An Evening Stroll through Chinatown

by Rebecca

A rainy evening found us strolling through Chinatown.

The glow of the lights on the wet pavement gave a very different feel to the area. We'd only visited Chinatown in the blazing sun of midday before. I draped an almost transparent shawl over my shoulders to keep off the drizzle, but really it's still warm out when the weather's like this.

Ms.C was on the hunt for another fan. She's getting quite the collection of $2 ones. Ms.E wanted a fan too, but she is more discriminating. Ms.E said she wanted a purple fan, but not that one or that one or that one. She decided to keep searching another day rather than going home with one that was not quite right.

We found some pet stores here and checked out the fish and aquatic plants. Ms.I loved the tiny turtles. I think they were $3 each. These buckets were just piled outside the store on the sidewalk. No we are not getting turtles, maybe some fish one day.

We found ourselves some dinner in the Hawker Centre here. We shared some satay for $0.60/skewer. We've decided that mutton is definitely our favorite everywhere. Our 2nd choice is chicken and pork is just too fatty.

Satay, compressed rice and peanut sauce in Chinatown.

Jonathan wanted dumplings, but didn't want to wait in the 20 person line. With a line that long, I'm sure they would have been good. Later we realized that one of the restaurants that offered Dim Sum on the corner between the MRT entrance and "Food Street" would have been a better option for dumplings.

In the Hawker Centre Ms.C orders us Iced Kachang (with no condensed milk). It's shaved ice with fruit syrups, sweetened beans, gelatin cubes, and creamed corn. Sometimes it's too exotic for Ms.E's tastes, but the rest of us enjoy them. We shared a large bowl for $2, although like everything in Singapore, price depends on location. We've spent up to $7 for essentially the same Kachang before.  

The Hawker Centre is on the 3rd or so floor and offered lovely views of the heritage buildings around here. Lots of rusty reds, arches, tile roofs, and shuttered windows.

The light fixtures in Chinatown.

You can see the modern buildings of the city surrounding Chinatown. It's a pleasant mix of old and new.