Singapore: Feb 14: Chinese New Year Festivities and more

I took these pictures this day, which we devoted to exploring Chinatown. I'd hoped it would be lively on Chinese New Year's Day. Instead, it was the quietest I've ever seen it.

Di Yin, as usual, took more pictures than I. The link goes to the first picture from this day in her album from this trip (picture #4). When you hit a picture of a sleeping cat (#70), you're done with the pictures for the day. I'll link to the rest in later posts.

Di Yin ate breakfast at the Geylang Serai hawker centre, kitty corner from our hotel. (This is not the same hawker centre, also a block from our hotel, where we ate the previous night.) Because the neighborhood is mostly Malaysian/Muslim, biryani and nasi-something places abounded, some with long queues, others with shorter. Di Yin got a nasi padang (from a stall with a long queue) with fried chicken, eggplant, cabbage, cabbage and tofu, and some sort of shredded stuff. The whole plate was delicious. (I tried it.) I waited to have my small breakfast at a different hawker centre--there was a dish I was eying.

After breakfast, we rode a double-decker bus to Chinatown, then wandered through Chinatown, which was mostly shut. We saw lots of remains from the big party the previous night.

For lunch, we hunted for a food place that was open and inspired us. After much trying, we ended up at the dependable Maxwell's Hawker Centre.

We relaxed a bit in my company's Singapore offices. Combine beanbag chairs and massage chairs with great views, good snacks, a pleasant temperature, and wireless internet -- what more could one want?

In late afternoon, we emerged from our lair to explore the River Hongbao Festival, a festival related to Chinese New Year, in Marina Bay (a waterfront near the spiky building). Marina Bay was a happening part of town: the activities I expected in Chinatown were occurring here. We found a carnival, many new year's displays, and crowds.

The festival was jointly sponsored by / celebrating a partnership between Singapore and Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in China. As such, the food pavilion was devoted to Sichuan food. I ate dinner there. Di Yin doesn't go for most Sichuan food; she waited for dinner until we retreated to an air-conditioned mall. In the mall she had delicious chicken rice. (I tried her food again.) How does she always pick so well?

After dinner, we went to Orchard Road, walked around a bit, then went back to our hotel. On the way back, we passed an amazingly long series of blocks filled with fruit and vegetable markets. We also passed block after block with tables set outside with people eating. Gosh, I like Singapore.