SINGAPORE - Day 2

My second day in Singapore started with a bus tour that I had already booked at home. It's a 24-hour hop-on hop-off bus ticket, so you can get off and see something new in more detail or stay on and continue. This way, I passed by all the sights there and also had a German audio guide! On the tour, I also learned that Singapore is celebrating its 52nd birthday :)

The first stop where I got off was 'Little India'! And I can say: I immediately fell in LOVE! The small ethnic quarter of the city consists of great Indian markets with traditional clothes, spices, and decorations, as well as Indian street food. You can simply wander from stand to stand on foot and be inspired by the colorful colors and smells :)

The milk and livestock industry once attracted Indian workers, which is why this part of Singapore is influenced by Indian culture. The whole neighborhood is decorated with small, colorful details and you can find many chains and statues handmade from flowers. Everything is illuminated at night, which I was able to see from the taxi on the way to the airport. There are also several temple complexes there, such as the Sirnivasa Perumal Kovil Temple, which is considered a national monument.

I think I bought almost everything in Little India that I bought in Singapore in total :) A traditional dress for only $10, as well as a skirt/pants and small cosmetic bags in colorful colors with silver elephants, as I really like the Indian style. Unfortunately, I also had to buy an umbrella because it started raining in the afternoon, which was really annoying because the best view was from the top of the bus and there were fewer seats below. Of course, I also tried stuffed Indian pastries, such as samosas, which were great!

Market

The next stop was then Chinatown, which is located south of the Singapore River. There you will also find many market stalls, as well as 'local' food and temples. The founder of Singapore saw back then that the Chinese ethnic group would become one of the largest in Singapore, so he designated the entire area southwest of the river for them. Unfortunately, I didn't get off there due to lack of time and couldn't visit the famous Sri Mariammam Temple, but like in Little India, I was already impressed by the detailed and colorful decorated street when driving through this neighborhood.

Lucky Chinatown

Also, I visited the Marina Bay again, where there is a 360-degree walkway on its shopping mall. I walked along it again for a beautiful view of Singapore in daylight (the weather was getting better too). From there, you could also see the Singapore Flyer, the second highest Ferris wheel in the world (165m), which slowly rotates with about 30 capsules. The Flyer is located in close proximity to the Formula 1 racetrack, which took place in Singapore this weekend and was only open to guests of the race (I really wanted to ride on it from the beginning...)

In the evening, after Syimah's work, we went to a large market hall with her friends (including two Germans who live there for a while) where there were food trucks from all over Asia. After dinner, we had a great view over the city and especially the racetrack, as one of the German girls works in a tall building complex with a rooftop terrace!

After that, we went to the area where all the bars and clubs are located in Singapore, such as Irish pubs (reminded me of Sachsenhausen :)!). The night ended late and was really great because I was with great people :)

Pub