Singapore Walks - Clarke Quay

Welcome back to part two of The Original Singapore Walks. This time I will show you around the eccentric Clarke Quay Singapore River area. Kevin joined me on this walk which took place on a Saturday evening.

There were only about five people in this tour group, and Kevin was the only guy. One woman was from Chicago, one from Australia and another from Italy. There are many restaurants along both sides of the river, which is called the pedestrian mall. The tour guide said that some of the best chili crab can be found in one of the restaurants here. We took note of that for later. There are seafood restaurants, ethnic restaurants, brew pubs, and lots of night clubs.

The Singapore River used to be very polluted when it was used primarily as a trade route filled with boats transporting goods to warehouses. Some people used to live in tiny spaces under the bridges making their living fishing. One old man in particular was called the Guardian of the River, who lived under one of the bridges for many years. City planners had a vision to change the Clarke Quay river area for good. They cleaned up the river and relocated some tenants to a different area of the city. Historical buildings were restored and moored Chinese junks (tongkang boats) were refurbished into floating restaurants and nightclubs. Now, river taxis such as bumboats, float up and down the river providing relaxing and interesting tours of the Clarke Quay area. Kevin and I have not done this yet, and were told that the best time to ride one is at night.


The building in the background of the picture below is so unusual and unique to Singapore. This is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. This building complex has a hotel, large shopping mall, skating rink, casino, art/science museum, convention center, grand theatre, and a skypark on the very top of the building which looks like a ship. When I first saw this building I thought it looked like there was a great flood in Singapore and a ship beached itself on the top of three buildings, and then the waters receded to expose the spectacle. That's definitely not the case. This building was designed by a great visionary.


We walked by some intriguing restaurants that Kevin and I will be returning for dinner sometime. Two restaurants in particular that caught our eyes was a Chinese restaurant called Indochine, and a Moroccan lounge called Marrakesh. As a group, we stopped in Marrakesh and had drinks while listening to our tour guide talk about the history and current happenings of the area. I had a Moroccan mint tea on ice that was so refreshing. They normally serve it hot, but I wanted it cold. It's not traditional ordering tea on ice, but I loved it. Kevin had a green drink that I don't remember the name of. It was sweet and very green!
































We stopped into a pewter museum and gallery called Royal Selangor that specializes in handcrafted pewter and tin. Pewter was originally used as currency. People would trade pewter figurines, such as animals in exchange for goods. Later, the figurines were replaced with pewter coins. Pewter was made into coin "trees", and someone would snap off a coin to be used as currency. When all the coins were used up and just the outline of the tree remained, it would be melted down to make more coins. We watched pewtersmithing demonstrations that showed pewter being poured into coin tree shaped molds, and cups being hammered into textured patterns.

At the conclusion of our tour, we took our little souvenir coins that were given to everyone in the group, and headed to one of the restaurants to sample some yummy food that enticed us earlier. I might head back to Royal Selangor sometime soon to try my hand in making my own pewter bowl at the School of Hard Knocks. I can take home a hand made piece of history, plus it would be fun to make a little noise. :-)

Learn Something New Every Day

The most exciting thing that would happen while walking Gracie back home in Greenville would be passing a new construction dumpster to dispose of Gracie's doodie. I never know what I am going to come across while walking Gracie here. I have walked past a prehistoric snail on the side of the road that could carry Gracie away, and watched a bat fly back and forth over my head between trees hunting for insects in a frenzy.

The other day was a little different. I left our apartment building and didn't get very far, and noticed a construction site that caught my attention. There are common wall houses (like duplexes) throughout our neighborhood. Frequently, the owner on one half will do remodeling projects. The nice thing about construction here, is that they put up tarp walls to contain the dust and debris so it does not drift into the neighbor's side or onto the road. While I was taking the picture, I noticed a man on a scooter drive onto the sidewalk toward me. He called out to me and asked if I was Karie. I said yes and thought, "Oh great, what did I do?" He said he had a package for me from Asian Tigers, the company who moved our belongings into our apartment. I was trying to figure out how he found me down the street walking Gracie, who he wanted nothing to do with.

