Where I stayed:
Pan Pacific Singapore
What I did:
- Explored Marina Bay Sands and watched the light show at the Supertrees
- Ate at Lau Pa Sat hawker market
- Went to Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen (craved English food)
- Visited the ArtScience Museum
Thoughts on the place:
I used to live in a place called Media City which was a bit of corporate owned land just outside Manchester, where the BBC and ITV were now based. It was pure concrete and chain brands, not much soul. Singapore gets the reputation as being the same, but amongst the big bank buildings I saw glimpses of a real soul; a first date happening at a cafe while the new potential couple were clearly on lunch from their big corporate jobs – the smiles over the table and gradual drift to pure body language – it was delightful to see; the skateboarders with a speaker blasting reminding the locals that punk ain’t dead and that counterculture is unkillable; and an afternoon with a friend who took me to a vibrant hawker centre for a meal and a people-watch. Interesting place, for a certain kind of person.
Tips:
- Stay near Marina Bay, not in Marina Bay Sands. The view of the hotel is better than the view from it.
- Hawker centres are brilliant but not super forgiving if you hesitate. Know what you want before ordering.
- It is extremely expensive for anything imported, which is nearly everything.
Sumb Luck 