Local Tourist: Chinatown (and a bit of VivoCity)

Sanna and I have been friends since we were wee kids, but it's been ages since we last met. Back in March, we finally had a chance to hang out and since she loves taking photos and I wanted to finish up some film, we decided to do a mini photo-walk around Chinatown. All these photos were taken with the Olympus XA.

















We had guo tie & zha jiang mian at Tian Jin Fong Kee, explored Pagoda Street & Temple Street, ate mediocre shaved ice and hid from a thunderstorm. I didn't expect anything much shopping-wise from kitschy Pagoda Street, so it was a nice surprise to discover a Tintin shop tucked among all the souvenirs.

Later, we headed to VivoCity for some errand-running. It's just a regular shopping centre, but there's a nice boardwalk that runs between the sea and the shops, and we managed to catch some golden light while we were there. I really like the shot of Sanna by the sea - her amazing hair & that blue water make me think of Ariel from The Little Mermaid!

Head over here to see Sanna's photos from our day out. You should definitely check out her blog if you like wonderfully droll and/or thoughtful words about teaching 13 year-olds and other adventures. Her posts never fail to make me smile.

(more Local Tourist posts can be found here)

Local Tourist: Seah Street

Last Tuesday I met Elly for lunch - you might remember her from the last installment of Local Tourist - and she brought me on an impromptu mini-tour of this area, which is tucked away behind Raffles Hotel.

We had lunch at a coffee-shop on the corner of Seah Street which serves one of the best cups of teh-ci (tea with evaporated milk) I've ever drunk. It was so good that we simply had to go back for a second cup later in the afternoon.

Most of these photos were taken in and around Actually... and Supermama, which are both on Seah Street.



Little whimsical details along the stairs leading up to the two shops





I love how quirky these shops are and how the items they stock feel like they've been thoughtfully chosen and arranged.





Using their store signage for a photo op



It was a blazing hot day so we ended off our tour with some icy Chinese dessert at Liang Seah Street.



A bit of historical trivia: This area (including Beach Road & Middle Road) was where the Hainanese settled when they first arrived from China in the 1850s and the Singapore Hainan Society is still located on Seah Street today.

(photos from my Instagram feed)

Local tourist: Ann Siang Hill

Inspired by the guide that Emily from Paper Tiger Press wrote for Design*Sponge, and Notabilia's Singapore Shopaholic posts, my friend Elly and I decided to be local tourists for a day. So, a few weeks back, we took a trip to Ann Siang Hill, a curious area full of refurbished shop-houses.




Many have been converted to bars... (I love the bright red windows on this one)


...while others have been preserved in their original state. This shop-house looks as though it's been around since the early 1900s!


Jewel stickers from The Little Dröm Store - I used to wear these as earrings when I was a kid. They've got many other little knick knacks that used to be common in the past but are hardly sold anywhere else now.


Upon entering Woods in the Books, we were greeted by a jovial tree with legs. After I snapped this shot, the owners told us that photography wasn't allowed, oops!


We stopped for a tea break at the cosy little Flor Patisserie. I recommend their ice cheese tart, which comes in many flavours. Next time, I have to try the matcha-flavoured one.



All in all, it's a great area to explore. I really felt like a tourist that day. I think it's all about how you look at your surroundings, about expecting to see the new, interesting things that are there, instead of just what's old, tired and everyday. I can't wait to be a local tourist again!

If you know of a special spot in Singapore, a place you've had fun exploring, I'd love to hear about it!