SingPost, 2018
1/9-10
Following up on our 2018 New Year's Resolution to travel more - Ha! - we're off to
Singapore. We visited in 2008
at the end of our container ship trip, and again in
2011 for a closer look.
This time we have no goal ... just relax, enjoy the great food and warm breeze. Fun fact:
For Singapore's 50th Anni- versary, the Chingay 2015 Celebration had as a goal to "fold"
1 million "roses" from recycled plastic bags. It was beautiful!
SingPost, 2018
1/11
We're here, and we're in a shophouse! The last time we lived in a top floor
flat in a high-rise in a
cluster of high-rises, an island in the jungle. It was modern SG.
Shophouses
are heritage buildings, typical of old SG Used for business and living, they have
covered walkways to shelter from tropical
weather. Here's
a
look
in ours. Today's No. 1 Dish:
Si'Chuan Cucumbers, cuc spears in chili oil and
spices with peanuts. Five-star-hot, it's impossible to stop eating them.
SingPost, 2018
1/12
Urban Singapore + tropical location = Gardens By The Bay nature
park.
Think Disney designs a jungle.
Fun &
beauty win over botany.
"Supertrees," 50 m steel
surfaces for
vines,
epiphytes and
bromeliads support a path,
hide infra- structure & give spectacular views.
Two conservatories - Cloud Forest, a misty man-made
mountain of plants; Flower Dome,
horticulture as artform - plus Kids Park,
restaurants and Satay By the Bay. No. 1 Dish:
Peanut sauce to die for with beef and chick sticks.
SingPost, 2018
1/13
The "Tang Ship" sank in the 9th C, was found off Java in 1998, is exhibited at Asian
Civilization Museum and carried 60,000 unique
bowls made in China (Changsha) for Iran/Iraq.
Built in the Middle East without nails or pegs, the boat's boards were "knitted" together with
coconut husk rope, cracks filled with wadding, then limed to be water tight. Proving: Another major E-W
trade route beyond Silk Road... Camels can't carry many dishes!
Top Dish: Teochew pork & peanut
bun. Complex flavor.
SingPost, 2018
1/14
Like most markets, SG's are crowded. But unlike many (HongKong, listen up!) they are
clean,
bright,
friendly and offer vastly more varieties for their diverse
clientele. Our Tekka Wet Market illus- trates: common fish, fruits, veggies are familiar; less common
rambutan,
bana- na blossoms &
leaves
are recognizable;
but
dirt clods,
purple things,
beige balls,
bullets ??? They've got names & uses, but we're clueless.
Top Dish: Fuzhou Oyster Cakes. If you must cook oysters,
this is how.
SingPost, 2018
1/15
SG's hardline cleanliness laws (don't spit your gum) mean street food is safe.
The city lives on it. Hawker centers - open air, many stalls, shared tables -
dot the 'hoods. Vendors serve ~5 variants of a dish from a world cuisine.
Find a seat, mark w/ a tissue pack, get grub, eat & chat with table mates, bus
responsibly. Competition's fierce;
cults form; dishes are DELICIOUS! Top Dish:
Ikan Bilis Spicy Fried Rice w/ Egg. Tiny,
crispy anchovies, minced veggies, spices.
SingPost, 2018
1/15
Red Dot is an industrial design award (begun 1955) to honor the 'Best of the Best.'
Museums of winners are in Essen, Singapore & Taipei. Ex.: A
clock with
a fixed hand and revolving num- bers! Creative! Ex.: Helical rubber traffic cone;
to store, push down into a flat disk! Genius! Ex.: QR
Code morphed into a 3-D
doll! Fun! Best of the Best Dish: Crispy Honeyed Baby
Squid. They crunch.
They're sweet. They're slightly spicy. Creative! Genius! Fun!
SingPost, 2018
1/16
On our last day, we toured the National Gallery of Art, and
enjoyed it! One inspirational work is on the street out- side, an
NGA-sponsored exhibit of citizen self-portraits. The block long
display includes thousands of portraits
surrounding
the national pledge:
"We,
the
citizens of
Singapore, pledge our- selves as one united people, regardless of race,
language or religion, to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality ... ."
---> To Previous eCard Series
