Singapore Trip Dec 2009 Part 1

This trip I'd decided to do the Orchard Road Christmas lights, something I'd shied from for years ever since I saw the large crowd spilling onto the road on Christmas eve in the 70s before they took to road closure on Christmas Eve. We made a  illegal u-turn for lucky escape from the massive human and traffic jam. But since Norah is into photography and everyone in Malaysia talks about it, I thought I'd better go. Not that different but Centrepoint and some of the others was a disappointment. Maybe cost-cutting? 

My favourite is the Christmas tree outside Ion. One could go inside, good for photo bugs.

                                                      Inside the tree

                                                

                                             In front of the blink-blink at Paragon

The most amazing thing about Orchard Road especially during the peak period (public holidays, Satturdays and Sundays) is that one can hardly find any Singaporeans there. In the trains or on the road, most of the time I can't understand what everyone around me is saying, all are conversing in foreign tongues. Where are the Singaporeans? Gone to the cheap, cheap Malaysian Sale next door? On holiday in China? In the NTUC supermarts at the heartland malls because things in town are too pricey? Or in their elitist clubs discussing the prices of properties?

Furthermore,especially for the tourist, it is also next to impossible to buy any products made in Singapore at Orchard Road.

Besides Orchard Road,  National Library and Bras Basah Complex, there's the compulsory hunt for food. Norah and I ate the teochew dried mee pok at least 5 times. 

We also ate kuay chap, wan ton mee, fried kuay teow, or chien (fried oysters and egg), chui kuey, soon kuey, kuchai kuey, sliced fish soup, mee rebus, mee siam, fried carrot cake, black fried chay tow kuay, soya bean curd, ice kacang, letow suan (green bean dessert), etc. Also the old style Polar cake with the rich butter icing which no one except me likes, hahaha.

 All in all, 2 weeks of eating hawker's fare. How thoroughly unhealthy! How simply wonderful!  Now, I'm familiar with the pricing again: localised coffee shop or non aircond  food center - $2.50; aircond food center in heartland shopping centre - $3- 3.50, food court in city shopping mall, eg Food Republic, $4.50 & above. 

No photos of these food as we pigged them out as soon as they appeared. All these plus the more up market restaurants and home-cooked meals made my food orgy complete. Burp....

         

             ( To be continued)