Singapore

I have just returned from six fun-filled days visiting Tola and Christina in Singapore, with a sneaky trip to the beautiful island of Langkawi (see separate post) over the Chinese national Holidays - good times! It was my first visit to Singapore and, although practically struck down by the heat and humidity, I enjoyed it, particularly the vast opportunities for food and drinks.... And of course, it was fantastic to see some friendly faces and catch up!

Sights: China town looked quite spectacular, with all of the lanterns up to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival, but, seeing as I see plenty of China on a day-to-day basis, I fought my obsession and decided to wander around Little India instead. It turned out to be a colourful, friendly and aromatic experience, which brought back fond memories my time in Bangalore back in 2003. Michelle and I spent a morning exploring the Botanical Gardens. These were a real highlight, and in particular the National Orchid Garden showcased a huge number of immensely beautiful and colourful flowers and plants. We were particularly fond of the COOL HOUSE, which offered a little respite from the mugginess and heat of the day, with the excuse of admiring varieties of unusual plants! Genius.

Singaporeans generally look immaculate and are very well-presented, so Tola, Michelle and I immersed ourselves in local culture by getting a mani-pedi, while watching a film. Luxury, and by all accounts, a worthwhile stop on any tourist trip to the city!

Wandering the streets and the shopping arcades along Orchard Road (so many it is impossible to count!), I was generally pleased to see that the fables of how clean Singapore are true! It is a well-designed and attractive city, with a lot of pruned decorative greenery, and very easy to navigate (by tube, bus and cheap taxi...) and this must be part of the draw to the huge expat community. Not to mention the proximity to various Malaysian islands and the year-round balmy climate!

Food: where to begin?! I was hit by a welcome onslaught of spices and flavours not commonly found in China, and it was such a treat! After meeting T&C for a Thai lunch, I took a wander around Little India, and before I know it I was sat with a Mango Lassi and a sneaky Tandoori! Oops. Delicious though, and very friendly service!

Singapore is rife with Hawker Centres, where hundreds of small stands are manned by budding entrepreneurs cooking up delicious Asian dishes - Indian, Malaysian, Thai, Chinese and Singaporean food and an abundance of stalls selling tropical fruit and fresh juices all to be found in one big cluster! At bargain prices too. These are generally open daily from noon until 10pm and are quite a spectacle! Tola and I ate at Lau Pa Sat on Monday night, and on Tuesday Michelle and I ate at the Newton Hawker Centre for a grand total of about S$4 a head, and I had a particularly delicious Laksa. Inevitably, I think it's wise to exercise a little discretion over which stall you choose....

Michelle, Tola and I ate Chinese seafood at No Signboard Seafood, which came lauded with good reviews and reasonable prices in the guidebook. What it failed to mention, however, is that if you want to eat fish or crab (generally thought to be the speciality), the prices rocketed past S$100 a dish! Luckily, we struck a deal on a set menu, and happily set about indulging in delicious steamed fish and white pepper crab, creating quite a mess in the process!

Cocktails: Tola, Christina and I enjoyed a few (hugely expensive) Singapore Slings in the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel, and especially enjoyed the freedom to cast monkey nut shells onto the floor like there was no tomorrow!

Tola and I also took a trip to the New Asia bar on the 71st floor of the Swisshotel, where we slurped delicious, strong cocktails at surprise "sundown" prices (aka happy hour...) - definitely recommended for sunset, and the views over the city are spectacular.

Overall, I was struck by how much Singapore is a real fusion of so many Asian cultures and traditions, and how everywhere in the city is influenced by another part of Asia so much that it is hard to find anything "typically Singaporean". I enjoyed this mix and I imagine that the city must be a culturally-diverse, (sweaty!) and interesting place to live as an expat.