Singapore at night

Hi Everyone,

   We really are lucky to have Lang and Douglas guiding us around Singapore.  We are exploring places we probably would have skipped without they’re saying, “Come on!”  After dinner at Newton Circus we ventured over to Clarke Quay, one of the hot spots of Singapore night life.  By the time we left the outdoor restaurants and mini-breweries were packed.  But as one Singapore gentleman told me on the MRT, Singapore is for eating!

clip_image002  City Hall and the old Supreme Court

clip_image004 Boat Quay, renovated shophouses all lit up at night looking very exciting. 

clip_image006  Randal, Doug and Lang.  I just think this photo is fun.

Where North Bridge Rd meets South Bridge Rd

clip_image008  The tall buildings of the financial district.

clip_image009 Bridge across the Singapore River

clip_image011  Water taxi, old Supreme Court and the lights on the far left are the spaceship looking lights of the new Supreme Court building.

clip_image013 Clarke Quay where old warehouses have been transformed into malls, shops, restaurants, etc.

clip_image015Shop girl in Red, hat, shoes, fingernails.    She never looked up. 

You can see from what she is wearing the dress code here in Singapore is far different than that of Malaysia and Indonesia.

clip_image017  It was getting late for us, like 8:30 PM, but it was really too early for the crowds. 

We’re pretty much 12 hour people,  It gets light at 7 am and dark at 7pm, and so do we.

Doug’s favorite part of the evening was the neon lit radio controlled kites.  They whooped and dove and looked like something from Star Wars.

clip_image018  You can see the neon lights of the kite and the green “runway.”

clip_image019

Two kites were playing daredevil with each other with an occasional thwack letting you know they hit.  But no crashes.

Newton Circus

Hi Everyone,
     I almost forgot that February only had 28 days. Too bad, time seems to be flying.
We met our friends Lang and Douglas last Friday night for a night out on the town.  First it was dinner at the Newton Circus food stalls.  “Ok. This time, let me do all the ordering… It’s tout city at newton.. the sharks just like fresh foreign faces.. see ya.  Lang”   In case you’ve never heard the word tout used this way, it means someone who prays on tourists or takes advantage of someone’s lack of knowledge.  Lang was concerned that the Newton Circus hawkers would “trick” us into buying several of the most expensive dishes as we made our bewildered way around the food stalls.  

clip_image001 So many choices it would make your head spin as it seems to be doing to the blue man mid-photo. 

Food stalls surround numbered tables.    When you order, you tell your table number and your food is brought to you and then you pay.

clip_image003 I think we were table 292.  You can see the remains of our meal. Doug, Lang and Randal

clip_image005 This one photo illustrates why Lang wanted to do the ordering.

First, see all of the prices listed under Oyster Omelette.  $6 $8 $10 and then $5 $6 $8 $10.  Sometimes food is sold by weight and it’s not in ounces and pounds but grams or whatever.  And see the opposite side of the window that says Carrot Cake.  Carrot cake is eggs and radishes and some carrots but definitely no sugar, butter, walnut and anything that resembles a cake.  I found this recipe for Carrot Cake on the Uniquely Singapore website.   Ingredients: 4 radish flour cakes, 4 tbs vegetable oil or lard, 1 tbs chopped garlic, 1 tbs red chilli paste, 1 tbs chopped chye poh (salted radish), 2 eggs, 1 tbs fish sauce, 1 stalk fresh spring onion, chopped 5 tbs oil.  It was quite good; just not what I envisioned any carrot cake to be. The oyster omelette I didn’t love, but then, I was so incredibly full when I tried it.  I had prawn noodles, popiah which is like a spring roll made with a very thin bread and not fried, barbecued chicken wings, and some of the omelette and carrot cake.  Luckily we planned to do a lot of walking around Clarke Quay later in the evening.

http://www.the-inncrowd.com/newtoncircus.htm  is written by a local describing Newton Circus and its food.  I had read it before we went and that’s why I had wanted to try the popiah.

clip_image007  Newton Circus.  (rotary)

clip_image009  The cat woman of Newton Circus.  Lang said she comes to feed the stray cats.  Dogs are rounded up by the Singapore government, but stray cats are left alone. 

Then it was off to the MRT and our next stop, City Hall

Ruth Johnson

DoraMac