10th March 2010
The current plan after Singapore is to travel by train to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia then to fly out to Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam. Vietnam is one of the few countries we need a visa for in advance so this morning we caught a train out to the Vietnamese embassy which is about a thirty minute train ride from the centre. We were slightly wet by the time we arrived at the embassy because it had been raining hard all morning, but we were able to fill in our forms and leave our passports in order to (hopefully) collect our visa on Friday morning.
Chores over for the day we headed back to the hotel to change out of wet shoes then headed into Little India for a wander around the narrow streets. It truly was like being in an entirely different country with shops piled high with gold and textiles. We walked past the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple with its colourful, carved entrance dedicated to the godes Kali. We visited the Tekka Markets with its many stalls with colourful Indian clothes. I managed to get a plain top to wear over stuff when I need to cover up.
Next up was a trip back to the shops and marketplace at Bugis Village where we had been last night. This area, full of stalls and shops was still pretty hectic during the day. Fruit stalls morphed into souvenir shops which changed into clothes stalls, all vying for trade and packed with shoppers. We picked up a pin for my bag and the girls on the stall were really envious of my growing pin collection. Then while we were checking out the second level I bought a skirt for $15 (£7) ready for covering up some more when we hit Malaysia. I’m not sure if I was supposed to haggle, but I’m not really any good at it and I’m dreading it when we get to places where its expected.
It had been another day with lots of walking and tonight we were meeting up with Chloe who used to work with Richard and Victoria at Bernard Schulte in Newcastle so we headed back to the hotel for some downtime.
We were early for our meeting with Chloe, so while we were waiting we headed up to the Boat Quay where we had walked yesterday. We were greeted by the sight of an outside exercise class. It looked like great fun, but I’m not sure I’d be up for exercising in such a public place.
Back down in the MRT station it wasn’t long before Chloe sidled up to us and asked us if we were waiting for anyone. Not bad considering she’d never seen photos of us and we didn’t know what she looked like. We waited for Chloe’s friend Clifford who was joining us then headed out to the Lau Pa Sat hawker centre. This is the largest remaining Victorian filigree cast-iron structure in Southeast Asia. Located in the heart of Singapore’s business district, it is a favourite meeting place of the locals. Built in 1894, Lau Pa Sat has now been restored and converted into the food centre it is today offering a wide variety of local food.
We were so glad we were with two people who knew what they were doing. These places are not called hawker centres for nothing. Before we had even sat down there were people trying to give us their menus and take orders for food. Basically there are just loads of different stalls around the outside and you order what you want from each menu then they bring it to your table and you pay as you go. We had such a feast, satay sticks and green beans with chilli, Hong Kong noodles, chilli crab, deep fried dumplings and sticky chicken wings all washed down with a few glasses of Tiger Beer. Clifford and Chloe ordered loads of local dishes so that we could try things. We love our food anyway and loved everything and got to experience crab for the first time too. We ate until we were fit to burst.
We took our full stomachs for a stroll down to Collyer Quay which used to be called Clifford Quay but has been redeveloped from when it was a landing point for immigrants arriving in Singapore. It now features some rather upmarket restaurants. The Singapore skyline at night was breathtaking, especially the new Marina Sands Resort which they are working on 24 hours a day in order to finish.
We passed the Merlion then walked onto Clarke Quay. This is a strip of former warehouses dating back to the river’s days as a trading hub and is now home to popular bars, restaurants and clubs. Futuristic lily-pad like canopies are lit up and change colour over the whole area. The effect is very garish and loud, just like the music pumping from the bars. Crosssing the bridge away from Clarke Quay, we got some drinks from a little shop and sat on the opposite bank of the river watching the activity.
Too soon it was time for us to make a move and we were waving goodbye to Chloe and Clifford who had really spoilt us with a tremendous evening.