Singapore part 1

The Jewel early in the morning
when the waterfall is not going

I arrived early in the morning, 7am, and since I knew check in was in the afternoon, I decided to check out the Jewel at Singapore airport. Unfortunately the waterfall was not on due to cleaning this early in the morning, but it was still very pretty even without the falls.

Lobby of the Shangri La

Check in area at Shangri La hotel

The Shangri-La Hotel was just as wonderful as I remembered it from two years ago just before Covid broke out. The hanging flock of birds were still over the lobby, the infinity fountain with sculptures was still sending water over the side so smoothly you could barely tell it was water, and the waterfall in the back garden area was still falling down into the pond filled with koi.

Shangri La infinity fountain in lobby

Shangri La waterfall and koi pond

Shangri La pool

Shangri La room

Even though it was only 8:55am, my room was ready and they let me check in very early. I had just enough time to take a look through my wonderful room before my bags arrived and I was able to shower and get some sleep. My room was even nicer than I remember. The shower was wonderful, oddly shaped with an angled corner, but spacious enough. The bed was very comfy, the furniture was nice, and they had super coolswitches to open and close the inner curtain and outer curtain!

Shangri La shower

Shangri La bathroom

plastic wrapped remote makes it easier to clean

Video of Auto closing drapes and inner drapes:

Delicious meat pie at the
Shangri La bakery

Since I had been to Singapore and done the main tourist things already, my plan was to “eat my way through Singapore.” In the Maldives, Marilyn and JS had given me a list of three good food centers where locals go including JS’s favorite place for chicken and rice aka Hainanese Chicken Rice. I hadn’t figured out how to get there and I woke up hungry so I got a beef pie from the bakery downstairs, which was fabulous! Since it was only me using a Grab everywhere seemed like a waster, so instead I decided to use the excellent public transit system. So I walked 8 minutes to the 7-Eleven nearby (incidentally there are about a million 7-11s everywhere and they are the place to buy EZ link tickets for buses and metro).

On board a Singapore bus

The young lady there was super helpful explaining how it works and even walking outside to show me how to get to the bus stop. I was surprised to find the bus is a double decker which is pretty cool. I think the route that I am on is a very popular one since most of the other buses are just single stories. The public transport like everything is Singapore is clean and efficient. I scanned my nifty “Minions” EZ Link card when I boarded the bus, then scan it again when I leave. If you don’t scan they will charge you the max fee for the ride. It was certainly the nicest city transit bus I’ve ever been on.

You have to tap your card when you leave the bus or they will charge you the max

Large chicken and rice
with soursop juice

I went to Maxwell hawker center and the recommended booth, Au Tai Hianese Chicken Rice, which was excellent. I was hungry so I got the large chicken and rice for $6. All the tables were full so I sat at a table that had one other lady at it. The lady was really nice. She came here from the Philippines to work for a few years, but has been here now for 16 years! She approved of all of my proposed food stops and gave me a new one, lucky plaza which has great Filipino food. Her family is actually from Moal boal, which was my very first stop on my trip when I started in Cebu. She also assured me of how safe it is here for a single woman even at night. My food was excellent, as expected. I planned to come here every single day!

Ah Tai best chicken and rice in Singapore in Maxwell

My new friend who moved here from the Philippines 16 years ago

Serious Chinese Checkers games for $30 per game

Maxwell Center is right by Chinatown and I actually went by the Chinatown hawker center on the way there. I recognized the place where my dad and I waited while Lisa and Natalie went on a wild goose chase trying to fnd the post office (hint: Google maps is wrong, very wrong). Today there were people dancing in the square and also playing Chinese checkers. After I ate, I came back to watch awhile. I always thought of Chinese checkers as a child’s game, but these guys opened my eyes to the fascinating strategy of Chinese checkers. I watched a few games. I thought I'd try it for $2 just for the fun of it (that was how much the loser pays the winner) but then the winner gave $30 change so it must have been a $50 not a $2 the loser handed over. The main game I was watching was actually for $30 stakes. I was very glad I didn’t step into that…$30 is too much to lose just for the fun of getting squashed in Chinese Checkers!

Another serious Chinese Checkers game with Chinese Chess on the table behind

People line dancing in Chinatown

I was also watching the line dancing in the square and thought that might be a better experiment. I watched several songs and watched the”instructor” indicating what steps to do. Some people were in the back picking up the steps slowly but by the end of the song they seemed to get it. Finally I worked up my courage, walked over to the stage where they were gathered and asked if anyone could join. Someone said “Yes, can.” I think they should have said “may” because I really couldn’t do it. I was awful! I really have no rhythm and two left feet, but at least no one won $30 from me. I suspect it’s a bit like yoga where there are certain poses, in this case steps, that you learn and then they string a bunch of them together. Still I’m glad I tried anyways.

Me in lit up streets in Chinatown.
The fruit place I went to is
the corner place behind me

I wandered back through the streets of Chinatown, which are beautifully lit up at night with strings of light overheard. I stopped at a fruit stand and got some already peeled rambutan $3 and mango $2. They were okay, not as good as I expected for a foodie town. If I come back tomorrow I’ll try the passionfruit instead.

