The morning of our first day we were at a bit of a loss as to what to do with ourselves and headed cluelessly toward the nearest most interesting sounding stop on the underground (MRT), Harbourfront. There was a huge mall at Harbourfront that we had to negotiate in order to reach Sentosa, it was full of American and British shops, most notably a large shrine to Barbie which we found quite distasteful and demonstrated the power of the Western Media. A bridge across the harbour led to a place called Sentosa Island, a big amusement park full of bright colours and lots of touristy things to see, it was a little bit garish for our tastes.
Seeking a more 'cultural' experience, we headed to Little India where we were greeted by waves of heat and an abundance of little hawker stalls selling food we had never seen or heard of before. It was a smorgasboard of new smells and sights and we couldn't wait to get stuck in. Even in Singapore, which has a reputation as being rather over priced, we found some comfy looking patterned trousers for less than 2GBP and were feeling well chuffed at our bargain purchases. Lunch was a plate full of yummy treats, deep fried fish, bread, marinated cuttlefish amongst others, we crossed our fingers that we weren't going to regret this culinary adventure and the multitude of local food to follow.
Next we made for Clarke Quay, a collection of old warehouses which had been revamped and turned in to snazzy looking restaurants and bars beside the river. We had a little wander around here before boarding a water taxi which took us through the city seeing all the best sites along the way.
We docked at Marina Sands Bay, a huge complex of three towers with an enormous boat (The Skypark) perched on top, spanning their entire width. The entrance fee was a bit steep but worth it, and from the boat deck where we sat with an equally steeply priced beverage, we were able to see the most breath taking views of Singapore city scape. We had views of the Gardens By The Bay which looked like something alien and space age from War of the Worlds. Hundred of cargo ships were visible out at sea from this great height too.
Raffles Hotel is aparently a notable sight to see in Singapore and we had heard that it had an interesting museum, but after a half hour of wandering around asking befuddled looking bystanders where the museum was, we finally found out that it had been shut down a few months beforehand. The hotel, with its pretty courtyard and marble staircases was still very impressive though. Unfortunately our budget did not stretch to the Chanel and Gucci shops this side of town and so we made for the underground once again to check out China Town.
Jan was suffering from a most horrendous cold and as we arrived at Chinatown it was all sniffles and sneezes as we wandered through the neverending market stalls full of souvenirs. Amongst the drivel and tat of the stores, we witnessed a local drink being made with crushed sugar cane pressed between what looked like meat grinders, but in actual fact 'milked' the sugar water from the cane. In the centre of this district was a food court full of Chinese cuisine, we were after a traditional feast. After much deliberation we settled upon pig leg (and trotter), a greasy bowl of sesame chicken-like soup (which unnervingly looked and tasted much like the pork) and for pudding we "indulged" in a bowl of hot and cold pudding; a bowl of crushed ice with sweetened red beans and peanuts on top. The suspicious looking brown stains in the ice really put us off, fortunately it melted quicker than we could eat it, ha!
Our first day in Signapore had been a twelve hour adventure marathon and we were fast falling head over heels for this city with its diverse culture appealing to all travellers requirements.
Peace and Love,
Jan and Sooz.
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