Singapore culture and cuisine

The thirty-year legacy of the late and first prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew (referred to as LKY) and his master plan is quite evident here. While there are enclaves with a strong third-world heritage the city skyline definetely portrays first-world ambitions. What impressed me was the ease of commuting around Singapore with a single transit card, unnatural punctuality of three-minute spaces between train arrivals and plenty of signage to get you there. You need a good public transit system when you have to move a population of 5.8 million. As I commuted from one space to the next I gazed upon faces of mostly Chinese, some Malay (Indigenous) and Indian to make up the rest. I knew some wonderful authentic non-westernised versions of SE Asian were going to please my palate. I’d hate to be here with a blocked noise as it would all taste the same - it may surprise you that we taste with our nose so when it’s blocked you can’t tell the flavour from one dish to another. So when in Singapore try the true Singapore Noodles which I found in a charming small kitchen in Chinatown. A good sign is a full quota of eaters so I knew this was the place and only 5 Singapore Dollars.

Almost forty years ago in South Australia (SA) I worked in the horticulture industry with strong leanings towards Australian Native gardens especially given our hot and dry climate. I can understand the British and Northern Europeans turning the landscape into gardens of home but dismayed seeing them standing on the front lawn with a hose in the hot afternoon sun. Funny as I don’t recall seeing many gumtree/wattle landscapes in Europe except for a surprise specimen on Vancouver Island planted by an expat from Western Australia (WA). It was the stunning Caesia Gum from WA, also known as the Silver Princess or Gungarru. I planted one in my last home in Tasmania and it must be the milder island weather that protects it in that part of Canada.  

During that stint in SA I also grew native orchids and eventually came across a photo of a Singaporean Orchid which I thought stunning with its Magenta colours. So after all these years I knew one activity was a priority - visiting the Botanical Gardens here to view these orchids in their habitat. The train stop is at one end but the orchid exhibit is a 1.2 km walk to the other end and 5 Singapore dollars entry fee. They don’t tell you that 3/4 of the exhibit including the glass houses are closed for new infrastructure work till 2019 but happily take your tourist currency anyway. At least I found some orchids in the outside areas and most important of all the magenta one I love so much.

Marina Bay is very popular for a mild evening walk along the esplanade and if you have time you’re in for a laser light show treat called Spectra. It occurs every evening and uses the triple Marina Bay Sands building as the space to watch including sound stage. The building is part of the Las Vegas casino Sands group and in 2010 the most expensive standalone casino ever built @ $8 billion. That doesn’t impress me but the light show was entertaining.

Marina Bay

Simgapore Sling

It’s been over five years since my return from the European cycling trip and time to put myself out of my comfort zone again. So why not experience a totally non-western space for a few months although I would expect the big cities throughout ASIA will feel like parts of the large cities of Australia. I expect the regional areas should be the real voyage of discovery. So after a 2:30am boarding an Arab Emirates flight I found myself wide awake and excited about the journey ahead. I pushed for a window seat as I love to see from up high and even managed to get the exit section with no one in front of me. An early morning snack was given out which I thought quite unusual - a chicken wrap literally enclosed in loose-fitting glad wrap - duh? Breakfast was an improvement with a typical cooked breakfast, sausage left for the seagulls, a muffin and bottled water so morning tea in Singapore was catered for.

The ‘Fitzroy’ of Singapore

After arriving at Singapore Changi Airport, working my way through customs/immigration processes I purchased a SIM Singtel card for about $10 Aus to last me the week with no way of consuming the 100G data included but great for all those YouTube travel videos and Google mapping my way around. How did we manage before these digital assistants appeared to help reduce the logistical distractions of planning and organising holidays especially in unfamiliar cultures and places? Despite Singapore being one of the most expensive cities in the world I still managed to find reasonably-priced hotel spots not that far from the downtown area. Anyway Singapore has a very impressive rail transport network called the MRT. Most journeys cost a whopping 70c in Singapore currency which is close to ours and the trains arrive in unnatural punctuality - only three minutes apart! I refuse to use a taxi when I can easily commute by the MRT train from Changhi International Airport all the way to one stop from my hotel for less than $2 Singaporean dollars. Yes, I’m such a scrooge.

Ouch! A good thing Vegemite was available at Australian prices

It’s the wet season now but the humidity and high temperature does not faze me as long as I have plenty of bottled water to replace what the climate takes out of me. I’m told by a local that Singapore has the second loudest thunder in the world so who’s first? What’s on second? (Sorry just a comedic diversion to a famous Abbot & Costello segment - check in it out on YouTube). I knew I was in for a cultural/cuisine experience when I mapped out spaces like Little India, Chinatown and the Malay/Colonial districts. With currency, Apple devices, Powerbank, umbrella for the afternoon thunder storms, water and Rosie’s Lonely Planet guide I headed for the Little India district. You can’t miss these places - just follow the population and I mean population. Don’t even think about how you are travelling - just go with the flow or you’ll be run over. Think of your experience of public transport commuting during peak rush hours in Melbourne or Sydney and spread that from morning till late at night and you will appreciate why the population lives ‘upstairs’

My first streetfood venture out