As I was signing for the package, Gracie was trying to approach him in her normal friendly manner. He kept putting his hand out to keep Gracie from coming near him. I pulled her back toward me and he was off and away on his scooter. That is how mail is delivered; someone driving a motor scooter with a blue metal Singpost box on the back.

When I got back to our apartment and walked past the guard, he said that he spotted me down the street and pointed me out to the mail courier. That explains the mysterious identity game. I asked our guard about why some Asian people are very cautious and put their hands out to stop Gracie from coming near them. I thought that maybe they are scared of dogs. He said that these people are Malay, usually from Indonesia and Malaysia who are Muslim. They believe dogs are unclean and do not come near or touch them. If they touch a dog who is wet or has a wet nose, they need to wash their hands many times or even take a shower immediately after contact. Dogs are only used for hunting or guarding property, not pets.

I think Gracie can be unclean too, especially coming back from a walk with dirty paws and a dirty face after sniffing everything she comes in contact with on the ground. But, after cleaning off all the dirt and grime, I still let her touch me and sleep on our bed and sofa. Kevin and I are just dog-loving softies.


















 


After learning this, I am cautious now when I'm out with Gracie. I keep her away from people looking apprehensive and scowling at her. But she always tries to convince passing people how cute she is. Fortunately most people like her and want to pet her. That's a good thing, or Gracie will start getting a complex.

Singapore Walks - Colonial District

The days of high heels are gone, at least when I’m walking all over the city. When I plan on walking somewhere, I have to think of comfortable shoes that can get completely soaked in the monsoons without getting destroyed. It has been raining hard almost every day now, so Kevin and I have to be prepared with good shoes and plenty of umbrellas.

While Kevin is hard at work, I am galavanting around on foot with groups of strangers learning about the history and highlights of the city. This is part one of a series of walking tours that I started with The Original Singapore Walks, a tour company providing informative walking tours for tourists and other people wanting to learn the lay of the land. Let the journey begin....

We're walking...we're walking...and we're stopping.....at the Colonial District (The Time of Empire).

I rode the MRT and found my way to the meeting place where everyone gathers to start the tour. There were about 13 people in the group led by a local Singaporean woman who I met at a church Kevin and I visited. She invited me to join her Monday Colonial walk which she was so enthusiastic about. Some people I met were an Australian woman working here for six months, a Brazilian woman on holiday, and an airline pilot from the UK who was in between flights. We were all an interesting bunch.

The tour started at St. Andrews Cathedral. This stunning cathedral is over 150 years old and survived two lightening strikes in 1852 causing it to be shut down for repairs. In 1942, the cathedral was used as an emergency hospital before the fall of Singapore to the Japanese. The sanctuary was emptied to house the casualties that resulted from frequent air raids.












 








Next, we visited the Supreme Court and enjoyed a bird's eye view on the top floor over looking the Singapore River in the Central Business District, where Kevin works. This is the area where Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles originally landed and became the founder of modern Singapore in 1819, which then became a British settlement.

There are still strong British influences in Singapore, such as the steering wheel on the right side of the car and driving on the left side of the road. Some words and phrases also take a little getting used to:

Pram - baby carriage/stroller
Trolley - shopping cart
Alight - exit from cab, train, etc.
Take away - to go (food)
Lift - elevator
Boot - car trunk
Mum - Mom
Petrol - gas
Queue - line of people
Shattered - exhausted
"Please mind the platform gap" - watch your step getting on and off the MRT
(This one is not to be taken lightly. I saw a little boy step into the train gap and got his foot stuck in it. His Mom quickly yanked his foot out before the doors closed. Scary!)

I watched the storm clouds quickly roll in and sock it to us good! It poured for about 20 minutes while we were walking outside. Of course. I was glad I had my umbrella. We visited two more churches, one of them was the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. I would not enjoy being the church Secretary...."Thank you for calling the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuninator this is Karie how can I help you?" OK, seriously now. It was built in 1835 and is the oldest Christian place of worship in Singapore. There is a very small number of Armenians left in Singapore. I don't remember what our tour guide told us, but I think there are less than 30 Armenians living here. The church has been a national monument since 1973.























