Singapore

Hi All,

If we thought Kuala Lumpur was modern, it was nothing compared to Singapore. This city state had some of the most innovative architecture we’ve ever seen. The Marina Bay sands hotel with its three towers connected by a gigantic boat shaped platform was the star of the cityscape. The newly built ‘Jewel’ shopping centre wowed us with the worlds tallest indoor waterfall; the water falling in a ring from the centre of its domed ceiling. While the Garden By The Bay Sky Trees were a futuristic element all of their own.

We spent two days scoping out the city before the much anticipated arrival of Julie and Frank (Ross’ parents)! We had the hard task of trying countless street food stalls so we could take them to try some of the best. Top of our list to check out were the two Mitchelin star hawker stalls -rumoured to be some of the worlds best at street food prices (what’s not to like?). The first served up a unique but very tasty noodle soup and the second a sister restaurant to the original cart serving soy sauce Hainanese chicken. Unsurprisingly both were very good and worth the hour of queuing but our favourite was neither of these, instead a roast meat specialist was the chosen one for us to return to. This hawker stall serves up platters of char siu pork, crispy pork and roasted duck. Listening to the mantra of the Buddhist temple while enjoying this meat feast in a local setting was a great introduction to hawker food culture for Julie and Frank. Ross and I also enjoyed butter coffee (black coffee with a dollop of condensed milk and knob of butter) along with the local breakfast of kaya toast (white toast spread with coconut marmalade and dipped in semi cooked boiled eggs) but we didn’t think Julie and Frank would appreciate being dragged to a hot sweaty cafe for these!

In between eating we had a great first day with Julie and Frank exploring Little India, taking in the smell of the spices while passing gold shops and visiting a Hindu Temple. The temple was extremely busy owing to it being a public holiday and therefore felt like we had stepped back into the hustle and bustle of India itself. The traditional houses lining the streets still hold their original charm and have been painted a beautiful array of colours which stand out against the modern skyline. Some have even kept the mosaic tiled fronts, popular originally with Chinese settlers.

We spent our first evening as a four sipping on Singapore Sling cocktails at the iconic Long Bar in Raffles Hotel. As we stepped through the doors we felt the crunch of monkey nuts beneath our feet; it didn’t take us long to join in with the tradition of sweeping the shells straight onto the floor! After a couple of cocktails each, we headed off to a dim sum restaurant for dinner. We enjoyed trying the array of steamed delights that were brought to us in bamboo baskets (the group behind us nailed the photobomb!).

On our second day together we were greeted by our local guide, a third generation Chinese Singaporean. He took us on a walking tour of the city, highlighting key landmarks as well as explaining some of the local customs. It was really interesting to learn about government policies that encourage the integration of different ethnic groups; for example 20% of housing must be occupied by a minority group in each area to encourage integration and prevent a section of the city becoming an entire ethnic enclave. We were also surprised that it was a public holiday on Good Friday despite Christianity being a minority religion so it was interesting to learn that Singaporeans have two days of public holiday from: Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. He explained how these policies create understanding and unity in the community. We paused to look at a modern glass fronted hotel boasting attractive trees and shrubbery clinging to its exterior. Our guide explained how this design has become popular as the government lowers tax on buildings that offset some of their carbon emissions. While it’s questionable quite how much CO2 a few trees can account for in comparison to the running costs and original build, it’s a good incentive towards developing a greener city. It was really interesting touring the back streets of China Town and learning what life used to be like in this now modern, high tech city. Our final stop of the tour was at an incredible 5 story Buddhist temple. We took time to admire the collection of artefacts and wander round the rooftop prayer garden.

Starting our second evening in true Angella style, we headed for more cocktails in another iconic bar - this time in Ce La Vi sky bar at the top of the Marina Sands hotel. From 57 storys up, the view of the city below was incredible. We could spot the financial district and landmarks our guide had pointed out earlier in the day as well as the Gardens By The Bay on the opposite side of the bar. We finished our drinks and headed down just in time to catch the evening light show at the Sky Trees. These futuristic ‘trees’ danced to music of the 70's and shone in rainbow colours. We learnt how they harvest rainwater water and were built in line with Singapore’s vision of creating a more sustainable city. Once the show was over, we headed to a lovely restaurant specialising in traditional cuisine. Ross was delighted that beef rendang featured on the menu so Julie and Frank could try his new favourite meal! The tender beef in a spicy coconut sauce went down a treat with the other delicious curries. What better way to end the evening with yet another cocktail and a game of cards back at the hotel. Retiring to our lovely hotel room (a belated Birthday present courtesy of Julie and Frank) felt like a wonderful luxury.

The following morning we returned to the Gardens By The Bay to admire the Sky Trees in daylight and visit the two colossal eco domes. The ‘flower dome’ was a wonderful selection of plants from around the world. Danielle was particularly taken by the ‘Aloes in Wonderland’ display of succulents and driftwood sculpted characters. We went of a whistle stop tour through the outback of Australia, South African cape, North American wildflowers and finished off in Amsterdam’s impressive tulip garden (the display of the month). Next we headed to the ‘cloud forest’. This dome was far taller and dominated by an impressively tall waterfall as well as a vast array of beautiful flora from this niche ecosystem. Walking behind the falls and along the walkway through the perfumed orchids felt like we were in a Malaysian rain forest not an artificial eco dome. The last exhibition highlighted the problems our natural world is facing and those that will effect it further if climate change continues so rapidly; this message is an important one that keeps appearing along our travels. We were environmentally aware before we came away but having seen coral bleaching and the volume of waste dumped in some areas it is something we are both taking more seriously.

We were already impressed with the forward thinking of the city when on the way back to the airport we leaned that one of the highways has been purposefully designed as an emergency runway. In 30 minutes, 300 soldiers can clear the 4 lanes and the flower potted middle barrier to create a palm tree lined runway. Our last glimpse of Singapore was seeing the impressive indoor waterfall which somehow gave a feel of the jungle in the Jewel airport shopping centre! After a wonderful few days with Ross’ parents it was a sad goodbye when we parted at our separate terminals, Julie and Frank off to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in Australia and us to Bali to celebrate 6 years together.

Love R and D (plus J and F)xxx