REPEAT WARNING: Once again, this is not a sailing related entry. This, as well as future entires through April/May 2025, reflect our effort to capture our experiences while we explore Australia, New Zealand and other places (now Southeast Asia) across the world from the country we call home by land with some air travel assists. We are metaphorically putting our memories in a bottle to savor on some future date. If you are not interested in reading an amateur attempt to document travel experiences you may wish to skip these entries. No offense will be taken. You were warned!
As we type this we are just completing our 6 night/5 day visit to Singapore. Singapore is a charming, exceptionally clean and modern city that is a melting pot of different cultures living together harmoniously. Before we describe all that we crammed into our 5 full days, a few words about Singapore to give some context as you read this entry. Situated to the south of Malaysia, Singapore is a large city that is also an independent island nation. The current population is just shy of 6 million and it is approximately 90% the size of New York City if you count the main land and Singapore’s 63 smaller islands. Like many parts of the world, modern Singapore starts with a visit from the British. Stamford Raffles landed on what is now known as Singapore in January 1819. At the time, it was the home to ~1,000 Chinese and Malay people. Soon thereafter, Raffles signed a treaty with the local chief that allowed the Brits to set up a trading post on the island. Singapore soon rose to prominence due to the envious position of its port in a natural sheltered harbor at the tip of the Malay Peninsula and flanked by the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Interestingly, Singapore has no natural resources and, as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. As noted, its asset was its port and Singapore leveraged that port to become a global center for trade center and, over time, a center for all things that support trade, including the banking, insurance and the brokerage industries. Independent since 1965, Singapore It has maintained its global position by strategically establishing and maintaining diplomatic ties with a wide range of countries from the large (like the United States and China) to the small (such as Oman). It’s really amazing when you think how, over the course of ~ 150 years, Singapore transformed from a tiny fishing village to a world center of trade and finance
Due to the confluence of Singapore’s geographic location, its position as a trading hub and its conscious decision to cultivate relationships with many diverse nations, Singapore is multicultural. Though this multiculturalism began long before modern Singapore was established, it is a rich part of Singapore’s history and something that Singapore proudly celebrates and continues to promote. This is evident as you tour the city and it brings us back to our opening comment about Singapore’s charm. Singapore is known for its architecturally stunning and iconic skyscrapers but interspersed between these tall gleaming buildings are distinct ethnic neighborhoods with streets (often narrow and winding) lined with the colorful 2 to 3 story shophouses that were originally built in the early 1800s and 1900s. It’s a wonderful fusion of old and new. These include Chinatown, Little India, Bugis, Geylang Sera (the Malay community) and Kampong Glam (a Muslim and Arab quarter). While these shophouses continue to function as meat, fish, produce, spice and ware markets for the communities they serve, there are also filled with vibrant local bars and restaurants that offer authentic ethic cuisine. We enjoyed visiting these neighborhoods and sampling their food at restaurants and hawker centers.
What are hawker centers you ask? They are the lifeblood of Singapore’s hawker culture or, as one writer put it, they are the “culinary soul” of Singapore. Like many Southeast Asian countries, street food is a big part of daily life. This dates back to the early 1800s when immigrants began selling the food of their homelands from carts on streets because it was a way to make a living without a lot of capital — their fellow immigrants serving as a built in customer base. Fast forward to the 1950s when street vending exploded following WWII as many of the unemployed turn to selling street food as a profession. The government felt that the explosion of these vendors created a public nuisance and there was also concern about health and safety. These vendors did not have easy access to water making it difficult to keep serving dishes and utensils clean. In the 1970s the government began regulating the street food scene, requiring licenses and, over time, moving them to designated open air food courts — called hawker centers — all built in close proximity to subsidized housing. (More on subsidized housing below. It’s very different than what most Americans would think based on their experience with public housing in the USA.) Today, there are 146 hawker centers — each with approximately 75 – 100 different food stalls and many stalls with a Michelin star — that are thriving with business from locals and tourists. They are truly the center of Singapore’s famous food scene.
