Singapore here we are

  Singapore, Singapore
Saturday, April 12, 2008

Ah, the east, here we are.

Flew from Darwin into Singapore, arrived around 4 in the morning, and took the bus into town, only to find out that the hotel we had hoped to stay at had no rooms. We wandered, found a coffee at a late night stand that was full of people, out from the night before (we assumed). After sipping our coffee and wondering what to do, we decided to wander, packs and all, and after a half an hour or so of this we found a decent spot. Sleep...

Over the next few days we explored the city, the museums, the buildings, the cuisine, in short, everything. And, everything, turned out to be an adventure. Sitting down to a meal is just not the same when you cannot even ask, "What is this?", because even if I knew the words, I wouldn't understand the answer. It is fairly easy to get by in English, but there are so many different cultures converging in Singapore, Indian, Chinese, Malay, and European as well. Each corner reveals something new.

Food

The overlying theme is, spice.. and lots of it. Sometimes easier going, but in general everything has it. One of our more memorable meals was at of murtabak, which is a sort of pancake which is filled with onions and meat and egg, then pan fried in oil. As you can tell, health food. Just delicious. We also ventured to Chinese restarants for fried rice, mee (noodles), soup. The most notable being the chicken and rice. Most places have no menu, just the roasted chicken/duck, head on, hanging in the front of the place. You can get it with rice, maybe noodles, and maybe soup. Along with some lime juice, and it is just wonderful. Most of the time we were eating at "hawker stalls" which are sort of like food courts, only a bit more out of control. I also tried laksa, a coconut broth curry soup, filled with noodles and seafood, though I think it was a poor example.

Architecture

The buildings here are just incredible. The city has run into a whole lot of money and has built some truly amazing structures. From schools, to public housing, to giant hotels and civic buidings, as well as theatres, opera houses and everything in between. The older places are less apparant, though the one hotel, Raffles, the oldest in the city has recently gotten a facelift, and is just in exquisite shape.

Theatre Building

Paper Thin

Shopping

No kidding, it is a national pastime. Orchard Road is basically one long shopping mall, 5 or 6 stories high in some places. Lining the streets are endless vendors selling just about anything you could want or imagine. Every few minutes I was accosted by some tailor telling me I needed a good new suit. And truly, judging by the state of my clothes, I could use one. We fell victim to it for an afternoon, and once we were thouroughly bewildered and lost, we got out and back to the hotel.

Shop, Shop, Shop

5 Floors of Shop

Sentosa

Possibly one of the funniest places I have ever been, basically a theme park island that features Singapore. We took the cable car over from the main island, and it was raining when we got there. So we ventured through the Images of Singapore, a museum filled with dioramas depicting the history of the city. A sight indeed. Once we got out we walked the island trying not to be tempted by one attraction or the other, for they were overpriced, and a bit silly. Took the jungle walk, and headed back to the city for some eats. If only I could express it better, maybe the photos can.

Storytime

Sentosa Fountain

All in all the city was a great time. An easy introduction to the East, and now we venture forth.