4ish Days in Surreal Singapore

Hello and xin chào!

(While we're at it: 你好, selamat siang, and வணக்கம்—though English is the primary language in Singapore, nearly everyone speaks either Chinese, Malay, or Tamil as well.)

I'm truly bewildered that it's already May, but at least Hanoi has been kind with the temperatures lately hovering in the low-mid 80s. It seems like adulthood is nothing but being shocked by the inexorable passage of time. April also flew by—and consequently remains a blur to me—because I spent nearly the entire month sick. I went from a cold to a sinus infection to an ear infection back to a sinus infection.

(This means I've done three courses of antibiotics, the first of which only partially helped. I finished most of the last course while I was in Singapore, where, true to form, I started pounding the pavement from the moment I got off the plane. That definitely didn't help my recovery, but it's a price I was willing to pay.)

In Vietnam, April 30th is Southern Liberation Day, or Reunification Day, which commemorates the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. May 1st, meanwhile, is International Labor Day. With these two paid holidays lined up, I took a 4-night trip to the futuristic city-state of Singapore.

View of Marina Bay Sands from the Cloud Forest dome—more on that later.

Singapore is, in a word, insane. The airport alone would be enough to make Walt Disney weep. Seriously, it felt like Epcot on steroids. (But with better food.) Alongside Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, Singapore was one of the Four Asian Tigers that from the 1970s to 1990s rapidly developed into high-income countries. Today, Singapore is the 9th most-developed country in the world—four places ahead of the United States.

The so-called Rain Vortex at Jewel.

After a 3.5-hour flight from Hanoi, I bolted through immigration—there wasn't even a queue—and headed straight for Jewel, a recently opened shopping and entertainment complex located between Changi Airport's three main terminals. Its centerpiece is the Rain Vortex, which is the world's largest indoor waterfall.

Along the outside of the atrium, there are immaculately landscaped walking paths through all sorts of tropical greenery. Trains connecting the terminals also pass by. Madness.

Chicken rendang sandwich and kaya butter toast.

Having missed dinner time on the flight, I stopped at a local chain café where I could try some kaya toast. A popular toast topping, kaya is a viscous Malaysian spread made from coconut milk, egg, sugar, and pandan leaves—I loved it. I also tried a delicious toasted sandwich filled with chicken rendang, an Indonesian curry made with coconut milk, chili, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, and shallots (which encompasses most of my favorite spices). I was exhausted beyond exhausted at this point, so it was time to catch the MRT (the local metro system) into the city, find my hostel, and sleep.

A main road in Singapore's Chinatown.

The next morning, I headed to Chinatown to meet my friend Rachel, a born-and-raised Singaporean who was in my study abroad program in Rome two years ago. Like everyone else but me on the program, she was an urban studies student at Cornell—so naturally, she made for a fantastic guide.

The lunch spread—and there was still one more dish on the way.

We had a fantastic lunch at a Peranakan restauarant—as you might recall from my post about Penang, the Peranakans are the descendants of Chinese immigrants to the British colonies in Malaysia, including Singapore. We had beef rendang (the delicious Indonesian curry I had tried the night before), ayam panggang (chicken in a coconut milk curry flavored with chili, garlic, and shallots), and kangkong lemak (morning glory, also known as water spinach, and sweet potatoes in yet another coconut milk-based curry). On the side there were some spicy pickled vegetables and sambal chili. It was the first of many fantastic meals I'd have in Singapore.

The Pinnacle@Duxton—the tallest public housing in the world—rising above a Chinatown heritage building.

Incidentally, the government had just unveiled the newest 20-year master plan for a public exhibition, which they do only once every five years. Rachel graciously spent well over an hour during her lunch break leading me around the exhibition and answering all my burning questions about the city-state and its lauded urban planning tradition. Singapore is renowned for cleanliness and efficiency—and it shows. Take the MRT, for example. The stations felt like mid-range shopping malls; I never had to wait more than five or six minutes for a train; and the trains themselves were so smooth you really didn't need the handrails.

