Grand Entrance on the Ginza

Wine on the plane, for free, what a great fucking idea, makes for an easy landing. Rolling all of my luggage out of the subway stop and down the Tokyo streets towards my Airbnb studio, there was no notable indication I was anywhere special. No beautiful people, not many people at all in fact, and no beautiful buildings either. 

Where was the ornate beauty at every bend? The crazy oddities? Thoughts started rushing through my head to all my preconceived notions of Japan, of all the stories I had heard... none of which to my slight disappointment, in those first moments, seemed to be true.

Challenging those notions is of course part of the joy of traveling, that way you update the checklist with more accurate ones. The moment we arrived at the apartment, I almost breathed a sigh of relief. My then boyfriend who is six feet was literally the same height as the doors. In fact, I later realized he was the single tallest person, I saw at the end of a two-week period, period. Here we go I thought, this is more like it!

Walking in the place was tinny, tiny. The bathroom, including the shower was a 3x3 cell. Being 5’2 basically nothing is ever too small for me but my knees hit the door while seated on the toilet! And the shower was so narrow I only fit sideways, back or front to the wall without hitting the curtain. At that point I was starting to feel that joyous feeling of obviously being somewhere different.

Barley a pot to piss in

Don't hit your head boo!

In the light of day we came to realize that we were actually only about four blocks from the vibrant heart of the Ginza district. Hello shopping! I guess I could compare this to 5^th Avenue in NYC but then that would still be small comparatively. Streets were lined with white lights, and skyscraping malls for days, all very tastefully decorated.  

The scale of just this one neighborhood in terms of impressive skyscrapers and bustling areas had me repeatedly thinking that anyone visiting San Frnacisco from Tokyo must just think its so freaking quaint and adorable. Our city ended up looking like a adorable little village next to the empressive Ginza. And, well, that was just the tip of the iceberg…

Bustling by Bike

While in Singapore I had no car and I was lucky enough to stay with some friends in a beautiful big house. Those very same friends- happened to have a few bikes just lying around with no one to ride them.  So, I did what any thoughtful person would do; I hopped my butt on one of those lonely bikes and got busy a-peddlin’!

Thanks Carmen and Paul for the accomodations 

One really chill place to bike is East Coast Park. This is a multipurpose water front trail that meanders along the beach, circling around half of the island. I only took it fifteen miles or so. There are plenty of spots to rent bikes there but biking is not the only activity to be had here. Roller blading is definitely alive and well in these parts, and my inner 90’s child was very pleased to see the sport florishing. Stopping for a beer at an outdoor hawker center I took in the surrounding Singaporean people, the sun, and the smell of the salt water. This is a relaxing place to ride for any level of rider due to the flat path and lack of motor vehicles.

I also spent some time wandering through different neighborhoods, and the variety of temples is impressive. Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist and Muslim places of worship are scattered with in arms reach of each other. This variety, naturally matches the people of Singapore in diversity. The majority is ethnic Chinese and minority Anglo (I would estimate about 5%- high for an Asian country), with a whole spectrum in between. It was very cool to be in a mix, which I had not seen before. and although a different mix, definitely one rivaling the bay area. 

Buddhist

Tao

Muslim 

Token white girl

Hindu

Another leisurely ride I took, was through the manicured path outside the Marina Bay Golf Course. It is paved with flowers and ferns and an occasional monitor lizard and it goes up one side of marina bay. As you cross over a small bridge before the bay breaks out to the ocean you arrive in the Gardens by the Bay. 

The "boat" on top of the MBS

This side of the bay is the part of Singapore you see in all the photos, and not for no reason it’s got a lot going on! Those rad dome like buildings house different botanical gardens, and the grounds have several museums all ornately designed. But if you prefer to shop and eat don’t worry there is plenty for you as well. A visually stimulating and refreshing ride for sure, but if you want to really get refreshed you need to look up.

At the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino is a massive boat like structure that connects the three towers. Down one side of the “boat” is a fantastic infinity pool (you have to be a hotel guest to go in) and the other half is a restaurant, club and lounge. At the Ku De Ta the drinks are tasty and the view is fantastic. Down below you can see the whole city including the famous Merlion, the “floating” soccer field and all the cargo ships out at sea. Careful though, after a few cocktail that ride home might seem too relaxed!

Swallowing in Singapore

 After 24 hrs. of travel I finally arrived in Singapore. As soon, as I stepped outside the airport, I smelled the air and instantly knew I was in a tropical country. This smell alone has a way of making me happy, and that was the first check in Singapore’s favor. The food, and sights would be the second and third checks respectively. 

While I never drank a “Singapore Sling,” I did try just about everything else. Knowing I would only have a few days to get in a lot of eating, I set out immediately to find my first meal.  Strolling through the Tanjong Katong neighborhood, I was among many beautiful and large homes. This is a wealthier part of town and one of the few neighborhoods with individual homes as opposed to high-rise living. In such a small country space is a scarce resource so many people end up living in the sky. 

These digs are not half bad huh?

Before long I was passing many small restaurants filled with locals eating yummy looking food crouched on small stools. I walked up to one that was forming a line (gotta be a good sign right?) and queued up along with the other eager customers. 

To start I went for the basics, chicken rice and a coffee. Chicken rice is a staple of Singaporean cuisine its simple but somehow oh-so satisfying. Its just likes Moms home cooking and it will only cost ya about 3 bucks a plate. This was a dish I ended up repeating many times, sometimes changing up the protein with duck rice or pork rice. This is the type of food I could eat everyday. The dish always seemed to be served with a few slices of vegetable, a cup of broth and chili sauce on the side. This little Mexican girl felt right at home with many food stalls offering a selection of chili sauces to choose from.  

Another must try dish is the Chili Crab. This is exactly what it sounds like a whole crab covered In a mild chili sauce that has crab in it, served with little buns to sop up the sauce and a bib to catch what the buns miss. Can’t go wrong with crab or chili, so once again no complaints here. 

Probably the best known places to get traditional food, side by side the locals are Hawker Centers. The Hawker Centers are essentially big food courts, with many little individually owned stands inside, selling their goods. There is quite a variety offered, from noodle soups, satay skewers and Indian inspired dishes to fresh juices and snack foods.  I made my way to several (five total, including Mana Mana and Satay by the Bay), since its not really a vacation until I’m eating my way across the country, leaving a trail of empty plates in my wake! 

Old Airport Rd Hawker Center was one of the first I visited. After a cheap and tasty meal I decided I needed something sweet. Enter chilled soya bean curd. This cool, mild treat has a consistency between yogurt and custard and the flavor of a graham cracker. Sound random? Yup, but also a satisfying and not to heavy on a hot and humid day.  A local friend later filled me in that this a common breakfast food, she ate regularly growing up. 

Stick to original- the almond flavor tasted almost the same

Maxwells Hawker Center was a stop with sampling in mind.  With so many stands it was hard to decide what to try, while nothing I tried was a total flop the highlights were the snow cone and the fried sweet potato dumpling. The Singaporean snow cones got a little makeover from the ones we are used to eating as kids in the US. First off they don’t just have flavored syrup, they also are drenched in sweetened condensed milk and additional toppings of your choice especially fresh fruit bits, grass jelly and red bean.  Another yummy way to stay cool in 90+ weather. The fried sweet potato dumplings were so carb-y delicious, you could choose from plain, red bean or coconut. All of which were super satisfying, and served up by the cutest, tiniest super old woman. The coconut was hands down my personal fav. Thank god I live around the globe from these little devils, otherwise I might need an “expanded” wardrobe. 

Little fried pieces of heaven