Today was a day of soaking it all up. Well rested and having done my immediate shopping in the early morning, I headed out to take the metro and discover a bit of this town. I decided to head over to the Muslim area of town, known as Kampong Glam. Kampong just means village, and the area certainly has a very neighborhoody feel overall. I enjoyed walking the local streets and as I was not in the market for a new Persian rug (I swear these stores are all money laundering establishments worldwide - who do you know who has one of these rugs at their place??) nor was I going to pick up yards of fabric for a Sari, I enjoyed the colors and the smells of this neat little spot. Much to my glee, I found a mexican restaurant - Piedra Negra, which is on my list to try in the next two weeks.
As I headed toward the Mosque, I realized I was so thirsty and I could use a bit of a break, but the closest thing was the Swedish Cafe, which was full of white folk with tour books taking pictures of their big slices of cake. Not exactly what I had in mind. I sidestepped the gaggle of Germans and walked up the next block, where I found a slightly more authentic sidewalk cafe. I order an iced tea and a mineral water. This is my iced tea. Here I was, looking at cans of iced tea, and this milky concoction is what the pretty lady behind the cash hands me. It is a strong tea with milk and sugar already in it, warm, which is then served over ice. Voila! Iced tea! It was excellent, and hit the spot perfectly.
I head up the road to the Mosque, which I am not sure I am going to be able to enter as I have capris on and though I am bare armed, I do have a scarf for covering my arms. I need not have worried, when I get there I am told it is closed, only to reopen at 2 in the afternoon. As always, I am a bit disappointed when a house of God is actually closed, but I snap a few pictures nonetheless.
I head over to Burgis Street for a bit more visual stimulation. Burgis is a shopping area built in the 60s that has a bit of a flea market feel to it. Good fun, some very silly things for sale (you know the little cats with the one swinging arm? Yup, those...) and lots of people watching. I stop to read my horescope, which is hysterical. It basically tells me my year is going to suck, but I should stay calm. Nice.
On that uplifting note, I grab a cab to Dempsey Hill and meet up with some of the gang from work for lunch. I'll certainly have to go back to Dempsey, it was a cool palce with tons of restaurants and shops, great for milling about and wasting away an afternoon.
What I have really enjoyed so far is the different architecture of Singapore. From the funky highrises to the small shuttered shops, the mix feels like an interesting blend of Europe, Asia and a touch of what I guess is Malay.
You should be able to find Hindu temples and they are usually open because they have no walls. At least that is how I remember it. I see that you are accumulating more friends. That is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteLove always... your husband