Perhaps most interestingly, more than 80 percent of Singapore's 5.6 million people live in public housing on 99-year leases. Rachel told me that the cost of public housing, comprising massive apartment blocks, is as little as half the market value. Once you're allocated a 99-year lease, you can't sell it on the private market for five years, so there's not much property speculation—important for keeping housing costs down in such an expensive and densely populated city. (For reference, the entire country is only 279 square miles—less than a quarter of the size of Rhode Island.)

Worshipper at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown.

View from the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.

After lunch and the exhibition, I stopped in at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, where there was a lovely roof garden and some nice views of Chinatown and the downtown skyline.

View of Chinatown with a mural for the Year of the Pig.

Some Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay.

After a little wandering in touristy Chinatown, I caught the MRT to Gardens by the Bay. Built on reclaimed land, the 250-acre gardens are famous for their massive Supertrees as well as two climate-controlled (at 74°F) conservatories: the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome.

The main waterfall in the Cloud Forest.

View from one of the walkways through the Cloud Forest.

The Cloud Forest aimed to recreate the environment of a cool, tropical mountainside. You walked around the base of the 138-foot mountain before taking an elevator up seven stories and following suspended walkways back down to the bottom. It was nuts. Afterwards, I visited the larger but less mind-blowing Flower Dome, where I relaxed for an hour or so during a typical tropical thunderstorm.

View of Marina Bay Sands from the National Gallery.

My next stop? The 57th-floor bar at Marina Bay Sands, the distinctive three-tower hotel complex famous for its rooftop infinity pool. The drinks started around US$20, but the observation deck wouldn't have been much cheaper.

I timed my visit around sunset, and the thunderstorm cleared up at just the right time. I snagged one of the last few chairs and spent an hour and a half taking it all in.

The skyline at sunset.

A glimpse of how the other half lives.

Because of the rain earlier, only part of the bar's deck was open for most of the time I was there. Just as I was about to leave, though, they opened up the section abutting the iconic infinity pool—strictly for hotel guests only. I'm going to swim in that extraordinary pool one day even if it kills me. But for now, the view was more than enough.

Mutton murtabak with curry gravy and cucumbers on the side.

Before calling it a day, I headed to the historically Muslim quarter—Kampong Glam—for dinner. I went to try murtabak, a crepe-like pancake filled with omelette, onion, and minced meat—I chose mutton. The dish originates among Indian Muslim traders in the Arabian peninsula but has since become popular in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. You dip it in a spicy curry gravy, and by God was it delicious.

The place where I had eaten murtabak.

Street in Kampong Glam with the Masjid Sultan dome visible above the shophouses.

The next day, I headed back to Kampong Glam to see the colorful shophouses by day. I visited Masjid Sultan, a mosque built in 1929.

A detail on Masjid Sultan with the Duo Tower in the background.

Just outside the prayer hall. The digital clock is important for timing the five daily prayers—there was a neighboring clock showing the time in Mecca.

It was my first time in a mosque—it was light and airy, and there was surprisingly little ornamentation. The prayer hall, which non-worshippers could not enter, had no furniture, as worshippers only kneel. (Though the carpet, which extended into the lobby area, was extremely cushy.) My visit was brief, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

View of Masjid Sultan from a pedestrian street in Kampong Glam.

My plate of nasi Padang with an iced milk tea.

For lunch, I headed around the corner to have nasi Padang, steamed rice topped with your choice of Indonesian curries and vegetables. I have no idea what I was eating—you just pointed at the trays behind the counter—but it sure was tasty.

My lemon danish and an architecture coffee table book at Mother Dough Bakery.

After lunch, I paid a quick visit to a bakery recommended by my friend that was conveniently just across the street. I had a lemon danish, which was more like a croissant with a lemon glaze, and it was wonderful. The vibe inside was great, too, and I got to thumb through some lovely coffee table books—just like home.

Shophouses in Kampong Glam.

A view down bustling Haji Lane.

Next, I wandered to nearby Haji Lane, a pedestrian street lined with eclectic shops and bars. I could tell a thunderstorm was on its way, however, so I soon made my way over to the MRT for an afternoon at the National Gallery of Singapore.

View of the former exterior of the Supreme Court building.

