Posh Mum's Journeys

An exciting time…… We are joining the Singaporean side of the family for a traditional welcoming of the bride to the family. We arrived in Singapore on 17th October and spent some time in the famous jewel part of the airport before whizzing to Vietnam and returning later in the week to Singapore to join the celebrations. Watch this space………

30th October 2023 after a limo ride to the airport we dined in the superb Emirates lounge. Champagne was nicely iced and coffee great quality.

29th October 2023 superb brunch of traditional dumplings at Din Tai Fung. Delicious but get there early as the restaurants are rightly popular.

Took the MRT to Singapore Botanical Gardens excellent and surprisingly still free of charge apart from entry to the expanded and splendid orchid garden.

28th October 2023 The Old Ford Factory museum has expanded a lot since my last visit in 2010. Tells the tale of the British surrendering to the Japanese in 1942 and what life was like. Churchill called it ‘the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history’, this was a terrible moment.

27th October 2023 great immersive rotunda exhibit at National Museum of Singapore Poshmum got an older person’s concession ticket, 28 SGD as opposed to 40 each. Brilliant museum. Tells the story of Singapore under various occupations including by the Dutch, British and wartime Japanese. Learn about its cultural development and its growth in tourism.

Dinner at Singapore Country club.

26th October 2023 Alas son, daughter and granddaughter depart for the UK. We share some more delicious food at Wisma food Republic atrium, try traditional Singaporean toast or salmon pepper hotplate sizzler for about £5 GBP per person. Dispels the myth that everything is too expensive in Singapore. Singaporeans love good food, and the choice and quality is outstanding.

25th October 2023 off to the Tiger Brewery 🐅 where Heineken is also produced. Can strongly recommend the tour, which ends with a delicious sampling session. Good value gift shop too. Refreshing to smell hops and malt having grown up with the smell from Sunderland’s famous Vaux Brewery, sadly long gone as have many northern ones including Scottish and Newcastle and Federation Breweries.

Dinner tonight was in Little India at Muthus Curry . Fortunately, this restaurant provides cutlery – its common practice to use your hand to scoop up your curry. brightly lit still for the Deepavali celebration.

24th October 2023 went to the Singapore Zoo. Excellent. Then taxi to Seafood Delicacy restaurant mmmmm

23rd October 2023 visited Little India with its heady scents and glorious colourways.

A light swim in the very pleasant and well maintained pool at The Orchard Suites. We then went for the best dim sum Poshmum has ever savoured at Swee Choon on Jalan Besar Poshmum tip – many of the delicious authentic restaurants and food court outlets are cash only. But these places are fantastic and directly reflective of Singaporean culture which includes an incredible love of good food. Taking leftovers is customary as no delicious morsel should be wasted.

22nd October 2023 Beautiful walk around the colonial district. It’s intensely hot, but just had to queue to spend way over the odds for cocktails in the famous Long Bar of Raffles hotel.

21st October 2023 delicious breakfast authentic Quincy and then driven to the Spring Court Restaurant for the bridal tea ceremony. Each guest is served tea by the bride and groom in order of age where the eldest are the most important.

We then retreat to Orchard Suites for a private gathering with drinks by the pool. Later, we went to the Newton Hawker centre for beers and supper. It’s now illegal not to clear your table afterwards!

20th October 2023 Smooth transition from the hotel to Ho Chi Minh Airport. As with other Vietnamese airports I have seen, there were genuine Vietnamese crafted products for sale, including a specialist gin only available in Vietnam. Gate changes are frequent, so do recheck as announcements are minimal. Took a taxi from Changi Airport to The Quincy Hotel. It’s still a nice place to stay, although several perks are no more. We managed a quick glass of wine before meeting up with the family at KENG Eng Kee restaurant 124 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-136, Singapore, 150124 neighbourhood seafood restaurant. Very traditional.

19th October 2023 delicious pho again for breakfast – will miss this! Poshmum was complimented on her use of chopsticks… nice when she thinks she’s hopeless! Saigon is wet this morning……

Saw this in Tao Dan Park

en route to the Saigon War Remnants Museum ….tells the tale from the Vietnamese perspective. Tragic what happened. Nothing so cruel as the human species…….

Stopped for refreshments at Ben Nghe Street Food market: https://g.co/kgs/s47tcX. And very nice indeed. Poshmum finds Saigon special beer most acceptable.

