Singapore is the 25th best city on Lonely Planet's list!

I feel very proud that a small country-cum-city like Singapore can beat bigger and better known cities like Shanghai and Sydney. We're nestled in a tiny, red dot on the world map, takes up no more than 647km square area, only a matter of half hour's drive from one side of the island to the other (with light traffic flow).

I haven't got a chance to read the content of the list but got wind of it from newspapers reports. A local professor pointed out the list failed to mention the greatest Singaporean passion: food. And I totally agree.

For a start, you should go to the average coffee shop or a hawker centre, which is available in practically every housing estate. It's made up of rows of food stalls beckoning you with anything from Chinese to Malay and Indian food at dirt-cheap prices (you can get a fulfilling plate of chicken rice for $3). It's usually in an outdoor, non-airconditioned setting, so you can smoke, chew noisily and let your hair down without ever feeling out of place.

MUST-TRY (at any time of the day): A cup of strongly brewed kopi (coffee), kaya toast (charcoal-toasted bread spread with jam made from coconut, sugar, egg and pandan leaves) and half-boiled eggs eaten with soya sauce or white pepper. Costs a grand total of $5 (approx. US$2.50).

So, today's entry is dedicated to all things I love about Singapore. If you want a tour guide and a roof over your head, that can be arranged. I'll work for soup (maybe one of those bone soups, slurps) and let you share my four-poster queen-sized bed (provided you clean up the room, hehe).

HERITAGE TRAILS

Singapore is made up mainly of three ethnicities: the Chinese, the Malays and the Indians (something like 70 %, 20 % and 10 % - others make up a very small percentage). I shall introduce three cultural spots: Arab Street, Little India and Chinatown. They are made up of rows and rows of British colonial two-storey shophouses ( you live upstairs and work in your shop below) - in different areas though.

ARAB STREET

This is where the Malay-Muslims congregate. It's a very safe place - S'pore is a multi-racial and multi-harmonious society. I've friends from many different races and religions. We haven't had a riot in 30 years - we make noise by writing to the national newspapers ;P

1) Sultan Mosque - makes you think of 1,001 Arabian Nights. You can enter just as long as you take off your shoes.

2) Shisha pipe places - there's a string of Middle Eastern eateries, which also offer you a healthy, fruity-flavoured smoke (Love the look and feel of the pipes! Makes you feel like a sultan (or maybe a sultanah) !).

3) Frilly fabric stores - the ladies will lurve this. You can get hold of laces, brocade and any other fanciful fabric to make tops and dresses here. There's also a cool Commes Des Garcon Guerilla store in the area, too.

4) Spa Sauvignon - the first spa on the island to offer wine-dripping bath, scrub and massage (S'pore is a spa haven). Had a chance to try out. Very chi-chi.

5) The popular Malay and Indian eateries here like Sabar Menanti and Zam Zam respectively are worth checking out.

LITTLE INDIA

1) Sri Perumal Temple - apart from housing Hindu deities, the temple also hosts weddings. No-one will know if you gatecrash, as long as you copy what the other guests do!

2) Mustafa Centre - it's a 24-hour shopping haunt, popular with tourists and locals alike. You can find anything from electronic goods, jewellery, toiletries and groceries here. Sometimes, after watching a midnight movie, I'll go there and stock up on toiletries and frozen foods. Prices are slightly cheaper, because the centre makes money by selling in volumes.

3) Tekka Market - here's a good place for you to experience the sights, sounds and smells of a typical wet market, where you can buy meat, vegetables and so on at prices lower than the supermarkets'. Great food stalls and clothing stores here, too.

4) Haniffa Textile - you'll get starry-eyed from seeing the glittering sarees sold here. Other places sells cheaper sarees but this place still has the most variety.

5) Beauty parlours and spas - another treat for the ladies. Services include eyebrow threading (using strings to shape your eyebrows, it takes skills) and intricate henna tattoo (lasts for a month or more) on your hands.

6) A good mix of high-end and budget diners, North and South Indian cuisines here, although it's hard to tell them apart based on the food (they are all scrumptuous, especially when you eat with your hands). Some places I recommend: New Delhi, Banana Leaf, Komala Vilas, Ananda Bhavan and Akbar.

CHINATOWN

1) Thian Hock Keng (Taoist temple) - it has got a loonngg history.

2) Jade (cinema): Okay, I'm not exactly recommending it, but this is, like, the only cinema, who's not embarassed and openly shows explicitly sexual movies (RA, restricted for patrons under 21). It's very old and smells, erm, spunky. Because of its dodginess, the first Scream movie premiere was screened here, which marked my one and only visit.

3) Shopping: Chinese decorative items like painted masks and Chinese embroidery for women as well as men. I once got a cheongsam-inspired top for $35 (approx US$15, it's so cheap, one feels guilty to bargain). US popstars like Alicia Keys and (okay, Canadian) Avril Lavigne did a fair bit of shopping here.

4) Too many good makan (eating/food) places to name. Try the celebrity favourite spot Kah Soh, if for nothing else, its beansprouts and salted fish dish.

5) Rustic Nirvana - the innovative spa, one of the early ones on the market, offers services like Chopstick Massage (have tried it, very shiok (great)) and Prata Claypot Therapy.

Okay, I'll return another day to share with you my picks of Night and Nature spots.

Amelia Earhart said...
Hello ladies!

I am welcoming you with arms wide open to visit my wonderful city.

Just save for your passage and a bit of pocket money (SGD$1 is approx. CAD$0.60). You can stay with me and my family (it's part of the Asian culture for singles to live with their parents until they get married). It doesn't hurt that my mum is a terrific cook.

Chill out for a few days. And if you've a bigger budget, I'll take you to the famous Bangkok, Thailand (just an hour flight away).

See ya!

12:43 AM

pingcat (reluctantriter.blogspot.com) said...
Your writing paints an interesting and exciting city of great variety; particularly attractive to me is the focus on food. the smoking I can do without, finally having quit after a number of years of trying but "slurping", well that is a different story! Nothing like a good "slurp" at sometime during the day:-)

7:43 PM

CanaGal (canagal.blogspot.com) said...
thanks for the post on my blog - now, colour me stupid, but do I know you outside of the blogsphere??

9:10 PM


Quodlibet (mypetitequodlibet.blogspot.com) said...
Ahhhh! Now I have to add Singapore to my list of places I must visit! It sounds amazing! I just need an airline job so I can fly for free (or nearly free)!!

11:41 PM