Singapore

Singapore

Singapore was one of those things that had always confused me. Was it a country? Was it a city? When I made my first visit visit I finally told by one of the locals that Singapore is country hidden in a city (I guess I could have looked this up myself). Well that cleared things up for me. I had never been anywhere like Singapore and I hope to be able to go back and explore more of this beautiful city/country at some point in the near future. Situated very close to the equator Singapore is very warm and tropical. My first memory of Singapore is of the heat and humidity when I arrived late one night. Everywhere you go big trees and plants line the streets and walkways. Outdoor food courts are bustling with patrons and filled with the smell of exotic foods continuously blown around by fans that attempt to keep patrons cool.

It's like no other fruit that I've ever experienced from the taste and smell to the spikes and ritual like opening. The locals love it and most foreigners fear it. Do yourself a favor and give it a try.
Durian smells so strong that it is banned on busses, hotels and some public areas. There is an art to both buying and eating this prickly delight. I was lucky enough to share my first experience with a local who is very picky about his durian. The whole process took about 15 minutes or so and consisted of opening several different fruit and tasting them for flavor and quality. I quickly learned that there are several different types of durian each with their own subtle differences.

To find this king od fruit keep an eye out when you pass by the open air produce markets. Your best bet may be to ask a local where to find one.

At night the satay stands come out and the people quickly gather around to enjoy this delectable street food. The satay stands on the left are found around the perimeter of the Lau Pa Sat market which is filled with a variety of local cuisine choices. The satay found here is out of this world cooked with care over an open flame by the chef who tends to the flames keeping them at the perfect level with a fan. The satay is served with a peanut dipping sauce and can be washed down with a fresh coconut juice or Tiger beer.

One of the must have meals in Singapore has to be Chili Crab. This is one of the favorite dishes of the country, so popular that they even make magnets that you can take home to stick on your refrigerator so that you can always remember you favorite meal (I have one on my fridge at home).

I was lucky enough to be shown around Singapore by a local who loved to eat and was proud to show off his local cuisine. Since I had not tried Chili Crab a trip to one of his favorite restaurants was in order. I put my stomach into his hands and let him do the ordering. I was not disappointed.

The restaurant itself is nothing fancy but was packed with locals. Every table was full of people eating, drinking, talking and having fun. It was a great experience and mot definitely better than anything I would have had in the hotel.

Prior to the the Chili Crab we started our meal with coconut juice served right in the coconut. A spoon is provided so that you can pick out the meat as you drink. To start our meal we had prawns served piping hot and un-peeled so we had to work for it. The Chili Crab finally arrived and was served in a large bowl to accommodate the whole crab and the chili sauce. If you like crab and spice, this is for you.

M Hotel (Formerly Copthorne Harbor View) was where I called home for my 2 night stay in Singapore. This hotel is reasonably affordable in American standards at under $100 US a night.

The M was fairly new in 2002 and had a very modern feel to it. The business traveler will find all of the necessities here including free high speed interenet in the room. Tourists will also find this hotel to be very comfortable as well with all of the expected immensities.

work trip Feb 2002 - next stop Beijing

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	It's like no other fruit that I've ever experienced from the taste and smell to the spikes and ritual like opening. The locals love it and most foreigners fear it. Do yourself a favor and give it a try. Durian smells so strong that it is banned on busses, hotels and some public areas. There is an art to both buying and eating this prickly delight. I was lucky enough to share my first experience with a local who is very picky about his durian. The whole process took about 15 minutes or so and consisted of opening several different fruit and tasting them for flavor and quality. I quickly learned that there are several different types of durian each with their own subtle differences. To find this king od fruit keep an eye out when you pass by the open air produce markets. Your best bet may be to ask a local where to find one.
	At night the satay stands come out and the people quickly gather around to enjoy this delectable street food. The satay stands on the left are found around the perimeter of the Lau Pa Sat market which is filled with a variety of local cuisine choices. The satay found here is out of this world cooked with care over an open flame by the chef who tends to the flames keeping them at the perfect level with a fan. The satay is served with a peanut dipping sauce and can be washed down with a fresh coconut juice or Tiger beer.
	One of the must have meals in Singapore has to be Chili Crab. This is one of the favorite dishes of the country, so popular that they even make magnets that you can take home to stick on your refrigerator so that you can always remember you favorite meal (I have one on my fridge at home). I was lucky enough to be shown around Singapore by a local who loved to eat and was proud to show off his local cuisine. Since I had not tried Chili Crab a trip to one of his favorite restaurants was in order. I put my stomach into his hands and let him do the ordering. I was not disappointed. The restaurant itself is nothing fancy but was packed with locals. Every table was full of people eating, drinking, talking and having fun. It was a great experience and mot definitely better than anything I would have had in the hotel. Prior to the the Chili Crab we started our meal with coconut juice served right in the coconut. A spoon is provided so that you can pick out the meat as you drink. To start our meal we had prawns served piping hot and un-peeled so we had to work for it. The Chili Crab finally arrived and was served in a large bowl to accommodate the whole crab and the chili sauce. If you like crab and spice, this is for you.
	M Hotel (Formerly Copthorne Harbor View) was where I called home for my 2 night stay in Singapore. This hotel is reasonably affordable in American standards at under $100 US a night. The M was fairly new in 2002 and had a very modern feel to it. The business traveler will find all of the necessities here including free high speed interenet in the room. Tourists will also find this hotel to be very comfortable as well with all of the expected immensities.