Singapore

Arriving at Singapore airport, there was one big question rolling around in Magnus’ mind. The first time he visited four years ago, he really liked it. The combination of all the cultures, the range from simple/genuine to mega exclusive and the general cosmopolitan feeling made it a clear favorite at the time. Now, with the added experience of Kuala Lumpur, he was not so sure which of the two cities would be the pick of the litter. A sort of Asian metropolis death match if you will. And so it begins…

A visit to Singapore could easily break your bank, so we opted for a simple arrangement the first seven days and a bit of splurge for the last two. We started the adventure at Orchard Road, in an apartment through AirBnB. It was a simple two-roomer with full kitchen, bathroom and washing machine, located behind a doorman in the CentrePoint mall building. Orchard Road is not normally something you would associate with ”simple”, considering the über-fancy malls for the filthy rich dotting a considerable part of the street. But believe it or not, it was the best priced alternative we could find with reasonable access to the attractions (and the doorman was doing a fair impression of narcolepsia so he didn’t really exude any glamour). But the apartment was well suited to our needs, we felt rather at home pretty quickly and made heavy use of the washing machine.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells"

Every mall was thoroughly covered in christmas ornaments, fake snow and season greetings. Christmas music was played everywhere - on the streets, in the elevators, in the shops and soon enough in our heads too. Walking among palm trees and well-frequented outdoor cafes while listening to ”Let it snow” was a hard sell for us, even if the Orchard Gateway mall tried its best to help us with soapy foam-”snow” falling down on their plastic snowman and santa sleigh, adding very realistic slipperiness to the sidewalks. I suppose that we northerners really need proper cold and permanent darkness to find that christmas spirit. Since we chose not to spend this christmas in the Nordics, lack of christmas sprit is not a problem for us. So let it "snow" on Orchard road!

In Singapore, there are three main cultures and thus there are three ”enclaves” to visit: Chinatown, Little India and Arab Street (for the Malay people). Starting in Chinatown we checked the markets and had crazy-cheap chicken & rice lunch in one of the food stalls. Max got a set of children training chopsticks with a Minion-shaped rubber gizmo holding the ends together. This contraption he used to play with a rather expensive chess set until one of the pieces broke. None of us in the family can play chess worth much, but I guess we now have some rather elaborate equipment to hone our skills with, one of the pieces carefully taped together. Luckily, the store owner took a bit of pity on us and gave us a good discount. From now on, Max enjoys a vigilant escort whenever he enters a store. 

Tivoli? No, an Indian hindu temple.

Little India was intended to be the food highlight of the week, but unfortunately it became the opposite. Following Lonely Planet’s recommendation, we went to Lagnaa Barefoot Dining - the top 1 Indian restaurant, they claimed. Once there, it was clear that they focused on little else than the spiciness of the food. They had a 10-grade scale, and according to our waiter, 3 was the most she herself could handle (a born and bred Singaporean with Indian roots). From Magnus’ experience after having travelled India from south to north, often off the beaten track, for a month; food was generally spicy but nowhere near as spicy as for instance the thai food. Magnus ordered a level 3 dish and Satu a level 2. Both turned up close to being inedible, and they lacked the sophistication of carefully mixed spices that so clearly signifies Indian food. Magnus Chicken Tikka tasted like they had dropped a can of smoked paprika powder in the bowl and it made steam come out of our ears. Remember that we had so-called ”thailand spicy” food just little over a month ago without breaking into a sweat. The place was more about the macho bragging right of being able to finish a level this or that, a fact made perfectly obvious with their hall-of-fame at the cashier where patrons who were able to handle level 6 or more was immortalized. 

Cool kid getting a star in his hair

We soon got chirpy again thanks to a nearby place offering proper Chai Masala, lovely Indian tea, while we waited for a sudden rain to stop. We found a hairdresser with cool hair designs, so Max went in the chair for some star quality. We finished the Indian odyssé with a very typically colorful Indian tempel before making our way to the last stop of our ethnic tour.

The Arab Street is filled with small roads with all kinds of shops, bars and hotels. But it is the main walking strip Bussorah Road we found to be coolest. A majestic mosque marked the beginning of the road and towered there like a huge arabic fairytale castle backdrop. The prayers where soon streaming from the minaret loudspeakers and the picture was complete. There were plenty of nice restaurants all over the place and a cozy vibe. Our time was running out, prohibiting us from exploring it in detail so we hurried a couple of blocks southwest to see Magnus favorite building.

