When we arrived late Friday night, I had two immediate first impressions. First, the city is very "western" compared to Hong Kong. For example, there was a Quizno's located near baggage claim and a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (I know, they're everywhere!) on every other corner. Second, I was immediately impressed by the beautiful and clean everything was thanks to the strict government policies. Even the major highway was lined with whimsical trees and flowers.
We woke up to wonderful views of the city (and a few rain clouds) on Saturday morning. If you plan to travel to Singapore, bring an umbrella!
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| The view from our hotel room |
We headed to the Raffles hotel for breakfast, which happened to be just across the street from where we were staying. The hotel is situated in a beautiful colonial building filled with high-end shops, a couple of restaurants and of course a hotel.
We found a cafe to enjoy a quick breakfast where I was introduced to kaya toast, which is a spread of eggs, sugar and coconut milk on top of brioche toast (so delicious!). It was the first of many kaya toasts throughout the weekend!
After breakfast we walked along the waterfront and took in the city skyline, the floating Louis Vuitton store and Merlion (Singapore's signature Lion Fish).
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| Merlion |
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| Marina Bay Sands Hotel |
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| The beautiful skyline |
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| Merlion from the backside |
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| Clarke Quay |
After getting our fill of the beautiful waterfront, we took a cab to Chinatown to see the colorful buildings, street markets and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. We didn't make it to see the actual tooth relic, but we did take a peek inside.
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| Buddha Tooth Relic Temple |
We worked up quite an appetite in Chinatown and headed straight to Maxwell Food Centre, a famous hawker centre which houses many different food stalls with inexpensive treats. I volunteered to wait in line at Tian Tian, a stall that sells one of the best chicken rice in Singapore (according to locals and Anthony Bourdain).
We savored the chicken rice, peanut soup, carat cakes and fresh fruit smoothies. One warning though, it was a very hot day (typical Singapore weather) and the centre was not air conditioned. Be prepared to sweat through your meal. It was worth it!
After lunch, we took a taxi to colorful Haji Lane, which is a narrow street filled with cute boutiques. I left with a cute dress and leather belt. Other than clothes, the boutiques offer great jewelry, shoes and home items at fairly reasonable prices.
After a day filled of sightseeing, eating and shopping, it was time to head back to our hotel to shower and change. That evening, we had an amazing meal at Wild Rocket, where I declared having tasted the best Chilean sea bass ever. Later that night, we met some new friends for drinks on top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel at Kudeta and then headed to Pangaea where we danced the night away.
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| View from Kudeta at Marina Bay Sands Hotel |
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| Pangaea Club |
On Sunday morning, we headed to Orchard Road for brunch and window shopping. Orchard Road is Singapore's version of Fifth Ave. We couldn't get over all of the shopping malls and brands.
After brunch, we had a couple of hours to kill before going to the airport. We decided to go to Sentosa Island, which is a huge adult (and kid) playground, including beaches, restaurants, golf courses, Universal Studios, a dolphin lagoon and more.
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| You can even ride a fake wave on Sentosa Island! |
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| The pretty beach and the not so pretty tankers on the horizon |
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| More tankers in the horizon |
And just like that, it was time to head to the airport. The 48 hour whirlwind trip had come to an end. It definitely left us wanting more of Singapore. We will be back soon!
Below are some helpful articles we referenced when planning our trip.
http://www.ladyironchef.com/
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