Days 2 & 3: Eating My Way Through Singapore

I woke up on Saturday morning after 12 hours of wonderful sleep in a real bed.  We gathered together 14 of our friends who had already arrived to the Visitor's Lodge to go on a walking tour of three cultural centers of Singapore: Chinese, Arab and Indian.  Amy, my roommate for this country and one of my teammates for my project, had completely arranged the trip including calling all the cabs and designating where to meet.  We went in four different cabs to the Majestic Opera House.  Unfortunately, one of the cab drivers thought one of the groups meant the Majestic Hotel and dropped that group at the hotel.  Because we didn't have cell phones, we were separated from that group for most of the day.  After deciding that we couldn't find that group, 10 of us began to walk around Chinatown. There were fresh produce stands and many shops with trinkets and silks. There is a large Chinese population in Singapore and they contribute hugely to the culture and economy.  Below is a picture of what one of the streets in Chinatown looked like:

We stopped briefly at this temple to take in the beautiful architecture of this immense temple.  This is the gate of the buddha tooth relic temple:

 Our first real stop in Chinatown was at the Maxwell Food Centre.  Another hawker center where many in our group wanted to try a chicken rice stand (pictured below in blue) that is famous because Anthony Bourdain called it the best chicken rice stand in Singapore.

 After leaving Chinatown with full bellies, we walked through the city center in the scorching heat, crossing rivers and periodically stopping to guzzle water.  We finally arrived in the Muslim center of Singapore where we were first greeted by this beautiful mosque and the smell of amazing Mediterranean food.  We were not allowed to enter the mosque because we were wearing shorts and dresses.  Many Singaporeans are walking around in long pants, long sleeve shorts, and scarves.  I have no idea how they stand it.

After taking in the mosque, we turned to walk down Arab street pictured below.  We stopped in the first shop we saw and I purchased a large fan thinking it would serve me well over the next few weeks.  We meandered down this street taking in all the rug shops, silk shops, and restaurant aromas.

 Next, we crossed the river to wander through the largest flea market in Singapore where vendors were peddling second hand electronics, shoes, and assorted knick-knacks.  We were able to reunite with our four lost group members and proceeded onward towards Little India.

Little India was beautiful! From the colors to the smells, the only word to describe Little India is vibrant.  We went into the Hindu Temple pictured below.  Built in 1827, Sri Mariamman is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.  After removing our shoes to enter, we were greeted by smells of incense and intricate colorful paintings of gods and goddesses.  Mariamman is a rural south indian mother goddess who protects against diseases.  

We took the opportunity to rest our weary feet and enjoy some delicious indian food at The Banana Leaf Apolo.  Amy kindly informed us that this particular restaurant was famous for its fish head curry... so famous in fact that The Banana Leaf Apollo holds the world record for the most fish head curry served in a single meal, 1009.  We ate off banana leaves like the people in the picture below:

That night, after a brief recoup in the pool, we ventured out to Clarke Quay.  Clarke Quay is a newly designed "mall" of bars and nightclubs on the riverfront that spans over 5 blocks.  The entire area was packed with locals and ex-pats looking to enjoy a saturday night out on the town.  We went out in a big group of 20 or so and took over one of the nightclubs where the DJ rewarded us by playing Frank Sinatra's New York, New York.  Apparently there is a video of Jeff and I swing dancing that is dancing with the stars worthy.  Here's a picture of one small part of Clarke Quay:

 

Day 3 was spent preparing for our classes which began the next day.  We went on a guided tour of NUS, National University of Singapore.  NUS is one of four state financed universities in Singapore and is UVa's partner university in the region.  The campus is extensive, complicated, and impressive.

The business building (pictured below) is a state of the art facility that conducts executive education with partner universities like MIT and UCLA.  

After touring the campus, we were treated to an amazing welcome meal by the program director.  The meal was hosted in the Alumni House right next to the business school at a lovely poolside patio.  While we were told it was a BBQ, it actually turned out to be a traditional Chinese meal, a hot pot.  We were given a plethora of crisp veggies, exotic mushrooms, noodles, seafood, and meats.  Choosing from these items, we were able to cook our own meal in a pot with spicy broth over a gas stove at the table.  It was kind of like a Chinese fondue! The meal lasted for several hours and was truly one of my favorite meals ever.

Thank you for sticking with me,

Miss you all,

Maddy