Upon waking from a 12-hour slumber, we noticed it was around 5 am. Instead of moping around yelling, “we’re tired” to the world, we opted to explore a misty Singapore morning and were looking for the best sunrise spot in Singapore.

Not to our surprise, all the spots were popular tourist spots located far away from us, but then I remembered what our friend Danny had recommended to us the week before.

We met Danny and his lovely wife Esther whilst Natalie and I were in Iceland and have kept in touch for over four years and counting; they always said we should reach out if we’re ever in Singapore, and we couldn’t resist the urge to ask them about local hidden spots. They are also some of the friendliest people I know, and they have a lovely son too.

Danny recommended a location we had never heard about before; we didn’t see it that morning when we were googling the best sunrise spots in Singapore, nor did we see it in any Singapore itinerary we glanced at. Besides opening your world to new people you’d never meet, one of the best things about travelling is making friends who live across this vast world. Each with their own unique story and if you’re lucky, you’ll form a bond which will last a lifetime. We have met many random strangers who we now have the pleasure of calling friends, all due to ignoring the voice in our head and just chatting with people.

Danny recommended East Coast park as his favourite sunrise spot in Singapore. We left the hotel and were welcomed by a gust of humidity; welcome to Singapore! The country was starting to wake up, and we could see everyone rushing around to complete their morning duties; motorcycles were whizzing past, shops were opening up, and we were strolling on through, trying to beat the sunrise. The first light had already occurred; we were too late.

Still, we kept on moving and soon made it to East Coast Park. Danny forgot to mention it was a park on one side and a beach on the other overlooking the ocean!!!

Singapore has a beach! HOW!? WHY DID NO ONE TELL US!?

That surprised us, but after 10 seconds, Natalie and I were like, duh. Of course, Singapore has a beach it faces the ocean. It’s mad your preconceived notions about locations are often very different from reality. Perhaps it’s true, you really do learn something new every day.

SINGAPORE HAS A BEACH!

What really surprised us about Singapore, and it wasn’t just the fact there was a beach in Singapore, was how everyone seemed like an early bird. Everywhere you looked, people were exercising, running, swimming or performing Tai Chi, (an activity we witnessed a lot when we lived in China a while ago) and generally seemed in good health. Like, most countries, Singapore has its problems but on that blissful morning, it’s as if everyone came together in harmony and did something that made them happy.

Evidentially, it’s something Singaporeans do every morning, we were fortunate enough to be able to witness it and without the friendliness of strangers, who knows. Perhaps we never would have found the best sunrise spot in Singapore.

Toodles