Singapore with Type 1

Where Was I?

I moved on from The Philippines and flew from Manila to Singapore, which is where I would spend the last few days of 2018.  There were a few cities I considered visiting for New Year’s Eve, but I eventually landed on Singapore and was convinced by what I had seen from the firework display over Marina Bay.  After spending the previous few months in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and The Philippines, Singapore was certainly a change of pace in terms of their economy and lifestyle.  

The Best Thing I Saw in Singapore

Fireworks over Marina Bay

A world-class firework show on Marina Bay.  It was crowded, it was touristy, and it was something I wouldn’t choose to do every year.  But, it will probably be the only New Year’s Eve I spend on this island city-state, so I couldn’t not go see the show.  

Despite the massive crowd, the show was as amazing as it was hyped.  The Singapore skyline was one of the nicest of any of the cities I had traveled to and it made for a great backdrop to the show. 

Marina Bay Sands

Other Highlights 

Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay

Right next to the Marina Bay Sands complex was this nature park, Gardens by the Bay, that illuminated at night and provided a chance to capture some of the best pictures in the city.  The park was enormous and I spent a few hours walking around and enjoying the scene.  Normally, I compare any kind of attraction to Disney because I believe they are the gold standard for just about everything.  This park would have fit right into any Disney park and it was truly top quality in almost every way.  

New Year’s Eve Lunch in Family Home

Lunch in Singapore Home

Another one of my favorite Airbnb Experiences was this Vietnamese lunch in a beautiful Singapore apartment. 

The guests, made up of Americans, Taiwanese, Polish, and Koreans, were hosted by two gracious locals of Singapore who welcomed us into their home for a pre New Year’s Eve lunch.    

While most of the food was cooked and prepared for us ahead of time, the hosts also taught the group how to roll Vietnamese spring rolls.

Rolling Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Vietnamese Salad

The lunch was delicious and the hosts told great stories and were able to share what life was like in Singapore.  It was also nice to share the experience with others from around the world who happened to be in Singapore for the new year.   

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

The shopping district in Singapore, Orchard Road was a nice street to walk during the holiday season.  I spent a few hours walking around this area and found an NBA store, where I had a long chat with an employee about the league.  He was enamored with my previous job working for an NBA team and what I was able to do, and it was nice to share some stories with someone who was such a big fan of the game.  In almost every country I visited in Asia, I was constantly reminded of the global popularity of the NBA. 

Poker Home Games

Poker in Singapore 

Similar to the luck of finding an Airbnb in Manila with a family that let me share Christmas with them, I found more luck with my Airbnb host in Singapore.  My Singapore host was an avid poker player and let me join his home poker game.  It was fun to not only play poker, but also have a chance to meet locals and hear more about life in Singapore.  Winning some extra cash was a nice bonus. 

The Sugars

Highest high: 228

Lowest low: 58

Avg Morning: 119

Avg Afternoon: 96

Avg Night: 94

Insulin Pods: 2

Avg Basal Rate: 1.10

Emergency sugar supply: Skittles, glucose tablets, energy drinks

Singapore at Night

Considering the amount of dumplings, dim sum, and noodles I ate, my sugar levels were surprisingly very stable during my few days in Singapore.  I did a fair amount of walking around the city, but did not suffer any real lows that caused me to stop what I was doing. 

I did have a pod come off for just the second time on my travels.  It was very humid in Singapore and walking around in very humid weather naturally caused body perspiration.  Sometimes I would put extra tape around my pod for more adhesion in humid weather, but I didn’t use it here and had a pod come off.  When a pod would come off it wasn’t an emergency situation, I would just have to throw it away and put on a new one.  It could be an inconvenience and I only had a certain amount of pods and insulin for the trip so I couldn’t afford for it to happen too often, but when it did I would have to act quickly.  Sometimes it would cause my sugar to jump if I didn’t put a new one on quickly enough like the situation ziplining in Thailand, but this time I was able to immediately put on a new pod and continue on with my day. 

Also, a situation like New Year’s Eve, where hundreds of thousands of people gather in one area with limited ability to move, would be a good example of where a Type 1 diabetic would need to be extra careful and prepare ahead of entering that kind of crowd.  Should any kind of medical situation arise or if I were to have suffered a low blood sugar, I would have had a hard time exiting that big of a crowd in any kind of timely fashion, so I made sure I packed everything I needed and had it with me.  I was out there for a few hours and I remember how thirsty I was after I finished all of my water, but that wasn’t sugar related, just a poor job not packing enough water for myself.  Thankfully, I didn’t have any sugar related issues while out there watching the firework show, but it was important to be extra prepared for a scenario like this one.  

I enjoyed the few days I was able to spend in Singapore and was ready for the final leg of my Southeast Asia portion of the trip in Malaysia. 

Keep the sugar levels steady

Jeremy

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