A Morning in Singapore

That is literally all the time we had.

We arrived in Singapore from Hong Kong in the depths of the night, so we went straight to sleep, and had plans to leave our hotel for the cruise terminal around noon, which gave us ONE MORNING to explore all of Singapore! Luckily, Dangerous Dan and I had both been to Singapore in the past (click here to read some of my posts!), so we decided to go somewhere neither of us had been before in the short time we had: Little India.

The transit system in Singapore is fantastic and the subway ride from our hotel to Little India was extremely quick and easy. (It also helps that everything in Singapore is sparkling clean! It just makes you feel so great!)

We didn’t have any plans in Little India; we just wandered around and followed the helpful “Heritage Trail” maps that are dotted around the neighbourhood. These maps are often accompanied by a plaque that explains the historical significance of the site as well! (There is a heritage centre as well, which we might have visited if only we had had more time!)

We visited Tekka Market, full of sights and sounds and smells!

We also walked past the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, but we didn’t go inside because you had to take your shoes off. We decided to stay outside and just admire the intricate detail of the exterior designs of the temple!

Other things that we saw on our walk: a church, a memorial for Gandhi which doubled as an Indian education centre, and a former racecourse!

Singapore: FUN

There is no shortage of touristy things to do in Singapore!

The first thing we did was go to the Singapore Flyer.

According to wikipedia, it is the world’s second largest ferris wheel, but Singaporeans told us it was the first. The Flyer went very slowly, so we were able to take lots of pictures!

Some random buildings

Marina Bay Sands

We also went to the Night Safari, which does not seem like an activity that is a particularly Singaporean, but it was really cool!  We rode in a tram that took us around to all sorts of different animals. There were no barriers or fences, so we could get up close and personal with the animals! One animal (I don’t remember what it was – it was black and white) even SPRAYED ME. Very exciting! I washed my hands afterwards, of course!

Here is a blurry picture of a bunch of flamingos. Every other picture I took at the Night Safari was pitch black.

The next night, my cousin took me to the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. There are two durian-shaped domes – one for the theatre and one for the concert hall. Outside by the water was a jazz band, and people were swing dancing and it was just the most care-free and exciting night!

I wish I had pictures but I seem to have lost the ones I took! Here is a picture that my dad took while we were on the Singapore Flyer.

 

Singapore: FOOD

A good deal of my travelling centers around food. And the food in Singapore did not disappoint! (NOTE: We ate at some regular old places in Singapore too, which is not as exciting, so I’m only going to share about the food that you can only get in Singapore!)

LAU PA SAT

Our first meal there was at Lau Pa Sat, which is also known as Satay Street. It’s normally held in a marketplace area, but that was under construction. The next street over is being used instead, so all the different food booths were lined up along the sidewalk, while tables and chairs were set up on the road.

When we arrived, a man came towards us, gave us some menus, and proceeded to seat us. On our way to a table, another person came to give us menus, and then another person came, and then another one!  In the end, we got menus from at least 4 or 5 different booths and we ordered from all of them (SO MANY CHOICES)!

We got satay (pork, chicken, beef, and prawn), some kai lan vegetable (SO GOOD AND GARLICKY), cuttlefish (I’m a really lazy eater and if I need to pick at my food in order to eat it, I usually don’t bother, so I only had one of these), and sting ray! (I bit off a little piece, but it was really spicy so I couldn’t really eat it. It had a weird texture though.)

The food was delicious, the atmosphere was really exciting (eating on the street under the dim lighting of a streetlamp while people are cooking satay all around you!), and it was a short walk from our hotel so that was a bonus. Here is a picture of the remnants of my food.

SINGAPORE FOOD TRAIL

We also ate at the Singapore Food Trail, which is like a fake touristy food court underneath the Singapore Flyer. It’s supposed to look like 1960s Singapore, and you can try all sorts of local dishes there! My family and I shared some glutinous rice balls sprinkled with crushed peanuts!

RAFFLES AFTERNOON TEA

Raffles Hotel is the fanciest hotel in Singapore! It’s where the Queen stays whenever she visits. It’s so fancy, people aren’t even allowed to walk into the lobby unless they’re guests. (We were very sneaky and got in to ask for directions – it’s quite luxurious!)

Since it was Christmastime, our afternoon tea included a buffet, which served a strange mix of British food (scones!) and dim sum (dumplings!).

And of course, I drank lots of tea (hot and cold!)

THE LONG BAR

The last place we ate at that is worth noting was also at Raffles; it’s called The Long Bar. Singapore is so harsh on cleanliness laws, but this is the one place that Singaporeans can let loose; I felt like I was at a speakeasy during the prohibition era! You’re encouraged to litter here, so I threw my peanut shells on the floor with vigour and enthusiasm and I felt so liberated! I also had a nice non-alcoholic version of the famous Singapore Sling. I’m sure it tasted great, but to be honest I don’t remember because I was too busy throwing things on the ground.

I never know how to end these posts. Basically, the food in Singapore is exciting and delicious!

P.S. Fun things I did in Singapore!

Winter in Asia

This past winter break, I was very fortunate to go on a trip to Asia with my parents! Hong Kong was our base; from there we also travelled to Macau and Singapore.

In Hong Kong, I got in touch with my roots (sort of) and tried to embrace my Chinese heritage. (I had SO MANY Canadian moments … and also suburban moments … could my parents have moved to a place more different from where they’d grown up?! [Actually, 30ish percent of Markham is Chinese, so really it’s not that different.])

In Macau, I saw the glitz and glamour of the Cotai strip, and also the effects of Portuguese colonialism in the Macau Peninsula. (Yay history!)

In Singapore, I did the typical touristy things, like riding the Singapore Flyer (the tallest ferris wheel in the world!), and visiting the Gardens by the Bay.

(A picture of Gardens by the Bay taken from the Singapore Flyer! It’s not the iconic domes, but at least I got the supertrees.)

I also ate a lot in Singapore.

And I used a few of Singapore’s various modes of transportation!

DISCLAIMER: These posts are by no means a guide to any of these places. I may offer some tips as they come, but I mostly just followed my parents around so I really don’t know much.

Also, Christmas in this part of the world is kind of funny. It’s just so warm! I heard so many songs about falling snow as I sweat myself silly in 30 degree weather. Christmas decorations were really intense and all over the place! I think it was to make up for the lack of snow.