Singapore proves to be a multicultural experience, particularly through the mixture of brown (mainly Tamil) and Asian (mainly Mandarin) people. Signs are usually shown in all of English, Tamil, Mandarin and Malay. Its orderly composure creates an aura of safety, even in the grimier parts of town. The red light district in Geylang, which feels more like Chinatown than Chinatown, is completely safe. It is a clean city but not unlike Canadian cities. At times, the general hustle and bustle and dilapidated buildings give a feeling quite opposite to cleanliness.

The blazing heat is a signature of this city-state, which lies a stone throw from the equator. Neither in the morning nor in the night can one find refuge from heat - only in air-conditioned buildings, busses, subways or with a cold Lemon Iced Tea. One weird sight, then, is how the nightlife materializes on the Singapore River at Clarke Quay. The young and exuberant sprawl out in the night, buying beers from the 24 hour 7-eleven store. They seem immune to the laborious heat.

Hawker centres are an essential part of Singaporean culture. Best is the gigantic one at Tiong Bahru Market. It is covered but not air-conditioned, making a cold drink essential to weathering the heat. Thankfully, there are a dozen stalls that sell the Hong Kong classic, Iced Milk Tea, a concentrated black tea with condensed milk; and Iced Lemon Tea, the same black tea with a few drops of squeezed lemon and a dollop of sugary syrup. This is what Nestea had in mind when they filmed those refreshing commercials. Interestingly, some people seem to want to punish themselves by drinking hot tea (or soup for that matter).

For food, begin with four half balls of water rice cake (“Chwee Kueh”). It is topped with preserved radish relish, a poignant sauce. It is eaten with two elongated toothpicks, which after a long while we realized were meant to be used like chopsticks. There is a surprising texture - smooth and firm, giving it a fine quality unseen in glutinous rice cakes elsewhere. Best yet, it costs 1.50 SGD (1.30 CAD) for four half balls.

The Singaporean staple Chicken rice is a must try and available at many of the stalls. Perhaps the easiest way to choose which one is to see where the line forms. At a market leading 11 SGD (9.60 CAD), you’ll be eating like royalty. The dish itself originates from Hainan, an island off the south coast of China. Its beauty comes from its simplicity - lightly salted and steamed just until the juiciness is right. The skin comes out light white-yellow, giving the dish a monochromatic, minimalist quality.

Most of Singapore feels rural and dilapidated. But the downtown core turns into another world. It reminds of the brightly lit and naturalistic universe of Avatar or the bucolic forest of Prince Mononoke, and even the terrifying playground of the Hunger Games. In the centre of it is all is the futuristic Marina Bay Sands, which looks like a mushroom and the adjoining Garden by the Bay, which is densely populated by foliage and from which spires and sci-fi structures rise. The most essential activity in this area is to do the SkyPark (23 SGD or 20 CAD) for the best views of the city. On one side, an unending array of boats (of all ships and sizes) remind of Dunkirk and Normandy. On another, see the skyline of urban Singapore. Not too far away is the Ritz-Carlton, which has a dashing display of artwork, notably some glass pieces of Chihuly. If you don’t plan to go to Seattle anytime soon, this is the place to see it.

Near the subway station of Bugis is the sketchy Thieves market (g: Sungei Road Flea Market), where hustlers bring a van-load of junk and disperse them on the ground, ready for sale. It has everything you could ever not want: broken telephones, used playing cards, herb-scented condoms. A few blocks south is Haji Lane, where more reputable shopkeepers co-inhabit a narrow street, selling collectable knick-knacks and other stuff you’d actually want to buy.

An interesting cultural alcove is Little India and its surroundings. In the middle is the gigantic Mustafa centre. It is jam-packed with products: thousands of shoes that differ slightly in size and colour are tossed onto a rack. It is a one-stop shop three times as dense as Wal-mart. The little alleys bursting with the smell of curry and overrun by Tamils complete Little India. The only white people to be seen are at Bismillah Biryani - a rundown shop with no AC, but with critically acclaimed food (15 SGD). For a change in scenery, go to the Chinatown. The most authentic place to visit in this commercialized district is the Chinatown Heritage Centre, which has reconstructions of rooms from a bygone era.

Candlenut

The food culture in Singapore is notably strong. As already seen, there is no shortage of things to gorge oneself on. For something posh, consider Candlenut, a well-received restaurant that serves Peranakan cuisine, a mixture of Chinese and Malaysian cuisine. There is an extensive non-alcoholic drinks list (common in these parts because of the high taxes placed on on alcohol) which includes barley milk, a therapeutic, coconut-like drink. The food included shrimp and radish in crunch cups, whole fish topped with a spicy sauce, and a notably dark chicken curry. The sweet potato leaf sautéed in garlic was light, flavour-packed and aromatic. Finally, the best part of the meal was home-made chocolate ice cream, exceptionally dark, topped with more Valrhona chocolate and crunch (~80 SGD for two).

Tippling Club

Now, moving to foodie-level, go to Tippling Club, which has a 42 SGD lunch - a steal for the top 50 Asian Restaurant that it is. It feels modern and bustling, complete with an open kitchen where chefs meticulously fashion and plate dishes and touches of cool like an oil-pack to rest cutlery on. The meal begins with a few amuse-bouches - a warm curry soup, peppers with a soy wasabi paste (eaten with giant tweezers) and a clear tomato ‘soup’ slurped with a straw with basil paste inside. The show really begins with the appetizer - salmon ‘confit’ with enough components to look like a futuristic Singaporean garden. For the main, another perfectly cooked fish, this time a Barramundi topped with celery, green curry purée, an emulsion and an eggplant chip. The fish is dense with a light flavour, and the greenery is just strong enough to pick up the oils of the fish. It’s all good for the "23rd Best Restaurant in Asia”, except the 8 SGD ginger ale (which I inadvertently ordered two).

A final stop for food should be Dempsey Hill, a happening area a little out of town. Most famous there is Samy’s Curry, a large Indian affair with food survey on a lotus leaf placemat. It’s some stunning curry, for a cheap price (~20 SGD for one). Nearby, a Viet brewery has live music; one well received song was “Let it Go” from Frozen.

Singapore urges you to be a model citizen. Men with assault rifles walk in formation at the airport. The customs form, distributed on the flight in, proclaims “Warning. Death for drug traffickers under Singapore law.” But also, seeing the collaborative nature of different cultures come together imbues a heartfelt nature to the city. You can’t stand but be a model citizen.

Accessibility: The predominant language in Singapore is English so this blog post did not have google guides. A sim card is available at the airport for 20-40 SGD. Taxis are generally easy to hail and are reliable. Charge cards for the subway require a small start-up cost but are subsequently easy to use. Public transportation is useful.