Today, I was in for another wonderful day of heat. But I won’t complain about that anymore than to just say that I sweat non-stop for every moment that I was not indoors. In fact, for the most part, If I was awake I was pretty much sweating the entire time.
That’s not to say that all places in Singapore are hot. In fact they love their malls so much that they air condition the sidewalks just so that people are comfortable walking around to buy things. Now that’s a generation of dedicated shoppers.
And amazing malls aren’t the only things that I’d see on my photo-walk through Singapore’s Bugis area. I must have walked seven or eight miles throughout the course of the day, too. And while incorporating old colonial era architecture with the new age design of the world’s elite planners, this region of Singapore is truly worth the work to see.
It was nice to see just how much of the old cultural influence still has a hold on this futuristic, artsy, progressive city.
I stayed mostly away from the myriad shopping complexes in the city. I know that Singapore is famous for its shopping. But because of that, I am sure there are other places to find documentaries and blogs about them. No, sir. This trip was more about squeezing the “real” Singapore out of this place.
And where better than cultural heritage spots, museums and the old quarters. In this tiny island nation, there are plenty of those. But luckily, while the culture is spread out all over, the museums and dedicated architecture has a centralized location and can be browsed at an even walking pace in one afternoon or so.
I eventually made my way around to the opulent palace-like hotel where the original Singapore Sling was invented and first served. There is a lot of history in this place as well.
In 1887, the Sarkies brothers, Armenian emigrants, opened this bar in its first form – a 10 room bungalow. From there, its success was certain.
It soon grew into what was known around the world as the classy-people’s diner. Ngiam Tong Boon invented the Singapore sling, which now costs a bewildering $26 and tastes like costs much less. The very last of the world’s Singaporean Tigers was shot dead underneath a pool table, having escaped from the zoo and finally cornered here. In 1991 it had a $160-million renovation which brought it to its present form. And if you’re in the area and have an extra $750 lying around, feel free to book a room.
After cooling down and taking a breather, I headed back out to continue my photo walk to check out what else there was. There are churches and cathedrals all over the place. And there’s no need for a guide to make it around to all these places. Anyone walking around in this area likely works or lives there. So they should be able to direct you to all the hot spots.
And speaking of hot spots, I stopped by the Cafe La Caire and made some new friends, ate some great food and made another wonderful memory for the second day of my trip.
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