I’m heading to Singapore to meet himself and work for the week, well four days as we have our new Irish Bank Holiday in celebration of St. Brigid. The last time I was in Singapore was in 2004 (although I have a vague recollection of an overnight here in 2007 on a work trip) so quite a while ago. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s changed and if there’s anything I can remember.
I fly through Dubai with Emirates and arrive in Singapore a bit knackered on Saturday evening. It’s a fairly handy trip into the city and we’re staying at a nice hotel in a central location (Bencoolen street). We kick Sunday off by going for a traditional local breakfast – Kaya toast at āToast Boxā, a cute chain restaurant. In a toast set you get kaya toast (which is sweet with coconut milk, eggs and sugar), two soft / half boiled eggs and a tea or coffee. The toast is sweet with kaya and butter, the other is peanut butter. The tea is also sweet as they put evaporated milk in it!
We take a walk around the streets nearbyā¦ love the colourful Hindu templeā¦
And next door thereās plenty of activity around the Chinese temple as the lunar new year celebrations are not quite overā¦
We pass Raffles hotel, but donāt go in – itās a bit early to enjoy an overpriced Singapore sling – and head toward the river.
We briefly check out the Asian Civilisation Museum
Lots of opportunities for photos in the garden of mirror ballsā¦ (my name for it not an official one!)
We walk further along the river and look across to the Marina Bay Sands. This wasnāt here when I was last in Singapore!
Itās busy around here with lots of tourists getting the obligatory shot in front of the Marina Bay Sandsā¦ just like I did š
Weāre getting peckish for lunch so we head into one of the large hawker pavilions to see whatās on offerā¦. It is hard to take inā¦ so many tiny food shops with so much variety of cuisine
Shane convinces me to try the traditional āchicken riceā. Itās poached (so has no colour which doesnāt quite appeal to me) but itās cooked in broth and itās really tasty. An excellent first choice. Iām also loving the fresh lime juice
Itās turning out to be a bit of a food tour today and why not, Singapore is famous for its foodā¦ there are so many exciting options everywhere you turn. We move along and find a very authentic looking stall offering fried Kway Teow which Iām assured is a must tryā¦
Fried Kway Teow is a mix of flat rice noodles and yellow wheat noodles stir fried with soy sauce and some delicious fatty bits and piecesā¦. It is delicious!
We continue toward China town and I recognise this Hindu temple from my previous visit. I know I have photos of this somewhere at homeā¦ they might even be printed!
Itās very hot as we walk around (about 30 degrees) so we need a little respite in a place that has air conditioningā¦ it just happens to be a craft beer bar!! Not long after weāre back on the road it starts lashing rain (I mean bucketing down) so we take refuge at the Mustafa centre which is quite a place to seeā¦. I believe we have now gone from Chinatown to Little India.
Itās a huge shopping centreā¦ well actually itās one big shop with everything you can imagine to buy. Itās packed, in particular with Indian men who must be sent by their wives as they are all over the cosmetics section (which by the way consists of rows and rows of products). Even more astonishing is the jewellery department downstairs – the yellow glare is dazzling. There must be millions worth down here and lots of groups of lads (with hardly a woman in sight) buying gold!!
Itās time for another stop on the food tourā¦ another Shane must-try (in fairness heās usually on the money with these things). This time itās pani puriā¦ little crispy hollow dough balls with potato inside that you pour in spicy tangy water and then shove in your mouth in one go! A little too much liquid in one bite for me! I did enjoy the side of pakora though.
We roll into the evening dodging the rain and going from hot outside to cold inside (turn down the air conditioning!!!) and enjoy some drinks in a couple of nice bars walking distance to home. Iām loving the sangria in the last place. Some noodles to finish off the food tour before a bit of jet lag hits and I need some sleep.
Shane is off to the office this morning and I have a holiday so I take myself off to explore Fort Canning park. Itās only a few minutes walk from the hotel. Thereās a lot of ground to cover while the weather is dryā¦ I walk through Farquhar garden and see the marker indicating the fortification line of ancient Singapura.
Fort Canning park was once called Bukit Larangan (which is Malay for Forbidden Hill), and it was the seat of the Malay kingdom also known as Singapura. The kingdom was found in 1299 and lasted until the colonists arrived in the 1800āsā¦
Along the walls leading to the large Fort Canning centre are Christian burial graves.
