Singapore - Day 4, Malay neighborhood, Little India, unwinding in style

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My last day in Singapore. I have to say, I was so impressed with this beautiful city. So, while I enjoyed sleeping in and taking my time to pack and get ready, I also wanted to get in a last glimpse of culture before I left. I also needed to make sure that I used my hop-on, hop-off pass before 2:30 pm.

Malay Neighborhood

So after checking out and storing my luggage, I got on the bus to head towards the Malaysian area of town. Chinatown and Little India are more well known, but I was interested in the Malay area. Once I got off the bus, I got just a little lost before I realized the majority of the sight-seeing part of the Malaysia area were tucked well into the neighborhood. I soon saw the top of the Sultan Mosque and made my way towards it. The walk itself was lovely; it borders a nice park and within the the streets, the buildings were clean and colorful. The mosque was quite large, and closed. It was a bit strange to see such a pretty, large religious institution tucked in so tightly within the neighborhood, but it was also a lovely sight. I was satisfied about my choice to come here.

Then I turned around and got a good glimpse of the Malay Heritage Centre, which was my favorite stop of the day. Even though I made it through this area in about 15 minutes, it was a very pleasant 15 minutes. There was a nice, open space, with fountains and old buildings surrounding the area. There was also a great herb and spice garden, which I found quite educational. A lot of different species of trees and plants with a little description of each. There was also a "Scent Garden" where you could lift open the little cupboards of herbs and get a whiff of the scent - that was pretty cool. Loved it.

Little India

Everyone had told me one of the things they most liked or heard about Singapore was how clean it was. I guess, it is environmentally green, and the buildings look clean from a distance and the waterways are very nicely free of trash and pollution. However, I did see trash everywhere. Everywhere. It was a little disappointing actually. But even though I was surprised by that, I was also very happy that so far I had not seen any areas that were downtrodden or poor. I got a glimpse of this in Little India. There was lots of trash; I saw things I don't want to think about staining drains and open areas. I still felt safe, but that staring thing gets me every single time. I just can't handle it; even though I felt safe, I felt uncomfortable (not helped by my full coverage dress clinging to me by my sweat).

I made my way across the whole of Little India and found the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple (yeah, there is no way I can pronounce that), but I was not impressed. Instead, it was so crowded, lots of cars and honking, lots of trinket shops.... I guess, it felt authentic, but it felt nothing like Singapore! Lol. In that, Little India was impressive - it is definitely a little community, and you really did feel that. But I honestly just could not wait to get out of there. I made a beeline for my bus stop and even though I was 20 minutes early and my bus was then 10 minutes late, I happily just read my book. I don't think I got a single picture of Little India. Sorry.

Marina Mandarin

I had wanted my final stop to be the National Museum, but honestly, by this time I was just done. I had pretty much just been go-go-go for the last few days and now I just wanted to chill. So, I went back to the hotel and got a couple of drinks. I also ordered chicken rice for a late lunch. This is one of the signature dishes of Singapore and I was dying to try it before I left. The problem was this was not the street food, but in a ridiculously expensive restaurant. It tasted great, but not sure about the authenticity. At least I can say I tried it.

Aside from the super pricey restaurants, I absolutely loved my hotel. I was offered a reasonably priced room upgrade before I arrived and I'm so glad I took it. From beginning to end, the service was impeccable, loved my room and view, and felt like I was really on vacation. The staff were all so nice. All of them. The restaurants were so expensive, but with my upgrade I got my free breakfast, afternoon snacks and early evening drinks (which also included food). So aside from a few street venders, I spent very little money on food until the last day. It was so worth it. The hotel was also very close to everything - easy walk to the gardens by the bay, Merlion park, shopping, Marina Bay Sands, etc. There were also a couple of hop-on hop-off bus stops in a very short walk, so it was very easy to get around this beautiful city.

Fly Emirates

Of course I got an upgrade to business on Emirates. I got the nice lounge access, with lots of loud, obnoxious, unsupervised kids. I could not believe how many there were. There was a table of four computers that one guy was working on, including making printouts. Four kids, all siblings I believe, ran to the consoles, and the guy almost ran to get away from them. And they were so loud. I hoped they were not on my flight and if so, not in business class. I was wrong on both counts. They were a few rows up from me on the flight. I never once, not once, saw their parents. Ugh. Other kids were seated next to me on the flight. Most of you know, I love kids. But kids that are allowed to run rampant drive me crazy. I remember my mother once said she would rather people hate her for yelling at her kids when they were acting up, than have them hate her kids. Words to live by. Few do.

Thankfully, I had noise cancelling headphones on my flight so was able to shut out the world and finish the second Crazy Rich Asians book, before falling asleep. I think got about 3 hours before we landed. I just got a light bites meal since I was still full from the chicken rice: smoked salmon (of course) and cheese and crackers with a delicious glass of Australian Sauvignon Blanc.

And now, I'm home. Back to the real world. No more holidays for three months. So, I hope this lasts me until then! Everyone seemed to find it funny that I had only been at my job for 6 weeks before I went on vacation. When I booked it, it was because of a conveniently timed Eid holiday. By the time it got here, I actually needed to get away for a few days! It makes me smile. I really did miss this lifestyle, despite being tired, overworked, and constantly stressed. Just a break like this every couple of months and I am refreshed and happy. Until the next trip....

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Photos

Mural at Malay Heritage Garden
made for Singapore's 50th anniversary (of course). Pieces represents different ways of life, with empty spaces for the future

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Tasty morsels
Joys of Singapore.