Chinatown Street MarketTake a stroll along the Chinatown Night Market for a unique night market shopping experience! Delight yourself with an array of traditional and modern merchandise ranging from street opera masks to handmade ornaments, traditional clothing to unique fashion accessories, you will be spoiled for choice with the eclectic mix of merchandise on offer.
Immerse yourself in the old world charm of these Chinatown shophouses as you browse the selections at every stall. For those looking back to kick back and relax, there are also traditional and modern dance performances to entertain you in the evenings. Don’t forget to check out the wide variety of local finger food stalls at Trengganu Street too!
Location:
Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street and Sago Street
Little India StreetOne of the main ethnic enclaves in Singapore, Little India has become a popular tourist destination. This neighborhood has the patronage of people of all races who wish to eat or buy something specific to Indian culture, such as curry or Indian clothing. One of the more prominent examples of cross-cultural patronage besides those regarding food is that many Chinese parents go to shops in Little India to grind rice to make congee for infants. In such cases, the shops have machinery primarily meant to grind spices into powder for use in Indian cuisine.
Arab StreetJust a few blocks from the hustle bustle of Bugis Junction. This area has beautiful old shophouses that line the streets. The highlight of the area is the grand Sultan Mosque, which you can enter as a visitor if you are properly dressed. The mosque may be closed to visitors on certain days. This area is important in Singapore history, since the Sultan had his Istana (palace) here. Arab Street is now more known for the fabrics the vendors sell out of the old shophouses. A great place to go if you want or need fabric/silk. On Baghdad street-there are a lot of new restaurants/cafe houses opening up. Many of the restaurants have sheeshas or water pipes, which you can smoke. Across from the Sultan Mosque-is Zam Zam's, which makes great murtobaks and chicken curry. Recently they have created a wonderful pedestrian area on Bussorah street located right behind the Sultan Mosque. There are shops and cafes here. I highly recommend Alaturk for great turkish food. Ladies, if you need a spa treatment, i recommend wayan spa on bussorah street for Balinese treatments.
By trisanna, virtualtourist.com
Colonial area: the waterfront, Singapore
Esplanade SingaporeThe Esplanade is a waterfront location just north of the mouth of the Singapore River in downtown Singapore. The shape of Singapore's newly built concert hall and arts centre, the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, resembles a durian. It is located just beside the Singapore River.
Raffles' landing in Singapore is dated 28 January 1819. Traveling on the Indiana with a squadron which included the schooner Enterprise, he anchored off at St John's Island at 4:00 pm. The landing site of Raffles is today marked with the statue of Raffles, located by the Singapore River, behind Parliament House.
The padang: is an open field located within the Downtown Core of the Central Area in Singapore, at the heart of Singapore's central business district. It was formerly known as the Padang Cricket Ground. The Padang is surrounded by several important landmarks, which include Saint Andrew's Cathedral, City Hall, the Old Supreme Court Building and the City Hall MRT Station. Today, the Padang maintains its original use as a recreational space, and games like cricket and rugby are sometimes being played here.
Sri Mariamman – oldest Hindu temple, surrounded by enameled cows.*Peranakan Place – Straits Chinese houses and a living museum.
*National Museum – neoclassical setting and turn-of-the-century memorabilia.
*Sentosa Island – cable-car ride to a botanical garden and museums.
*Changi – shades of the past.
*Botanical Gardens – where “Mad” Ridley propagated the first rubber plants.
*Bukit Timah Nature Reserve – on the island’s highest hill.
*Zoo – cageless fauna.
*the Harbor
Excursions
Sentosa Island – golf, beach and quiet life in the big city.
Malaysia – Johor Baru, Pulau Rawa.
Indonesia – Batam Island, Tanjong Pinang.
Entertainment
*The Singapore Symphony Orchestra and English-language drama at the Victoria Theater.
*”Instant Asia” performances att he Cockpit and Mandarin hotels.
*Raffles Revisited at the Raffles.
Sport
*Spectator sports at the National Stadium.
*Cricket at the Padang
*Horse racing at the Turf Club.
*Polo at the Polo Club
*Golf at the Singapore Island Country Club, Jurong Country Club, Keppel Club, Sembawang Country Club and Sentosa Golf Club.
Annual events
*Ponggal (Jan) – Tamil harvest festival.
*Thaipusan (Jan/Feb) – Indian festival of self-immolation.
*Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb) followed by Chingay Parade – dancing dragons
*Hari Raya Lebaran – end of Ramadan
*Qing Ming (Apr) – Chinese festival of ancestors
*Vesak Day (May) – Buddhist festival.
*Ritual of the Third Prince (May) – in Chinese temples.
*Festival of Arts (Jun, biennial)
*Dragon Boat Festival (mid-Jun) – bazaar and regatta
*Hungry Ghost Month (Aug-Sep) – to placate the spirits
*Mooncake festival (Sep) – in the Chinese Gardens
*Navarathi (Oct) Hindu dance festival.
*Double Ninth (mid-Oct) – Chinese picnic by ancestors’ graves.
*Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods (Oct) – Chinese opera and a procession
*Thimithi Festival (27 Oct) – fire-walking
*Deepavali (5 Nov) – Hindu Festival of Lights.
Shopping
One of the world’s most eclectic shopping paradise, though hardly the cheapest, any more, the city-state is inundated with the latest fashion and accessories, gadgets and toys, goods made in China, Taiwan and even in the US. The Raffles Arcade provides the setting, the Tanglin Shopping Centre is the place for antiques. The Designer Centre and Singapore Showcase are brimming with local design and fine souvenirs, from Thai silk and Malaysian and Indonesian batik to Indian carpets. Status-symbol sprees, however, mostly erupt along ‘Fifth-Avenue’ Orchard Road, between the Ngee Ann City and Centrepoint or at Robinson’s, C.K.Tang’s and Metro Grand, the department stores. The Paragon and Promenade plazas contain shrines to yet more gurus of conspicuous consumption, and here all that glitters may well be gold. At Lucky Plaza you find two of the most respected women’s designers, Benny Ong and Tan Yoong and at fashion queen Tina Tan Leo’s The Link, at Palais Renaissance and Ngee Ann City, you find everything you need for being en vogue. With time at hand, wander through Chinatown, ‘Little Idia’, and Arab Street. And for the really hurried, even Changi Airport is worth a quick ‘shopever’.
The Nostalgic Train Ride
Eastern & Oriental Express
Reservation: Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. London; Tel: +44 (171) 620 0003
Hercule Poirot never traveled further east than Istanbul, but he would have loved to solve a mystery in the civilized luxury of E&O’s nostalgic hotel on wheels. Spend two romantic nights in a grand suite and view 2,000 km of the Malaysian Peninsula’s scenic beauty flashing past on the way to Bangkok (or vice-versa). Stop off en route in Malacca and Kuala Lumpur for sightseeing or Penang and Phuket for fun.
