Day 2- Exploring Singapore
Day 2:
新加坡，你是文化、階級和詭辯家的混合體。
Welp, for this trip, we tried to not schedule every second of every day. For those that know me, I’m super OCD and would normally have it down to the second.
Dan took the lead in planning most of our daily activity itineraries. We also wanted to avoid jet lag as much as possible. There was research involved, and we bought some over the counter pills that so far have helped out.
The day started with a trek from our hotel in the Clark Quay area to Chinatown. Singapore is a nation that is one of the smallest on earth. It’s slightly bigger than the City/County of San Francisco, but with more people. It’s heavily influenced historically and culturally by the Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian and British.
There are Buddhist, Muslim, Christian and Hindu religious areas. This melting pot is what makes Singapore great. For the food, the architecture, the people. It’s also very structured. You can’t chew gum, you can get fined if you curse in public, jaywalking is a big offense. This place is spotless, the people are incredibly friendly, with very little crime
.Sooooo, back to Chinatown. We happened upon this cute little breakfast place where I had a delicious breakfast drink with lichee, sea salt and lemon.
It was within walking distance of the Buddha Toothe Relic Temple on Muhammad Ali Street.
We took our time in looking at the intricate designs, smelling the burning incense, and admiring the detail in the architecture.
When exiting, we came up on the public market, springing to life before us.
There were stalks full of fresh fruits and sweets, fish and meats, clothes, shoes, trinkets and good luck charms.
There were people everywhere, just an abundance of life, shopping and talking and interacting as it this area has been for centuries. Wonderfully chaotic start to our journey in the city. Singapore also has an incredible infrastructure. Their boats, subways lines, light rail and of course, the world famous Chiangi Airport (which we’ll tour on Monday). We bought our tickets, and jumped on the blue line, headed to the Jalan Basar station, the heart of the Kampong Glam district (the Muslim Quarter), Arab Street and the Sultan Mosque.
It was also now early afternoon. The sun is beating down, the humidity is rising. We are pounding down bottles of water to stay hydrated, while rapping our foreheads and faces with our hand towels. This combo of heat/humidity is brutal. Arab Street was busy and bustling with activity.
I’m assuming it had to do with it being Ramadan, one of the holiest times in Islam. The mosque was full of worshippers. The buildings were colorful, with even the alleyways having stores, shopping and food. The sounds of Nasheed echoed from homes and businesses. We tried to head in to the mosque for a tour, but afternoon prayers were happening and we weren’t allowed in. After a quick lunch, shopping, some gelato we walked back to the MRT to head to the next location. It was at this time we started noticing less people out and about. It was the heat. The city comes to a standstill in the height of the afternoon hours. That didn’t stop us tho , but we learned our lesson .
3rd stop if the day was going to the Civic Center area, stopping by St Andrew’s Cathedral, City Hall and the Capitol, Raffles City (a mega-mall), the monument to all those killed in World War II, heading to the museum Dan wanted to see, the Asian Civilizations Museum.
It was located in a beautiful Victorian building, just off the river. The were artifacts over a thousand years old, and this history showed us why this piece of land, Singapore, originally known as Temasek which meant “old port”.
It’s been fought over for hundreds of years because of its natural port and location, connecting the nations of the east with those in the west through trade of goods, knowledge and wealth.
After leaving the museum, we walked back to the hotel….slowly. It was 4pm and the heat was unbearable. We needed to rehydrate, replenish and rest for a bit. It was 6pm or so when we were awoken by massive thundering sounds. You could see/hear the lightning and pouring rain. Did that stop us? Nope, we had an intinerary. And we were prepared with rain coats and an umbrella, Ella, Ella, ay ay at (you’re welcome for hearing that in Rihanna’s voice).On to the last experience of the day, the Gardens by the Bay
. Singapore has a climate goal to turn into a city in a garden, as opposed to having a garden in a city. they recognize climate change is real, and being a coastal city-state on the equator, will be one if the first to be impacted.
This area is on the marina, just south of the Marina Bay Sands hotel, and has a floral dome, a Cloud Forest, a tree city scape, and light show at night. Because of the rain, we didn’t get to climb the trees, but everything else was gorgeous. It shows the eco-friendly policies and forward thinking this place has.
What a great day…..so worth the 24,290 steps and 11.40 miles.
Hope you enjoy our journey’s as much as we do. Ciao until tomorrow
#Asia2023#Singapore #arabstreetsingapore#chinatownsingapore#gardensbythebay#MRT#WeVacationDifferent
