Swan BradshawDay 1
Arrived in Singapore at 8:40pm local time! And checked into JW Marriott South Beach.
First meal in Singapore, breakfast at the hotel lounge. It was sooo goood!
This morning we left the hotel at 8:30am to Palawan Beach embarking on a Thomas Dambo troll hunt in Sentosa Island. The 4 giant trolls were built in 2022 in commemoration of Sentosa Jubilee events. We took a taxi from the hotel and were dropped off at the back of The Outpost hotel next to Palawan Kidz City. We went through Kidz City to the beach just right ahead.
Little Lyn the troll can be found hiding in the little forest right across from Kidz City.
Dreamer Dee was our next find: enjoyed the crystal ball in his hands made out of recycled trash, laying in the sun, located on a little island at the southernmost part of continental Asia. You can’t walk all the way up to him but there is a photo frame on the island where a picture can be taken with him.
Curious Susie lays on the beach about a quarter of a mile up ready to pose for photographers coming by.
Reef the Chief hides in the little forest past Curious Susie and the lifeguard tower. He is waiting right there for anyone interested for a picture!
After tracking down all the giant trolls at Palawan Beach, we took a taxi to Lau Pa Sat for lunch. A huge thanks to the receptionist at The Outpost hotel who helped up get a taxi as it seems that getting a taxi is not the most convenient thing in Singapore now that everything is done through ride sharing apps which were proving to be a challenge to set up with US phone numbers (we have since been able to set up the Grab app so suspect this will now be easier).
After lunch at Lau Pa Sat, a popular hawker stall type restaurant, we couldn’t get a taxi that would stop for us. Most of the taxis were either “on call” or “hired”. So we walked back to our hotel.
On the way, we came across the duplicate version of “The Thinker” by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), the Merlion, Marina Bay Sand, Esplanade, Suntec, and finally back to the hotel.
We also met with our friends who came to pick us up at the hotel to show us around the Eastern part of the island of Singapore where they live.
We went to try the best curry puffs in Soon Soon Huat, Katong in Singapore.
Then dinner at Chili Padi, a peranakan ( native Malay) restaurant. The. Food was amazing!
And we also went past an older historic section of town in Joo Chiat with preserved buildings.
What a fun and rewarding first day in Singapore!
Day 2
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Penang Restaurant
We had lunch at “Penang”, a buffet style Malaysian cuisine, although a la carte was available as well but we could definitely sample more variety with the buffet. The waitress explained that the buffet was Sin$39 +++ ( meaning plus tax, service, and can’t remember what else was +). The bill turned out to be close Sin$100 in total, pretty expensive considering the number of choices available. I could no longer brag about how nice the chef is now as the head chef refused to make fried rice vermicelli for me instead of fried Kuey Teow that was served. during the last couple of times when we visited Singapore, the head chef was willing to make the dish for me – but not the current chef.
HarriAnns
I am a fan of kuih muih ( Malay dessert) and there’s this restaurant at Suntec that sells it. It gets pretty crowded especially during the weekends. This restaurant also offers noodles and other Chinese desserts.
Chin Chin Restaurant
We went to Chin Chin 津津 for lunch, the food was very good. It was getting crowded and we had to share a table with another family of 3. By the time we were seated, the line outside was pretty long! Our total bill was only Sin$45!
However, this restaurant does not have air conditioning but has big fans that provide fairly good ventilation – and the food was well worth it!
Garden by the Bay
After dinner, we took a Grab car to Garden by the Bay. There are two domes at Garden by the Bay where tickets are required for admission.
We also saw the musical performed by the bay in front of Marina Bay Sands at 8pm. Many people queued up ahead of time for the best view of the performance but we were happy to stay back and enjoyed the performance.
Glutton Bay
With the breeze in the evening, we enjoyed a little stroll back to the hotel. We even stopped at Glutton Bay for some popiah on the way.
Sugar Cane Machine
Here’s another attraction on the way … the sugar cane juice machine. Once money is inserted, you can see inside the machine as it loads up a stick of sugar cane and freshly squeezes the juice in a cup, seals it, and it’s all ready for pick up. The juice tasted really good!
Water Cycle Exhibit
At One Raffles link right adjacent to the Esplanade Mall, there is a beautiful art exhibit – a 2-storey high fully functional water wheel that cycles with flowing water. It is interesting and beautiful to observe the flow of water on the benches facing the cycle. As an island nation with no natural resources, the Water Cycle represents Singapore’s commitment to sustainability and water management. This architectural marvel is wonderful as an art piece but also represents an educational exhibit to teach and inspire visitors about the importance of water conservation and the complexity of the water cycle.
It was a short 2-day visit in Singapore but we hit all the right places!
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