Harf-e-Sabz: Travel: Singapore II (From 'Boleh' land to 'Kiasu' land)

And there I was in Singapore again. It seems the more I visit Singapore, the more I fall in love with this country. Our trip took us from one end to another, mostly on foot. Gladly, I was in Singapore right in time for their Chingay parade in celebration of the Chinese new year. In the meantime, I also had a chance to catch up with two of my very good friends.

GHotel
This time around on a recommendation of a friend, my family and I stayed at GHotel in Chinatown; which I must admit it was a brilliant little place to stay at. They had the friendliest staff with spacious rooms that opened outside to a little balcony. Best of all, they provided free wifi for guests and a light breakfast every morning.The only flaw was the absence of a fridge in the room which we could do without. Bottom-line, it didn't feel like a budget hotel at all and all I needed to do to reserve a place was to give them a quick call.

Teck Lim Road in which GHotel was located, just a 5min walk from Outram MRT station

GHotel, Singapore

Sightseeing

One of the things I had planned before we even left for Singapore was to roam the streets. Not the most smartest idea but I really just wanted to see the city for what it is rather than spending my time in MRT stations under ground. So there we were walking early in the morning until late afternoon from SunTec mall/towers to Marina Bay and back to City Hall. I must say the view was nothing less than spectacular. Although the heat was beyond tolerable and the walk was so intense that by the end of our trip my feet were a fertile land for blisters from big to small.

Singapore River

Clarke Quay

Raffles Hotel on raffles street

The view over the city at dusk

And ofcourse bookstores are one place I can't miss to visit whereever I may wander..

'When China Rules the World' by Martin Jacques

Having to walk around the town and use the MRT occasionally, some signs are not hard to miss around Singapore..

MRT signboards

BTW, is it only me or Singapore takes its terrorists a little too seriously?

Kiasu?

Chingay Parade and Singapore night scene

For the first time in my life after 4 years again I had to rely on public phones to call my friends to arrange a meet up and I'm glad I did. What the following night had to offer was much worth it.

Public phones my biggest nightmare due to acute hearing impedement

The night after I met with an old friend, Mun Ling, whom I had met during a convention in Melaka. Little had I heard over the phone that we were going to watch the Chingay Parade in Marina Bay. As amazing as the show was, sadly it had to be cut short as I was rushing to meet another friend, Kishan, in City Hall for a sense of Singaporean night scene.