Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Arab Street
Yes, we are walking inside Arab street now. Did not really take a lot pictures, the batteries are giving us problem.. the camera keep telling us to change the batteries when it is new! There are a lot of decorative shophouses, most of them selling fabrics (the prices are quite competitive) and rattan shops selling handicrafts, they even have bags made of rattan.
Kampong Glam
The Kampong Glam area is the historic seat of the Malay royalty, resident here before the arrival of Raffles.
Walking inside the corridors, there are quite a number of unique shops. Indeed, if you want to buy presents for any occasions, perhaps you can come here to keep a sneak. They sell delicate bead purses and mirrors, vintage phone sets, weird cards and all sorts of cute stuffs.
We wandered around into a mysterious shop opened by a Pakistanis, they sell clothing similar to the style of British India at a cheaper price. So.. no harm dropping by the shop to have a look. They have all sort of belts, shawls, tops and bottoms, from India.
We spent more than 1 hour chatting.. Yes, more than one hour. She is SO FRIENDLY!! Once you got familiar with her, she will even offer you great discounts. Heehee.
*CI-KI* We took a picture together! She took the chance to flaunt her shop items, the beautiful shawls as the background and those earrings on the racks!
When your stomach start growling, it's never hard to find food in Kampong Glam!
"HJH ESAH" - The Malay eating house. Finally, we got to sit down. Our poor legs are aching so badly -__-"
Sneaking view of the back alley.
The MENU! and Our Map.
Our table. 8 - in chinese is pronounced as 'BA', has a similar pronunciation to 'fa' which means prosperity. Yes, though it is an outdoor eating house, we are not supposed to smoke, in consideration of other diners.
OUR FOOD HAS ARRIVED!!! Despite the hunger, Yuxuan took this photo before both of us jump at the food. Yuxuan ordered Nasi Goreng and I had Nasi Pattaya. The serving is huge and super yummy yummy!!! : )~ What a beautiful end to Arab excursion, LOL. By the way, the atmosphere is good, you get to sit and relax in an outdoor environment, there is no traffic (no noise + pollution), it is very breezy and the food is good.
Photos belonged to Singapore Own Artificial Intelligence, to be credited if used.
Labels: Arab Quarter, Ethnic Discovery
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Chinatown - Part I
Stepping onto Chinatown
Look at these shophouses! These were specially designated for the Chinese community in the 1828 Town Plan, and were once filled with immigrants that came from China. You can now catch a glimpse of their living space in Chinatown Heritage Centre along Pangoda Street.
As I embarked on my journey in rediscovering Chinatown, I was filled with different insights. These are a few shops lining up the streets, and they always have surprises installed for you, from the most practical items, i.e. a cap, a hand-held fan for you to fight the sun with, they even have handicraft items. I always thought that Chinatown is a shopping destination for the older generation, it was an eye-opener for me to see that Chinatown has modernized and selling apparels that appeals to the young ones. Yeah, you will definitely not regret exploring Chinatown, and that's provided if you have the time and enough leg muscles to conquer the shopping aka cultural village! In addition to that, the prices are very reasonable and there's a wide variety to choose from! And of course, even if you are tired from all the walk, there are local food centers, pubs and cafe whereby you can take a breather and enjoy watching the walks of life before your eyes!
Besides fashion, I found out that the tourists hot spots are the cultural shops that sells antiques, mini-Buddha statues, or mostly sourvinier shops. Indeed, they are very popular sites, be very impressed when you walked into the shop and see what is presented before your eyes! (Sorry, no photography inside the shop. Boo boo!) Oh, if you think they only sell BIG items, you are wrong. They are also selling antique mirrors, those hand-held ones, delicated gift-cases and ancient wooden boxes for safekeeping of your accessories.
The photographs shown below captured the beauty of antique statues.
Be assured that Singapore is always full of surprises, no matter where. Be prepared to get more than what you expect!
Photos belonged to Singapore Own Artificial Intelligence, to be credited if used.
Labels: Ethnic Discovery
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