Singapore: Holland Village's eateries and watering holes

Holland Village is a small commercial enclave that has become a popular area for younger Singaporeans and expats. Known for its eateries and watering holes, among the many establishments you could find there include bars and up-market dining options, a 24-hour kopitiam, a market, and a food court that features both local and western dishes. I was there in 2007 and got to try out a lot of the local fare courtesy of my Singaporean friends.

Laksa is a dish of rice noodles, shrimps, cockles, fish cake and chilli paste in thick coconut-based soup. Katong laksa, which originated from the Katong area of Singapore, is sometimes referred to as Singapore's national dish by many of its fans. So while in Holland Village, we tried out the Katong laksa! Take note that Katong laksa is served with a spoon alone (no need for chopsticks) since the noodles are cut up into small pieces.

We also had Nasi lemak which is usually composed of coconut rice with omelette, anchovies (ikan bilis), peanuts, cucumber, sambal, and sometimes fried chicken. In Holland Village, you can point what viand you want to include in your Nasi lemak (you basically pay for what you get) from a wide selection of dishes. Everything is placed on top of brown wax paper and served with the coconut rice.

The eating just didn't stop and when I thought it was all over, we got sting ray, chicken wings and satay.

Singapore: Orchard Road, Lau Pa Sat and more food adventures in Singapore

Singapore, just like neighboring Malaysia, is a culinary delight. Every time I visit Singapore, my friends take me around to all these great food places, especially hawker food. This trip was no different.

Before proceeding to Formula One, we had an early lunch at Crystal Jade Golden Palace at the Paragon Shopping Centre along Orchard Road. We had a lot of dimsum. And what we thought was going to be a light snack turned out to be a really heavy meal. Thanks to Ian for the dimsum binge! I was so busy eating, I forgot to take note of what we ate. Maybe you guys could help me name the dishes?

Update: Here are the names: first photo - pan fried carrot cake, steamed char siew (barbecue pork) bun, steamed rice rolls, steamed (har kau) prawn dumpling, baked barbecue pork pastry, xiao long bao; second photo - diced barbecue pork, mango and seafood spring roll, pan fried rice rolls with XO sauce, steamed pork ribs with fermented black beans, egg tarts, baked sesame pancake, steamed siew mai (pork).

After the race, another friend treated us out to more food. This tme it was at Lau Pa Sat (Telok Ayer Market) an early 19th century market in the central business district of Singapore which had been conserved and adaptively-reused as a food centre.

In the evening, the street beside it makes way to hawker stalls which sell the best satay in town! I missed the satay so much, I made sure to have a serving that night. We had chicken and lamb satay with the really yummy peanut sauce. Thank you to Joy for the satay!

After dinner, I had another late dinner with another Singaporean friend who took me for some Singapore bah kut teh. I'll talk about that in another post. Thanks to Leon for the bak kut teh!

Crystal Jade Golden Palace
290 Orchard Road
#05-22/24 Paragon
+65 6734 6866

Singapore: 2009 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix

We were in Singapore last September to watch the 2009 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix which is a spectacular night race that cuts through the heart of downtown Singapore. Although there were qualifying races and other events the past few days, we got ourselves tickets only for the Formula One final on September 27. In fact, we purchased our tickets online as early as April.

The original plan was to get grandstand tickets. But we were advised that the walkabout tickets were just fine. And you could see more action if you went around the area. The cars moved so fast when viewed from the grandstand, you wouldn't see much action except through the video screens.

Since we wanted a good spot, we arrived early and picked the spot of our choice, one of the corners where the cars slowed down. My dad had been studying the map for weeks and had already decided where we were going to wait it out.

The day started with the Aston Martin Asia Cup at 3:30 p.m. followed by Formula BMW and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. It was only at 6:30 p.m. that the main event started. Imagine we waited already three hours by the time the drivers came out. Talk about patience!

Our perseverance gave us front row seats to the Formula One Drivers' Track Parade. The only hassle with the view though was the wire mesh that protected us from the action on the track.

The actual Formula One Race started at 8 p.m. A lot of people suggested that we bring ear plugs. Some find the noise too loud. But I found the ear plugs a hassle so I ended up taking them off.

What is great about watching from corners is that the cars slow down a bit. After several laps of the same thing, we decided to move around. There's an open field (padang) where you can sit on the grass and watch the race from a really large video screen. I got to see action from a grandstand view while walking around and you couldn't see much when the cars passed by since they were simply too fast.

Anyway, it was a great experience. The race was won by Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes. Sad I wasn't able to take home the lanyard I wanted since they were sold out days before. But I got myself a souvenir program of the 2009 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix. I wonder if we'll get to watch it again next year.