 
We finished our tour at the Raffles Hotel. The now famous Singapore Sling was created by a bartender working at the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel around 1915. It was a cocktail intended for ladies who didn't consume a man's drink. The Raffles is a luxurious hotel with gardens, shops, indoor and outdoor dining and afternoon tea.












































 











My feet are tired, so stay tuned for part two of the Original Singapore Walks....

Food...Fabulous Food!

Since moving to Singapore, we have met so many people from different countries. In an earlier post, I mentioned making a new friend from Scotland. We have also met people from India, Indonesia, England, Australia, France, Brazil, and Singaporeans born and raised here. Since there is such a strong international influence here, there is an amazing selection of Asian and Western food.

There is a vast selection of food buying options in Singapore. There are traditional and ethnic markets, health food stores, wet and dry markets, restaurants, street food, mall food courts and hawker stalls. We get most of our groceries from a traditional market, Swiss butcher and a health food store. We can comfortably lean on familiar munchies, but we also like to experiment with different culinary delights. That is one of the benefits of living in another country, trying new and exotic food! I get excited just thinking about all the tantalizing morsels, and I'm not even a Foodie!



















 

(picture on left) Here is something I just bought yesterday. It is roasted Korean seaweed with wasabi. You get a nice temporary burn in the nose from the wasabi and the seaweed quickly dissolves in the mouth. It's quite good. Kevin recently discovered how much he likes the strong flavor of wasabi. So, whenever I see something with wasabi in it, I get it.

(picture on right) Most of the packaged food I buy is from Australia, New Zealand, UK and Singapore made products. The fruit puree is my favorite. They come in individual gold metallic containers.

We discovered a fantastic chicken paradise called Nando's. It is a heavenly restaurant with a Portuguese/Mozambique influence serving flame-grilled chicken spiced with Peri-Peri (red chilies). Pictured here is what I ordered. It is called Espetada, which is skewered chicken bathed in Peri-Peri sauce which was dripping in the potatoes. It was a tasty beast which is beckoning me to come back and indulge again. I think I shall.

There are basement level restaurants in malls and MRT stations everywhere. Din Tai Fung is one of those restaurants we discovered while walking around. There was a long queue, so we assumed this was a "don't miss" restaurant. We came back later when the queue dwindled. In front of the restaurant were two display areas where cooks prepare various dishes in the viewing eye of the public. We watched them prepare dumplings, stuff dim sum and chop ramen style noodles. We ordered 10 pork and vegetable dim sum. They came in a bamboo basket with dipping sauces consisting of red chilies and soy sauce. We split a bowl of hot and sour soup and steamed spinach with garlic. Jasmine tea complimented our late lunch quite nicely. Prices are much more reasonable in food courts, hawker stalls and basement restaurants.

 



There is a Chinese festival called Mid-Autumn Festival, or Mooncake Festival. People get together with friends and family and exchange gifts to celebrate this festive season. Mooncakes are a favorite gift to give. Mooncakes are heavy pastries with a very thick filling which is traditionally made of lotus seed paste and one or two salted duck egg yolks. They are very rich and heavy cakes which are cut in wedges and served with Chinese tea, such as Oolong. Kevin was given a box of Mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival from one of his vendors. There are many variations of mooncakes with different colors and modern flavors. Kevin's was a traditional White Lotus Seed Paste with Single Yolk. He was told to drink plenty of hot Chinese tea with them to help with digestion. They are unusual and definitely require an acquired taste, at least for us. People love these! At least we can say we tried them, which is all part of our Singapore experience.

The Mid-Autumn Festival legendary fable....

According to a famous Chinese fable, the legendary archer Hou Yi and his kind-hearted wife Chang Er were a loving couple. To reward Hou Yi for his heroic deeds, the Goddess of Immortality granted him an elixir that promises eternal youth. One fateful day, the evil Feng Meng slipped into Hou Yi's residence to steal the heavenly elixir. To prevent the elixir from falling into the wrong hands, Chang Er swallowed it and immediately found herself drifting up towards the moon.

The common folk heard of Chang Er's sacrifice and flocked to ask for continued peace, showing their gratitude with sweet pastries and fruits. It is now said that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the moon is full and at it's brightest, you can see the willowy silhouette of Chang Er - now the Goddess of the Moon.

