Singapore Multicultural

The Botanic Garden was our destination today. Since 2015, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is particularly known for its extensive collection of orchids. So we walked through the large park (entry is still free) past Swan Lake (no real swans, but there used to be a crocodile), through the Heritage Garden and the Ginger Garden, past cacti, succulents, and beautifully grown bonsai trees, to the Orchid Garden (which had a small admission fee). So many colorful orchids, it was hard to know where to look first! Truly stunning without exaggeration! Everything is well-maintained and tastefully designed. The staff is very helpful and friendly, as soon as you look at the map with a question, someone is there to help. By the way, this is the case everywhere here, in museums, parks, the subway, on the street. Taxi drivers are also happy to give tips and are friendly. What a cultural shock compared to Hamburg!

In the afternoon, we continued to Orchard Road, where one shopping center competes with the next for the favor, or rather the credit card, of the customers. There must be a lot of wealthy people here, the density of luxury brands like Gucci, YSL, Balmain, etc. is insane. Many German brands are well represented as well. The streets and shopping centers are partly lavishly decorated, the Chinese New Year leaves its mark. Here on Orchard Road, we also found the IceLab and tried Mango Binsoo. It's milk crystallized with coconut and mango topping. Not as heavy and sweet as ice cream, but very refreshing!

From Orchard Road, Emerald Hill Road branches off, where millionaires live in beautifully restored shophouses from the 1950s, villas (some in the lush Chinese style), and there is an international school.

We continued by subway to Little India. Madness, after Chinatown and the modern shopping malls of Orchard Road or Marina Bay, this is a real contrast. There are also the typical shophouses, but Indian, colorful, and loud. There is a permanent scent of incense in the air, every store plays loud Indian music. Each one different, of course😉. There are flower chains, strange food, silk and handicrafts, clothes (cheap), and electronics. We bought a power bank for my phone, I chat and take too many photos 😂.

In the evening, we wanted to go to a computer store in the Colonial District, which is said to have particularly low prices. After half an hour of walking, we ended up in front of a construction site, the mall is being renovated. On to the next mall, there is a photo accessories store that is also said to have good deals. It does, but the store is very small, as is the selection.

We continued to Raffles Hotel, where we wanted to end the day with a snack and the famous Singapore Sling. But where is the hotel, it's big, you can't really miss it, right?? According to the map, we were correct... a security officer from one of the malls pointed down the road and mumbled excitedly in his broken English. We followed his pointing finger and ended up - at another construction site. The hotel is closed for renovations, what a shame! So we went to Chijmes, a marketplace built in village style with many restaurants and bars around a church. At MoaTiki, a New Zealand bar, we enjoyed cool New Zealand beer, Asian-style tapas, and finally, a Singapore Sling. Everything was delicious and the staff was very friendly and talkative!