Singapore ... 2010 (Day 1 - Part 1)

My last trip to Singapore was no less that 7 years ago where I spent a week there for work purposes. Didn't manage to see much of the place then but heck, I thought there wasn't any different from whatever KL had to offer, so I wasn't missing out on much.

Now fast forward 7 years later, it's an entirely different story. Our neighbour down south had undergone so much development despite the little resources they have and they're pulling in hordes of tourist with attractions like the Resort World Casino, Universal Studios and The Sands Marina just to name a few.

Desperately needing to escape from work for some R&R, wifey and I planned for a short trip to Singapore. Using her corporate rate, she managed to get us rather reasonable rates for our air fares as well as for our hotel accomodation. *YAY*

We packed light and excitedly began our much anticipated holiday. We got our regular taxi driver, Mr.Yee to ferry us to KLIA and once checked in, we headed to Oldtown Kopitiam ... opened recently at the Main Terminal Building.


I ordered at the counter and it only took several minutes before we began savouring local delights such as Nasi Lemak Rendang, kaya and butter toast, polo bun and iced milk tea.



Our breakfast 'kautim-ed', we soon boarded our 7 am flight and took off towards the blue blue skies.


Before we could even finish digesting a packet of peanuts and a glass of juice, we started descending and landed on Changi Int. Lulled our luggage to the taxi stand and a Toyota Crown took us to our hotel. It was less than 20 minutes later that we were ushered in by the bellboy and checked into the Conrad Centennial. Service was exquisite and we would expect no less from Conrad.


The receptionist, a pretty Filipino personally led us to our room and showed us the amenities. In the room, the Conrad Bear and the Conrad Rubber Duckie stood waiting ... they're for us to bring home, compliments of the hotel. A small yet very pleasant touch which we appreciated.



After freshening up oursleves, we hopped into an awaiting cab and directed the driver to take us to 313 Sommerset, one of the newest amongst the many malls mushrooming all over Orchard Rd. Now a couple of days before, we heard news that part of Orchard Rd. was flooded and we worried that it might have actually affected our trip there. Our concern was unfounded as everything seemed just as normal as it should be. :)


First thing on the agenda was lunch. After browsing the directory, we settled for Marche'. Since wifey have never been to one, I figured she should like it.


We thronged the restaurant's 'market place' and ordered rosti with cheesy chicken sausage, roast chicken crepes, stir fried vegs and a glass of lychee lemonade to share.



What do you do at a shopping mall??? You shop of course and with outlets like the 4-freaking-storeys Forever 21, Mango etc, wifey had a glorious time and truly enjoyed The Great Singapore Sale extravaganza. Before we exited Sommerset, we pit stopped at the famous Yakun Kaya Toast as this was highly recommended in the tourism brochure I read at the hotel.


Well, the brochure wasn't wrong as our order of kaya & butter toast (again :p), half boiled eggs and iced coffee was all good. Though the interior of the cafe is somewhat modern, you'll notice all its staff are of the ol' school kopitiam employees. The toast was crispy on the outside and tender soft where it meets the kaya and butter, the eggs were just as it was described in their menu ... very slippery and wet ... and the coffee ... divinely rich.




With our legs rested ... we walked along Orchard and immersed ourselves in the hustles and bustles of the holiday merriment.


Along the way, we indulged in a little bit more of shopping and I must say that if you know where to look, great bargains are in abundance. I snagged myself a pair of Boss Orange shoes going at 50% lower than the usual retail price *happy happy joy joy*. The streets were filled with activities from lively street performances to the chaotic jostling of the pedestrians. The weekend atmosphere was brilliant!


Jazz performance at Capital Mall

We sneaked into a couple more shopping malls before I hurried wifey back to the hotel on the pretext that I was tired. Truth is ... I had a suprise all planned out. :p Stay tuned for the next post :) ...