Saturday
How funny! Country number three. Everything still in English, but weirdest thing, they're still driving on the wrong side of the road. Did not expect that.
Didn't really expect everything in Singapore to be in English either. I never really thought about it, but I guess that's my world history ignorance coming to light.
Thank you Singapore and Five Stones Hostel for having Wi-Fi that works and that you don't have to pay extra for.
Not really enjoying the no shoes thing inside the hostel, though. The cold tiles are hard on my feet.
Some cyclist commuters here. I saw a really cool bike this morning. Tiny wheels and rigged out with his cell phone and two-way radio? Not sure what that was for. He let me take a picture of the bike, but not of him. He did not want to be on the Internet. Savvy Singaporeans.
So hot here. Feels 90 already with the humidity. Walked for miles! Well, probably not, but it felt like it in the heat.
Found the cutest shop in the subway called Mr. Bean. It was a shop centered around soy. They had donuts and lattes and all sorts of little snacks made with soy beans. Of course, I didn't try any of it because I was on my way to this restaurant that I read about in the guidebook and I didn't want to ruin my appetite.
That was a big mistake! Unfortunately, I arrived at the restaurant to find a lovely neighborhood with wonderful looking restaurants and some shops but none of the places were open yet. I guess noon on a Saturday is too early for lunch. It is in Singapore, anyway.
So I ended up in a very elegant sushi place, all by myself. The only place nearby that was open. No one at all eating here yet. I ordered the lunch special, which included Chawamushi. This dish comes in a ceramic mug. As far as I can tell, its poached egg whites with salt and three slices of fancy mushroom on top. Not bad. I didn't care for the mushroom, but I tried it. The texture of the egg whites was kind of like custard. A little too salty too. But the concept was good.
I also ordered the grilled Sanma fish. It came whole! The head and all. A difficult project to get it off the bone. I usually leave that to Victor - he's very good at it - so I've never had to do it myself.
A long slender fish, it turned out to be quite tasty. The skin had turned to paper when they grilled it and had a nice flavor. It came with lemon, radish, and a stick of pickled ginger. Loved the ginger. Also came with some delicious steamed cabbage. Yum!
Later, I paid a fortune for some red tea. $39 USD - Gulp! And a tea strainer. The tea shop was so adorable with these amazingly artistic tea sets that they made in house that I didn't care. It was an experience.
When I reached Chinatown, I happened upon a Buddhist temple, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. There was a service going on. They were chanting the Avatamsaka Sutra. And worshippers were coming in all the time to light incense, pray and quickly kneel before the shrine of Buddha. I've never seen a working Buddhist temple before so it was really interesting. It seemed like the chanting would go on all day.
After the temple, there was a small courtyard where Chinese men played a version of mahjong, I think. It looked something like backgammon only with mahjong tiles.
Traveled through Chinatown complex and I was one of four white people in the whole place. Which is such a shame. It's Saturday and this is a cheap place to eat amazing food! Of course, I've already had lunch. I'm having a good mistake day. I tried a fresh pineapple juice and an egg tart. Really nice. Also, I learned what a dragon fruit looks like.
Final stop of the day, Park Royal on Pickering. This is a hotel I read about in an airline magazine. It's only a block from the hostel, but miles apart in price. It was sensational! Every bit as cool as the article said. So organic everywhere. With the lines of the ceilings and floors mimicking the natural foliage growing everywhere and beautiful pools that pour into other pools, making a lovely quiet fountain sound.
The view from the pool level was spectacular. Too bad no one was swimming. Completely wasted on the clientele. They were too busy hanging out in the birdcage cabanas. Which were pretty cosy and inviting looking, I have to admit. Just a really lovely space. I'm glad I had a chance to check it out.
One thing you can not do here is walk and text. Even look around to much and you will trip. The sidewalks in the older sections have many levels to them and stairs everywhere. It's like a split-level home, just changing levels for no reason at all, and if you're not careful you don't see that step down and its havoc on your back. Ouch!
Sunday
I'm traveling to Singapore Botanic Gardens on the bus this morning. I so love the bus! You get to see the town and the locals at the same time.
