First we go 1, 2, and then we go twos. If you don't know, there is a guy named Russ whose YouTube channel is the hardest geezer, and he is currently running the length of Africa from south to north. So pretty much what we're doing Today I'm hit a roadblock.

Thank you. I feel like I owe the citizens of Singapore an apology for this route that I've planned. We're definitely not doing the best job of showing off the most beautiful parts of this country. I'd say 80% of this walk has been through a construction zone. It will get more beautiful towards the end, I promise. Wow, it's shady. We found a beautiful park and this is quite the change from the construction zone that we've been walking through all day. It also seems like the perfect place to tell you about the sponsor of today's video. I'm super excited to be working with Headspace because meditation is a habit that I've been wanting to start for years now. It feels like all the successful people that I look up to meditate, from friends to podcasts I listen to, to people I follow on social media. And because of this I've tried to meditate in the past, but I never knew where to start. And I also never knew if I was doing it right. So it was one of those things that I tried a few times and then I just gave up on. And then about a month ago I started using Headspace and I am so much closer to making meditation a part of my daily routine. Now I am nowhere near perfect, but I did get a notification the other day that told me that I was in the top 15% of users. So Headspace is helping me develop this habit more successfully than anything else I've ever tried in the has over a thousand pieces of premium content. So no matter what mood you're in or what you want to achieve, there's something for you. But what I really love for me as a beginner is that it helps guide me to the content that I need. When I first set up the app, it asked me what I wanted to get out of my mindfulness practice and I chose reducing stress and being more present. Now all I do is just open up the app every day, go to my Today tab, and then I choose one of the exercises that it suggested for me. Honestly, at one time I thought meditation was a little woo woo and for people who went to India to do yoga retreats. But Headspace is actually scientifically proven to reduce stress. Studies show a 14 reduction in stress after using headspace for just 10 days. So if you'd like to join me in starting a meditation practice, Headspace is going to offer you a 60 day free trial using our link in the description below that is four times longer than their normal free trial. So it's plenty of time to try it out and start seeing the benefits for yourself. I would love to lay here and take a nap, but we need to start walking.

Did you fall asleep after your meditation? Are you ready to start walking?

How are your toes? That looks like a blister.

Oh, it's cold. Fresh squeezed orange juice.

Wow.

Oh, wife giving.

I don't even like orange juice usually.

Wow. Just documenting that. I'm throwing this away. I did not litter.

12 and a half mile update. Everything hurts.

With the shade and a dedicated walking path, this feels like a whole new world.

I think this is the biggest hawker center I've ever seen. It's dinner time. It is completely packed and we are both in need of something right now. We are 16 miles in, so we should be two miles away from the finish. But according to the map, we're not even close. There's been a lot of extracurricular walking.

Thank you. Wow. That was amazing.

This is a very popular Singaporean dish called carrot cake. I was very confused the first time we came to Singapore because there are no carrots in this dish and it's definitely not cake.

This is even better than I remember.

I don't know if it's the jet lag, the heat.

Those 16 miles of walking that we've done, what happened? I've never seen that happen to a can before.

I was trying to be cool.

What did you do?

I don't know.

Anyway, we're both tired. What do you do?

Yes.

Cheers.

Oh, the Red Bull in Singapore is not carbonated.

Oh, it's so syrupy.

I don't think I like it, but I think I need it.

Yeah.

When we started this walk today, my secret goal was to make it to the Marina Bay sands to watch the sunset from the infinity pool. That happens in about 15 minutes.

Whoa.

Fighter jets.

Whoa.

Anyway, there's a very fancy light show that happens every night. The last one happens at 10 o'. Clock. And now my new goal is just to make it in time to see the last light show. Everything always takes so much longer than I think it will. Okay.

I don't know.

Shall we run over?

Since we still have quite a ways to go, I would pass the time with a little trivia. This is for Kara and for you watching.

Okay.

Singapore is one of three city states in the entire world, which means that the city is the entire country. Can you name the other two city states?

I know one. Vatican.

Nice.

But there's another one.

Yeah.

Liechtenstein.

No.

Oh. San Marino.

No.

Oh.

It feels like that has to Be though. We were supposed to be walking and passing the time.

Oh, sorry. What can it be? Have we been there? I guess that's a hint.

We have not been there. Oh, we have not been there. And it's in Europe. What? Is anyone screaming at the screen right now?

Okay, give me another hint.

There's a very famous race there every year, the Something Grand Prix.

Oh, is it like, in France? Pretty much.

The she's thinking.

I feel like it starts with an M again. We need to cross, don't we?

Let's go quickly. During trivia, we have made it to Little India. I'm guessing. By the looks of this temple, I.

Feel like I'm never gonna think of it. I just know it starts with an M.

Mona Monaco.

Monac. Oh. So we are still walking back in between some concrete buildings again. I'm just kind of waiting for the part of Singapore where there's, like, all of the people and life and coffee shops and shopping. That was kind of what I had in mind for today. Not going to lie. We have to be getting close, right?

Currently Law lost in the middle of a construction site, walking in a circle.