With this backdrop on Singapore’s rich multicultural neighborhoods and hawker center culture, you can understand why just exploring different areas where people live and work became a big part of our Singapore experience. To assist us in our journey, we hired a local tour guide, Aldric — a lifelong Singaporean with a love of food, culture and history — to spend two days with us: our first full day in Singapore (January 28) and our third day in Singapore (January 30). During our first day together he took us to two neighborhoods, Chinatown and Bugis, where we sampled food from the local hawker centers: green bean dumplings (Lu duo zhang in Chinese), popiah (which is best described as an egg roll on steroid — there’s an incredible complexity of ingredients), curry chicken noodles (a local Hokkien dish Singapore is famous for) and yam cakes with a slightly sweet sauce. As we savored every bite Aldric explained that Singapore’s hawkers are known for taking simple classic dishes and “upcycling” them to something very special and bursting with flavor. We could not agree more.
During our second day with Aldric (following his day off) we explored additional neighborhoods — this time Little India and Kampong Glam. Aldric called Little India an “accidental” neighborhood because it wasn’t planned. Rather it formed organically by Indian immigrants coming over to work at the horse race tracks and polo fields established by the British that ran through the area. As these immigrants settled near their source of income they needed food and items for daily living. Shops and markets sprung up to serve those needs and soon a neighborhood was born. We enjoyed walking through the bustling dry and wet market selling meats, lots of seafood, every manner of spice you find in Indian cooking and classic Indian cookware and stacking dishes. It was definitely not a tourist destination! As we walked through the neighborhood it was all India all the time — there is no evidence of any other cultures in the enclave.
During our stroll Aldric pointed out the neighborhood’s public housing. He explained due to the lack of affordable housing in Singapore the government has built and maintained subsidized apartment buildings and just over 75% of Singaporeans live in them including the middle class. These building are basic boxy, no frills, structures — much like the 1960/1970 era middle class apartment buildings you find in NYC — but they look very well kept. Aldric said that the apartments, ranging from 1 – 3 bedrooms, are quite nice inside. He also shared that the Singapore government was very deliberate when constructing their subsidized housing. All the buildings look over a sizable and attractive playground and are close to the local hawker center, creating an opportunity for residents to socialize thereby enhancing the quality of life. He also noted that each distinct neighborhood has its own cultural heritage center to celebrate the cultures within the community and make everyone feel welcome.
No visit to Little India would be complete without a visit to the neighborhood hawker center. We look our seats at the communal table while Aldric went off to purchase food. He came back with a metal tray full of food placed on what looked like a large palm leaf. There were four different curries: coconut (which was shredded in a way that gave it a meat-like consistency), lentil, beetroot and cashew along with “string hoppers” which are rice flour noodles laid somewhat flat and steamed. The string hoppers were very delicate and practically melted in your mouth. They were a nice alternative to steamed rice and were definitely necessary to balance the delicious but VERY spicy curries. Before leaving we were able to cool our mouths with Cendol, an iced sweet dessert drink that contains coconut milk, palm sugar syrup and pandan-flavored green rice flour. All we can say is YUM!!!! (A little bonus Southeast Asia trivia for you: Pandan is fern indigenous to Southeast Asia. It is used to flavor food but it is also used to dye foods like ice cream, waffles and rice. It is a key ingredient in putu mayam which is string hoppers served with palm sugar and coconut sugar as an afternoon snack. We also tried that dish at the end of our first day with Aldric when we got our appetites back.)
The Kampong Glam neighborhood is a bit different than Little India in that while it is known as a Muslim and Arab quarter there’s an interesting blend of Chinese, Malay, Indian and European cultures in the neighborhood. From Muscat Street to narrow Haji Lane, it is incredibly vibrant with its winding roads, street art that pops off the buildings and colorful shophouses filled with trendy cafes, bars and boutiques. It is definitely the “hip” area in Singapore! Though middle eastern food prevails you can find almost every cuisine including Greek and even a Swiss bistro. Our last stop in Kampong Glam was to the Birds of Paradise gelato shop. It is the only sorbet and gelato shop in Singapore with a Michelin star. As the name implies, the shop focuses on sorbets and gelatos made with botanicals. We sampled the peach and rose sorbet, the osmanthus pear sorbet and vanilla fig gelato. All were amazing. We enjoyed our visit to Kampong Glam so much that we returned that evening to eat in one of the neighborhood’s Mediterranean restaurants enjoying excellent authentic hummus, fried eggplant, falafels and marinated lamb kebabs. Naturally, our return to the area included a repeat visit to Birds of Paradise. (Funny side story: while we were deciding what to order a couple next to us discussed that they both wanted to order something but needed to watch their weight so they were going to decline. Realizing that they had made their proclamations somewhat loudly, they turned to Jill and apologized. Jill responded that it was okay because she was thinking the same thing. They then insisted that if we are tourists we absolutely must try the sorbet and gelato because it is the best. Jill then said, “Yes, I know. This is our second time here today!” They laughed and ended our brief exchange by assuring us that Birds of Paradise was a no judgement zone.)