The gardens are huge! There's a rainforest, cactus garden, bonsai garden, ginger garden, swan lake and orchids garden - and I only saw the southern half of the park. This place is all free except the orchids, just a city park for the people to enjoy. And there are a lot of people here walking, jogging, picnicking, and even a tai chi class going on. I think that's the first time I've seen tai chi in real life.
It must be dry season because all the grass is brown and they're watering the plants. I would not have expected a dry season here.
Saw a beautiful statue of a woman and baby entitled Joy and it really made you feel that way. So precious!
People are really friendly here. Always wanting to smile but a little hesitant about it too. They talk fast and quietly here. It's a bit difficult for me to understand them.
After the park I headed to Little India for lunch. There are so many Indians they have their own neighborhood too. I'm surprised by this, But I guess I shouldn't be. Its really not that far from India. At Tulasi, I had a red lentil soup with coconut in it and tiny chunks of onion and garlic and rough ground pepper and a bit of cilantro. Delish!
I also ordered a Malay appetizer that was essentially a fried tofu sandwich with cucumber and bean sprout and scallion, with a sweet peanut sauce to dip it in. Unusual, But tasty. Reminded me a lot of Vietnamese spring rolls.
The rest of my day was kind of a bust. Walked to the nearby Hindu temple, but it was under construction. Too bad because it looked incredibly ornate. Walked farther on past a Sunday swap meet and a dirty river and finally found the masjid sultan mosque, but it was closed to visitors for an event. The neighborhood was really nice though and I bought a great souvenir at a Malay wood shop - a turtle and the middle party is an accordion clacking instrument.
En route back to the bus stop, I found a Swedish restaurant run by Muslims- all halal. What?? This must be really exotic food for them.
Had a semla bun and a coffee. Semla is a big hard bread bun with cream cheese and marzipan in the middle. It was kind of gross actually. Soggy in the middle and the bread was hard and tasteless. Definitely not my favorite dessert.
But still the concept of a Swedish restaurant anywhere is pretty cool. I don't think I've ever seen one before.
So they have this amazing one of a kind building here that really makes you immediately recognize the Singapore skyline. Let's just say, it doesn't matter how tall your building is, if you build a curved boat on top, you win! This one is just so amazing. I can't believe no one ever mentioned it before.
Some great sculptures in the businesses district. Really nice touch to have so much public art.
Monday
Found out my hostel was two blocks from the river and an awesome little neighborhood in between.
Today I got my toenails done in this neighbourhood- they were in serious need of a repaint. Then I had a lovely lunch at a vegan place. Laksa and dumplings. Oh man, the dumplings! Best veg dumplings I've ever had.
Then I had a real Thai massage. My first. You change into these comfy brown cotton clothes, like oversized scrubs. You lay on your stomach and they rub tiger balm all over your back. Then the girl sat on top of me! And pressed all over my legs and back with her arms and elbows. And finally stretched me out pretty good. It wasn't what I would call soothing, but I felt pretty darn good afterwards and now I know what a Thai massage is.
It left me feeling pretty spacey. I had a coffee to wake me up.
Next I experienced the Singapore post office- you can do a lot more than just mail stuff. Pay bills and get money orders. Very organized and very busy.
Then I found a cheap pharmacy- in the tunnels of the metro. Who would have thought?
I wandered down toward the marina and got some great photos of the boat building.
And now it's seven pm on my last day and I'm at the boat quay. I'm not sure what to do next. I hope I got the full Singapore experience. The boat quay appears to be a public square where the locals hang out and digest their day, watching the boats and the other people and the water and, of course, their phones. It's quiet and relaxing with a nice breeze today.
I think I had a great last day here. Even after a few days, it's still weird to be in a country in Asia, with so many Asian faces, and they all speak and understand English well (and fast). Singapore challenged my notion of what a native English speaker looks like, in the best most fascinating way possible.
So that was Singapore. A big city with a really friendly air. Lots of great faces from all over Asia and a few Europeans too. Great food culture, easy to use metro system. Reasonably priced. And such beautiful buildings and sculptures and public places. Really enjoyed it!
