Ang Bahay ni Kumareng Grace

lot of my preconceived notions about Singapore were squashed after our recent trip there.

I imagined Singapore to be all buildings and all high tech. Yes, it was certainly very urbanized and there were lots of buildings, but it was not the picture I had in mind. Despite the abundance of buildings and malls, there were many trees and plants, providing a beautiful contrast between urbanization and maintenance of nature. This is the result, someone told me, of great urban planning.

In addition, I thought that  there were a few places to go to. WRONG! Again, 2 days was not enough, as in not enough, to visit the wonderful places in Singapore.

And, most importantly, contrary to what others have been saying, I found Singapore to be a low-budget destination for tourists [perhaps not when one will live there]. I guess the key is, as always, finding the right places: where to go, where to stay, where to eat, where to shop.

We stayed at the Tampines area, with my friend who was working in Singapore and had a unit there. This area of Singapore is allotted mainly for housing of employees. It is like a big community with lots of buildings, schools, malls, etc. The area was quiet and clean, and one would feel safe when walking even at night.

If you want your fix of nature in the very urbanized Singapore [although there are lots of trees around], Chinese Garden is definitely where you should be. And although the name connotes a Chinese-inspired garden, there is also a Japanese garden inside. The place is perfect for some quiet relaxation and meditation, where you will be surrounded by green trees and water. It is nature with a touch of Chinese. Very nice! Entrance is free; for the live tortoise show, entrance is $2 (roughly PhP67). MRT station: Chinese Garden.

The Buddah Tooth Relic Temple is located in Chinatown. This very beautiful temple looked like something out of a post card from Japan or Korea [although I have never been there], perhaps because of the cherry blossom–like plants at the entrance. Yun nga lang, these plants are fake. He! He! Nevertheless, the temple was beautifully made.

The inside of the temple is worth seeing. The last time I saw a “church” this grand was in Rome [Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls]. Everything was grand—-the “altar”, the walls [which were adorned with hundreds of different miniature Buddhas], the ceiling! Ang ganda talaga!

Orchard Road is a long avenue “adorned” with malls! High-end malls [ION and 313 Sommerset] and shops [Louis Vuitton, Prada, Hermes, etc] abound in this area. As in! It is considered the main and most popular shopping district of Singapore. Everyone who has been to Singapore [even my mom, whose last trip to Singapore was circa 1980] suggests and asks you to go to Orchard Road. Anyway, here’s a shopping realization while we were there: Singapore product Charles & Keith [and to a certain extent, Forever 21], which seemed to be in almost every mall in Singapore, is much cheaper in Singapore! As in! So if you love shoes and you are in Singapore, do not miss this store! MRT station: Orchard.

Bugis Street was my favorite simply because of my love for street markets and tiangges! As in. Just the word market makes my heart beat faster! The great thing about the Bugis Street market is that it offers a lot. Moreover, they have stuff that you won’t normally see in our markets. It was great thing seeing at what they had to offer, like their fruits, their crafts, their culture. [I also saw another market/tiangge while riding the train but didn't get to go. It was in Bedok station. Try it and do tell me how it is!]  MRT station: Bugis.

Bugis Street also had this area with rows and rows of food stalls! Grabe! Ang hirap mamili, and cheap pa. Ah meal can cost somewhere between $3 and $5! In addition, you will have a wide variety of food choices! The downside is, it’s hard to choose what to eat! An advice though, whatever food you choose, do not miss having ice kacang [pronounced as "kachang", or so we do] for dessert! It’s like our halo-halo, but the ingredients to choose from are numerous, there are different-flavor syrups poured on the ice, and the ice is super fine! One of the best desserts!

The Makansutra Gluttons Bay is one nice place to eat. Although prices are higher than in Bugis Street, the atmosphere is better. It was here that we ate chili crabs [$32; too spicy for me] at a cheaper price than in other places we’ve been. This area is located behind the Esplanade. MRT Station: City Hall.

Being in Chinatown was like being in China with a tiny hint of Europe. At first look, everything was so Chinese, the stalls, the products, the food, the people [vendors]. But when you see the design of some buildings [look at the top-left picture], parang Europe; well, konti lang naman! Anyway, Chinatown was so much fun! Although the products they have there can also be bought in Divisoria [at a lower price], just walking along the streets and seeing the myriad of people and activities were enough! It was like a fiesta with all the decor and people [and the free food]. MRT station: Chinatown.

I finally got to see the Merlion, which, I mistakenly pronounced as mer-li-yon instead of mer-la-yon. He! He! In addition, it was only then that I learned that it was part mermaid [the lower part] and part lion [the head]. My friends were laughing at me because I didn’t know about it! Ha! Ha! Well, another thing learned! The Merlion was a nice thing to look at, and the park was a nice tambayan, it just wasn’t as imposing as, say, the Eiffel Tower or The Petronas Towers.  However, strolling the park is a nice experience for those visiting Singapore, and the Merlion, of course, is a must-see for tourists. MRT station: City Hall [you will have to walk a bit].

The Singapore skyline is also one sight to behold. This shot was taken from the Merlion Park. At the left side is the Esplanade [the main theater of Singapore] and further on the right [not seen] is the Singapore Flyer, a very big ferris wheel that overlooks the city of Singapore. What a view ano? So nice! The best part: it’s free!

See? Singapore has a lot to offer, and we haven’t been to Sentosa yet!

Next stop: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!

PS: The Tampines, the inside of the Buddah Tooth Relics Temple, Orchard Road, and Ice Kacang shots, as well as some shots in the Chinatown collage were taken by Rico.

Tags: Singapore, Travel

This entry was posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 6:09 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.