And some nice gatesā¦
Thereās lots to see in this park including a spice garden, sculpture garden, ruins found from a recent archeological dig, old British military stuff š¤Ŗ and Raffles house. [Sidenote: Sir Stamford Raffles (known as the founder of modern Singapore) was a British officer who arrived in Singapore in 1819 and struck a deal with the Malay rulers to set up a British trading port. This would eventually lead to the colonisation of the island]
I particularly like looking out to the city. The Singapore government have done their utmost to make the city as green as possible, including building gardens on skyscrapers and putting trees everywhere possible. Apparently there is one tree for every 4 people living in Singapore. Recently they have changed their motto of having a garden in their city to aspiring to be a city within the garden of Singaporeā¦..I like this idea and itās evident as you walk around.
On the map of places to see within the park it mentions Tiong Bahru Bakeryā¦ā¦ Iām slowly making my way there and hope itās an actual bakery and not the site of an ancient bakery from the 14th century!!
Phew! Itās a real bakery and Iām ready for some sort of breakfast item. Iām not disappointed ā¦ they bake fresh croissants every two hours and they have English breakfast tea with fresh milk! Thereās a sign in the corner of the display case that says everything is served warmā¦suits me!
Continuing in a loop to get back to where I started I pass Fort Canning Lighthouse. It seems quite far inland for a lighthouse until you realise much of the land between it and the water was reclaimed in the last 100 years. In fact the lighthouse was closed in 1958 as the development of skyscrapers obstructed it from being seen by the sea.
There are a number of covered in escalators in the park but I prefer to build up a sweat on the stairs!!!
I look for something small to nibble before heading into the museum and find some ātakoyakiā – Iāve no idea what they are but they look good. They are indeed very tasty and seem to be filled with potato and a little something else inside that I canāt quite figure out. It turns out itās octopus. š
Iām ready for some air conditioning after shlepping around the park so I head into the museum and spend a lot longer than I thought I would. Itās an interesting history of how this island became the modern city it is today.
I learn how Raffles was a keen botanist which I assume is partly why Singapore has remained so green; that the first garden I walked through to get to the park was named after William Farquhar who was a Scottish officer, considered the first citizen of Singapore; how there was a mutiny in 1915 where Indian soldiers based in Singapore rose up against the British government (thereās a chilling photo of the rebels lined up against a wall being shotā¦ reminiscent of what happened in Kilmainham jail); that Japan invaded and ran the island for a couple of years and that in 1965 Singapore broke ties with Malaysia and became independent under the leadership of Lee Kwan Yew.
I watched some captivating footage of Lee Kwan Yew addressing the people of Singapore where he got emotional speaking of how Singapore will be a truly multi cultural country welcoming to all. He certainly got that right. If you look at most of the signs posted around the city, they are in four languages: Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil.
Iām a bit worn out after all that history so I head to an exhibit with an interactive āGardenā ā¦. Itās peculiar but beautiful
The final sections of the museum show how Singapore progressed into a modern nation. Movies, pop songs, fashionā¦ in particular Iām loving an actress Marrie Lee who played a very popular character in the 70ās called Cleopatra Wong. She was kick ass.
I head back to the hotel and have time to check out the pool before dinner.. the sky is grey but itās really warm so nice to cool down in the pool.
We walk to a casual outdoor restaurant and have a delicious Chinese mealā¦ maipo tofu, spicy green beans, aubergine (my fav), prawns and some special noodlesā¦. and of course a Tiger beer. Yum š
Work next day and I set myself up from the hotel. Itās roasting outside but the air con is high indoors so Iām freezingā¦ Iām back and forth between sweating and putting on a cardigan! Air con on / air con off!!! Iām sure I must be driving Shane mad! (Iām also pretty sure some of the heat episodes are not down to the temperature in Singaporeā¦ but weāll speak no more of that! š¤«). A swim helps and I get a little sunburn on my back as I did 50 lengths this morning!
We get out for lunch and hit the Albert centre which has a million hawker stands (ok maybe not a million but itās a lot). Some wanton soup goes down well but the highlight is fried carrot cake which seems to have very little carrot and some sort of gnocchi .. it is outstanding. Fresh lime juice is definitely my drink of choice for lunchtime.
I love walking through these streets on the way backā¦
This evening we take a walk to Arab street and check out an area that looks like we could be in a different country.
We pass Masjid Sultan also known as Sultan mosque and eat nasi goreng in a very casual Malaysian restaurant (with no alcohol)ā¦ well it is a school night!
