Little India/Arab Street

Singapore’s ethnic pockets II

Another great walking district is Little India and Arab Street.  Visiting Little India is a bit like going to New Delhi, except it’s much cleaner in comparison and there aren’t random animals walking around.  I arrived around the time of Diwali, so there were plenty of glittering decorations around store fronts and street stalls but my favorites were definitely the flower garland vendor stalls and sweets shops.  Originally a racecourse area frequented by Europeans and then populated by Indians as cattle trading took off, this is a great area to try out roti prata and curries.  Even if you don’t eat curry, you’ll come out of the area smelling like you have! 

Arab Street is lined with shops selling spices and textiles.  Back in the late 1800s, the area was owned by an Arab merchant and many Bugis seamen (a major ethnic group mostly based in the province of Sulawesi, Indonesia) inhabited the area.  Haji Lane in Arab Town is a cute alleyway that houses quaint second hand shops and bars.  Also a must-see is the Masjid Sultan Mosque which can be spotted from afar.  This majestic Muslim mosque was built by Sultan Hussain Shah of Johore, who signed the British treaties to give up the island to the British.  He built a mosque in his own name but it had fallen into disrepair by the early 1920s and the one standing was newly completed in 1928.

Chinatown

Singapore’s ethnic pockets I

Named after the tradition of having water carts pulled by cows to transport clean water into the ethnic enclave, Singapore’s Chinatown is known as “Niu Che Shui” or cow cart water.  With the majority of Singaporeans being Chinese, the area is less of an enclave than it once was under British rule.  Many speak the Hokkien and Hakka dialects.  Chinatown has undergone major urban renewal but shop fronts are designed to reflect the history of the country.  While Singapore only  turned 50 this year, if you look at the street names, you’ll see the diversity and history of the country that leads back to hundreds of years ago.  Amoy Street is one of my favorites as it is packed with restaurants, cocktail bars and design shops with handmade goodies.  Named after the place where many Hokkien people originated from, this used to be opium smoking central.  If you do look for food in Chinatown, don’t miss the signature Hainan chicken rice!  

Singapore Heritage Walk

City central

The shopping malls on Orchard Road weren’t really as attractive as I had hoped, so I ventured down the road a bit to visit the museum and City Hall district.  The Singapore City Gallery is a great spot to get a bird’s eye view of different parts of the city and the ongoing plans for urban renewal.  The Red Dot Museum is a must-see for creative and any one into design.  The Mint Museum of Toys is perfect for kidults and any one who’s nostalgic about their childhood toys as it houses over 3,000 toys, all owned by former electric engineer and toy collector.  Nearby the toys museum is the Raffles Hotel, which is famous for showcasing Singapore’s British colonial history.  Built in 1887, this hotel is a lovely place to spend a lazy afternoon while sipping on a sweet Singapore sling.  Another heritage hotel that’s great for a laid back drink is the Fullerton Hotel.  Right across from it is Merlion Park, where Singapore’s iconic lion can be spotted.

Haw Par Villa

Tiger Balm Gardens

A less known tourist spot in Singapore is Haw Par Villa.  Built by the Tiger Balm creators and Burmese-Chinese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, the Tiger Balm Gardens was built in 1937 to showcase Confucian values.  Packed with statutes and dioramas teaching people to do good, the park got turned into a theme at one point in the 1980s, but recurring losses forced the management to cut out the fancy rides and the park became free to everyone after the dioramas were restored in the late 1990s.  It’s a bit sad walking through the park knowing how grand it was when the wealthy family first opened the park to the public, and what used to be roller coasters are now deserted grounds, but the Ten Courts of Hell still draw visitors to imagine what hell looks like in Chinese mythology.

Sentosa, Singapore

Entertaining the whole family

Hop on a bus to get across to Sentosa for a return trip of only SGD2 or you can choose to walk across the bridge and enjoy the view of the city.  There’s also a cable car if you’re more into the skyview or speed up your trip with a quick zip along the Sentosa Express.  While Universal Studios is the main draw at Sentosa, especially with the Minions craze, adults can gamble their way through the glitzy casino.  At first glance, the ticketing machines looked like top-up machines, but they’re actually machines where Singaporeans need to pay for a special gambling tax to enter the casino.  At SGD 100 per day or SGD2000 per year, it’s a good incentive to help shy away those who don’t have money to gamble, but I mostly spotted Singaporeans entering the casino.  

There’s nothing like sinking your teeth into a gooey Krispy Crème donut after hours of walking around in the humidity (or sitting inside the air-conditioned casino).  For a continuation of living out of a fantasy, check out the greenery at Gardens by the Bay, the newest attraction in Singapore’s Bayfront area for those who enjoy lush greenery and being enchanted by countless species of plants.