The museum's architecture was impressive in and of itself. Opened in 2015, it consists of the former city hall and former Supreme Court building which have been connected by a five-story atrium. The collection was huge, so I focused on the modern Southeast Asian art exhibitions.

Landscape of Vietnam (1940) by Nguyễn Gia Trí. This painting combines an impressionistic landscape with traditional Vietnamese lacquer painting.

Morning (1963) by Chuah Thean Teng. This painting uses traditional Malaysian batik, a style of wax-dyed fabric that originated in Indonesia.

Like the MoMA in New York, the exhibits progressed from the mid-19th century to present. What made it fascinatingly unique, though, was that the subject matter was totally different from anything I've seen in an art museum before.

Age of Full Bloom (1979) by San Minn. The rectangular stamps visible on the painting came from a censorship board rejecting the painting from being shown in the dissident artist's native Myanmar.

The Funeral (2001) by Lê Quốc Việt. This painting mourns the loss of traditional Vietnamese culture during the rapid industrialization of the late-20th century.

My two-hour visit was wonderful—it's probably one of my favorite art museums now. I loved getting the chance to see such a diverse collection of non-Western art, and it was even better having traveled to most of the countries in the region.

Reflecting pool on the roof of the National Gallery, with the steeple of St. Andrew's Cathedral visible in the background.

View from the Naitonal Gallery's roof towards the cupola of the former Supreme Court building. 

Atop the museum was a roof terrace with reflecting pools and a lovely view of the downtown skyline, which made for a lovely end to an excellent visit.

A bridge over the Singapore River.

Statue of Stamford Raffles—the "founder" of modern Singapore in 1819—with riverfront shophouses and skyscrapers in the distance.

The rain having passed, I made my way to the quays along the Singapore River before venturing into a tangle of skyscrapers to get on the MRT. My destination? The 1950s housing estate of Tiong Bahru.

Some typical apartment blocks in Tiong Bahru.

A coconut palm in front of an apartment building.

Famous for its art deco architecture, Tiong Bahru is home to Singapore's hippest cafés and independent bookstores, hence my interest in visiting. I went to another bakery for a chocolate tart and then browsed some local books while walking around the tranquil neighborhood—especially so considering it's just a few stops on the MRT from the city center.

Sunset in Tiong Bahru.

Apartment towers in Bukit Merah View.

For dinner, I walked about 20 minutes through Singapore's immaculate landscaping to a neighboring estate called Bukit Merah View. Though this neighborhood certainly isn't in any guidebooks, some pre-trip research revealed that its hawker centre is home to some of the island nation's char kway teow. Hawker centres are an iconic feature of dining in Singapore: they're basically open-air food courts with dozens and dozens of individual stalls often specializing in no more than a handful of dishes.

My plate of char kway teow.

The atmosphere at this hawker centre was lovely—local families and friends sharing delicious and cheap food in a hive of activity. An extremely clean one, too. Each housing estate has its own hawker centre, which made this one feel very local and communal. The food, meanwhile, was incredible. For about US$5, I got a big plate of super delicious char kway teow, wide rice noodles stir fried in dark soy sauce and chili with cockles, chives, and beansprouts. It was spicy and savory and magnificent. Exhausted from trekking across the city all day, I then made my way back to the hostel.

Market on Albert Mall.

The next day, Labor Day, I started out with some wandering near my hostel and found a street market on pedestrianized Albert Mall.

An ethnically Chinese woman burning incense and praying outside a Hindu temple on Albert Mall.

Given that it was International Labor Day, the area was bustling, particularly the Hindu and Chinese temples that were only a few doors down from one another. Singapore law actually mandates that houses of worship are located near those of other religions so as to prevent the inter-religious strife that rocked Singapore in the '50s and '60s. Today, the country is the definition of religious pluralism: the population is 33 percent Buddhist, 19 percent Christian, 18 percent irreligious, 14 percent Muslim, and 5 percent Hindu. (Interestingly, the government also maintains ethnic quotas in public housing to prevent ethnic enclaves from forming.)

Looking up at the apartment blocks in Toa Payoh.

