notes from singapura 3

Sorry everyone, I think I forgot how to write. Anyway, here’s the last newsletter for Singapore.

Almost every activity I’ve done outside of eating has just really been something to hold me over until the next meal. And what can I say! There is nothing more exhilarating than a crash course through a nation’s diet — what goes in the bellies of so many people, and why it’s there. Especially for a nation whose culture is sometimes very similar to that of my own. It’s crazy to see all the parallels between how cultures have been mixing for centuries and the types of cuisines they put out. Direct connections to some Singaporean staples can be made from southern China, India and more. It truly is a nation in motion.

I think part of it is the food hall system. It would be one thing to have a lot of street carts, but centralizing the food in all these food halls seems like it makes competition much more intense, leaving only the good restaurants to survive. Though we may lose a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs, I think it leaves us hungry diners with an assurance that we will find a good meal in this hall.

A big thank you to esteemed subscriber Keith Chia and his family for all the great food recommendations and ultimately Keith for bringing me there!!! Backing it up, I’m gonna go quickly through some cool things that I’ve done over the past few days:

gardens and gambling: marina bay sands and gardens by the bay

The one thing that Keith stresses to me as we walk into Marina Bay Sands, is not really much of the history. I got a bit of that from him and his dad when we were driving around taking a look. The iconic lopsided look of the whole thing was due to the structure looking too much like a set of Chinese funeral tablets. And thus, they lopped off one of the sides to make it uneven.

But no, it was not that that Keith was stressing. He was talking about how Ferrari stays in MBS during the Singapore races for Formula 1. To me, this is a very important fact. I now know that professional racing misery lies in this hotel.

That, along with its stunning architecture. The inside is full of hotel rooms with their doors facing inward, meaning you open your door to the site of a hundred-meter or so straight drop into the lobby. But in between are elaborate graphlike sculptures hanging like spiderwebs from the ceilings.

And as soon as you’re done taking it all in, you can hang a quick turn to go up to the top of MBS. Though my fear of heights was reaffirmed here, it’s great to see the island (and the Merlion from far away). You’ll also see a bunch of container ships in the bay! Not sure what they’re there for.

Gardens by the Bay felt like one of those things that was just kind of cool to look at and all, but when stepping through the magical air-conditioned gardens it did indeed feel worth it.

I did feel a bit eh about the Supertrees though. I think it’s because we went mid-day, but they looked like tall hulking skeletons of trees in the winter. BUT the Cloud Garden was also great, as was the JURASSIC WORLD EXPERIENCE.

The big theme I’ve been getting from Singapore is just how green it is. Not like Green ™️ but like green as in the color. All the attractions I’ve been to and liked are all plant-based. Is this a cry for help for nature? Am I craving grass?

sentosa: defensive encampment turned into recreation

The next day, we headed over to Sentosa Island! Singapore has maybe about 60 islands surrounding it, with this one being a defensive encampment set up by the British in the early 1900s. It also had a scary name: Pulau Blakang Mati, meaning “island behind which lies death.”

It is anything but now. Now it’s filled with theme parks, luges, and most importantly the Oceanarium and the Fort Siloso museum.

Having been to quite a few top tier aquariums lately, I think I can say this one is pretty up there. They have some great jellyfish exhibits, and a big aquarium wall that rivals that in Monterey. I also really loved some of the exhibits featuring deep sea fish! Such as the unidentified isopod.

Dolphins were cute too! Got to see them training a bit. But I thought the big room with all the huge rays swimming through was just so serene.

Our next location on Sentosa was a bit of a hike away. To Fort Siloso! Which lives in a bit of infamy due to the British pointing their guns in the wrong direction, anticipating an attack from the sea when the Japanese decided to attack by land.

It’s a bit of a sombre historical area, as due to this failure the Singaporeans went through many hardships including an ethnic cleansing against the local Chinese population by the Japanese occupiers. But it’s highly worth, as you get to learn the history of budding resistance forces and some Singaporean war heroes. I also learned that I would not survive as a WWII soldier down there. It is FOR SURE haunted.

temple-core

I’m not sure how universal this is, but growing up I went to a few temples in Taiwan. I think they’re all Buddhist or maybe some Taoist — all I know is that I have to pray by bowing three times.

And with all the unrest and turmoil going in the world and for the success of my current project at work, I decided to pray at TWO different temples: the Chinese one AND the Hindu one.

Walking into the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, my senses were immediately attacked by the smell of incense and the sound of chanting. Tourists lined the wall sanctum as a group of people recited scripture while praying to a very big Buddha statue.f.

The deal with this Chinese temple is that it’s allegedly the housing place for the Buddha tooth (hence, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple). I know my eyesight is screwed when I got into the tooth room and … could not see the tooth. But I decided to believe in the energy of the tooth. And prayed lolol.

I also happened upon TWO separate museums in this — one for various Buddha statues (which felt more like a gallery) and one for the various significant Buddhist figures.

chilling at the jewel

After a really fun four days with Keith, he sadly had to go do his reservist training. So I spent my last day hanging out with esteemed subscribers Magdalene Lam and Stephen Davis!

Mag and Stephen landed at around 5pm on Thursday, leaving me an entire day to do a cool museum (we will get to that in a later edition) as well as the temples that I mentioned above. And as soon as they landed I met them, esteemed subscriber Rachel Lam and their mom at a frog leg porridge spot. Most people would probably think that frog leg porridge is probably not that common, and surely only one of the restaurants in the area would sell it. WRONG! I guess it’s the specialty of the neighborhood Geylang, which is also apparently the red light district.

We also grabbed some durian! Mag and Stephen declined, but their dog Char Siew had NO problem sharing with me.

The next day was more of an adjustment day for Mag and Stephen, and a gift shopping day for me. Any esteemed Boilermaker subscriber remember the tunnels? Well most of the malls in Orchard are connected by tunnel for a different reason: shelter from the heat.

We walked through a couple malls this way, but when we got to Takashimaya Mag said that we HAD to see it from the outside. And tell me why this mall is shaped like a traditional Chinese grave!!! Apparently it’s because this was built on a burial ground so they had to do something to appease the spirits.

And thanks to the literally most insane Grab (southeast asian uber) driver, we made it to our last stop: Jewel at the Changi Airport. Thanks to his expeditious driving style, the three of us spilled out into the autumn Singaporean sun and quickly made our way over to the fountain. It’s impressive. I’m not sure how else to describe it other than it looking like some mystical waterfall in a carefully detailed jungle.

home now

I am home now! I’m very tired so I’m just going to end this. It was an awesome country — in some ways feeling very familiar like Taiwan, but also with the ease of using English. I’m so grateful to Harish and Keith and Mag’s families for letting me stay with them and taking me around the island, introducing the history, the culture and most importantly THE FOOD. Hope to see you guys soon!!!