singapore biennale 2013

One of the things I like best about Singapore-- besides the food, the public transport system and the fact that everyone walks in an orderly fashion-- is the vibrant art scene. So happy that I was in Singapore during Biennale!

The whole city is dotted with fantastic sculptures. I saw Ana Tsarev's red flower in front of ArtScience Museum.

And this panda is just chillin' outside ION Orchard.

gardens by the bay + artscience museum

Our first view of Gardens by the Bay at 9:30AM on 26 October 2013.

Flower Dome and Cloud Forest off in the distance. So much long walk. Such humidity. Wow.

After what seemed like an epic journey, we paid SGD28 each and entered the climate-controlled paradise known as "Flower Dome".

where i stayed: singapore 2013

Whenever people ask me "Is this hotel OK?" I never know what to answer. My standards are admittedly not very high. Number one criterion is location. You'd probably say that location is paramount for everyone, but not the way it is for me. I would forego cleanliness for a really good location, haha.

Second, the bathroom has to be decent. By that I mean spacious, and with bone-crushing water pressure, both in the shower and the toilet. Hot water is a bonus, not essential.

Third, I must have free wifi. Those three things are all I really need, and because I don't expect a lot I am quite easy to please.

For my first three nights in Singapore, I chose Bliss Hotel. You can see it as soon as you step out of the Chinatown NE4 MRT station, and that was enough to make me fall in love with it. It was pricey and the room was quite small-- hey, it's Singapore-- but the king-sized mattress and fluffy pillows were surprisingly luxurious. The floor area of my room on the top floor was not enough for a closet (See the clothes hangers on either side of the window? That's the closet.) but there was space for a flat screen TV, a mini ref, a desk/dresser, a luggage rack and a coffee/tea station-- thank you, Bliss Hotel, for introducing me to Super Coffee. There was even a personal safe.

The bathroom sink was situated outside the T&B, which I think is genius and a time-saver if you're sharing the room. Toiletries, towels and slippers were provided.

Rain shower, check. Complimentary shampoo, body wash and lotion, check. Thick and soft toilet paper, check. Bidet, check. Water tended to escape from the shower stall and get on everything whenever I took a bath, but the exhaust fan dried the floor in a jiffy.

Bliss Hotel appealed to my obsessive-compulsiveness. Everything in the room was neatly and efficiently arranged, even these:

other stuff we ate: singapore

At ION Food Opera, my favorite food court in Singapore, a bowl of laksa for SGD5.20. With cockles, of course. Absolutely delectable. Grrr, I just made myself hungry.

ARGHHH!

Also at ION, a stir-fried beef set for SGD7. Nice, but the beef dish at Chinatown Seafood Restaurant was nicer. It was more than twice the price of this one, though.

lunch at bayfront, dinner at esplanade

The last time I was in Singapore, Gardens by the Bay was still under construction. For this trip, I set aside one whole day, 26 October 2013, to check it out. Naturally, I already planned where to eat.

Lunch was at Marina Bay Sands. I recently discovered that Din Tai Fung has a branch at The Shoppes.

I'm always impressed whenever I see this building.

No trip to Singapore is complete without a meal at DTF, and no meal at DTF is complete without xiao long bao.

Steamed pork dumplings (XLB), 6 pieces for SGD7.30++

Still the best, the best, the best!