The Singapore Sling

 So jet lag wasn’t horrible… just woke up at 5am but I think should be good by tonight. We started today with coffee and avocado toast at Toledo’s Espresso Nook… my coffee drinker friends are raving about Copi coffee… but I’m in it for the boba.

Our journey today took us down Arab Street- which is exactly what you would expect… a walking street filled with Arab shops and restaurants. And once we got started, I wanted one of everything. The colors and patterns and textures were so amazing. I ended up spending a long time just looking at Persian rugs… the detail, the design and the intricacies. Some were silk and just felt amazing. Amir and Ibrahim were the shopkeepers and Carolyn, my favorite bargaineer, helped me out on that front. We told Amir we would be back later and headed to the next shop where they sold fabrics and clothes and bought some beach wear for Bali. Pashminas were everywhere and also these gorgeous lamps and light fixtures that Liz ended up coming back to buy. 

From Arab Street we walked past this rad residential project called Duo. The architect was Buro Ole Scheeran, a German, and the design had a fabulous texture to it with elegant forms that complemented the existing building across the plaza.  A great architectural stop on our way to the MRT to Chinatown.

We took the metro to Chinatown where there was another shopping street but this one is filled with fun chopsticks, fans, and other Chinese trinkets. I ended up getting a mah jong set because who doesn’t want to learn that! One shop had an entire room filled with combs and brushes. Apparently 25% of acupuncture pressure points are on the head, so combs are a big thing. There was also a store filled with Peranakan tiles that were a symbol of wealth. People would put decorative tiles on the outside of their buildings to show their wealth. Once I saw this I started to notice it outside more and more. 

From there we walked past the Hindu temple and then the Buddhist temple.  It is so cool in this city that there are so many cultures that are not diluted or trying to assimilate, they are simply coexisting. I’m not sure if there is any friction under the surface, but from my perspective it looks like there is a lot of mutual respect and even celebration of cultures, so cool. Speaking of cool, we stopped for tea and mostly to cool off - Kristyn and Carolyn got matcha tea and Monica got this awesome iced black sesame latte before we headed over to the temples. 

The Temple of 10,000 Buddhas aka Buddha Tooth Relic Temple was awesome. I wish I knew more symbolism about Buddhism but there was a super ornate shrine to what is rumored to be buddhas golden tooth on the 4th floor. We could only see the outside of it. On the top floor was a rotating prayer wheel that people can hold on to and walk around in a circle to meditate. It was a spiritual oasis right in the middle of a bustling Chinatown. 

After this we split up and Carolyn headed out for her foodie tour and we headed to a Chinese restaurant recommended by Dana for lunch- a super eclectic and quirky cafe called Xiao ya Tao, where we had some Chinese tapas. From there we headed back to the hotel for nap time, stopping to pick up my newly purchased rug and Liz’s new lamps.

Post nap we were a little sluggish but made it over to the birthplace of the Singapore Sling, Raffles hotel. In the early 1900s, women were only allowed to drink tea or juice in the bar while the men would drink alcohol and approach whichever women they wanted to. The bartender at the time decided to make a drink that looked like juice but had gin in it (gin is big here because of its inherent bug repellant qualities). So then the ladies could drink in public without getting caught. Also, the Long Bar had these fans on the ceiling that were originally operated by one workers toe, that was tied to a row of fans. Now of course they are mechanically operated. The bar was cool and nostalgic, definitely a tourist destination, but the drinks were good- Monica got the Singapore Sling while the rest of us got other drinks, and there was a big burlap bag of peanuts in the middle of the table and you could just dump the shells on the floor. 

Our next adventure will be getting all our luggage on a budget airline to Bali, so I’ll sign off with a photo of todays icon- #givewayglenda, a warning not to bring durians (Not a grenade, a very smelly fruit!) onto the train, and a warning to everyone to avoid Outrage of Modesty!