Singapore Weekend Walk

You won’t believe it was my first time in Singapore last weekend. I have met a lot of Singaporeans (mostly of Chinese and Indian origin) in the past, and a lot more who went as tourists–everyone telling me about the most exciting ways of enjoying my obviously inevitable trip there. And so I went.

Oops, before I start blabbering about my super fun weekend Walk, let me show you first my 17 fab finds:

Ang Mo Kio Park - I don’t actually know if this is the park’s official name, but it is situated at the back of Ang Mo Kio MRT Station, the hilly side, where a lot of interesting people hang out–read: buff male runners. There are a couple of huts around the park where you can just sit, read a book or watch the eyecandies run past. It-Degree: 240

Singapore Botanic Garden - Benjamin (AFMFL) introduced me to this place through his Facebook status, where he said “it gets better everytime he goes.” I took my friend, Anna, who lives in Singapore (and haven’t been to the Garden), with me, and we had so much fun with all the greens, my Nikon and her Holga, frisbee players (oh, no, not the kids), the whole sweaty walk and the iced coffee and Heineken afterwards. It-Degree: 240

Cavenagh Bridge – This picturesque bridge first showed face to me while walking around the Fullerton Building midday last Saturday. I did not know that an old bridge like this would capture my fancy. I stayed there for a few minutes before heading off to the Esplanade Park. It-Degree: 180

Clinic, Clarke Quay - Sunday, late afternoon, the call of Clarke Quay’s notoriously expensive bars got its hold on us. Although we did not sit on those wheelchairs, the prospect of getting drunk with a dextrose next to you should be very exciting. It was quite early for a debauchery like that, though. It-Degree: 240

The Couple at the Botanic Garden – They were having a pre-nuptial shoot in front of the fountain, near the Ginger Garden. There’s a lot of people passing by (yes, because it was a Sunday) and the couple, with their photographer, were having so much fun. Anna and I couldn’t help but watch them for a while and take photos. It-Degree: 360

Esplanade Theatre and Mall - I intended to go inside the durian-lookalike building, but watching it from afar seemed a lot better than crossing two bridges to get to it. Its architecture mesmerized me for a while, that I seemed to forget how hungry and thirsty I was. It-Degree: 360

Esplanade Park – A stone’s throw away, the park should be interesting to weary tourists and those who would just want to people-watch. I did the latter. I enjoyed watching those three runners sashay in front of me. Very interesting park, indeed. It-Degree: 360

Food Republic’s Fried Prawn Noodles – Caution: very delicious. Don’t eat it with anything heavy on the side. My excitement got very strong that I wanted to try it while having my rice-egg-veggie-meat plate. The problem went quite obvious when even after 4 hours, I was still nursing a full tummy. It-Degree: 360

Graffiti, Haji Lane - We don’t usually approve of vandalism, right? And since this is Singapore, we don’t know how severe the punishment would be. However, Haji Lane would be an exception– Art-and-Style should be its last name. This spray-paint graffiti gave me an idea of how my room in the Philippines should look like. It-Degree: 240

Haji Lane - Located near Bugis MRT Station, the finds here, from tattoos, to vintage record players, one-of-a-kind clothes, to handmade shoes, and even off-the-shop Uniqlo items, would either be amazing or weird. But weird is not bad. This artsy and stylish alley is one of the few places where tourists hang out. I don’t know if it’s good or bad for you, but it certainly worked for me. Check it out. It-Degree: 360

Indochine/Forbidden City, Clarke Quay - After the Haji Lane sojourn, a nice sundowner would be drinks at Indochine/Forbidden City in Clarke Quay. The place, decorated with life-sized terra-cotta statues, has a very relaxed ambience and very good cocktails. A must-go. It-Degree: 360

Mang Kiko’s Lechon- OMG, if you’re a fan of the Filipino roasted pork belly (lechon liempo), there’s no other place in Singapore that serves it with ‘conviction’ than Mang Kiko’s. This outdoor restaurant is located at the corner of Exeter and Killiney Roads, in front of the National Youth Commission Building. On Saturday nights, the neighboring place has a flea market and a show for music lovers. Food, music and shopping–what more can you ask for? Even the food would be enough to jumpstart your evening. I can still taste it. Yummy. It-Degree: 360

Merlion - I have not gone to Singapore if I wouldn’t have a picture of the Merlion–I told myself that. It-Degree: 240

Mono, 66 Haji Lane - After a few stores, Anna and I still have no shopping bags in tow. I took a picture of this mailbox, and Anna, scouting for fab finds, said, “I have a good feeling about this store.” Hoyessa, we went in and bought myself two pairs of shoes. “You’ll regret it if you don’t get both of them.” I always trust Anna’s advice, especially with shopping and am so happy I did. It-Degree: 360

Prada Store on Orchard Road - The name itself spells luxury, and so is the store design–the merchandise: you’ll faint with beauty. It-Degree: 240

Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage, Botanic Garden – Whoever thought of the idea of having a member of the Shaw Foundation Symphony play music in the middle of the Garden deserves a Grammy Award for Best Original Idea for Parks and Amusement Centers. Brilliant. It-Degree: 240

Uniqlo - If there’s a Uniqlo half-year shopping quota, I would probably have completed it in two days. Oh, wait, I think I just did. There are two Uniqlo shops in Singapore–all the more reason to shop. It-Degree: 360