Botanic Gardens Revisited (literally)

Went to the Botanic Gardens for a picnic-not too much walking around this time!
At the small hill by the pond, there are quite a few people spending time with their friends, books or having a nap! Good thing is, even though we went on Sunday afternoon, it was not crowded at all - perhaps most of the people were elsewhere, at the better place we did not find (?)

This time, I did not go to the Orchid Garden, but dropped by the....

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Peranakan Museum!

Singapore's Peranakan Museum (situated in yet another former school), brings out a spirit of elegance and beauty - very indicative of the Peranakans' culture and habits.

We had a guided tour, which I highly recommend. Our guide, a volunteer, was very knowledgeable and pleasant, sharing many stories that made the exhibits even more interesting.

I am also very impressed by all the children activities that are to be found in all the museums I visited sofar. This sculpture outside the museum, shows how the older generation (ideally) holds the hand of the younger, as they explore the world without losing contact with their roots.

This is especially important here, as, according to our guide, Peranakan communities are starting to disappear.

Before coming to the museum, it was pretty clear to me that Peranakans are descendants of Chinese merchants that were married to local women. However, these are the Chinese Peranakans. Peranakan actually means "child of", so there are many different groups of Peranakans, depending on the cultures that have been melted together. Another example are Indian Peranakans (which are, again grouped, according to their religion). The exhibits at the museum focus on Chinese Peranakans.

A large section of the museum is dedicated to the wedding ceremony, and the textile arts that all Peranakan girls were trained for at an early age. Before the wedding, they had to prove their abilities by sending back the materials the groom family had handed to them, made up into beautiful artifacts. [REF to our guide] getting married was very important : it was the ritual that turned you into an adult.

The importance Chinese Peranakans placed on their attire is also demonstrated by the relevant exhibits. The women had a special closet to keep their handkerchiefs (their obsession with them seems to be similar with the shoe collections observed nowadays).

A large section is dedicated on religion; Peranakans seem to have been very open minded, combining a mixture of different customs and religious influences.

Oh, and the "Food and Feasting" section... seems to have been quite tiring for the women! Note to self : go to a Peranakan restaurant soon!

There is also a temporary exhibition on Ramayana, the Sanskrit myth. Many shadow-puppets are on display! If you do your homework (find out the basics of the story) before you go there, you will find it even more interesting.

Finally, since I do not intend to spoil your visit to the museum by showing you pictures, here is another sculpture found outside: seems it is the memorial of a cat that used to hang out around the museum.

Never too far away from home!

(number 1)

A walk around Adam Road foodcourt (lunch included!)

I 've been thinking whether to start this post with a phrase like "foodcourts are where you find the soul of Singapore", or something similar. I opted for this opening instead. Well, foodcourts are found in all neighbourhoods, sometimes below these high blocks of flats, others close to the MRT station or by a busy road. Quite often, all three criteria are fulfilled :D

During the weekdays, many old men seem to be hanging out in foodcourts, similarly to the greek 'cafeneion'. Foodcourts are also the place to gather to watch english football-men here are as obsessed with it as everywhere in the world. Everyone eats at the foodcourts, though. They consist of many eateries offering, among other things 'western food'- reminds me of the way we say 'let's go for chinese!' In the middle, there are many tables, which the eateries share; they use plastic cuttlery of different colours, most notably orange. Drinks, you have to pick up at a different booth, or wait til their waiter comes to ask you. Some of them make delicious fresh juices, even better if you ask to have one with no ice (but it will be more expensive :) )

We recently went ot the Adam Rd foodcourt, famous for its Nasi Lemak- meaning creamy rice (coconut cream, that is!). This means that Singaporeans will queue in front of three specific booths. Better follow their example:

The rice is very delicious and is usually served with anchovies (which are, I undertand, fried-to-the-bone), nuts, an egg, cucumber and some times a weird sausage which I have not tried sofar. You can also add fish or chicken to it. Obviously, there is also a very spicy sauce! Here is mine (got the one with the chicken):

the thingy on the left is indonesian : otak-otak! It is fish paste wrapped in banana leaf (the one I had in Bali, where I misunderstood it for a kind of pie, and tried to eat the envelope as well -big mistake- was awesome. Cannot say the same for this one!)

Afterwards, we walked a bit in the area. What initially seemed a dried-up river (really, in Singapore?) was actually a safety valve so that the nice houses of the area do not get flooded.

We reached Cluny Ct, where we found a very nice italian deli (get your eqq/squid ink/sun dried tomato pasta here!). Some expat families were having coffee or lunch on the small terrace. It was nice! Right across the corner, a singaporean junk collector is tidying up his stuff.

And the most interesting : a man brooming the leaves out of the grass!!! No wonder everything is so clean here.

Asian Civilisations Museum...

... is definetely a must-see!

