Singapore - an island, city and republic rolled into one, the place where East meets West and one of the shopping capitals of the world. I had the pleasure of enjoying two occasions with a Singaporean friend whom I met back in Australia in 1998 and her family. They showed me extraordinary hospitality, friendliness and helpfulness, as have many Singaporeans, and I've been able to experience some of Singapore from a "locals' perspective".

Singapore is synonymous with shopping - Orchard Road is the place to go for this - lined with huge malls and McDonalds by the truckload if you crave Western Fast Food. At the eastern end there is the historical sightseeing including City Hall, Parliament House, and Supreme Court etc. You can also visit a place called Chjimes, which is a converted convent!

Eating Out is a very different experience from home. Hawker Centres (centres with clusters of food stalls) offer the full range of Singaporean cuisine from Chinese to Indian to Malay - all very dissimilar from the equivalent foods back home. Most of it is nice - some of it is an acquired taste. For some real local street eating, try 'Smith (Food) Street'. My Singaporean friend had barbecued Sting Ray - I guess chicken is the nearest equivalent... I also went out with my friend's family to Jumbo - a Chinese seafood restaurant that offered ostrich meat too (tastes like Emu, which tastes rather like beef!).

Intro | Islands | Nature | Misc