The sun is officially set, but how beautiful are the clouds right now?

There's been very little elevation on today's walk, but there has been a surprising amount of stairs because to get to these walkways that move you over a big road, we've got to go up.

I think one of my blisters just popped. I can feel it. It's extra sensitive now.

You made it.

What? What did that say? I made it. Where?

19.3 miles before your blister box.

Wow. Yeah. And we're, like, downtown. Look at all these neon signs, all these cars, all this life.

So funny thinking about the end of this video compared to Rhode Island. We ended up in, like, the sketchiest neighborhood in the whole state. To the point where we put the camera in the backpack and we're just walking through it as fast as we could.

Scare you?

No. Here we're entering, like, the best part of Singapore to end the night.

Bollywood.

Tom, there is no doubt we're in Little India now. This temple is incredible.

Okay.

Even though we're in a hurry, we could not leave Little India without buying at least one garlic naan each.

Wow. I can smell it from here. It smells so good.

Just pulled it out of the tandoori. There's even cilantro on top.

Fun fact, Singapore is the first place we ever ate Indian food.

That's crazy.

We went to Little India. We had all the food. And we were like, like, how do we eat it? The guy literally had to come show me how. You, like, rip off a piece of naan, dip it in the curry, and that's how you eat it. And I would, like, been to India six times.

I know we're in Singapore, so I probably shouldn't say this, but this is the best thing I put in my mouth all day.

In case you can't read that sign back there. It says, authentic pig organ soup.

I honestly thought at the end of this walk, I was gonna say, I'm so glad that we did this, because it forced us to see new places in Singapore that we really loved. If we weren't trying to walk across Singapore, we would have totally missed this concrete plant. But we're back in the action in the south in the tourist area that we've been to every other time.

This is the place to be.

I'd say you're not missing anything by skipping the north. If you look right above beautiful construction zone, you can see the light show that we're missing.

I do love the diversity of Singapore. We were just at a Hindu temple, and now we're walking past a huge, beautiful mosque. During the call to prayer, there are just different pockets of the world represented in every part of the city.

It's hard to believe that where we started this morning and the street that we're walking through right now is in the same country.

Yes.

I think this is, like, the biggest tourist street in the whole country.

Hello, everyone. It's nothing up north. Made a great decision staying south. Don't worry about that.

This is the place to be. Okay. Kara's watch died, so my Strava is the new source of truth. We only thought we were going 18 miles today, and we've already been almost 22. But we're on the final mile. There it is. And there it is.

Oh, my gosh. We're so close. I can smell it.

It boring.

That's the finish line. The boat you see on top of the hotel.

We're so close.

She's like a horse to water. This is the fastest I've seen her walk all day. I think it's actually a horse to the barn.

This horse is going to the water.

Wow.

It almost hurt your neck.

Thank you.

We made it. We're here. Oh, it smells so clean and beautiful. And the AC is so cold. My body hurts so badly. Walking is so much harder than it looks. Let's go.

We're so close. We're so close.

Put my bathing suit on.

Wait, Are we on the right floor? No, I got nervous and hit the wrong floor.

Oh, buzzkill.

Go, go, go.

Quick tour, giant tv. Oh, this is like, the best part. A balcony. It overlooks the gardens of the bay. There's also a light show that goes on. These trees do fancy things.

Where's my swimsuit?

Last but not least, Bathroom. You know, it's a hotel bathroom, but it is really big. I cannot believe. Well, I can't believe we made it. But it was way harder than I thought it was going to be. While Kara puts on her bathing suit, let me read you the final stats. Total time walked, 11 hours, 41 minutes and 57 seconds. Average pace, 30 minutes, 51 seconds. I didn't stop this the whole time. I feel like that's actually pretty good. Total distance, not 18 miles. 22.71.

Wow. It's just as romantic as I always pictured it. Just us by ourselves up here, enjoying the Singapore skyline. There's so many people. In all seriousness, 2016 me would have killed for this opportunity. The only way to swim there is if you're staying in the hotel. We won't be doing that, but I still want to go see it. Let's go.

Well, this is the view from the edge. Turns out the pool is not actually a great place to watch the lights show from.

After all of that, we can't even see it.

But what I did recognize is you can actually see Malaysia, where we started from this morning. It's the tiny lights all the way back there. Like, not any of these you can see up close, but just the tiny dots on the horizon. That's where we started walking from this morning.

I wasn't aware that that was a risk on our walk today. Can I take a selfie of us taking a selfie?

Okay. Over here.

Oh, okay. Three, two, one. Oh, we're making a video.

Okay. Nice meeting you. Isn't it kind of weird that you cook eggs in something that smells like eggs? Is it just like a super egg after that? Anyone convicted of outrage of modesty. Two years outrage of modesty. Kira.

It says it's not worth it.

So no matter what it is that's left you feeling overwhelmed right now. Just take a moment to yourself to pause undisturbed. Just begin by taking. Taking a big, deep breath. Breathing in through the nose, noticing how the body expands as it fills with air and as you breathe out through the mouth.