Our tours with Aldric included both walking and using the local commuter train system, the MRT. As veteran NYC subway riders — it is our preferred mode of transport when visiting the city — we could not believe how different the MRT experience is. First, it is incredibly clean. There is no trash on the ground, the floors of the train cars are nearly spotless and there is no graffiti. Second, the trains run very frequently. If you miss one train, there is another train within 5 minutes. Third, you feel very safe. There is no exposed platform. Rather the trains are designed like the trams at airports. There is a glass barrier with doors across the length of the entire platform. When train stops the conductor aligns the train doors with the barrier doors and both open simultaneously. There is very little gap between the platform and the train car. You could still loose a cell phone or wallet but you are not falling in the crack or getting pushed onto the tracks. Finally, it is really a good value. The cost of the ride varies based on distance. (You swipe your card when entering and leaving the station so the system knows where you entered and exited.) Our rides cost anywhere between $1.33 USD and $2.52 USD each way. And the system is very easy to navigate. Singapore adopted a color coded system very similar to the London tube. It is easy — just by looking at the map — to figure out what train(s) to take. If you don’t trust your map reading skills there’s an app, citymapper, the gives you clear door to door instructions including what station entrance and exit to use. With the ease of using the MRT and how delightful the whole experience was we never took a cab.
During our collective 12 hours with Aldric he took every opportunity to share information about Singapore’s culture, history and politics. We have to say that Aldric was awesome. We loved his passion, energy and incredible knowledge base — we can’t recommend him more highly. It would literally take a book to cover all we learned about Singapore during our time together. But we did highlight some of that information above and we will include a few more facts we find fascinating as we wrap up this entry.
Aldric’s day off, January 29, was the Chinese New Year. With the large population of Chinese heritage in Singapore, the Chinese New Year is a big deal. Decorations fill the streets — particularly in Chinatown — and large placards with printed horoscopes foretelling the kind of year you should expect based on your Chinese zodiac sign could be found throughout the city. Interestingly, they were all different. So, if you didn’t like your horoscope for the year in one location you could walk a few blocks and find one you preferred. It was a festive time to be in Singapore which made it fun. The only downside to being in Singapore for the Chinese New Year was that almost everything, except the tourist attractions, shut down on January 29 and many were closed on January 30th as well. With most shops and many restaurants closed on January 29 we decided to use that day to visit the opened tourist attractions starting with the Botanical Gardens, followed by the aquarium and capped with a visit to the Gardens by the Bay and its famous Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. If we timed it right we would finish up at the Gardens by the Bay at around 6 PM, allowing us time to eat at a local restaurant near there and then enjoy an evening light show that started at 7:45 PM.
It would have been a fantastic full day if it wasn’t for the fact that every other tourist, and all the local Singaporeans who had the day off work, had the same idea. We can’t remember when we last saw such big crowds and queues. It was particularly horrendous at the Cloud Forest where there was a long queue to take an elevator to the top of the dome so you could then walk down the elevated pathway that circled around the dome. There was an even longer (and, at least to us) unexpected queue to get into the area where the light show was to be displayed. Though the crowds marred the visits a bit, they were all still lovely places to see and definitely merit their high ranking among lists of things to do in Singapore. Here’s the Readers’ Digest rundown:
- The Botanical Gardens is park-like and includes a large number of very interesting speciality gardens like the ginger garden (did you know that Birds of Paradise is a type of ginger???) and a tropical rainforest. There was also a very large orchid garden with an incredible array of diverse orchids — from orchids with small and delicate petals to really large orchids with big round petals and in the most dazzling and unusual (some almost neon) colors. All planted in a beautiful and lush settings among rock gardens, cascading terraces and waterfalls. In the few hours we allotted for our visit we only covered a fraction of the gorgeous grounds. It is certainly a place we would return during a second visit to Singapore.