Prepped fruit at the stand

Fruit stand in Chinatown though the fruit was just average

$1000 fine for not picking up after
your dog which would be great here
if we could only enforce it like they can

Everything is really nice here. As one local described “it's a well-groomed city.” What struck me as I was walking to and from the bus stop is how quiet the traffic is. They're all well tuned and quiet except for the occasional scooter. At one point I stepped off the sidewalk into the dirt square around a tree and briefly worried about stepping in dog poop. Then I remembered that in Singapore everyone picks up their dog poop since there's a $1,000 fine if you don't. Same goes for spitting out gum on the street. I wish we could do that at home, but as someone pointed out, this is a small island/city so they can back up their threats of fines with cameras. My hotel didn't even have safe in the room (and this is one of the nicest hotels in the city), because who would ever steal anything in Singapore?

Police Enforcement via camera

Shangri La Buffet

Buffet my first breakfast

The Shangri-La buffet was not nearly as good as one would expect for Singapore, especially since its price tag is $43. There was decent variety but a lot of the items were average. The baked items were fabulous as were the dim sum. The fruit was just okay, but I think I had a hard time judging it fairly as I had just come from the Conrad Rangali where the breakfast buffet was incredible. Looking back, it was probably right in line with the Hilton buffets in Bali or Phuket. I did later try the noodle station, which was also pretty good. The had a few coffee machines that made all the different fancy coffee drinks. It was mostly the non fresh juice and fruit, along with the typically bad sausage and bacon that formed my poor opinion.

Buffet dim sum and noodle bar

Buffet Indian food area

Buffet Shrimp Noodle soup

Buffet at Shangri La

Buffet Dessert area

Of course every buffet worth its salt must have a custom coffee area

Buffet Coffee machines do it all

Shangri La has the SOFTEST slippers

The spa was excellent, a true professional massage place where they had me sample four different oil scents to choose my massage oil. I went with ginger. They had a changing room with lockers, robes, and the very BEST disposable slippers, sooo soft and comfy. I took them with me since the ones in my room were both large size. They are better than the free slippers at Hilton, Hyatt Kathmandu, Intercontinental, and even Conrad Maldives. These ones are coming home with me! After changing, I waited for my deep tissue back massage in the relaxing room where they had loungers and served tea and nuts. This is all pretty standard for higher end western spas, but they also had the coolest motorized massage table. The upper body could be tilted up and it also raised my legs slightly (when laying face up). I also think it heated my lower back. The massage itself was great. It was a very deep massage almost too painful a few times but my back felt really good after. If she had gone slower on the deep strip strokes it would have been perfect!

Shangri La spa

Spa massage table that raises your head or feet

Sambal stingray closeup

One of the things I love about Singapore is that it is the capital of good, cheap food. And I love good cheap food! Though really, who doesn't? The Newton food center was next on my list of places to try. This was the one made famous in the movie “Crazy Rich Asians.” It was only a 24 minute walk away, which was actually faster than taking the bus. I waited until 5:30 when the heat had dropped down to merely uncomfortable instead of blistering. It was busy, but there were available seats both outdoors and under the overhangs. I got some BBQ stingray from#53. It was covered in sambal sauce which is a bit spicy so I scraped that off. I figured someone would ask what it tastes like so I tried to place it. It's not quite like fish but sort of. It's firm without a whole lot of taste at all. That was S$12 so about US$9. I also got my sugar cane drink which was about as good as udaipur and not nearly as good as the ones in Cambodia.

Sambal stingray and sugar cane drink at Newton Food Center

Newton Food Center where they shot some of the movie Crazy Rich Asians

Best Seafood at Newton Food Center

Mutton satay and chicken satay with
rice pattys and peanut sauce
that is just a little spicy

I walked over to the other Michelin place #27 (#53 was also Michelin rated, as is another) and inquired about their tiger prawns but they were $20 for just one. No thanks ,especially as I had heard mixed reviews about #27. The other stall I wanted to try #22 was nearby and I got 10 satay sticks for $8 plus a rice. The rice came as a round patty and at first I was unsure how I would eat it. I ate a couple skewers and tried using them as chopsticks but the patty fell into 4 sliced quarters and further into two layers so I could use a skewer to spear a section. Smart for a skewer place! About halfway through I found out the red spicy looking sauce was actually peanut sauce (albeit a tiny bit spicy) so I then used that as well. Quite good. Mutton was just what you'd expect, flavorful slightly fatty red meat. The chicken was chicken. Both juicy and full of flavor!

Newton Food Centers best satay

Nice clean bathroom at Newton Center but get the tp before you enter the stall

Ion shopping center. Note the cool lights on the outside of the building

Ion shopping center ceiling in
the entrance that is a series
of led screens with videos

I walked from there to Lucky plaza, but I was not hungry yet so I stopped into the Ion Orchard Mall to check out their video screen ceiling which they still had. It did not have koi fish anymore but instead a sky scene with clouds moving. Attached our pictures and I will put down a video of the koi fish from last time I was here since that was super cool. I need to use the bathroom so I wandered down to the food court area which was pretty massive and amazing. I couldn't help but pick up a couple things at a bakery... Really, toffee pastries, who can resist that? Then I got lost trying to get back to the tunnel to cross the street and by the time I found the restaurant in Lucky plaza it had already closed. That's okay I wasn't that hungry yet anyways.

Ion shopping center ceiling later in the day

Fabulous bakery in Ion Center

Egg tart was good but the toffee danish was to die for!

Video of Ion Orchard ceiling

Yummy tea place outside of Lucky Plaza

As I walked out on the street there was this boba tea place that I couldn't resist. I got a mango milk tea with white boba that ended up being lychee chunks that tasted just like lychee to me so either they're a real lychee or a great imitation. That made my walk home nice and cool!

Mango milk tea with lychee cubes...yum!