Modern Singapore was established in 1819 by Sir Thomas Raffles. He opened a port free of taxes to encourage traders to leave the ports governed by the Dutch. After some time the freedom of trade, loose morals and almost absent policing drew in the worst kind of people. After 30 years there were only 12 police officers for the 60,000 people in the city and this led to widespread prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse. These days it has all been cleared up. Gambling is now regulated, possession of drugs results in a mandatory punishment of death, and the prostitutes were all too expensive for my budget, for these reasons Eunju and I only stayed in Singapore for 24 hours.
Walking down the streets of Singapore it almost feels like the British had never left. The Salvation Army, Costa Coffee, Cash Converters...I wondered if I was in downtown Singapore or on Bedford high street.
Our first stop on our itinerary was to see The Gardens By the Bay. They are quite fantastic and probably are the best gardens I've ever been to. Mind you, I don't frequent gardens all that much unless they're attached to a pub and the sun is shining.
Next we headed to the Marina Bay Sands building (the big ship one). It sort of summed up the city as a whole. As well as a luxury hotel it is a luxury shopping centre, of which I could afford very little. I think I'd need a trip to Cash Converters just to afford the parking fees.
One of our "must dos" was to eat at a Michelin star restaurant (what a tyre company knows about judging restaurants is beyond me, but it seems a reputable guide). The restaurant we had in mind was Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle owned by Chan Hon Meng, this meant another trip to Chinatown (our second visit to two different Chinatowns having only just recently left the actual China town of Beijing!)
The reason for our visit to Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle was that it is officially the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world. The restaurant owner has quite a nice story. A man from humble beginnings left school at 15 to work in a restaurant. He learned his trade from a Hong Kong chef and soon opened his hawker-style food cart. A representative from Michelin visited his stall and awarded him a star commenting that a star is awarded for quality of food, not how nice the restaurant is. Well, this guy seized his opportunity and cashed in on his 15 minutes of fame. The stall has gone and has been replaced by a fast food-style restaurant donning his star. And here it is, Michelin star advertising but sub-McDonald's quality.
Dry, cold rice, bony meat, and being hassled by the other customers for a table all for S$3.80 (£2.00). I can't help but feel I was overcharged.
The day was coming to a close and our itinerary was almost concluded, luckily there was an Arsenal game to keep us entertained. Let's not talk about the score though.
In the evening we left Clarke Quay and strolled down to the bay. We stopped by the statue of the big man. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. It was this very spot where is boat first landed on Singaporean shores on the 28th of January 1819, and it's fair to say his vision has become a success.
The next morning we flew out to Indonesia concluding our short-lived time in Singapore. 24 hours was possibly enough (especially at Singaporean prices!) on to the next one.
Walking down the streets of Singapore it almost feels like the British had never left. The Salvation Army, Costa Coffee, Cash Converters...I wondered if I was in downtown Singapore or on Bedford high street.
Our first stop on our itinerary was to see The Gardens By the Bay. They are quite fantastic and probably are the best gardens I've ever been to. Mind you, I don't frequent gardens all that much unless they're attached to a pub and the sun is shining.
Next we headed to the Marina Bay Sands building (the big ship one). It sort of summed up the city as a whole. As well as a luxury hotel it is a luxury shopping centre, of which I could afford very little. I think I'd need a trip to Cash Converters just to afford the parking fees.
One of our "must dos" was to eat at a Michelin star restaurant (what a tyre company knows about judging restaurants is beyond me, but it seems a reputable guide). The restaurant we had in mind was Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle owned by Chan Hon Meng, this meant another trip to Chinatown (our second visit to two different Chinatowns having only just recently left the actual China town of Beijing!)
The reason for our visit to Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle was that it is officially the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world. The restaurant owner has quite a nice story. A man from humble beginnings left school at 15 to work in a restaurant. He learned his trade from a Hong Kong chef and soon opened his hawker-style food cart. A representative from Michelin visited his stall and awarded him a star commenting that a star is awarded for quality of food, not how nice the restaurant is. Well, this guy seized his opportunity and cashed in on his 15 minutes of fame. The stall has gone and has been replaced by a fast food-style restaurant donning his star. And here it is, Michelin star advertising but sub-McDonald's quality.
Dry, cold rice, bony meat, and being hassled by the other customers for a table all for S$3.80 (£2.00). I can't help but feel I was overcharged.
The day was coming to a close and our itinerary was almost concluded, luckily there was an Arsenal game to keep us entertained. Let's not talk about the score though.
In the evening we left Clarke Quay and strolled down to the bay. We stopped by the statue of the big man. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. It was this very spot where is boat first landed on Singaporean shores on the 28th of January 1819, and it's fair to say his vision has become a success.
The next morning we flew out to Indonesia concluding our short-lived time in Singapore. 24 hours was possibly enough (especially at Singaporean prices!) on to the next one.