This was part of the Mooncake Festival at Ngee Ann City, one of Singapore's many large malls. Kevin and I didn't feel like squeezing into this space to join the buying frenzy of yummy Mooncakes. Instead, we watched people from our safe spot above without being squished by tons of people. It was interesting watching everyone from our bird's eye view.

So many freshly made pastries, breads, desserts, decadent chocolates, gelato, coffees, teas...oh my! There are fantastic aromas drifting around every corner...sweet, savory, fishy, smoky, spicy, fruity, comforting...and some aromas can be a pungent curiosity. What was that?!  Ahhh food. Am I crossing over into becoming a Foodie? Time will tell...

It's a Doggie Dog World!

It's a fact that Kevin and I love dogs. They are great companions that keep you company during quiet days, greet you with unconditional love when coming home from a long day at work, and scaring you half to death while trying to choke down a large piece of gross food found on the ground. Only a dog's nose with it's keen sense of smell will lead it to some deadly morsel of food that would normally be taboo.

That's right. Gracie and I were taking a nice walk down the street when her nose led her astray to a huge chicken bone with dagger-like spikes sticking out all over it. She tried to inhale the whole thing while I quickly reached into her mouth prying it from her jaws. I know, not smart. Let's stick my hand into the mouth of a dog acting on it's hunting instincts protecting her food from an incoming threat trying to steal it. (That would be me) But, it was a quick war that ended successfully and no one got hurt. When we returned to the apartment, I noticed a huge, fuzzy, orange caterpillar stuck on my pant leg. Good times... good times.

Kevin and I think that Gracie found the chicken bone that was apparently the remains of what was left for a hungry ghost. What??!!! A celebration called the Hungry Ghost Festival just ended last month. There is a Chinese belief that during the 7th lunar month, the gates of hell are opened and souls of the dead are freed to come out and roam the earth to receive food and drink. People following this tradition leave food and other items by trees for ghosts of deceased ancestors. Food that is usually placed at the base of a tree are mandarin oranges, baggies of homemade treats, bowls of rice and even suckling pig. We have seen red incense sticks on the roadside and large metal cans with burning remnants of joss paper. Joss paper, also known as "ghost money" or "spirit money", is traditionally made from course bamboo or rice paper. The more modern form of spirit money is "hell bank notes" and papier-mache crafts. All the paper is made into burnt offerings. That is what we observed burning in rusty cans throughout the city. Before we knew what was going on, we were trying to figure out what was up with the awful burning smell and grey smoke pouring out of these cans. Now we know.

I recently went out to lunch with a new friend, Rachael, from Scotland. She lives in our building, and I met her while she was walking her dog, Ted. He is a terrier mix who is the same size and age as Gracie, which is 12. Ted wags his tale when he sees Gracie coming. It's so cute. I think Gracie has a new boyfriend. We decided to take the dogs with us for a walk at the Botanical Gardens and then have lunch. That was fun and interesting. We called for a cab to pick us up at the apartment building. In order for a dog to be allowed in a cab, it must be confined in a carrier. No problem, I thought. She's been in a small shoulder carrier before. She squirmed all over the place resisting going inside. I got her inside the carrier and put her on the seat in the cab. She worked her head through the top opening which looked funny. The driver kept looking back smiling at the sight of just her head. Of course Ted was perfect going into his carrier. Oh well.

We walked through the gardens and sat in a shady courtyard waiting for the restaurant to open. Some people approached us and asked if they could take a picture of our dogs with us in the picture. Right after they left, an Indian woman also approached us after she got excited seeing Gracie. She wanted a picture with all of us in it. We were starting to feel like celebrities. At least no one asked for our dog's pawtograph. That's when we would have to start charging a fee. :-) Then another woman came over and wanted to pet the dogs. She was visiting from Australia. She was missing her dog back home and said our dogs were the first ones she has seen since she arrived in Singapore. There are plenty of dogs here, especially Jack Russell Terriers. There are also dog parks, dog walking services and pet stores.

