Kampong Glam Tour

After nearly a month of being a full-pledged couch potato in a foreign land, I decided to do something beyond the walls of our flat. So yesterday, I reluctantly detached my tush from our couch and went out for an "adventure".

First off, I needed to decide which place to go to. After much internal debate (a good 5 minutes! :) ), I decided to go to Kampong Glam. (Special thanks to Donna for the walking guide) With map, bus guide, walking guide, and compass on hand, I dashed to the nearest bus stop.

map, bus guide, kampong glam walking guide, and compass

I rode a #80 doubledeck-type bus. Being that it was my first time ever to ride one, I sat on the front seat of the "second floor". It was a 1-hour trip. Considering the distance and number of bus stops, I'd say it was a fast trip. I could have gone faster if I took the MRT, but that wouldn't be half as fun. :)

distance from point A to point B : 20.3 km

I took some pictures of several Chinese stores I saw while inside the bus. I even saw jas in one of them... hehehe... :)

si jas!

old Singapore shops (not so clean-looking lah?)

Several bus stops later, I had to alight and walk my way to my first stop: The Malay Heritage Center, also known as Istana Kampong Glam.

This used to be the place where the Malay rulers held court. Istana means "palace" in Malay. Now, it serves as a historical landmark and museum of Malay culture.

Entrance to the Istana grounds is free. (Why else would I be there if it weren't?) However, the museum admission costs 3SGD per head. Being the cheap-ass bastard that I am, I skipped the museum. :)

There were several people that day as well. There was a tour full of Caucasians and there were people shooting a music video of some Indian song (Off-Topic: there's something about Indian songs that make me laugh... and i mean the condescending kind of laugh you wouldn't want to do if your surrounded by strangers, so I tried my best to get a hold of myself... walk away... walk away... then laugh! :) ).

Since there were many people around, (and I'm trying desperately to stay away from the music video people) the only pictures I got are these:

the sad thing is, i was such in a hurry, i don't even know what the hell is this!?!

i saw this lying around the walkway. i love the contrast in color. but upon close inspection, i noted that this was a fake flower. probably used by the music video people as props. (and again, i giggle each time i remember...)

To the right of the Istana is the Sultan Mosque:

Sultan Mosque. non-Muslims are welcome as long as they are fully covered (long sleeves and pants/long skirt).

Near the mosque is a pathway lined with several cafes and souvenir shops.

the pathway

old map of the area

Basically, that's it. There are a few more shops in the other streets but I wasn't able to take pictures of them.

Next adventure... Chinatown... when?... i dunno... hehehe... :)