We had a 24 hour layover in Singapore, so we decided to squeeze the most out of it. We met up with Travis and Rachel, good friends from Colorado, who have moved to Malaysia, right across the border from Singapore. Rachel is teaching Chinese kids English in a brand new school, and they Have also taken on the role of “dorm parents” to those students. We toured the Gardens by the Bay Area, walked along the helix bridge refreshed at a very fancy shopping mall at the convention center as it was 90 something degrees out with 100% humidity (sweating while standing still conditions). We also “dined” at one of Singapore’s very nice food stall halls or foodcourts. The city basically upgraded the historic hawker food cart centers into mall like food courts, where each stall has nice stainless steel kitchens and certificates of cleanliness. Singapore has some very impressive skyscrapers and is a city that clearly has made efforts towards keeping it clean through regulations and infrastructure. The official language of this City/Country is English, but Malay is a close second since it was originally part of Malaysia, however, many people still speak their native Chinese, or Tamil (Indian). We also strolled through Chinatown, which is a designated historic district in the city and is an interesting contrast to the new city towers built around it.
It was so cool to visit with friends on the other side of the world. We’re cooling down inside Marina Bay Sands after walking around Gardens By the Bay.
Gardens by the Bay. Designed in collaboration by two British firms, Grant Associates and Dominic White, and also local firms From Singapore. (See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens_by_the_Bay for more information). It was a really beautiful park in the heart of the city and really popular for both locals and tourists.
The Helix [Bridge] 2010 designed by Cox Group From Australia and Architects 61 from Singapore.
Andrzej walking across The Helix. It was pouring when we first arrived, so of course when we obtained an umbrella from our hotel the rain stopped and we toted the umbrella for the whole sunny afternoon.
Us walking on the Car bridge trying to find the entrance to The Helix pedestrian bridge.
Inside The Marina Center mall. Looking down on the food court area and the interactive light floor that was a big hit with kids.
Telok Ayer Market where we got dinner. A sharp contrast to Jalan Alor street food street in KL where we ate just two nights before.
Street scenes highlighting the regional architectural styles of some of the towers in the City Core.
The contrast between the historically designated Chinatown area and the new city towers built around it.
The historical traditional Malay houses with louvered windows that allow for breezes in the tropical climate.
A covered street in the historic district.
Goodnight Singapore!