I truly believe that traveling abroad, or even stateside, gets easier the more you do it. Seems commonsensical but there is something to be said about being able to land in a new place, completely foreign to you, and navigate your way through it. Granted, I have sort of traveled to relatively “easy” places in the scheme of things. I haven’t traveled to war-torn areas of Africa or a remote village in Siberia. But hey, you gotta start somewhere! Point is — thus far this trip has been nice and relaxing and easy/simple with no complications or headaches or major snafus.
I met up with an old friend Saturday night and he showed me around the city. It was nice to hangout with someone who has lived here for a little bit and knows the spots to go. We started out in an area called Kampong Glam, which is Singapore’s oldest urban quarter (or as I read somewhere “the original hipster hangout”). Within Kampong Glam there is a street called Haji Lane, which is very narrow and lined with shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, etc. We started off sharing 1.3 liters of Japanese beer to cool off and catchup. Very fun people watching spot. Colorful, vibrant, and full of life Haji Lane is arguably a tourist “trap” but worth walking around for a few; stopping to have a cold brew. While on Haji Lane I also dragged my friend to a place called Good Luck Beerhouse where my heart was made full by the discovery of craft beer in Singapore! Apparently, the craft beer scene has grown immensely in the last 5 years or so and you can find plenty of places selling local and imported craft brews. The only (and major) downside is that they are expensive. Like 15-18 SGD a piece! The reason being (more to come in regards to this idea once I do a little bit more research) is that the taxes on alcohol are so high. Not necessarily the ingredients but the final product. Singapore also doesn’t really have an agricultural sector so they import pretty much everything. So going out for a night on the town, if you’re going to drink anything craft, is not a chap endeavor! Still worth it though. When in Rome.
After partaking in some beer we were both starving and made our way down to the Lau Pa Sat Food Court. Singapore has restaurants (duh), but dining in tends to be on the expensive side. If you want something cheap, delicious, local, and authentic look no further than a hawker center (sometime also referred to as food court). Hawker centers are a grouping of local food vendors selling anything from meals to coffee to ice cream to whatever. They can be small, consisting of a couple of vendors, or very large, like the popular one found in Chinatown. Lau Pa Sat was neat because it was near downtown and it is full of a variety of late-night food options. We got a variety of items including: chicken and rice, pork skewers, and cheese prata. Also known as roti canai, roti cane or roti prata, prata (for short) is an Indian-influenced flatbread dish. My friend’s favorite and quite a good recommendation, the cheese prata turned out to be one of my favorites as well. Probably not super nutritious but again, I am on vacay! The food situation is always a rollercoaster when you travel. Especially by yourself without a local to guide you around. I watch those travel shows and see what the people eat and I am envious but at the same time they have a local who speaks the language and knows their shit with them; advantage for them. I, on the other hand, just sorta wander around until I find something that looks tasty. Hit or miss. That’s the fun part – unless you wait too long and get hangry and then you’re so frustrated with having to go out in public and roam the streets for food. It’s a fine line. A balance if you will.
The rest of the evening was spent walking around the Marina and downtown. Sightseeing. Building looking. People watching. It was fun to see the city at night and still feel super safe. I am surprised as how different but similar Singapore seems to be with the “west.” This trip pops my travel-to-Asia cherry and I probably picked the country most like Europe. Not saying that is a good or bad thing, but it is definitely easing me into the region without completely shocking me culturally. I will save that for my next trip! Push my comfort zone even further.
megthenomad 