6pm Monday, March 6, 2006 Singapore

Yesterday we spent the majority of the day weaving in and out of air-conditioned shopping malls on Orchard Road. The highlight – for me, anyway – was the Centerpoint Mall where I found a fantastic pair of eyeglass frames. I didn’t recognize the brand, i.e. it’s not the usual Singapore fare of high-end labels like Versace, but the frame designs were actually more daring than than the frame designs from known fashion labels.

We got back to the hotel around 3pm and had another well-earned siesta. We arose at 6pm for a quick shower before catching the MRT and bus to the Night Safari. The best part of the evening was the route 138 bus ride, which wove through some amazing housing estates and park land. The Night Safari was as expected – very commercial but somehow amazing. The electric tram ride wove through herds of animals that I’d never seen before, including tapirs, hyenas, elephants, and even gigantic rats from South America. The hyenas were truly frightening. I wouldn’t want to meet one in a natural environment, let me tell you!

This morning we arose at 7am and enjoyed a leisurely morning of television and hotel-room instant coffee in bed. Then we went out for another budget breakfast of coffee, yoghurt, and bun from the 7-Eleven across the street. At 9:30am we started walking up Bencoolen toward Little India, with the intent of following a walking tour recommended by Lonely Planet before it got really hot. Of course, it was 30+ degrees by 10am!

Mom outside the Abdul Gaffoor Mosque:


We turned from Bencoolen/Jalan Basar onto Mayo and admired our first mosque of the tour, the Abdul Gaffoor Mosque. We turned right onto Perak Road then left onto Dunlop Street, which was lined with budget hostels that looked much more “well-run and clean” than the Mackenzie Hostel. We turned left onto Clive Street and right onto Campbell Lane, where we ran into a guided tour group that was just exiting the Little India Arcade. We walked around the Arcade a bit, then exited onto Serangoon Road. We walked up Serangoon to the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple where locals were arriving for worship. We loitered around the entrance for bit to listen to the chanting and smell the incense. A sign outside the temple explained that it was dedicated to Kali who is, if I remember, a very sexual deity. I’ll have to research that a bit to make sure.

The entrance to the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple:


From there we walked back down Serangoon and turned right onto Kerbau Road where we admired the Tan House. The Lonely Planet recommended a much longer tour but by then I was getting some serious chub rub/heat rash so we decided to head to the MRT. We went back to the Centerpoint Mall where I purchased the eyeglass frames I’d admired yesterday, then we caught the MRT to City Hall and walked over to the Raffles Hotel.

Tan House in Little India:


The entrance to the hotel was very grand and we looked somewhat out of place with our red, sweaty faces and rumpled travel clothes. We went outside and meandered around the hotel to the central courtyard/fountain. We sat for a while under the palm trees and just soaked up the ambience. We were started to feel peckish so I looked at the restaurants listed in the Lonely Planet and noticed that there was a Peranaken restaurant nearby.

For those unfamiliar with it, Peranaken food is a mix of Chinese and Malay ingredients and sauces. It’s often sold in hawker stalls but don’t be fooled – the ingredients can be quite varied and the tastes can be quite complex.

We were really excited to have Peranaken food again so we walked over the Empire Café for lunch. Mom had lamb curry and I had Char Kway Teow. Both dishes were excellent.

From there we went back to the City Hall MRT to refund our E-Z Link cards. Then we walked back to the hotel via Bras Basah Road. Construction was blocking the sidewalks so we had to take a detour through the Singapore Art Museum, up Waterloo Road to Middle Road, then down Bencoolen to our hotel.

We got back to the room around 4pm and I immediately curled up in bed for a siesta. Mom woke me up at 6pm. We’re going to walk down to the Sunshine Plaza Internet Café to check email, then we’re going to have an early night.

Tomorrow we have to be at the airport at 7am to catch our 9am flight to Auckland. The flight is another long one, 10.5 hours with no stopovers. We may have some jet lag this time because we’ll be arriving at midnight local time, but according to our body clocks it will be just 7pm.