Itās an interesting area to walk around with some cool old buildings and restaurants.
Next morning I get a few steps in and walk Shane to the mrt station (the underground) as heāll be at the office today and out for dinner tonight so Iām on my lonesome and could get up to anything!!! Thereās quite a few art deco buildings around this areaā¦
So I start the day with a swim and pick up breakfast at a cafe called Huggs Collective – Iām not sure if I should expect a hug when I go in but it doesnāt happen š. I have a full day of work so grab some lunch at Food Dynasty which is next to the hotel. I go for a salted duck wellington.. quite unusual but very tasty. I try a different juice today – calamansi. Itās lovely and sweet with a hint of sour.
Iām happy working away with this view until it starts to rainā¦ My shoulders are sore when I finish work at 7pm (trying to somewhat manage the time difference) so I decide to go for a massage and have an easy dinner.
So those of you who have read my blogs in the past know I love to get a treatment when I go abroad. Well this massage (which I think was Thai style but not sure) was quite the experience. When I got on the table the lady asked me if I would like my massage soft or strongā¦ of course I said strong (hoping I wonāt regret it). The lady then proceeded to get up on the table and kneel on top of meā¦ I mean her whole body was on mine and her knees were first of all digging into my legs, then my bum and then my shoulders.. I really donāt know how she did it. She asked me āyou ok sistaā to which I groaned āyeahā. She eventually got off me and cracked the length of my back with her elbowsā¦ holy jamoly this was seriously āstrongā! Luckily enough the rest of the massage was a bit more what youād expect, lots of elbows and strong handsā¦. In fairness I felt great afterward.
A quick visit into the OG department store and I canāt help myselfā¦ I buy a pair of cute but comfy shoes. Itās late so for the first time I visit a Jollibee, which is a fast food restaurant thatās very popular in the Philippines. Itās a bit like KFC but it also does spaghetti and you can get a side of rice with your fried chicken!! I have a chicken burger and chips and itās a bit disappointing.. ah well. First chips of the trip so thatās something !
Another day starting with a swim in the pool followed by work with a hawker lunch and then Iām getting the train to Chinatown to meet himselfā¦
This evening weāre going for dinner with Shaneās work colleagues so I take the train to Chinatown.
There are seven of us in a private dining room (with much appreciated air conditioning) called Oriental Palace. The menu is massive and the food ordering takes about half an hour!!! It is so worth it as the food is fantastic – an amazing feast!
I had a bit of a run-in with the chilly crab. Very poor outfit choice on my part!
Itās Friday and weāre both working from the hotel today, trying to wrap up things before our week off. Luckily our calls donāt happen to be scheduled at the same timeā¦.. Shanes are early, mine are late. We manage to get out for a quick lunch and I insist we try the durian puffs. (Remember the smelly fruit thatās not allowed on the train). I really want to taste this durian fruit it and I reckon in some crispy dough it couldnāt be that bad. They look so goodā¦.
Now if you donāt know durian is a fruit famous for being super smelly. In fact itās not allowed in certain public places, definitely not on trains or buses. Iām told I really should try itā¦ hmmm weāll see!
Work calls finished, laptop switched offā¦ itās time to head for Singaporesā big attraction the Marina Bay Sands. The plan is to go to the top for a fancy cocktail but unfortunately the rain has come again and theyāve stopped allowing people up. Itās lashing so we find refuge in the HUGE shopping centre thatās underneath.
There are lots of dinner options in this huge centre, a lot of fancy fine dining, some big chefs places, American and Asian chain restaurantsā¦ lots of options. We settle on a beer and burger bar that has red wine (which Iāve set my mind on) and the most delicious wagyu burger. Itās a great final meal in Singapore and a bit of a palette cleanser as we move onto Laos cuisine tomorrow.
The rain eventually stops and we get outside to see the building all lit up.
We take a walk through Gardens by the Bayā¦. although we didnāt see the official light show, theyāre quite spectacular to view at nighttime.
Saturday morning itās time to pack up and head to the airport. The expressway to the airport is lined with trees and we pass so many high rise apartment blocks, you realise this is how the 6 million population fit into such a small landmass.
After checking at the counter for our flight to Laos, we check out the waterfall which is a bit of a tourist attractionā¦.
Itās been a nice week and we are ready for our holiday to startā¦ bye bye Singapore!
odohertyelaine 
Loved it. Fabulous pictures. And no way would I let anyone crack my bones like that š±
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