Singapore
We went to Singapore for a long weekend at the end of September 2012.
Like most of our trips, we found an airfare deal that was too good to pass up.
After reading a bunch of TripAdvisor reviews, we decided to stay at Wanderlust Hotel.
It’s an eclectic boutique hotel in Little India.
Little India is known as Tekka in the local community.
On our short walks to and from the metro station everyday, we hung out with the locals who were busy buying and selling textiles, electronics, and produce.
We spent our afternoons exploring Singapore’s attractions and landmarks.
The Merlion is the mythical symbol of Singapore.
It is a creature that is a cross between a fish and a lion.
Raffles Hotel is Singapore’s best known icon.
It was built in 1887 and named after Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore.
The hotel houses a tropical garden courtyard, a museum, a Victorian-style theatre, and many restaurants.
The Double Helix Bridge is a pedestrian bridge linking Marina Centre with Marina South.
Marina Bay Sands is an amazing complex in Marina Bay.
The surfboard in the sky is a hotel, shopping mall, casino, and home to many restaurants.
Some of the best views of Singapore are from the SkyPark Observation Deck.
The infinity pool is one of the top 10 hotel rooftop pools in the world.
Only guests of the hotel can go to the pool… the rest of us just take pictures of them from the observation deck.
The Singapore Flyer is the world’s largest Ferris wheel.
Under The Flyer is Food Trail, one of Singapore’s most popular hawker centers.
Singapore is known for their Chicken and Rice.
I loaded mine up with a spicy sauce, fresh ginger, and tons of black soy sauce.
John ate Hokkien mee with shrimp and baby squid.
And washed it all down with sugarcane juice.
Chinatown is another ethnic neighborhood in Singapore.
The primary attraction in Chinatown is the town itself.
You’ll find restored shop houses, quirky shops, museums, and temples.
My favorite attraction in Chinatown is Jalan Makanan.
Chinatown’s Food Street.
There are so many options… we had a tough time deciding where we should eat.
We finally went with the place with the longest line and the best smells.
It was a great choice!
After dinner we took the MRT back to the waterfront and walked through Gardens by the Bay.
This horticultural attraction houses over 250 thousand rare plants on 250 acres.
And it is a stunning walk at night.
One day we went to Singapore Botanic Gardens.
The National Orchid Garden is located inside the Botanic Gardens.
For lunch we went back down to the waterfront.
And ended up at Jumbo Seafood for Chili Crab and Pepper Crab.
The food was really good but it’s extremely touristy and the service was disappointing. On our next trip to Singapore, we will go to Kim’s Place Seafood.
Our dinner at Makansutra Gluttons Bay on Raffles Avenue made up for our touristy lunch.
Like before, we had a tough time deciding which food vendor to order from… so again, we went with the longest line and the best smells.
The place was so busy we had to share a table with a young couple from Singapore.
Which really isn’t a have to in my book — it ended up being a really fun evening with new friends.
We went to the zoo on our last day in Singapore.
We aren’t big zoo people, but we love orangutangs!
We signed up for the Jungle Breakfast so we could get close to them.
The breakfast wasn’t anything to write about but the orangutangs were so fun!
I could watch them for hours.
That afternoon we went to Bendemeer Market & Food Centre for lunch.
Gosh, I wish we had Hawker Centers where we live.
Later that night we walked to the Kampong Glam neighborhood, also known as the Muslim Quarter. This is where you’ll find well-known streets Arab, Baghdad, and Bussorah.
Bussorah Pedestrian Mall is lined with many shops and restaurants with Masjid Sultan at the end.
We used our TripAdvisor City Guides app and found a charming Indian restaurant on Bussorah Street.
It was a gorgeous evening so we sat outside and enjoyed a delicious meal while watching the locals walk by.
Singapore has a lot to offer and most of it can be seen in just a couple of days.
We did some touristy stuff over the weekend, but mostly we tried to mix ourselves with the local people and take in the melting pot of cultures.
One of our favorite memories of Singapore is Dickson Food Garden.
It’s a small restaurant in Little India that turns into somewhat of a local pub at night. Every night we went to this local pub and drank beers with the local men.
In April, we get to spend another couple of days in Singapore on our way to and from Malaysia.
I hope to have another beer at Dickson and eat chili crab at Kim’s Place until we can’t move.