We finally found The Indian House restaurant – difficult to find and no kerb appeal as no kerb! At 42 Đ. Nguyễn Huệ look out for a tiny corridor leading to a grubby and tiny staircase. The restaurant is on 2nd floor. Deliciously spiced dishes served on the bone. Very reasonable too! If you miss it remember it’s almost directly opposite The Saigon Garden.

18th October 2023 Pho and sushi breakfast at La Siesta Premium Saigon a treat. As was a light as a feather facial at the spa. Heavenly. Pity I probably spoiled the effect by traipsing round the city in the heat but have to experience it!……

Want a Poshmum tip about the Ben Thanh market? Just don’t go there. Unless, of course, you like literally being touched by the hawkers as they press you to buy and don’t mind what you are charged for items you probably don’t even want….

Another Poshmum tip …..maybe don’t get hell bent on finding a specific restaurant or perhaps yes do just that and rock up 20,000 steps on your fitbit. A fruitless search meant we then headed for the Vincom Centre Mall, knowing we would be spoilt for dinner choices for less than 300,000 VND each. Certainly earned our supper. Seriously guys there’s heaps of choice all over the city. Pho is a must or try the broken rice dishes. Broken rice was traditionally less perfect and sold cheaply, but now widely regarded for its culinary properties through absorbing aromatic flavours from other ingredients. Egg coffee is another interesting offering, but I’m not sure if Poshmum cares to give it a go……….

17th October 2023, we checked out of the hotel and started to make our way to Terminal 4 for the Vietnam flight. Thanks to Singaporean efficiency, the notice board showed our flight was from Terminal 3, right next to our hotel! Vietnam Airlines had messaged about a slight time change but nothing about a Terminal one! On checking in, we were told we weren’t booked on the flight even, but that was an operator error as we definitely were booked as per their own confirmation emails and etickets! Good job we have mobile phones as life simply cannot function without them.

16th October 2023 arrived in Singapore and dined on infamous roast duck and greens at Kam’s Roast Changi Jewel. We loved the HSBC rain vortex fountain and its light show as per the video.

2021 – Wish I was able to visit Singapore as we eagerly await the arrival of the year of the tiger. Hope that it heralds good things and better times at last.

My brother in law is again back in Singapore for the first time for over a year. No quarantine but no meeting up with more than a few of his mates at a time either.

2021 brought us the hardworking Chinese year of the ox. Kind of appropriate as the world continued and still does to contend with the wrath of one of the deadliest pandemics in the form of Covid-19. My brother in law partly lives in Singapore luckily for him. When he returned back in September 2020 he was placed in mandatory quarantine. He had to pay £1400 for 14 nights in a basic hotel. But this policy alongside excellent health care in Singapore clearly works. Much fewer cases overall and very few deaths. If only the UK had quarantined visitors or returners from overseas in those early months perhaps we wouldn’t be in such a dire position. We had to cancel our visit to Singapore in 2020 due to the pandemic. My brother in law continues to enjoy daily life out there. Beer and delicious food from the Newton Centre with karate friends beats any such experience in the UK. The weather is better too. So hope we can return soon. Singapore is very expensive but eating at the food centres is still very budget friendly. The city is very walkable but get a metro pass to explore further afield cheaply and easily. The beautiful botanical gardens provide a quiet haven in this amazing country. I never tire of the exquisite orchid garden. Easy to see why this is the national flower. Hope you can travel to Singapore soon.

Singapore – Chinese New Year 2018

On a dark January day we decided to visit Singapore the following month, coinciding with exhilarating Chinese New Year of the Dog celebrations. Singapore enjoys more or less a constant, warm but humid temperature all the year round, nevertheless it is difficult to imagine leaving a freezing British environment in one’s extra layers, and seeking respite from the heat on our arrival.

Above and Below – Marina Bay Gardens – illuminated

22nd February 2018 – The Journey Begins

Our journey to Singapore began with Emirates Airlines, booked directly via https://fly4.emirates.com/, departing in the early afternoon from Newcastle Upon Tyne airport, arriving Dubai 8 pm UK time (midnight local time), with around a 2.5 hour wait in Dubai for the onward connection to Singapore, arriving Singapore around 3 pm (local time).  

