Part 2 of my Singapore guide is here. It may have just be the craziest four days of my life. It was so hot that I wore bikinis as outerwear and spent the little down-time I had on the rooftop pool, soaking in the views of Katong. So much of DNA is rooted in Southeast Asia thanks to my mother. She was born in Singapore and raised in Malaysia. Give this lady a prawn-mee noodle soup and she is the happiest girl on earth. I’m the same way. Best meal hands down. Go on and take a peek at this amazing part of the world. It’s so far, yet feels so close to home and to my heart.
My mother was born in Singapore, and all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my Chinese side still live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It’s no surprise that I have such a strong love for everything Southeast Asia. The delicious food in particular. My love for intensely spicy curries and laksa noodle soups began the day I was born. But the more I grow up, I’ve had this urge to learn more and more about the place my mother is from. While I’ve made many trip to Malaysia and absolutely love it, I’ve only been to Singapore once as a kid. When I had the opportunity to visit again to really enrich myself in everything this wonderful country has to offer on Singapore’s Crazy Rich Asian press trip, I jumped at it. Not only did we get to experience much of Singapore’s “crazy rich asian” indulgences from the top hotels to the best and most chic restaurants and bars (listed below), but we also went deep into Perankan history. “Perankan’ was the word of the trip. Peranakans are the descendants of Chinese immigrants who came to the area in the 15th and 17th century. You’ll notice the traditional Peranakan styled homes in my guide below. They comes in rows and rows of every color of the rainbow with a gorgeous British colonial design.
The 21 long hours of travel were well worth it. The moment we got off the plane, we were hit with that warm humidity you only get in Southeast Asia. I always feel at home when I’m on this side of the world. I get excited hearing “lah” at the end of every sentence (it’s the way my mother speaks), and I get excited knowing that I can laksa at any time of the day. We checked into our hotel for only an hour before beginning our non-stop tour of Singapore. I was so ready to indulge in the country’s rich history, colors, and innovative technology and architectural design. Sleep could wait.
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