Sunday was so hot, guys. I literally almost passed out like twice while walking Giove around from end to end of Singapore.
After Gardens by the Bay (my favorite sight IN Singy), I took Giove up to the top of MBS to see my favorite sight OF Singapore.
Tucked down a few stairs from the opening of LAVO on the 57th floor roof of Marina Bay Sands is the best view of Singapore…ever!
It’s technically a smoking corner for patrons of the hotel pool but it’s my favorite place to look out.
We looked out on the ocean with all of its ships and boats lined up at attention and took it all in for justttt a second longer before heading back downstairs and back into the morbid heat.
The Helix Bridge connects Marina Bay Centre to the Marina Bay South area. Aptly named, it closely resembles a double helix of DNA and adds yet another futuristic touch to the Singapore skyline.
Stepping down off the other side, we braved more unrelenting sunlight and made our way towards Esplanade, Singapore’s home for the performing arts. Esplanade’s claim to fame, however, is the fact that it is shaped like an enormous durian.
Durian, perhaps the smelliest fruit in the world, is largely considered a delicacy here in Southeast Asia. It’s enormously expensive and people are extremely defensive over which strain is the best.
To me, it smells like hot garbage and tastes like it too. But alas – a lot of other people seem to love it. And Esplanade is shaped like it!
Onwards!
Raffles Hotel. A five star, luxury hotel that sits right near City Hall in downtown Singapore. It is the most famous hotel in Singapore and epitomizes the rich colonial history of this tiny country. Named after Singapore’s founder, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Raffles Hotel was opened in 1887.
It was originally a privately owned beach house (I wish!) before it was turned into a hotel, luring many famous people into its enclaves over the years. Pretty amazing that it has endured 130 years of history and all of the interesting people throughout!
It it held in such high esteem in Singapore that in 1987 it was designated a national monument by the Singapore government!
Raffles Hotel is also known as the birthplace of the Singapore Sling cocktail. The Long Bar, Raffles Hotel’s signature bar on the second story of the hotel, boasts that Hainanese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon invented the cocktail in 1915. You can have one for yourself at a pretty penny – SGD 34 a pop.
Giove and I sat at our bar stools, eating peanuts and chucking the shells on the floor, and sipped our Singapore Slings.
We continued our walk over to Bugis and met Tim for some good ol’ SG pizza and the stunning wall murals of Haji Lane.
Giove has an alterego. She is actually a fairly well-known pizza connoisseur on instagram under the alias @nycpizzagram. We knew she’d have to test out the pizza in Singapore and she had her mind set on Pizza Fabbrica on Bussorah Street.
We tore apart the doughy crust and slathered it all up with some chili oil. Delicious!
Pizza was only an appetizer, though. Once we had paid the check we hopped in a cab and raced over to East Coast Park to see the sunset and explore East Coast Food Lagoon hawker center.
We picked up chicken wings from Ah Hwee BBQ Chicken Wings, BBQ Stingray from Eastern Red Seafood, BBQ Pork Noodle from Hwa Kee Barbeque Pork Noodle. We sipped calamansi (Philippine lime) juice and watched the sun disappear into the water, leaving behind the most beautiful pink and orange sunset glow.
A perfect, PERFECT Sunday!
