We've only stayed for three days in Singapore yet I couldn't finish writing this trip in just one sitting. Anyway, I'm now still in Day 2. After having conquered the birds in Jurong Birdpark, we were now ready for some action in Sim Lim Square, an established 390,000 square feet commercial shopping centre specialising in electronics and IT Products in Singapore. We went to look for some cheap electronics. I was looking for a flash drive and my friend Mira wanted me to get her a cheap digital camera. I ended up though not buying anything. But I tell you the products were cheap. I found a Canon IXUS 7.0 cam amounting to some 8k pesos which I later learned is a cheap price. Why wasn't I able to get something when items were priced low? Well, because I didn't exactly know what to buy. I didn't have the specs of Mira's cam. It wasn't that easy going there asking the vendors for a cam that was worth only 5k pesos. Mira and I should have researched beforehand. Why not the flashdrive? Well, because I found the flashdrives a bit expensive. Then again, it wasn't that much of a priority for me. After going around Sim Lim, which closes at about 8pm, Romy fetched us there and brought us to Lau Pa Sat, a hawker center located in the Central Business District. Hawker centers are large groupings of informal open-air food stalls. These were Singapore's answer to fast and cheap food in the days before McDonald's and are still the best way to sample every kind of Singaporean cuisine. Awaiting in Lau Pa Sat is another dear friend of mine, Emman. It was so good seeing them both. I just miss the "gayness" of those two prime movers of PICPA-TMC. Emman and Romy introduced us to delicious and not so hot Singaporean food. There was a "chicharon" squid, kangkong, sting ray. We were all so stuffed. We could hardly stand up. At Lau Pa Sat also, I saw a man selling tissues. Romy told me that there are no beggars in Singapore. Instead of them begging, they sell small stuff like tissues. And anyone who does small business should ask for a permit. Even those blind people performing on sidewalks soliciting money from passersby are required to have a permit. Singapore is indeed a very strict and disciplined country. I wonder if we can impose such kind of rules in the Philippines. Hmmm...
After a hearty dinner, we were off to Merlion Park. Anyone who goes to Singapore should have his/her picture taken with this creature, the Merlion - half fish, half lion. The statue fronting Marina Bay measures 8.6 metres high and weighs 70 tonnes. It spews out water on to the Singapore River. We also took pictures with a background of the Fullerton Hotel and the Esplanade Theaters. The theaters remind me of the Sydney Opera House. Why? Both have unique architecture. Our tourist guides in the Hippo Bus, tell us they look like the durian fruit or the microphone. However they look, they are just simply stunning at night.
With tired legs and feet, before the MRT shuts off its operations for the day, we walkd to the nearest MRT station (I think it was Raffles MRT). We stopped at Outram Park station, and that's where all the running happened.
Finally, we're back at our beds and ready to take our deserved rest. We'd have to be up early again tomorrow. Tomorrow, we're going to Emman and Romy's place. Then they'll take us to Sentosa.:)
Day 3 soon...
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