The Shopping Mecca

All we knew about Singapore before we got there was that it was a developed country with strict rules regarding pollution, drugs, and gum chewing.  We arrived on time and immediately got in a cab headed to our hotel.  The city's skyline and cleanliness had us enthralled and we couldn't wait to start our city tour, but first we had to take care of business.  We got to the Sheraton Towers at around 11:00 AM and the first thing we do when we enter our room is fall flat on the bed.  After traveling for about two months our bodies were telling us they needed a little more rest.  Even though we only had two short days in Singapore the rest was needed before we ventured out.

The nap felt great, but now what? We decided that we would take a stroll around the area.  The concierge told us that Oxford Street was a ten minute walk and that we would have plenty to look at.  In our short walk to Oxford we got to see first hand the opulence that surrounds this country.  In no more than 10 minutes we see two Bentleys, two Rolls Royce Phantoms, two Ferraris,  and one Lambo.   Oxford was more than just a place to look at, it was the equivalent of Courtney's heaven and my hell.  There were shops everywhere!!! Every imaginable luxury designer had at least one store here. Luxury stores here are like Starbucks in New York.  You didn't even have to cross the street to go to Louis Vuitton, since they have a store on each side of the street.  How was I going to escape Singapore without a major budget bleed? We spend a few hours around the area, but fortunate for us things are just too expensive.  Window shopping is fine with me! I survive day 1 with no purchases.

Since we took it easy our first day in Singapore our second day was packed.  We put together a plan to visit the city's top sites in just one day.  We hop on the city bus tour early in the morning.  What is so interesting about Singapore are the multiple cultures that coexist peacefully in such an advanced and modern society.  The bus drops us off in Little India.  We walk the area for about an hour and admire all the stalls selling everything you can imagine that is Indian.  I felt like we were in Mumbai, but the Disneyland version of it because everything was clean and very organized.  However, the smells, the food, the clothing, the people made you feel like you were just transported to another country.  Once again, there was shopping everywhere.  We then walk all the way to the Arab Quarter. We read that there was great food here and also some great boutiques on Haji Lane.  I had been craving Middle Eastern food for a while and couldn't wait.  Unfortunately, what we weren't told was that everything in this area is pretty much closed on Sunday.  It was a desert town, no work on Sunday? That sounds like an innovative idea!

the Arab Quarter

Haji Lane...No work on Sundays, the way it should be

Not sure what to do next we decide to try something called the Singapore Sling.  It is a cocktail concocted by a bartender at Long Bar in Raffles Hotel.  This guy came up with it almost a hundred years ago and it has been a hit ever since.  We read in our 1000 Ultimate Experiences book that it is something you need to do when visiting Singapore.  So here we go, we hop on our bus and head to the Raffles Hotel.   This hotel is pretty nice and it exudes all the elegance, history and exuberance of the city.  I couldn't imagine how much a night in this hotel would cost and for that matter how much was this drink going to cost us?  Long Bar was on the second floor.  It was pristine just like the hotel.  We grab the menu and I my eyes almost popped out.  The Singapore Sling was $25!!! a pitcher of Tiger beer which sells for $5 anywhere else was $56! Did we just enter a warp zone? where were we? I look around the bar and all the patrons are tourist.  Many of them are smiling and holding this pink looking cocktail while their friends take a picture of them.  This does not make sense to me, how could a $25 cocktail make anybody happy? or could it? All I could think was that this was the king of tourist traps. Reluctantly, Court and I still decide to buy the Singapore Sling and take the picture just like everyone else did.  Thirty minutes and thirty dollars later we decide it was our first and last Singapore Sling. We leave the bar and swear to ourselves we would not fall for these traps ever again.  We start heading towards our next stop the Singapore Flyer, which is a thirty minute walk from Raffles Hotel.  The Singapore Flyer is similar to the London eye. Little did we know that we would never make it there.

Singapore Sling...not worth it!

During our walk we realize that we are surrounded by shopping centers. No matter where you look it is store central.  Twenty minutes into our walk we are starving and enter a mall in search of a food court.  The mall is lined up with amazing boutique shops.  Courtney's eyes pop wide open and she now looked like a lioness on the prowl.  She sensed that it was here where she would get the black dress she had wanted for so long.  And then there it was, Courtney had found her prey.  "Babe, can we just check this store out for a second"Before I could mutter out an answer Courtney was in the store chatting it up with the sales associate. Courtney is fascinated with everything in the store. She tries on the jewelry, examines the shoes, but quickly gets down to business.  There is only one of these dresses on the rack and yes it happens to be her size.  After she tries it on, not only was she sold on it, but so was I.  So far on the trip we had not indulged on any shopping.  I think it was written and it was our destiny.  Singapore was where we would shop.  We buy the dress and soon after that we walk by one of my favorite stores, Massimo Dutti. Should we go in? Why not? Thirty minutes later we walk out with a new pair of suede loafers.  In a matter of ninety minutes we blew through our entertainment budget allocated for Singapore.  We finally find our lunch and decide to view the Singapore Flyer from the ground.  We spend the rest of the afternoon visiting the Marina, the Helix bridge, China Town and the Botanical Gardens.  Singapore was quick, but fun.

Singapore skyline

The Marina

Helix Bridge

Botanical Gardens

The black dress and high heels

my new shoes