Don't miss it! I went there today, and plan to go again. Extensive collections of impressively well-preserved items, divided into regions: SEAsia, West Asia, China, South Asia. I perceived the main theme to be religion, which is obviously a great influence to any culture.

There's also a temporary exhibition of masks and artifacts from the Congo river area. It felt a bit surreal to be in Singapore and gazing at these african exhibits! I was really impressed by the way they have put this together.

Uncle SAM*

*Singaporeans have the cute habit of calling elder people Uncles or Aunties! SAM stands for Singapore Art Museum.

The Singapore Art Museum is located on Bras Basah Rd, right next to the newly opened MRT station (circle line).

The building is amazing! Used to be a french boys' school, and the renovation brings out the spirit of the building very nicely! It is great to walk around the building, although I felt there are not enough signs or guides, and it might get a bit tiring to look for the galleries after a while, as they are so spread out. However, this makes the museum quite unique in the sense that I often felt I was completely alone wondering around, making the experience more intense than usual.

I was not particularly impressed by most of the exhibits; there are quite a few exhibitions featuring different themes, but none made my jaw drop.

I did enjoy the Earth and Water exhibitions ("Land Below the Wind" and "Water and Movement") a lot, though. Displaying works of artists of the SE Asia region, there were some very strong pieces in there, and the connection with the specific countries came out pretty clear.

The "Aromascape of Singapore", a collective interactive piece of art begins with a very original idea, but it feels it lacks the support that could have elevated it.

There are worthwhile efforts to bring the public closer to modern art:
-the learning gallery, displaying pieces from the museum's permanent collection, but featuring detailed descriptions, and sections specifically tailored for children, asking the "right" questions, so one is trained to see art with a critical eye.
-the "made for SAM" series, where artists have been asked to produce everyday objects-every artist was given the same question- coming up with some pretty original ideas, that visitors can buy at a very affordable price.

I am not sure if I am allowed to post more pictures of the museum here- no intention to fringe anyone's copyrights! However, my visit to the museum resulted in a picture that I like to think of as a piece of contemporary art. You will be happy to know I have decided to share it with you below:

My piece is entitled "Not enough chairs".

The Basements of Ion

Ion is one of the newest malls on Orchard Rd. It is sparkling and packed with upscale brands. But upscale brands is not the topic of this post. However you will be happy to know, that if you are on a tourist visa, you'll be getting some extra benefits and discounts, simply by presenting you passport to the concierge (same is true for most of the malls in Singy).

Its sub-area (as in below ground, or basement) is simply huge! As in most of the malls, some basements are filled with booths, like a flea market where it never rains and there's always light:

What I'll blogg about today-or rather show pictures of- is ION's foodcourt, located at Basement 4! Although not a fan of dining in a crowded basement, there's so much food, it is impossible not to nimble on something! Better skip this post if you are hungry.

Chinese goody hidden inside!

Suckling, suckling, tasty pig.

Small bites for the ones in a hurry.

The elevation of the dessert. Yummy!

Emerald Hill

Entrance to Emerald Hill - right next to Peranakan Pl., opp. to Somerset

Just off busy Orchard Rd, there is a place to chill out in the fresh - yet always humid- air.

A necessary break from the malls-that-make-you-dizzy, have some wine here after a "busy" evening shopping.

Going up-pish, it feels that you're entering a different world: chinese baroque terrace houses are still to be seen here. The informative sign on the front describes this style of houses as "a blend of chinese and neoclassical european desing, originating from Malacca".

Cuppage, the owner of the area back in the 1850s, had built his two residences here. He was the owner of a big nutmeg plantation in Singapore at the time. After 1900, the area was sold, and became a Peranakan (Peranakans are chinese descendants, influenced by Malay and European culture) neighbourhood, and some of the houses of that period have been renovated and are still here.

It often gets crowded in Orchard Rd...

...and not only for us people!

Check out the crowded living conditions of those poor tilapias, as they are waiting to be devoured at one of the canteens on the corner of Orchard & Cavenagh Rd

This way you can be sure your fish is 100% fresh. Not a nice view while you are eating, and I am a bit concerned about their stress levels. But, as K.C. once said "it's ok to eat fish cause they don't have any feelings", so maybe they're not that stressed after all...

Solstice Festival

We happened to be in Chinatown during the Winter Solstice festival. One of the things that amazes me in Singapore is the way people are willing to queue in order to eat from a specific booth at the foodcourt, get inside that tiny rundown restaurant, or in this case, get a portion of TangYan, the special food eaten on that day:

Photo shot on Smith street

will you grasp the size of the queue.... I am standing in the middle of it, and you cannot even see the booth!
Back to our topic, because I know you are wondering, we did have Tang Yan, we sat at an eating place nearby, where the owner had provisionally gotten enough supplies. Cannot say I really liked it (taste was good, but the texture was funny), but as you suspect, we ate all of it, because it was the grafic thing to do!