We had lunch at the Botanical Gardens outdoor cafe with the dogs sitting at our feet. We sat next to a delightful couple visiting from England. They were also enamoured with the dogs, especially Gracie. The man was telling me about his new puppy, a Bedlington Terrier who is 6 months old. These are unusual looking dogs with the way their heads are groomed for show. They look kind of like sheep.

We planned to take the taxi back to the apartments. There were some people outside the entrance waiting for taxis. We stood over there completely oblivious that we accidentally jumped queue (cut in line). A cab drove up, Rachael asked if we could bring our dogs, and it was time to put them back into their carriers. Ted hopped right into his, but Gracie wiggled and fidgeted again. Thankfully the other people were too amused watching me trying to get my squirming dog into her carrier to be really bothered by the fact that we were line cutters. I felt like I was in sixth grade again cutting in line with a friend in the cafeteria. I don't know why I was in such a hurry to eat burned macaroni and mushy corn anyway. I managed to make my way toward the cab with Gracie's butt hanging out the back because I couldn't get the back panel of the carrier zipped closed all the way, and her head was sticking out the top again. One guy even closed the taxi door for me. How nice of him to help the pathetic, queue jumping dog lady. Great memories!



















 


Before signing off...two more cute pictures of Gracie waiting for Kevin to come home from work.

(Gracie waiting for Papa)

 






(Gracie tired of waiting for Papa)

Botanical Gardens

We recently visited the Singapore Botanical Gardens which is in walking distance from our condominium. It opens at 5:00am and closes at midnight everyday with free admission. There is a large pond near the entrance with a magnificent statue of geese in flight. We noticed koi and other large fish swimming in the pond. It was a little mucky, but we could easily see the fish in there.

Since the gardens are so large, we chose to walk through part of it one day and will return another day to see the rest. There are many varieties of tropical trees, plants and flowers. I know the plants thrive in this hot and sticky, humid weather, but it takes a little getting used to for Kevin and I. Even though we moved here from Greenville during the summer, Singapore's heat and humidity is just more intense.
 We decided to go through the Orchid Gardens, which a separate fee is paid to get in. It is part of the Botanical Gardens. Just before entering, we watched two Asian women doing Tai Chi with swords under a large tree providing dense shade. The shade was definitely needed since they were wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts. Completely opposite, was of a group of nearby women doing Yoga wearing tank tops and shorts in the outdoor amphitheatre.

All five senses are tantalized while strolling through the orchid gardens. The scent of sweet Jasmine, orchids and other plants are purely intoxicating. You can even catch drifting aromas from nearby restaurants in the gardens. Depending on the time of year, different flowering plants show off their magnificent glory. We looked at many colorful plants, such as heliconia and phalaenopsis, that were dotted throughout the meticulously landscaped garden.

There are plants that have been dedicated to VIPs who have visited the gardens, and some are in memory of special people. One species of Dendrobium is named after Baroness Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during her visit to the Botanical Gardens in 1985. Another Dendrobium is named in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales on 22 September, 1997.

We were quickly lured to the heavenly sounds of the waterfalls and fountains. I wanted to linger around them all day because they made me feel like I was on a secluded island. Well, Singapore is an island, but definitely not secluded.





Just before we were about to pass out from heat stroke, we spotted the cool house. This large, glass enclosed greenhouse was filled with trees and rocks covered in spectacular orchids and carnivorous plants. The cool air and drifting mist provides a very realistic representation of high elevation sites in the tropics. We were walking near a small tour group and the tour guide was cautioning everyone to stay away from an overhang where a poisonous snake was lurking. Of course everyone walked up to it get a closer look. One guy decided to shake the branch that the snake was on to antagonize it or drop it on someone maybe. Who knows. Not real smart.

This mossy guy is the unofficial gatekeeper of the gardens. I liked him because he looks like he came out of an Indiana Jones movie. (I'm talking about the stone statue, not my hubby sitting on the stone).

To say the gardens is beautiful would be an understatement. It is a beautiful and majestic gem in the middle of the city. We look forward to returning very soon. In fact, I'm going there tomorrow for lunch with a Scottish woman who lives in our condominium building. Details to follow in a later post.