This holiday was more a case of looking around some local areas. Tanjong Pagar area has some good hotels, and is close to many mid range cafes, but it also has a quite "local" feel, as it has a substantial amount of government built HDB flats; and directly across the road from Amara Hotel, some quite "local" shopping. (Including a laudromat that does a $5 wash, and about another $5 to dry. Better than returning home with a bag full of dirty clothes.)
Here's the local mid Autumn festival party, with lots of families in a park in front of the MRT station:
Don't expect much from the local smallish hawker centre, though - it's upstairs and very basic - but there are lots of other options all around it.
In particular, by happy coincidence, the 100AM shopping centre which actually adjoins the Amara has, since our last visit, turned into pretty much a "little Japan" for Singapore, with an extensive number of Japanese cafes and restaurants, and cheap goods outlets (Don Don Donki) which also do fresh food. The cost was reasonable, too. Look, nice looking chicken teriyaki bento boxes for $7.90 (reduced in the evening to $6.32).
In fact, my entire impression this trip was that food and drink in Singapore seemed cheaper than last time. This (very large) meal of stingray, squid, seafood fried rice and some asian veg cost (from memory) $54, with two large bottles of Tiger beer for $7 each. (From a shop on the footpath, pretty much):
A pint of Tiger at the Lau Pa Sat hawker centre - even apart from the satay, it's one of the best in Singapore:
was $9 - very comparable to Australian prices. There was craft beer for $11, although I didn't try it, but again, that price is fine. (Wine is still hideously expensive, so don't expect to drink it while there.)
So yeah, just as in Japan, there are plenty of cheap to moderate priced eating options, and for a country that has an expensive reputation, you can do very well for very modest prices as long as you don't want to eat at high end places.
So, apart from that, we went to Katong area to walk around and look at the famous street of pretty, Peranakan style houses:
These are private homes, and literally is only one short street full of these ultra coloured ones, but the whole area has a nice, somewhat upmarket, relaxed local vibe, and I would have no problem staying there for a night or two:
(It has an extraordinary number of pet and pet grooming shops - owning nice dogs is definitely a status thing now in Singapore):
How's this for a fancy bed, btw:
And how's this for a fancy looking small bar:
Actually, that's back near Chinatown/Tanjong Pagar, where the charming streets look like this:
and this:
And if you keep wondering around, you end up at the Buddha's Tooth Temple, which deserves a post of its own...
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