- The SEA Aquarium is small (comparing it to Shedd’s Aquarium in Chicago anyway) but mighty. There were many large tanks filled with a variety of salt water fish, corals and jellies. There was even an arch-shaped tunnel underneath one tank that allowed us to see several different species of rays and sharks as they swam over our heads. They also had many tanks with salt water fish indigenous to local waters that we had not seen before — we hope to see some of them live as we dive in Indonesia during the second half of our circumnavigation. Finally, they had wonderful tanks filled with seahorses and leafy seadragons. We could watch both of those species for hours — we definitely lingered in front of those tanks — and the leafy seadragon has to be one of the most unusual and alien-like fish (truly other worldly) in the ocean. (Google it!)
- The Gardens by the Bay is a huge, colorful, futuristic park in the bay area of Singapore. Among other attractions it include the Cloud Forest, the Flower Dome and the supertree grove. The Cloud Forest exists in a tall glass dome that features one of the world’s tallest indoor waterfalls and a lush and dense floor to roof mountain of plants. (Think vertical garden.). The elevated walkway that winds it way down the dome gives you spectacular views the these features. The flower dome — as the name suggests — is a domed shaped greenhouse which displays a large variety of plant species. Finally, the supertree grove is comprised of 12 large tree-like metal structures in a central area behind the cloud forest. (There are 6 others sprinkled about in other parts of the garden.). These structures are covered with foliage as well as lights and, at night, the garden displays a light show where the lights flash and shimmer with changing colors that are choreographed to music. It is only about 15 minutes long — somewhat short after the 45 minute queue — but magnificent and different than any other light show we have ever seen. (A picture of these supertrees in all their lit up glory is the feature photo of this blog entry.)
We should add that our trifecta day was very long. We left our hotel, The Fullerton, at 10 AM and did not return until about 9 PM. Though the walk back from the light show at the supertree grove was short, there were streets blocked off due to the Chinese New Year celebration so we had to get back via a very circuitous route. When we finally got back to the hotel, all Zack wanted was a cocktail. He went up to the rooftop bar advertised throughout the hotel (he was planning on bring Old Fashions back to the room) only to find out that the bar was permanently closed. So he went to the lobby to ask where the hotel bar was. He was informed by hotel staff that The Fullerton no longer had a bar. We could order room service cocktails or, if we preferred, we could walk to The Fullerton’s sister property, The Fullerton Bay Hotel, and have a cocktail there. Given the late hour Zack declined but he was mourning his inability to get a drink. The next day, however, as we walked around the hotel we discover that there is actually a lovely bar on property not far from the elevator bank. We went into the bar together to verify that they were opened and we informed the staff there what The Fullerton staff told us. They said that they are not part of the hotel but rather a leasee of the same landlord and, apparently, The Fullerton has an MO of telling its guests that there is no bar on premises and that they would have to order room service or visit their sister property. We are now getting a laugh out of it as we retell the story but it wasn’t funny (particularly for Zack) at the time. We cannot wait to fill out The Fullerton guest survey!
Of course, no SV Che Figata crew visit would be complete without at least one epic hike — the extended walk back from the light show didn’t count. So, in addition to our walking around those attractions and through various neighborhoods, we hiked the Southern Ridges trail. As the name suggests, the Southern Ridges trail takes you across a series of ridges on the southern side of Singapore. We started too late in the day to cover the full trail but we made it to the highest point where we had breathtaking panoramic 360 views of Singapore including its skyscrapers, waterways and the lush jungle-like greenery that exists between the city and the Southern Ridge. After having spent several days walking around at ground level it was great to be able to see all of Singapore from that vantage point. It really helped us understand where certain parts of Singapore were in relationship to others. Incidentally, all in all, we both walked 108,000 steps over the course of 5 days. (That’s approximately 54 miles!) This ranged from a daily low of 13,000 steps to a daily high or 31,000 steps. Not bad for a couple of retirees! 😀
On our final full day in Singapore, following a dim sum brunch, we took a long walk down Orchard Street known for its luxury malls and boutique stores. We have never seen more of the same luxury brand storefronts within a block or 2 of each other. To be clear, and to provide just one example, that means a Cartier store in a mall and a separate free standing Cartier shop a block later. (Gargle, rinse and repeat with Gucci, Luis Vuitton, Tiffany’s — you get the picture.) It really reinforced the wealth that resides in Singapore as well as the wealth that passes through this financial capital. On our long walk back to The Fullerton we made a brief stop at the Peranakan Museum which features cross-cultural art of Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia. Aside from the interesting exhibits, the museum is housed in a gorgeous building constructed in 1912 in the colonial style featuring Corinthian fluted pilastres on its front facade as well as large verandas appropriate for Singapore’s tropical climate.
