January 3, 2012

Wanderlust: Singapore and my top 5

I arrived in Singapore unprepared for the hot and humid weather. Packing my suitcase at 3am on the eve of Christmas, I forgot to check the weather forecast. Earlier that day, I was enjoying holiday dinner with family, then catching a drink with a good friend of mine in downtown Vancouver, so I barely had time to rest.

Singapore reminds me of a futuristic city. It's inhabited with a mix of Indians, Malays, and Chinese.  Everything is clean, high-tech, air-conditioned and within close proximity to a mall. Please don't try chewing gum or littering here as you might end up in jail.

My five days here were spent seeking out the unique, local, and undiscovered spots around Singapore.

Scroll down for my Top 5 highlights from Singapore.


omakase at Mikuni
Tuna Wasabi Tartare at Kilo


Here are my highlights of Singapore:

1. Haji Lane - the colorful shops and indie designers make this a favorite place of mine. I enjoyed checking out Soon Lee for their edited collection of clothing and Pluck for their homemade ice cream. Try the Lychee martini ice cream made with real alcohol.

2. Chinatown - Brightly colored and lined with red lanterns, I ventured around one of the cleanest Chinatowns I've been to. I found some small trinkets and lucky knots along the way. 

3. Little India - I found a bountiful selection of ready made saris, and summer dresses in the Tekka market. The Mustafa Center nearby is a 24 hour shopping center and was too overwhelming for me. You could get lost here.

4. Dining at Kilo - A recommendation from Tony, we decided to try this little joint featured on the Layover. It was a place where no taxi driver was familiar with and located on the 2nd level of an apartment building. The food was simple and uncomplicated. The ambiance reminded me of a little resto in NYC. Definitely a hidden gem.

5. Hawker Stalls - Finding cheap and good food in Singapore is easy, especially with the abundance of Hawker Stalls. You can find anything from noodle soup, grilled satay and local cuisine.

And if you're not bitten by the travel bug yet, here are last year's highlights from Hong Kong.

10 comments:

  1. Enjoy your time over there, that sounds really exciting!

    Virginie/
    http://www.virginiepeny.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brilliant, and absolutely jealousy inducing. The photographs themselves are amazing, as are the sites. It's my intention to visit Singapore likely in the Fall or next Christmas/New Years holidays. It is the very next stop on my list that has so far gone:

    Korea
    Japan (of course)
    Taiwan
    Guam
    Australia

    Hong Kong is also on my list, probably after Singapore.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The food, the sights, everything looks so dreamy. Singapore is on my list of places to go when I go back to Asia, I love these photos! :)
    xo Stephanie,
    *Amour, Stephanie

    Please Support: Free to Fly Awareness

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great photos, set the scene for me
    badbarbara.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chewing gum won't get you jailed in Singapore. Littering will only get you fined.

    :)

    You should also check out the award winning Singapore Zoo!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Glad you included little india & the hawker stalls on your list. Isn't Singapore amazing?! Hopefully you had the chance to drink a singapore sling at the Raffles!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I LOVE your photos again! And I absolutely LOVE Singapore! I've been there at least 5 times and every time is a great time. I love your blog and am following! -Jessica

    http://thirtyandgirly.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The photos are great! Vibrant, cool and colorful! I agree with you Rio, I'm not the easiest person to please with food, But i adored food in Singapore! I also enjoyed cooking myself! I had a great serviced apartment with a fantastic kitchen so I went to the local markets and brought food to make myself! Chinatown and Little India were great spots for picking up a new ingredient! I also did an amazing cooking course! In case anyone is interested here is the link:

    http://www.cookerymagic.com/

    Some of the next places I really want to visit are: Hong Kong, Tokyo, Fiji!

    ReplyDelete

Let's hear it!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...