Woman walks home alone for 4 hours at night from Boat Quay to avoid $50 Grab ride: 'Not my smartest choice'

A woman walked 14km from Boat Quay to her home for four hours past midnight to avoid paying for an expensive Grab ride.

The content creator, Denise, shared about her journey in a TikTok video posted on Monday (Sept 21).

"It was one of those random decisions that sounded like a good idea at that point of time because Grab was so expensive," she said, adding that the the cost of the Grab ride to her home in the north-east was about $50.

Starting at Boat Quay, Denise reached Bugis at around 1am.

"I've actually always wanted to try home alone late at night just for the experience. There's actually something really different about walking around Singapore late at night," said the TikToker.

She shared clips of the journey in the video, from the quiet streets of Bugis, a darkened Aperia mall near Kallang and lively supper spots.

"I passed by several supper spots that were still open, stopped for an iJooz when I got a thirsty and I just took my time walking through the streets."

She passed by Kallang Bahru, Potong Pasir and Woodleigh as well as Nex mall in Serangoon.

But it wasn't all smooth-sailing, as she felt afraid when passing by a cemetery in Hougang.

Her shoulders also started to feel sore from carrying the handbag and she began to feel tired by the two-hour mark.

"Lowkey tempted to Grab back, but I didn't [want to] give up," she wrote in her caption, reaching home at around 4am.

"Overall, it was surprisingly peaceful and it made me appreciate how safe Singapore feels, even at night."

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Denise added that Singapore is relatively safe for side quests such as these, but reminded everyone to still beware of their surroundings.

"Definitely not something I'd encourage doing regularly."

This was perhaps not her smartest choice, but that it was quite an experience, she said.

The video has gone viral on TikTok, with over 85,000 views as at Wednesday afternoon, more than 2,200 likes and over 200 comments.

In a new TikTok post on Wednesday, she said she understood why some netizens expressed concerns.

"Being alone at night, especially as a woman does come with risks," Denise said. "But you can be careful and still be adventurous."

She said that she made sure to stay aware, trusted her instincts and took comfort in the fact that she could always stop or take a Grab if she really needed to.

"Finishing 14km was never more important than getting home safely."

Denise, whose TikTok page centres on travel and lifestyle, posted the video as part of a series called Detours with Denise, where she documents the adventures she has gone on as part of her career break.

In a separate video, she has also posted about walking 36km coast-to-coast across Singapore "for fun".

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laili.abdeen@asiaone.com