Singapore Re-visit

Nearly a week ago, we flew out from Shanghai to start our one week of rest and relaxation courtesy of the company that JCS works for. Our first stop was Singapore. We have a favorite hotel there and a couple things that we like to do while we visit one of our favorite Asian cities.

This time in addition to getting our tea and coffee fix at Toast Box (greatest and cheapest kopi-oh and teh-oh in the neighborhood- we are talking about an uber brewed ceylon type tea with loads of milk and sugar and same with the coffee), our late afternoon cocktails at the Conrad Hotel and the fine sleep brought to us by the great mattresses and pillows at the same hotel, we added a couple of new things.

It just happened to be Singapore's national holiday on the Saturday of out arrival, so we were treated to some fine fireworks. Although they were much smaller in amount and size, the display ended with heart shaped fireworks (I have never seen those before). There was also a great band playing cover songs as well as some of their own in one of the grandstands by the water. They did, an arguably better than original, version of Lady Gaga's Poker Face (band called 53A). There was even some hippie dancing from a member of the audience.

On the following day, I went to the Museum of Asian cultures to have a look at their collection. I was lucky to find a temporary photographic display of Steve McCurry's work. He is very famous for a photo of a young Afghan woman which was the cover of a National Geographic some years ago. This exhibition was his first solo presentation in Singapore. There was also a number of photographs from Iraq, Tibet, Cambodia and Yemen. Stunning photography. His tends to use color as a focus point in his photos. Check his website out here. The rest of the museum was pretty good too. Each Asian culture that makes up Singapore has been represented in a gallery. There are tons of artefacts, lots of textiles and an incredible array of gold jewelry. I could not believe all of the gold earrings and bracelets included in the displays. The pieces are all quite intricate too. The time period of the pieces was not always included, so a sense of time was missing from the place.

It would hardly be a blog post without another reference to food or drink, and so here it is. On my way back from the museum to the hotel, I stopped at a couple of street vendors. At the first one, I bought an ice cream bar. Since these bars are not pre-made, you need to first select the flavor of the ice cream from the laminated sheet attached to the cart. He offered durian (mmmmm), strawberry, chocolate, red bean and lots of other mundane flavors. Strangely, I chose corn flavored cream. I say this, because many of you will know that I prefer my corn on the cob. period. Once selected, he reached into his cart, pulled out a box for the corn ice cream, pried a wedge off the rest and placed it between two wafer cookies. I have to say that the first two bites tasted like sweet corn, and the rest just like regular sweet ice cream. I liked it, but there was no leisurely enjoyment of the treat since it was hot and humid outside. Oh yeah, the price was right: two Singapore dollars.


At the second cart, I bought a can of Milo. Those of you familiar with Horlicks or Ovaltine, will know that this is a near relation, like maybe a first cousin, to the two. It was cold and tasted a little less sweet than chocolate Ovaltine. A bit thirst quenching, but really satisfying. And it comes in a can... no mixing required!