SG Trip Day 1 (Part 1): Bugis Street and Temple Hopping

Jeff created a very detailed itinerary for our Singapore trip. Our first day would start an hour after our arrival at Singapore. He didn’t realize that it was so impossible given that our carrier was Cebu Pacific. :p

We first checked-in at Fragrance Hotel and freshened up a bit. We lost a precious hour and a half due to our delayed flight and didn’t notice that we still haven’t had our lunch. Having no idea where to go, we decided to walk along the hotel vicinity with a lot of maps on our hands.

We landed on Queen St. and spotted Tastebud Foodcourt. The choices were a bit limited but we finally settled with the store that sells Hainanese chicken.

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I was extremely excited to finally be given the chance to taste Singapore’s Hainanese chicken without knowing that we’d be eating a lot of it in the succeeding days. Promise, napurga ako sa Hainanese chicken!

DSC_0036Chicken Noodles SGD3

I got their Chicken Noodles while Boyet opted for their Chicken Rice. The taste of the noodles is so weird. I could taste some raw flour in it. There was also nothing exceptional with the chicken. It was so bland so I put as much sauce and chili paste in it which actually enhanced the flavors a bit. Boyet didn’t enjoy his choice either. But it was 3:00 pm so we had no choice but to engulf whatever was on our plate.

DSC_0037Chicken Rice SGD3

We rested for a few minutes after our late lunch. We then started walking and felt so disappointed when we saw a long chain of restaurants and food stalls a few meters from the food court.

The street market in Bugis is somehow similar to our Divisoria, only cleaner and less crowded. Aside from food, clothes, souvenir items and electronic equipment being sold, I also spotted people giving massage services along the road. I even saw an old man who looks like he’s pricking pimples on his client’s face. I have no idea what that was.

I told myself that it was still too early to spend on shopping so I resolved on simply checking out the street market. Along the way, we spotted a giant Buddha. Apparently, it’s a very big coin bank which houses monetary donations.

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We then headed to the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple. This is a very popular temple among the local devotees of the Goddess of Mercy. The large number of people who flocked the temple when we were there is a proof to that.

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We didn’t go inside for two reasons. First, the smell of the incense is too strong.
Second and more importantly, we were careful not to offend their beliefs or appear to be disrespectful if we make one wrong move since we are not familiar with their traditions.

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Also in Waterloo St. is the Sri Krishnan Temple. It's quieter and less crowded than the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple.

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We saw a barefoot man in robe and a long line of shoes and slippers at the entrance of the temple. I took a peek and saw some men offering their prayers inside the temple. Though the first temple looks grander, Sri Krishnan's intricacy in its humble architecture can't be denied.

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Used to only seeing mostly Catholic churches in the Philippines, having a glimpse of the two temples was a breath of fresh air. It is a reminder that behind a progressive country lies a diversity of culture.

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As we head to our next destination, Joie requested if we could stop by a store so she could try Singapore’s milk tea. After a couple of minutes, we spotted Ice Togo.

The variety of choices was definitely overwhelming. My neck was strained trying to figure out what to get from their giant menu. So Boyet asked the female staff member, “Ate, anong bestseller nyo?” Ate graciously replied, “Tango Ice Mango po, Sir.”

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DSC_0066Tango Ice Mango SGD4.20

I was furious when I found out that my husband paid SGD4.20 for that drink. It was our first day in Singapore and I was still consciously converting everything to Philippine Peso. I noticed how my husband kept on giving the drink to me no matter how I try to refuse it. So when I finally gave in, I came to realize that it’s good. It was a perfect way to perk us up for our next activities that day.

See Part 2 of our adventure here.

2 comments :

  1. SG is really a fine city. ang mahal. hehe a popcorn costs S$10. kaloka! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kita mo naman yung manga, SGD4+ =))

    ReplyDelete

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