In 2002, the construction was completed on a 24 floor lavish spare-no-expense art deco skyscraper - ell over 70 years since the art deco style fell out of style. It was the last big project by a Taiwanese businessman, and most likely a labour of love. The result is, in our humble opinion, absolutely brilliant! The Parkview Square is one of the most expensive office buildings in Singapore, despite the rather big distance to the big business melting pot down by the waterfront. Despite the retro design, it does not look or feel like neither a has-been or a washed out replica of the real deal. This is very much the real deal! The materials, the level of detail, everything. Once we stopped gawking at the imposing exterior we tentatively entered the lobby. Magnus was kindly but decidedly shown the door four years earlier so we didn't expect to be able to stay long. Luckily, history did not repeat itself. The lobby consists of the Divine Wine bar, all in lavish art deco of course, and with a huge three-story wine cooler lining one end. To retrieve a bottle, a lady clad in a fairy suit complete with wings straps herself into a harness and gets lifted to the proper location. We marveled at the interior for a while, then we left with a mental note to return sans enfants for a much anticipated champagne tête-à-tête. Pardon our French :)

"Titta där!"

One of the more famous attractions is the Singapore Zoo, and especially the Night Safari. We did what any responsible parent would do and visited both on two separate days. The zoo is huge and well maintained, where most animal exhibits are cleverly planned so that you almost always got at least a pretty good look of the inhabiting creature (nudge to Skansen in Stockholm where we are almost convinced that the wolverine exhibit has been empty for the last 20 years but no one mustered enough energy to take down the signs). You come real close and personal with lovely animals like cheetahs, lions, white tigers and crocodiles. There are lots of neat rain shelters scattered around the area, which came in handy when we got surprised by a real tropical downpour, just in time for a well deserved snack. We took the trouble to go to the far end of the park to access the children area, but unfortunately the playground was closed for maintenance and the kid-friendly animal exhibits where mostly pony riding, which required older kids than ours. A bit of a bummer, but we all enjoyed the main attractions at least. When we returned for the night safari, it got little more exciting. You load up in a typical rubber-wheeled safari train and get driven around slowly while looking at the more nocturnal animals, like leopards, otters, deers and such. Every now and then you can disembark and walk some paths to further investigate. We went a full loop with the train first and then stopped for the wildlife show - a cute collection of small acts involving otters, chivets, snakes and such. They invited a guy up from the audience and hung a big python around his shoulders. Then they faked some kind of emergency and rushed off stage while all lights went out. Always nice to have a python to cuddle in the pitch black...

When we got out, there was a fire show going on. Four guys in "tribal" outfits where blowing fire and swinging torches around with expert skill. Magnus was busy shooting the spectacle when one of the guys approached and invited him up to join them. He obliged and was asked to remove the shirt, then was handed a torch and got to join in a bit of fire dancing. One of the tricks was to flick the torch back and forth once with such swiftness that the fire went out. The guys, of course, did this with no apparent effort, but Magnus struggled. By imitating their gestures, the flame barely stirred at all. Not before Magnus started to frenetically shake the torch all over the place, the flame finally died. But he made it, and he was shirtless like a real hero. The hero was then mercifully allowed off the stage with memorabilia badges, some moist towelettes and three splinters in his torch hand. Thug life! We took another spin with the train and went on the walking path to see the leopard and some bats. The bats were free-roaming in a special enclosure. There were both fruit bats and flying dogs, the former liked to swoosh by real close in the dark and the latter was huge and hung upside down, glaring at us. With some relief, we left the enclosure and made it to the exit. Since this was a night safari, we left the park around midnight. Saga had fallen asleep a way ago but Max got his batteries charged with all the excitement and it took a good while before he calmed down and tossed away in a back seat of a taxi.

Of course, one cannot visit Singapore without having a proper Singapore Sling, preferably at the point of origin: The Raffle's Hotel. In the Long Bar on the second and third floor, one can enjoy the original, complete with a big bag of unpeeled peanuts. The tradition dictates that you drop the shells on the floor, just as the old peanut farmers did. This was a small heaven for Max who took more care in dropping nuts on the floor than actually eating them. Kids really need a pause from the rules sometimes, right?! The drink was great and the bar is as well, with its old fashioned mechanical sun-fan style ceiling ventilation devices (mostly for show as the central A/C was doing its best to push the temperature below 10 degrees C). The Raffle's is a very nice place indeed, also complete with super-exclusive shopping. It has since long lost its ocean front due to heavy building up the land to accommodate more towers, but you feel the colonial wings of history in there so it's well worth a visit, Sling or no.







We did some window shopping in the crown jewel of the Orchard Road, the ION mall. Imagine Rolex, Patek Phillippe, Versace etc in endless rows of shops. Scattered around the concourses were pieces of art from humble artists like Salvador Dali and Botero. This would have been the perfect place to upgrade our fake Rolexes, but in the interest of a sound travel budget, we kept to just browsing. The Orchard chapter was coming to an end and we were getting more than ready to take on the next lodging: Marina Bay Sands!

Built as three separate towers, all joined together at the roof by means of a huge, shiplike roof/park/infinity pool, stands the Marina Bay Sands. Completed in 2010 it is arguably the most eye-catching building in downtown Singapore, stealing a lot of shine from institutions like the Raffles hotel. We had booked two nights there, with the intent to use the rooftop pool (available to hotel guests only), the gym and just wallow in luxury in general.
We got a room with city view on the 46th floor, and what a view it was! The room was spacious and very nicely decorated, with a big bathroom with tub and all sorts of niceties. The breakfast buffet was huge with excellent quality and the service was impeccable. It's not a cheap place but it becomes quite clear rather quickly that you get value for every penny spent.