Your way: Play around with departure and return dates & fly to Singapore  from the UK for under £500 per adult.  The in-flight service and entertainment system on board the Emirates aircraft is excellent, even in economy class.  Depending on your ticket,  minimum luggage allowance is 20 kg, rising to 30 kg, plus typical hand luggage allowance.

Arrival in Singapore

Go to the arrivals hall, and locate an authorised taxi operator.  We paid SGD25 (roughly £15).  Public transport is possible but perhaps not the best option after an overnight flight: http://www.transitlink.com.sg/eservice/eguide/.  Shared shuttle services are also available, although these are priced per person and a taxi is cheaper depending how many people are travelling. 

We stayed at Quincy’s Hotel, https://www.quincy.com.sg located near the hospital at Mount Elizabeth, in a quiet yet central spot not far from Orchard Road, one of Singapore’s busiest streets complete with designer shops, bars and restaurants. 

Your way: Booking direct with the hotel is often the cheapest option.  Hotels in Singapore can be expensive, but Quincy’s offers a ‘club room’ experience for all guests, not just those who pay a premium. The rate includes breakfast, day time snacks, evening supper and cocktails, free minibar, 2 pieces of laundry per room daily, free Wi-Fi, free mobile phone – and great in-room coffee maker.   Our 7 night stay cost SGD 1,977 (roughly £1,120), equating to around £160 per night.  

Getting Around: Buy a 3-Day pass from customer service counters at major MRT stations as well as 711 stores, roughly SGD20 – enabling travel by MRT trains or buses all over Singapore. 

The Marina Gardens by the Bay are fabulous at any time: http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en.html

 – go during the day to visit the vast atriums and be shaded by the towering canopies above, or at night, to see spectacular tall trees, illuminated figures, giant fluorescent dragonflies on the water, and much more. 

We saw fabulous firework displays, set to the most uplifting music, marking the Chinese New Year celebrations, complete with parades, delicious street foods, sounds and delights.

Singapore in Wartime

The British forces, then located in Singapore, surrendered to the Japanese in 1942 at the Old Ford Factory: http://www.nas.gov.sg/formerfordfactory   The museum, located on Upper Bukit Timah Road is well worth a visit. You can also visit Changai Museum, located close to the airport and easily accessible by the efficient MRT system, which is dedicated to Singapore life during the Japanese occupation period:  https://www.changimuseum.sg/

We  visited the Reflections at Bukit Chandu museum, which is a colonial bungalow commemorating the Battle of Opium Hill through exhibits & artifacts, although this is currently closed for restoration.

Singapore Botanical Gardens: Strolling around the immensely beautiful Singapore Botanic Gardens on Cluny Road (all free of charge apart from specialist gardens such as the Orchid Garden), we were sent photographs from home of ‘The Beast from the East’ – one of the worst snow storms seen in the UK in many years, yet here we were looking around for a shaded area to take a rest from the heat! A few exquisite orchids photographed in the Orchid Garden:

Tan House, located in colourful Little India is arguably the most brightly coloured building in Singapore. 
Stroll round the markets amidst the heady scents and aromas of spices, street food and incense, or visit the famous Thandapani Company on Dunlop Road nearby, http://www.thandapani.com.sg/ and buy amazing spices to take home to remind yourself of this wonderful place. 

Wow! Is that really a ship on top of 3 towers?

The ‘ship’ above is a well-known Singaporean landmark, the self-contained resort owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation incorporates within its three towers an ultra up-market shopping mall, (complete with canal, resembling that which can be seen at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas), a massive hotel and of course a huge casino – the ‘boat’ includes the longest elevated swimming in the world as well as night clubs – plenty of spaces to spend large quantities of Singaporean dollars!

Henderson Waves Bridge, below, is a satisfyingly free way to gain panoramic views of Singapore.  It is a little strenuous so it is well-worth remembering to carry bottles of water. Other walking opportunities include the Colonial Walk – containing fine buildings including Raffles (still being restored but due to re-open later this year), St Andrew’s Cathedral, and lots of welcome refreshment stops.

Meanwhile back home:

Useful Links:

Singapore Tourist Information: https://www.visitsingapore.com/en/

Singapore’s China Town/Markets: www.singapore-guide.com/singapore-shopping/chinatown-street-market.htm

UK Government Travel Advice for Singapore: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/singapore