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.

Food Glorious Food

Eating your way through Singapore

The prevalence of food centres and food courts can’t go unnoticed in Singapore.  I wish I had an extra stomach or two to try out even more local delicacies!  Locals start each morning with a kaya toast and coffee set which also comes with two soft boiled eggs.  Food stalls seem to open in the wee hours in the morning and stay open until late at night, many are also opened for 24 hours.  The laksa is a must try with its milky rich spicy soup that is packed with the bursting flavor of shrimp stock.  For a sugary mix, the rainbow coloured assortment of chewy kueh made from glutinous rice is quite satisfying.  I especially like the kuih serimuka, which has a pandan juice custard layer and a layer with steamed glutinous rice.   The satay skewers are amazing especially with peanut sauce and is always a great combination with shaved ice drowned in syrup.  For something a little less spicy but equally rich in flavor, try the bak kut teh, which literally translates into meat bone tea and has pork ribs cooked in a herbal soup that makes it a heart-warming dish to have on a humid day.

Singapore Weekend Escape

Green city

The moment my plane entered Singapore, I could see patches and patches of greenery underneath the wings of the plane.  This city in a garden is lacking when it comes to natural resources, with much of its water supplies coming from Malaysia.  But there’s just as much green as there are skyscrapers.  The neat thing is, many of the skyscrapers have green walls and rooftop gardens that make them look alive. 

To get a good sense of Singapore’s landscape and planning, check out the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s museum in Chinatown.  There’s a 3-D model of the developed areas of Singapore outlining the country’s major regions and plenty of great proposals for how to accommodate for the country’s population growth in a sustainable manner.

It’s super easy to get around in Singapore with its convenient skytrain system. From Chinatown and Little India to Sentosa and City Hall, a quick hopping on and off the MRT system connects the different pockets of the country.  There are no hills in Singapore, so what you see is what you get when you look out into the horizon from the top, such as standing from one of the shopping malls on Orchard Street.