Singapore has always pride itself with their airports. For as long as I can remember, they have been awarded the best airport in the world, and there are videos dedicated to what you can do inside their airport. When I first went there in 2017, the most famous attraction to see is the kinetic rainfall.
I think it was last year or so that they announced the opening of the Jewel. This is a mall by the airport, and it boasts of an indoor waterfall. This is something new and the first of its kind once again. There are so many things to do in the Jewel that I dedicated half of my day in there.
From Katong, the airport is a quick ride away. Since there is no nearby train station from where I was, I took a Grab which was less than 10SGD.
Upon entering Jewel Changi, I could already get a glimpse of the waterfall. Since it is around Christmas time when I went, there is also a huge Christmas tree on display.
It was very overwhelming when I got in. There are so many people and so many things to see! I walked a bit more to see the different stores and figure out which has the best view of the waterfall.
My favorite Singaporean store, Naise, has a branch in the Jewel and it is the biggest one I have been to! I stayed two hours in the store debating if I will buy stuff in here or not. I ended up buying quite a few things. There is also a Japanese store which had a lot of stationery and I really had to control myself from getting any. It was very tempting but I succeeded in not getting anything! I also used my time in Changi to do grocery shopping in Fairprice. After that, I stayed at Starbucks and enjoyed my staple iced shaken hibiscus tea with pomegranate pearls which I got for free.
Looking at the waterfall is so breathtaking. I love malls and have been to a variety of them my whole life. It’s amazing just thinking about how creative people can be with what they can do on such wide spaces. There are so many plants surrounding the waterfall, and I was amazed to know that they are real.
I went downstairs to see what the bottom of the waterfalls look like. It is not as picturesque as from above where it looks like a rainforest, but it looks so cool in a sciency tech kinda way.
There are also some attractions at the Jewel Changi. I didn’t go to all of them but instead I took the Glass walk and a walk around the gardens. Unfortunately portions of the garden was closed so I didn’t get to maximize my stay in there. I will for sure be back here and visit this again once it is fully opened.
My only regret with my stay there in the Jewel is that I didn’t get to try out the restaurants. It had a lot of good places that I wanted to try but I don’t have a big appetite. I was still very full from the laksa and it sustained me well on my six hour stay. I hope I get to go with a friend next time because eating is always fun with other people.
I don’t know when I am going back to Singapore. I am supposed to be there next month but due to the coronavirus scare, I am holding off travels for a bit. But I can’t wait to be back and gawk at the beauty of this place… and hopefully have better control of my shopping!
Jewel Changi Airport
78 Airport Blvd, Singapore
Directly connected to Terminal 1. Visitors from Terminal 2 and 3 can walk there, while terminal 2 visitors will need to ride a shuttle bus.
Free entrance, but there are paid attractions.
Hedda Damasco 