Haji Lane and a Night Safari
It was the last day in Singapore and there were two things on the agenda, fill my half empty suitcase with some hip Asian clothes and then go on a nocturnal adventure with Singapore’s wild life. One out of two ain’t so bad right? Please disregard my tears.
I read about Haji lane and was really worried it would end up like my visit to Far East Plaza. Granted, I think I went to the wrong Far East place, but still, I was scarred. You would be too when you arrive to the area. It didn’t seem like a place you’ll go to buy clothes. Maybe some grub or some ethnic groceries. Then you find this little road and you go, neat. I think I dig this place. Friggin reminds me of SF a bit. Hayes Valley? With all these Asian people? Yeah, just like home sans the homeless people. But if you are looking for a huge selection, nope. This was one road. Dream on. So for me getting new work clothes, fail.
Next up was the infamous Night Safari. Yeah, we shopped for a very long time. Plus we got a package at the hotel. For $53SGD, you get picked up and dropped off at the hotel with your ticket. Not bad for the convenience. They pick you up around 6:30PM and drop you off close to 11:00PM. It takes about half an hour to get to the Zoo. And once you get there, you hop on the tram and take the tour. It’s actually pretty good. The driver gives you enough information about each animal and slows down enough for you to realize you need a better lens for night photography. Especially when the animals move. And if I you thought I’d realize that, you’re wrong. We had enough time to walk around and as stubborn as I was, I tried to take more pictures. And wouldn’t you know it, out of about 200 photos, I got two decent photos. Nailed it! I’ll chalk this one up as a win.
Oh and for the foodie side, we had gone to the Old Airport Road Food Center for lunch. Here was where I finished eating the last of the recommended foods. Not quite in the top ten list, but now I gotta re-evaluate. Two of the dishes have dropped off in place of some new stuff I tried. In addition, this place has now become a must go. Prices are fantastic and there were plenty of shops to keep it me occupied for a month. Why did I have to find this out now?!?!
Good job Singapore, you’ve given me more than enough reasons to return. See you soon.
Haji Lane was hidden in this area. Right under the noses of the uninformed tourists. Okay maybe, just maybe, some of these tourists just aren’t into shopping Asian fashion boutiques in an area outside of the mall areas.
This was an interesting place that had its act together. Everything from a conveyor that cooked, dipped, and scorched the skewers to the extra step to char them on wood charcoals, they made some good stuff. We had one chicken and one pork. Pretty good snack between shopping. $1.20/1.40SGD
Love the little pieces of unique you find in this little alley of a street. Can’t imagine anyone actually driving a car through this tiny street. Maybe they’re talking about scooters or my fat ass.
Words I live by. Would have bought this sign if it could fit in my luggage. Really.
Plenty of boutique shops to keep your fancy. For men, not so many. Cool styles though when you find them. Very Japanese and very not cheap.
Had to get some cover while a small rain storm came through. Lasted about 15 minutes before the sun came out and erased all evidence of precipitation.
They look like large house cats but I’m pretty sure they’re feral. Even though I’d like to see them fish, I do’t think my camera would have done a good job capturing it. I had to nix so many photos from this night, and this one wasn’t even that great.
We saw this fellow on one side of the habitat. He saw us there and moved to the other side. And as annoying tourists we followed him. He had no love for us. So much for being nocturnal.
Even if you’re not there to shop, you can keep yourself entertained with all the marketing tidbits you find around the shops. Oh, and btw, you’re not allowed to take pictures inside the shops. What? This was shot from the outside.
This was the biggest surprise of the food center, this dish at Nam Sing. It doesn’t look like much, but this seafood noodle medley was fun to eat. And the thing about it was that it felt light enough to eat more. We chose the lightest amount too. Mistake. Should have ordered the extra large. $3.00SGD
Went to the infamous Lao Fu Zhi hawker and as unappealing as this looks, this tasted really good. Every picture I saw of this stuff had me think, why do people think this burnt looking stuff was any good. Well, it’s not burnt, it’s the sweet and savory sauce. And its not over done. On the contrary, the cooks prepare each dish meticulously. You order by price and they put the right amount of seafood, squid, clams, and shrimps into the joyful plate of noodles. $5.00SGD
Now this is the stuff. True to the taste and unapologetic. The soup base was rich with enough heat to keep you interested. It’s amazing how well it balances out. But overall this was a solid bowl at an awesome price. I love this place. $3.00SGD