Singapore is a very fascinating city/island nation. Really very different than any other 1st world nation we have visited. Some facts we found interesting:
- You need a permit to buy a car. Given that Singapore is in a defined space with no where to grow the government is very concerned about congestion and air pollution. As a result, it you want to buy a car you have to purchase a permit. These permits cost about the price of the car being purchased (effectively doubling the price), making cars unaffordable for most residents. Fortunately, as we mentioned, Singapore has an amazing and affordable mass transit system that can take you where you want to go quickly. (It is also a very walkable city.) This minimizes the need for cars.
- There really is no where for Singapore to grow. As an island, Singapore has no where to expand as it grows. As it is, almost 25% of Singapore is on reclaimed land. Beach Road — which runs along the perimeter of Kampong Glam — is literally the location of the beachfront before Singapore reclaimed the ocean for land. Seeing all the geography that extends beyond Beach Road really helps you visualize how much of Singapore is built on land that used to be water.
- An autocratic democracy? This one is interesting. Technically speaking, Singapore is a parliamentary representative democratic republic. It is considered the least corrupt government in Asia and the World Bank’s governance indicators have rated Singapore highly on rule of law, control of corruption and government effectiveness. That said, freedom of speech is limited with many types unprotected. These include speech likely to provoke imminent unlawful action, true threats of violence against an individual or group, obscenity, words that would incite the individual to whom they are directed to respond immediately and violently and defamation. Though on their face these limits on free speech don’t sound unreasonable they can be used to curtail speech in a way that impacts the political process. For example, there is a speakers corner in Singapore which is the only place people are allowed to protest. To do so, however, you must get a permit. These laws can be used to deny permits for protests critical of the government. Likewise, these laws can be used as a basis of lawsuits. The dominant political party has been in power for many years with limited representation from opposing parties in the parliament. One reason cited is lawsuits filed against the opposition parties that tend to not have vast war chests by the dominant party which has deep pockets. Similarly, the threat of lawsuits makes journalist less likely to publish anything critical of the existing government. If you are interested, we found a great and very easy to follow overview of Singapore’s political system and environment. You can read it here: https://freedomhouse.org/country/singapore/freedom-world/2021
- There are fines for everything. Singapore likes its clean and orderly city and there are fines, advertised with prominent signs everywhere, designed to ensure that people keep Singapore clean and safe. Singapore enforces these fines with well publicized undercover agents and video cameras that watch for transgressions. As a result, Singapore is very clean. You rarely see a cigarette butt on the sidewalk. In fact, when people smoke they tend to cluster around garbage cans so that they can easily dispose of the butt when finished. Police can give on the spot fines for littering and acts of vandalism including graffiti carry harsh open all ties such as fines, imprisonment and even caning!
After noting the above, it is important to remind everyone that these facts are only surprising given Singapore’s status as a first world country. Among other things, first world countries are defined as countries with advanced economies, high standards of living and democratic governments. Many countries we have visited have governments that are decidedly undemocratic and corrupt and have penal systems that are unjust and harsh. Singapore could not be further from that. (Well, maybe with the exception of some of their punishments). Just trying to put our comments in perspective!
Singapore was a great stop along our Southeast Asia tour. We love the blending of cultures, the fusion of old and new, the ease of mass transit and, of course, the hawker center food scene. In fact, we were not really ready to leave when our 5 days were up. But it is on to Cambodia and Vietnam for our Mekong River cruise and some accompanying land exploration. We will arrive back in Australia on February 23 after completing our tour of Cambodia and Vietnam. Our next blog entry will likely be sometime after we arrive back to SV Che Figata to get ready to resume our sail!
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