After quickly showering and unpacking we headed back out into town taking the MRT to City Hall station. From there we walked to the iconic Raffles Hotel, named after Sir Stamford Raffles who founded Singapore and established the East India Company in 1819.
Whilst there, we looked in the famous Long Bar where Singapore Sling cocktails set you back $29 each. I loved the colonial style of Raffles with its tall palms and large rattan cooling fans.
Next it was time to eat, so we studied our map and walked along to the Esplanade where we found Makansutra/ Gluttons Bay Hawker Stall.
This is an outdoor food court seating 550 people with 12 food stalls offering a large range of street food from chilli crabs to noodles. In one corner there is a kiosk selling drinks to accompany the food. As it was a Saturday evening it was really crowded but eventually we managed to find two seats. Tables are large, shared ones but everyone we met was very friendly and it was fun sharing experiences with locals and fellow travellers. In fact, we struck up a conversation with two off duty BA flight attendants who told us that they always tried to eat at Gluttons Bay on their stopovers. I went to order some food, we kept it simple on our first night with dishes of Chicken Fried Rice and Nasi Goreng, two Roti Canai (delicious flatbread) and a bottle of Tiger beer each.
The food was very cheap, $14 and the beers $5.90 each. It’s a really atmospheric place and it felt lovely being able to sit out, late at night without even a jumper, so unlike home.
We walked along the waterfront to view the iconic Merlion statue half mermaid half lion which is the emblem of Singapore and admired the waterfront cityscape of Marina Bay. Soon afterwards tiredness caught up with us and we returned to Clarke Quay by MRT. Shortly afterwards we were tucked up in bed asleep after an amazing first look at Singapore.
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Thanks for visiting my country and blogging so nicely about it. It looks like you dived into the local experiences from the get go! 🙂
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We loved our visit to Singapore and look forward to returning sometime in the future.
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Reblogged this on Our Travel Blog.
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beautiful place
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Thank you!
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Reminded me of the time I was in Singapore. It was for a very short while but enjoyed it. Spent a considerable time at the waterfront of Marina Bay.
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I loved Singapore, especially walking around Marina Bay in the evenings. Thank you for your much appreciated thoughts.
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Great post. I am just scanning in old photos and have just finished the ones from our 1982 trip to Singapore. Singapore Gin Slings were a lot cheaper then, but the place was still fascinating. I have to make it back one day. The food choices in Singapore are never ending.
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It’s lovely to keep old photo albums of past trips before the digital age and bring them out to recall happy memories. We have many albums and one day I need to scan our photos as well. I loved Singapore and hope to return soon. I hope you also get a chance to return and see how it has changed over the years. Thanks for your welcome thoughts, they are most welcome.
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I visited Singapore half a year after you did :)! I LOVED it. It felt a bit sterile, but it was a fascinating city-nation, especially in contrast to its neighbors. For me, it was a much welcome breath of advanced economy comfort after weeks of Thailand and Indonesian countryside.
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Lovely to hear from you Nedgma – so pleased you also enjoyed visiting Singapore, I’ve so far only visited Bangkok in
Thailand but understand what you mean.
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I loved Singapore! Great to read what you got up to too 🙂
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I love Singapore too. Can’t wait to return. Thanks for reading and commenting on my post.
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So lovely to read your posts about my country! Very well taken shots too. BTW thanks for dropping by our blog too. 🙂
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Thank you for your encouraging comments, we just loved Singapore and are eager to return!
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Very cool! I think Singapore may be my next big trip, haven’t officially decided yet, but it’s definitely high on my list. Great to see your photos and tips here!
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Thank you for your kind words. Yes, Singapore is amazing, I’d return anytime!
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