Huynher's Adventure: The City of Surprises

It was 3pm when we landed at Singapore airport. We were greeted by a balmy afternoon with a temperature of 28 degrees. The humidity hit us in the face as we exited the airport looking for the Metro to connect us to our hotel. It was a definite change from the dry heat that we were use to in Melbourne.

At the airport before entering Customs

We loved everything in and about Singapore except for its weather. The weather there was too humid. The humidity caused oily faces, clothes that stuck to our bodies, and really poofy fro hair. Showers were like heaven to us. But besides the weather, the city was very clean, greenery everywhere and a sense of security.

Well as you may have already read from our last blog that we stayed in Singapore for Chinese New Year (CNY). It was amazing. CNY is so much more festive than it is in Canada. There are tons of people everywhere. There was this huge countdown in Chinatown with firecrackers and fireworks to bring in the New Year. People were everywhere, buying flowers, candies, fruits, and all sorts of other items for the temple. With CNY being a 7-day festival, there were three different festivals going on all at the same time. There was the CNY festival in Chinatown, the “Hung Bao” festival by the River, and the Chingay Parade Festival. What was even more amazing was the amount of people at each of these festivals. It always seemed like there were millions of people attending each of these events. There was not one time that Kenny and I were able to walk freely about. The worst one of them was at the Chingay Parade. It rained on the day the Chingay Parade took place. It rained hard for awhile, then stopped and got really humid. So what does rain and humidity cause? Well it is the cause for “sour” stink. Well if you are all wondering what sour stink is like, it is like wet dirty socks in pickle sauce. As Kenny and I walked along the street to try to find a good place to see the parade, there was always sparks of the sour stink. It was horrible. At one point it got so bad that I almost vomited. Imagine being stuck in a crowd with the sour stink with no where to move but forward with the crowd. Yup, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. But besides the sour stink, the parade was actually quite nice. It was sure different since it was a night parade and all of the floats were illuminated.

CNY in Chinatown

Many stalls were selling these bamboo plants

Pomello Fruits

The crowd gathering for the countdown 3 hours before 12 midnight. Crazy!!

We were finally on our way to get a spot for the countdown

Ended up across the street. Guess that is what happens when you dont line up early!!

Chinese New Year at the Hung Bao River Festival

There were illuminated animals from the Chinese horoscope all over the festival. But trying to find your own to take a picture with is the hard part.

People gathering for the Chingay Parade an hour before the parade starts

Bad picture of the parade because we couldn't get a good spot to take the pics.

However, I think the best part of Singapore for us were the various amounts of hawker stands everywhere. Hawker stands and food courts are backpacker’s haven. It offers delicious food at a cheap cost. Yes, as I have mentioned before, it may not offer the best clean quality but heck, Kenny and I haven’t gotten any stomach flu’s or sickness yet. So it’s safe to eat plus being backpackers we really can’t afford anything more than hawker style. On every corner of the street, there were food stalls and food courts. Every imaginable item you can think of was sold on the streets. They had fishball noodles, beef satay, congee, fried rice (Kenny’s favourite), and all sorts of seafood dishes (fried crab). Each food item never cost more than $5 SGD which is equivalent to $3-4 CAD. Singaporeans love food. You constantly see them eating all the time, except for in the subway. In the subway, no food or drinks are allowed and if seen eating or drinking, you would be fined $1000 SGD immediately. I think Kenny ate like 7 meals a day. He wanted to try everything that was offered. Did I also mention that Singaporeans love their Durians. Durians are everywhere. Imagine the stench or as others would say the aroma of Durians all over the streets. There is not one time that we step out of our hotel and not smell Durian.

Look at all the Durian!!!!!!

Having a refreshing Lime drink from a bag!!

Grilled Stingray. Yummy!!!

Ok, I must also mention here Kenny’s obsession with this one Chinese dessert called “Chin Bo Lurn” It is a sweet soup with ginko nuts, dried longan, tapioca, and a mixture of other beans. When Kenny saw this dessert, it was like a moment in the movies when the little girl sees a triple scoop ice cream in her hand and is about to lick all scoops at one time. Ever since Kenny found this dessert, it was game over. Everywhere we went, he kept asking for the “Chin Bo Lurn” dish. If the hawker place didn’t have it, he didn’t want to eat there. He was nuts about it. I think the whole time we were in Singapore, that was all I heard: “Where is my Chin Bo Lurn?”

Shopping in Singapore is also really good. Even with their 5% GST, their goods and clothes are still cheaper than it is in Canada. This is the part that really sucks for me though. Being backpackers, we really couldn’t buy any souvenirs or other things for ourselves because we didn’t want to lug it with us in our packs on our next destinations. Trust me, our packs each are already 15 kg, with the extra things that I wanted to buy in SP, I think I would break my back. It was so sad not being able to buy anything. That is why I always hated going into the shops knowing that I can only see and not buy….boo hoo. But if I ever get a chance, I think I will return to Singapore with an empty luggage and buy the rest there. Haa haaa

One of the many malls in Singapore. This one specialized in Electronics but half of the stores were closed because of CNY.

Going to Singapore is not the same without visiting the their country’s symbol – The Merlion. You heard me right, Merlion. It is a half lion, half mermaid. See picture below. No trip is the same without going to a Bar at the Raffles Hotel. It is the home of the Singapore Sling. It is where the drink was ever first created. Ok, that night, we decided to go and have a drink before we ate dinner as we weren’t hungry yet. So we went to the bar, I ordered a Singapore Sling and Kenny ordered the Million Dollar Cocktail. After gulping down our drinks (I think we were really thirsty too), I noticed Kenny’s face getting really really red. Not only did it turn red, but he just sat in his chair, staring into space. He then turns to me and says, “I need food. I think I am a little buzzed from this drink.” Just as he said that, I was also feeling a little buzzed as well. I couldn’t stop laughing at Kenny’s face as he staggers up from his chair. After a few minutes, we managed to get ourselves out of our chairs, and stumble over to the subway as we were laughing to ourselves to get to the closest hawker place to get some food in ourselves. Man I guess that is what you get for not having drank for such a long time. Haa haa

Singapore's Merlion in Sentosa (an island off the coast of Singapore)

The city's version of the Merlion

Our cocktail drinks. The tall one is Singapore sling and the other is the million dollar drink

Ok, I have to admit, I did have one bad experience in Singapore. It was the time Kenny and I decided watch the movie “Fearless” with Jet Li. (Let me tell you that they have movie times running from 12 noon to 3 am in the morning. Who goes to watch a movie at 3 am, I guess someone does or else they wouldn’t sell it) Well, first of all the movie wasn’t too good to begin with. The whole time I was there, it reminded me of the time I watched a Chinese movie at Market Village. Asians will be Asians no matter which country you are in. During the movie, there was this couple beside us that kept talking the whole time. It seemed like the girlfriend didn’t get the movie or something and the boyfriend had to explain every single thing that was happening. What’s worse than this was the girlfriend decides to play with her mobile. She begins to do some text message on her mobile. Now you all know that once the mobile is flipped open, the bright light comes on. So in the corner of my eye, there is this huge bright light illuminating, with the semi-bad movie in front of me. It was just a horrible experience and I don’t think I will ever go into another Chinese theatre. I think I rather just buy the pirated copies and watch in the comfort of my own home….

The Beach at Sentosa Island