Sentosa Resorts World

When going to Sentosa by car, there are two entrances (at least that what the taxi uncle told me), one that leads you to Resorts World, and one to... well, to Sentosa beaches and the rest of the places!

Resorts World features:

1) The Casino; where tourists enter free, but Singaporean citizens need to pay. Have not been inside yet, but looks pretty posh.

2) Universal Studios; HIF claims it is not worth the money. He went there during Christmas break and says half the attractions were closed so you'd better check before you go!

3) The Festive Walk, with the dancing cranes (see related post here) and the less impressive Lake of Dreams, which is basically an interactive fountain (I-press-the-button-water-pops-up kind of way)

4)Shows and exhibitions, right now they have a cirque-kind of show

and obviously lots of shops, restaurants and the like. Ah, and a marine park about to open, cannot wait to see it (and blog about it!)

On the whole it is a lively area to walk around:

The Crane Dance!

If you happen to be in Singapore and have a free evening, there's a performance that I found to be pretty original : the Crane Dance! It takes place every night at 9, lasts about 10 min, is free (although my guess is you will end up spending some money on any of the restaurants/shops there) and it is on the Festive Walk on Sentosa (the casino side, aka Resort World, and also home of the Universal Studios).

It is about two cranes (the machines) that fall in love with each other, this noble feeling turning them into cranes (the birds). The cranes have been placed in the sea, they are very big, as cranes (the machines) usually are, and there's a lot of water splashing around.

Little India!

What a wonderful addition Little India makes on Singapore's landscape... The Malay name of the area around the MRT station is Kandang Kerbau, meaning "Buffalo Stables", and even before exiting the station, the visitor feels that they are about to step up to a 'different' Singapore...

Artwork inside the MRT station, by S. Chandrasekaran

Interestingly enough, there is now a Kerbau (remember! it means buffalo), as well as a Buffalo Rd here now... hopefully it is not too confusing for Malay speakers....

Right between the two streets, a chinese villa of a -back then- prospering businessman, built around 1900, still survives. It is the villa of Tan Teng Niah -try to imagine him walking inside the villa, which must have been standing among the cattle 110 years ago. Tan was a sweet man - owner of a confectionary business, he had also named the villa 'Siew Song', meaning Elegant Pine, for the sake of his wife!

So many shops line up Little India's streets... and right above, beautifully restored windows. From gold and fruit to textiles and cheap electronics, you cannot go wrong here! We buy all our spices in Little India, it is much cheaper than the supermarket, and smells so intense.

Pictures of Hindu Gods are found next to the cheesy baby posters that usually adorn teenage girls' rooms:

So many are the details that make up Little India's special character, like these offerings to the Gods,

the men drinking coffee and chatting loudly, or the families having their Sunday lunch on large banana leaves. Walk around, and let me know what else you discover!

Two of Singy's Landmarks... by night

On christmas evening, we went to the Esplanade... from there we had a lovely view of Singapore's skyline by night, and we walked by the promenade to digest the enormous amount of seafood we had consumed. Let me share some pictures!

A casino, hotel, luxurious mall, convention center... this is Marina Bay Sands:

And I do not know how I have lived with myself all this time, without presenting you a picture of the Merlion! Mer- for the sea, no explanation needed. Lion- for Singapore, means, after all the lion city:

Christmas Day @ Orchard Rd

When I first came to Singy, shopping seemed a nightmare. All these malls made me dizzy. Well, they still do, although now I've got it more or less figured it out. Food courts on the lowest of the basement floors, where there are also bazaar style booths selling whatever! Ask the concierge for special offers; in the luxurious ones, affordable labels are on the basement floors. Detailed posts on all the big malls, coming soon. For now, let's see (some of) the christmas decorations!

We begin at the eastern side of Orchard Rd, close to Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. Plaza Singapura is one of the (time is relative!) older malls in Singapore.

Highlight of the mall would probably be the multiplex cinema on the last floor, there are also toy shops, a carrefour supermarket, stationary and of course clothes... clothes... clothes.

Catch a glimpse of Orchard Central. This mall is SO tall. And it also has an escalator on the outside!

I get a craving for chocolate when confronting this huge Ferrere Rocher tree! Wow...

We are dizzy already when we reach the Paragon... most probably the most exclusive mall... all the luxurious brands are here.

It is getting dark already, the street is closed, and there's a concert. In the middle of the street, many more decorations, reminding us the meaning of Christmas (no, it is not shopping til death).

All this walking around... time for my Christmas coffee (TCC)

We were planning to stay in Orchard Rd for the celebrations. Rain changed our plans, but did not deter Singaporeans from dancing on the closed road... we headed for the MRT, where the staff wished us :

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Looking forward to New Year's...