So, as you would have gathered from Tom's musing on food courts / hawker centres below, food has been quite a theme during our time in Singapore. Quite literally, the world is at your feet here and you can eat whatever you fancy. So here's a bit of a summary of the past few days in Singapore.
Day 1: 18 September
An early start (thanks jet lag) and it was up and off to explore Little India, the district closest to our hotel. It was so early, that nothing was really open apart from the Mustafa Centre an incredible department store that sells absolutely everything, and lots of it. A good amount of time was spent here and we made the important purchase of a new camera as it's a bit cheaper than at home and we can get the tax back when we get to the airport.
Then on to China Town for an explore and to search out our first Hawker Centre. The hawkers were once street vendors who sold their food wherever there were customers from the back of a cart. Nowadays, the city keeps them contained in these amazing centres which have an array of food and people and their own code of conduct which makes it so interesting to visit. China Town was lovely and decorated with lanterns for the Mooncake festival which takes place this month.
After a longish nap (try three hours.. is that a nap or a full on sleep?) we headed out for some more Hawker Centre food next to the night market around Bugis Street accompanied this time with some beer served over ice, essential in this climate!
Day 2: 19 September
The Zoo. We spent hours here and it is an incredible place to go. The zoo is very open with no cages or anything so you feel that you can get really up close and personal with the animals. Best of all, it wasn't at all crowded so at times we felt like we had the place to ourselves which was amazing. Worst of all, it's possible that a bat weed on me, but currently I'm opting to believe that it dropped/squirted some fruit in my general direction. Thankfully some alcohol gel was on hand to tide me over until the nearest bathroom. New favourite creatures include the Mouse Deer and numerous monkeys but also loved the White Tigers, especially when one of them went for a swim. We also managed to see some feeding times which was entertaining, even if the Warthogs (as in Pumba from the Lion King) couldn't have been less interested in the food they were being thrown! We will try to add some pictures from our visit there very soon.
In the afternoon/evening it was a visit to the Orchard Road area which has 20 shopping malls in the space of about 2.5 miles. Needless to say, we only managed about two of these before getting lost/confused/overwhelmed.
Day 3: 20 September
A visit to the Asian Civilisations Museum was very interesting in giving an overview of the development of Singapore and the rest of Southeast Asia. Particularly in terms of how the cultures have influenced one another over the centuries. A very worthwhile place to visit.
A true Singaporean experience came next in the shape of Sinaporean Chili Crab. Thanks to Jess for the amazing recommendation of Jumbo, one of the best places to have it in Singapore. We shared a whole 1kg crab between us with a huge bowl of rice and I am still full some 6 hours later! It was messy, we had to wear bibs and a good thing too. The crab arrives at the table swimming in a pot of tasty crabby chili sauce so you have to fish it out to crack the claws and get at some of the meat but it was worth the effort - certainly one of the most delicious things on the trip so far.
Then to Fort Canning Park for some exploration, including seeing Singapore's former lighthouse and a nifty spice garden. Now obscured by tall buildings, it once was a guiding light to help ships make safe passage into Singapore harbour. On the way back to the hotel, we bought some beers to enjoy on the roof terrace which was lovely as there's a nice breeze up there only to be greeted with the screeches of the Formula 1 cars practicing for the race this weekend. The whole of the city will enjoy that for the next few days!
Currently steeling ourselves for an early flight which means a 4am wake up call. Next stop: Melbourne
xx Annie
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