Malaysia & Singapore: Bus trip from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

Bus travel from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore and vice versa is very convenient. You can easily get on a bus at the Puduraya Bus Station anytime of the day. But since I was with my family, I made sure to purchase the tickets months before. It was a good thing I was in Malaysia several times this year before our Singapore trip so I got us front row seats on the executive bus.

A regular round trip ticket on the 20-plus seater executive buses is between RM80 to 100 if you buy it in Malaysia (remember that tickets can cost double in Singapore). The luxury 16-seater buses can be triple that or more. But seats can come with individual TV screens or even WiFi Internet access (such as Transtar which leaves from the Pasarakyat Bus Terminal off Jalan Imbi/Bukit Bintang). The choices for land travel between Singapore and Malaysia are endless.

Since the only thing you'll see along the way would be Malaysia's modern highway system, take this opportunity to rest or sleep. The trip usually lasts five to seven hours, depending on the bus company and how long the lines are in Singapore and Malaysia Immigration. So it's best not to be at the border during rush hour when workers move between Singapore and Johor Bahru.

The only thing I did not like about our trip was that place called Restoran Jaya, the stopover of the Transnasional bus, because the flies were swarming all over the place and on the food! I didn't expect to see anything like that in Malaysia, especially at a bus stop. And we didn't get to finish lunch with all the flies! In fact, the flies got in our bus and we had them as guests all the way to Singapore! But aside from that, the trip was fine.

I know of two major bus stops in Singapore which receives buses from Malaysia. In my previous trips, we were dropped off at Golden Mile along Beach Road. For this trip, it was the Lavender Bus Station along Lavender Street. There are other stops or private station depending on the bus company.

Puduraya to Lavender v.v.
Mahligai Espress +65 62949306
Transnasional +60 (3) 2070300/20705044

Puduraya to Golden Mile v.v.
Konsortium +60 (3) 40416789

Puduraya to Station v.v.
Citiexchange Express +65 63981216
Lapan Lapan Travel +65 63922188
Suasana Edaran +60 (3) 20722666 or +65 62962666

Pasarakyat to Lavender v.v.
Transtar Coach +60 (3) 21411771 or +65 62929009

Station to Golden Mile v.v.
Grassland Express +65 62931166
StarMart Express +65 63965681

Station to Station v.v.
Aeroline +60 (3) 21649611 or +65 63419338
Airebus +60 (3) 22870300 or +65 67376535
First Coach +60 (3) 22873311 or +65 68222111
Luxury Tours & Travel +60 (3) 20783988 or +65 67332808
Nice++ Bus +60 (3)22721586/22723634 or +65 62565775

Malaysia: BOH Tea Plantation and more from Cameron Highlands

Cameron Highlands is Baguio City before it exploded. It's the most extensive hill station in Malaysia and became prosperous during the British colonial period of Malaysia when planters discovered that its fertile mountain slopes was perfect for growing tea, then a very important commodity.

I had booked a half-day tour of Cameron Highlands which was quite convenient. Our first stop for the day was the Rose Centre which is actually a botanical garden. Many of the flowers found in the garden are also seen in the Philippines, particularly Baguio City. But it was a nice walk up the hill with all the plants in full bloom.

The main reason I wanted to see Cameron Highlands was to visit the tea plantations. And the BOH Tea Plantation, the largest tea plantation in Malaysia surely did not disappoint.

The Sungei Palas Tea Centre of BOH currently has a well-equipped visitor center and is very welcoming to tourists. From the platform, you get a superb view of the plantations. Plus you could purchase some tea from the tea shop. It's a really great place to learn about Cameron Highlands, the benefits of tea, and the history of the BOH Tea Plantation which opened in 1929.

I got to walk around the small museum and a tea factory where they process the tea leaves. It's really informative getting to observe how natural and simple the tea making process really is.

After visiting the BOH Tea Plantation, we also passed by a bee farm and Market Square where you can purchase the local produce, flowers and other products from Cameron Highlands. There was a hawker who sold deep-fried battered vegetables which I enjoyed munching on.

Anyway, I was hoping to be back in Tanah Rata before the 1 p.m. departure of my bus back to Kuala Lumpur (the tour agent assured me I'd be back). But the half-day tour usually extends beyond 2 p.m. so I had to request the driver to bring me back to Tanah Rata while the other guests were in one of the attractions. As a result, I missed the the butterfly farm, strawberry farm and cactus farm which isn't much of a loss since that's something I'd see in La Trinidad and Baguio anyway.

Part 1: Bus trip from Penang to Cameron Highlands