For a teenage me , Singapore ( called the little red dot, since that’s how it looks on world maps) was the dream country , an advanced country which symbolised everything that capitalism stands for . Best of manufactured toys , entertainment and fashion. After more than two decades , when I finally visited the country , given a change in my interests / personality ( and of course my consistent fear of roller-coasters and adventurous rides), I wanted to get acquainted with the country through a different lens. Of course I did the mandatory visit to Gardens by the bay( a tad overrated) , saw the Merlion statue, went up to the top floor of Marina bay to see the city lights and the light show at gardens( totally worth it) , the husband visited the Singapore zoo ( he says if we wanted to watch bored regimented animals, we can walk into any of the weworks buildings ) and Universal Studios( this he loved) - but I what I enjoyed most was a historical walk guided by a local . We walked through the Arab, Chinese and Tamil neighbourhoods of the city .We saw the varied architecture of the houses ( shops on the ground floor and small houses on top) , places of worship of the different communities , varied street art in each right from depicting working class life, to trading ,shops selling pratha and kebabs in the Arab side to egg tarts at a Chinese bakery to dosas and filter coffee in the Tamil side . I ended the walk with a lunch of Tofu Sambol at a Malay eatery .
The guide also talked about how the government preserves multiculturalism via the quotas for communities in housing and schools , how it maintains a certain proportion of green cover in the city (they also have a site called exploretrees.sg which maps details of trees across the city), ensures walking and biking facilities across the city.
I am a city lover in general and love taking public transport in any city that I visit, which I did in Singapore too. I loved the website gothere.sg which makes it easy to find the best route to get from one place to another . I also enjoyed listening to different sounding Tamil on the announcements on the MRT (the Singapore metro) and watching the changes in cityscape by the crowd getting into the MRT at each station. The MRT actually takes longer for certain distances but is a cheaper mode for locals too . We learnt ,from our family in Singapore, about how expensive it is to own a car there because of the restriction of number of cars on the road.
We spent one of the evenings at a cafe in the happening Arab street with a cool vibe - live music , open air dining in narrow streets. We also had a peek ( didn't get a reservation even for 6 in the evening ) at the super luxe and artsy Atlas bar . Supposed to be one of the top bars in Asia.
I visited the national museum of Singapore that, among other facts , also talks how the government deliberately employed more women in the workforce . I saw visible signs of this facilitation : ensuring clean affordable food at the hawker centres-Government licensed food centres with certification on hygiene standards ( so that women don’t spend time in the kitchen )
Fun fact : According a study, Singaporeans eat out an average of 52 times a month. For reference : in India , the number is 8 -12 in urban areas. Also its female labour force participation rate is very high. We stayed with some friends and family and noticed that the size of the kitchens is atleast a tenth of what we are used to, in India , again supporting eating out.
Being married to a foodie, I enjoyed a Singaporean breakfast of Kaya toast( it's a yummy spread) and Kopi ( black coffee) at one of the many outlets in the city and dimsums and steamed buns( similar to baos) in one of the famous Din-Tai-Fungs -we also had carrot cake there which is similar to the yummy turnip cake we get at Yauatcha here.
In keeping with my love for 'city things', I also watched a play at one of the theatre spaces in the city. An intense play in a wonderful theatre by the river.
While I am not a shopper , we took a stroll down orchard road and I was fascinated by the malls sorted by price range. Some of the stores in the ultra high end mall , like the Harry Winston diamonds store , actually allows people in only by appointment. That's Singapore for you !
Do share your favorite (and perhaps unexplored) parts of Singapore . Would love to hear from you !
Beautifully jotted experiences!!
Very informative and lovely write up. Cheers 👍