Between the hotel and the sea is the Marina Bay Gardens, a large recreation and park area with playgrounds, walking paths and various attractions. The centerpiece is the Giant Tree forest, with several artificial tree-resembling structures packed with plants and lights with an elevated walking path between them to boot. It currently was clad in christmas decoration with several rides and even an ice skating rink.

Again, the smooth and sentimental voices of Bing Crosby et al filled the air, promising a white christmas, sleigh rides and jingling bells. We didn't want to meet Santa Claus nor play in  fake snow so we took the kids to the playground that had nice stuff for both Saga and Max. And the adjacent water play area was very much appreciated - we could barely haul them out of there when closing time approached. We stayed for the music & light show at the giant tree forest, which was a nice combination of classical music and the "trees" lighting up in all sorts of colors. Everything with the hotel as a majestic backdrop. A very nice day out indeed!


Being now in a well equipped hotel, we made sure to use the gym and sauna facilities. Being on a crosstrainer overlooking the whole business district and marina bay from level 55 was a very rewarding experience. And to finish it off in a quite well functioning sauna complete with a bucket and ladle was exactly what our weary backpacker bodies was asking for. We could not quite reconcile with the fact that the sauna interior was all TYLÖ. Anyway, it worked well enough and the löyly was lovely after some serious scooping. But gyms and all aside, the absolute main attraction of the hotel was the rooftop "park" with pool.



Sitting at level 57 on top of that boat like structure is the worlds largest rooftop infinity pool, and it makes you feel like you might just spill down into the bay at any time - but in a good way. There was also a shallow baby pool and some crazy hot jacuzzis overlooking the garden. The pool is reason enough in itself to book at least one night at the hotel, as it is not open to the public.

Groupie in the pool

Next to the hotel is the Marina Bay Shoppes, an underground galleria that even shamed the Orchard Road ION mall, except for the modern art which the Shoppes lacked. We could not help but wonder: how many watches in the >10'000 EUR range do they move per day? It had at least 10 exclusive chronometer brands in there, often wall to wall but sometimes interrupted with the occasional Versace or Prada boutique. We did not shop much here, but we had a great dinner at a French bistro, complete with a nice Cabernet Sauvignon. Even the kids seemed to appreciate a nicer atmosphere in comparison to all the Asian street food places we have been eating lately.

On another day in The Shoppes, we had coffee and ice cream at the Superheroes café - a place where you can gawk at 1:1 models of the batmobile while sipping a very agreeable cappuccino adorned with latte art superhero logos. Max got his first can of soda here - the Superman flavor. The feeling of walking by endless rows of haute couture and expensive horlogie suddenly interrupted by the batmobile was best described by a record playing Vivaldi where the pickup needle is pulled away, sideways. But it was nice too, in its own way.

Merlion, the mascot of Singapore

On the very last sightseeing day in Singapore, we visited Sentosa, an island packed with recreation like the Universal Studios theme park, waterpark(s), aquarium and  several artificial white sand beaches. We took the cable car from the harbor front, quite a vertigo-instilling experience but a very nice alternative to the boardwalk. Our timing was a bit unfortunate as the first beach we encountered was heavily rigged for an upcoming mega danceparty. Then the rain came and we were stuck under the roof of a beachfront pizzeria for an hour. After that we tried to reach the playground areas, but they closed before we managed to get there. We should have started out earlier, it seems, but the cable car ride made the trip worthwhile anyway. We decided to return to Sentosa but in 10 years or so, so that kids can fully enjoy all the attractions offered on the fun island.

On the last evening, we booked a babysitter via hotel and equipped her with bribery goodies, freshened up and hopped in a taxi, destination Parkview Square. Finally some adult time! Immersed in art deco goodness, we sipped some Veuve Clicquot and enjoyed a long and uninterrupted adult conversation while munching on a cheese platter. The small trio of musicians manned the grand piano, the bass and the mike and raised the mood even further. The place was perfect for us - just the right noise level, excellent ambience and good wines. The latter is something that is few and far between in Asia in general. The wine fairy took a few flights as well, but not on our account (they keep the house pours down in the bar and the more exclusive stuff up in the towering cooler). The house pours were real good so we were happy as clams. As an extra bonus we heard Satu's favorite song by Bo Kaspers Orkester, "Hon är så söt" played in the radio while we were waiting for taxi. Swedish music in Swedish played here in Singapore?! Amazed and happy, we returned to two sweetly sleeping kids and a babysitter chilling by the window. Excellent date night!

Asian Metropolis Deathmatch, and the results are in. Winner by a noselength - Singapore. The main reasons: everything works and are in excellent shape. The range of activities is staggering and you can go super low key one day and get on a mega splurge the next. KL is cool, but Singapore is cooler. So, it was not win by knock out for Singapore, but won it did.

Seasons greetings from Orchard Road