9th March 2010
Singapore Airlines run a hop on, hop off shuttle bus around the city which has reduced rates for people who have flown with them (you simply show your boarding pass). We thought this would be a good way of getting our bearings. We headed off and sat at the bus stop for 45 minutes with no sign of the bus at all, so we gave up and of course as we rounded the corner having decided to walk saw the appropriate bus go sailing past not just us, but also the place it was supposed to have stopped so even if we had been at the bus stop it wouldn’t have passed us.
Giving the Singapore Airlines bus up as a bad job, we headed down to Orchard Road which is one of the big shopping districts of Singapore. As we wandered down this mall-lined street, we came to a shopping mall with escalators going right up the outside of the building. This was also one of the buildings we could see from our hotel room and which at night lights up with neon strip lighting. We jumped on and went right to the top where they were actually still working on the roof garden, but we had some excellent views of the city even though it was a bit hazy. There were 9 levels to this massive shopping centre and a vast array of shops and restaurants, most of which didn’t open until 11am, but then didn’t shut until 11pm.
Back down at street level, we continued along Orchard Road, marvelling at the shops and shopping centres, each seemingly grander than the last. It was a bit like being back in Las Vegas where you just wander along the strip looking at the casinos except that this time it was shopping malls instead.
We came to the very grand Ngee Ann City with its massive twin towers, fountain out front and imposing entrance flagged by dragons. The shops here were very exclusive, including top luxury brand names such as Cartier and Hugo Boss. We also passed a shop which sells the exclusive gold and diamond encrusted Vertu phones which are actually hand crafted in Winchester (I’ve done a translation on these, so was very interested to actually see the product, even if it was only in the shop window).
Our final stop on Orchard Road was the famous ION Orchard. Another huge mall with 4 levels above the street and 4 levels below and access to an MRT station and an interactive map so you can find your way around. All sorts of familiar names here, including New Look, Karen Millen and Warehouse, but the real treat was the food hall. You name it, you could get it here. A bit posher than other places we’ve seen with around 80 food stalls. we tried some small pastries from a bakery and they were delicious, freshly cooked.
By now we were getting a bit tired of the consumer mad side of Singapore so we jumped on the nearest metro train and went to Raffles Place which is actually nowhere near Raffles, the famous hotel.
On exiting this massive station we were greeted with a less manic side to Singapore. A lovely riverside stroll down past the old colonial building that used to be the General Post office and is now the exclusive Fullerton Hotel. Just a quick look at some of the cars parked outside was enough to give us an idea of the prices - a lambo, new Nissan supercar and Aston Martin in the same glance!
We walked down to Merlion park which features one of Singapore’s famous icons. All the while we were in the shadow of the imposing construction that will become the Marina Bay Sands Singapore. This ultimate resort will offer shops, restaurants, casinos, live shows and the Sky SandsPark, a public park on top of the three tower blocks where people can come and take in the view. A really spectacular development.
We wandered along the front of the marina before heading back up towards the theatre area and the war memorial. We then took the Queen Victoria walk back down towards the river past the Asian Civilisation Museum which is on our list of things to do later in the week and around the statue of Charles Raffles, marking the spot where he first landed in Singapore.
We had another very brief attempt at catching the Singapore Airlines bus down in this area before calling it a day and heading back to the hotel for a rest before going out this evening.
Feeling refreshed after a quick rest and a shower we were ready to visit that Singapore institution, Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling (what else!). Raffles Hotel is the famous colonial-style hotel in Singapore, dating from 1887, and named after Singapore’s founder Sir Stamford Raffles. It was where the Singapore Sling was invented sometime between 1910 and 1915 and has played host to some prestigious guests including the Queen, Charlie Chaplin and Elizabeth Taylor. We sat in the long bar and enjoyed our drinks while eating the free peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor. The floor actually crunches beneath your feet!
We finished our drinks and with the $30 price tag (£15) elected not to have another. Worth it for the experience, but quite touristy and not a place to spend the entire evening. We set off to walk back to the hotel and got dragged down some interesting streets and into the Bugis Village area. A complete antithysis to the refinement of Raffles, a manic marketplace with people everywhere, stalls selling everything you could imagine. We had a wander, but thought we would come back in the daylight when it might be less hectic.