After my wandering, I headed to a typical housing estate outside of the city center to meet my friend Rachel for lunch. Built, like many others, as a planned town, Toa Payoh is definitely not in any guidebooks. Its hawker centre, however, is home to a reputable, relatively affordable stall serving a classic Singaporean dish simply known as chili crab.

I swear I hold my chopsticks better than this—I got flustered and didn't know where to put them.

This is not a dish for one person. You buy it by the crab—which starts around US$20 for 2 lbs at the absolute minimum. The whole crab is cooked and then served in a sweet and savory chili sauce thickened with eggs. It's up to you and your dining companions to sift through it all and crack open the crab to get to the meat—mostly with your bare hands. (There's also a crab cracker, which is sitting in the bowl on the right.)

A close-up of the chili crab.

I totally loved it—and I was doubly excited because I didn't think I'd get the chance to try it if I was on my own. Getting to the crab meat was a process, but it sure was delicious. There were also some deep fried buns called mantou to dip in the sauce. When all that ran out, I continued to shovel the irresistible sauce into my mouth with a spoon.

Afterwards, Rachel brought me to the Singapore Botanic Gardens in her family's car—which is not terribly common to own given that a new family sedan starts at around US$100,000 there. It was the first time I've been in a private car (as opposed to a taxi) since I came to Vietnam nearly nine months ago—and it was my first time ever sitting in the front seat of a right-hand drive car, which was strange. Otherwise, it felt unexpectedly homey to be in a car with Alanis Morissette playing on FM radio.

Orchids at the National Orchid Garden.

The centerpiece of the botanical gardens is arguably the 7.5-acre National Orchid Garden. Filled with more than 60,000 plants from 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids, it was a lush, tranquil spot to walk around. (In retrospect, however, being there in the mid-afternoon heat was not the best choice.)

More orchids.

Once we had our fill of orchids, Rachel and I traipsed around the rest of the impressive botanical gardens for an hour or so. Then, we went to cool off in a wonderfully hip but inexplicably expensive café in a tony pocket of the island called Dempsey Hill. We had to wait a little for a table, so in the meantime we perused an outpost of high fashion retailer Dover Street Market. Created by Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons fame, the only other locations are in London, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Beijing. It was entertaining to gawk at the four-figure price tags on the sometimes cool, sometimes ugly designer streetwear populating the dozens of racks.

Look! It's me and a person I know!

Eventually we got to relax in the café for a while, and we got a picture together before heading out. Since it was a holiday for Rachel as well, she had to finish up packing for a red-eye to Seoul, so she graciously dropped me off at a nearby MRT station to get back to my hostel.

My plate of chicken rice.

On my final night, I stopped at a Uniqlo in the ritzy shopping district of Orchard Road, and I still had one more dish to check off the list before my flight the following morning: Hainanese chicken rice. Often described as the quintessential Singaporean comfort food, chicken rice consists of carefully poached chicken and rice cooked in chicken stock, ginger, and garlic. Served with dark soy sauce and pickled vegetables, the seemingly simple dish manages to pack a lot of flavor—and the chicken was possibly the most tender I've ever had. It was a lovely way to cap off my wonderful experiences trying Singapore's street food.

The next morning, it was time to head to the airport, an attraction unto itself. Having already visited Jewel (which was located outside of immigration anyway), I took the extra time to explore the terminals of what's been hailed as the world's best airport for seven years running. The hands-down highlight? The butterfly garden.

Without leaving the transit area, I got to spend 15-20 minutes in a multi-story butterfly garden. At the airport. It was an unbelievably soothing way to kill time before my flight back to Hanoi. Although the butterflies aren't super easy to see in the video, there were hundreds of them alternately fluttering around and languidly feeding on the flowers.

One of the butterflies at the Changi Airport butterfly garden.

Sadly, I had a flight to catch—and it was beyond muggy in the butterfly garden anyway. So ended my whirlwind trip to Singapore. It'll be a while till I'm back on the figurative road again (by which I mean more than a month), so who knows what my next post will be about. In the meantime, I'll be taking it easy and praying for tolerable weather here in Hanoi.

(Check out more photos from Singapore here!)

Till next time,
Gray