Impressions of Singapore
During summer 2021, I travelled to Singapore for the first time and spent 3 months in total there.
It was a good period of time to get an authentic look and taste into Singapore’s history, food culture and daily life.
Find below a few impressions through pictures I’ve taken during my time there.
City Life
So-called “HDB” (Housing Development Board) are government-subsidized housing. Over 90% of Singaporeans live in HDBs.
Shopping malls are the go-to place for everything consumption and entertainment related. They are nicely air-conditioned, have a lot of food options available and of course one thousand other ways to spend your money.
#standupstacey is a mascot that the Singaporean government uses to promote considerate behaviour on the subway. A sign of Singapore society’s solidarity with elders.
The Central Business District. This is what I thought Singapore was like everywhere, until I realized that there are also very residential areas.
A contrast between old shopping houses and skyscrapers.
Singapore is also called “City in a Garden” as it green spaces are deeply integrated into the urban layout or in this case, in the architecture of buildings itself.
Food culture
Singaporeans l o v e their food.
A hot pot dinner with very yummy broth.
A recent trend in Singapore have been the “Mala” stalls (“ma” stands for numbing pepper commonly found in Sichuan provice in China and “la” stance for spice). Here we got the non-spicy version as a soup.
Thunder tea rice (leicha) is a Hakka dish that is sometimes sold at hawker centres. The green broth is made out of tea leaves and poured over a variety of toppings.
Another communal eating experience - similar as hot pot - is the Korean Barbeque. The meat is grilled over charcoal and wrapped into lettuce and a variety of side dishes. Kimchi (fermented cabbage) is a staple. When I had this the first time, it was like a flavour explosion in my mouth!
Everywhere in Singapore are hawker centres, which are a bunch of eating stalls together in one place, selling food to very affordable prices (starting from 1-2 Euros).
Common dishes from hawker food stalls: Wonton Noodles and fried carrot cake.
My favourite drink: Black tea with evaporated milk, served with ice in a not-so-environmentally-friendly plastic bag with straw.
The king of fruits: Durian. Creamy, rich, indulgent… i love it.
A bunch of durian seeds. Since it is highly caloric, 2-3 seeds a day are recommended.
Multiculturalism
Colorful shophouses in Chinatown.
Buddhist Temple in Chinatown
Indian temple found in Little India, the indian equivalent to Chinatown.
Mosque near the Arab Street.
Nature and Wildlife
With a tropical climate, Singapore is home to a lot of interesting plant species that are not commonly found in Europe. Some curious finds.
Spotted in the Botanical Gardens of Singapore.
A huge banyan tree, where the branches go all the way down to the bottom and become roots again.
Mangroves near the shore of St. John’s Island.
A cannonball tree. You can see where the name comes from.
Spotted: A wild pig.
Conclusion
All in all, Singapore is a very liveable city, weather permitting. Lots of stuff to do, to eat, to see… Even though it is a small country - only twice the size of Munich - it is very experience-dense. I enjoyed my time a lot and will surely come again.