We've Moved!

So it seems, in almost two years, we've managed to use up all of the free space that Google/Picasa allots each blogger. Instead of deleting old posts or buying additional storage at an annual fee, we've decided just to leave this blog out there, and continue posting under a new account, Adventures in South Korea2! The new address is: http://andrew-n-judy2.blogspot.com/. From now on, all our fun will be published there!

Thanks for following our adventures,


Judy & Andrew

Botanic Gardens

Not true!

In Southeast Asia, 'Carrot Cake' or 'Fried Carrot Cake' refers to a common dish of stir-fried cubes of radish cake (a steamed mixture of shredded radish, water and rice flower). It is in no way a cake, as cake is thought of in the west, nor does it contain any carrots. 'Radish Cake and Onion Scramble' would be a more appropriate name for it.

It had good flavor, but the radish cake acted like a sponge, soaking up much of the oil it was cooked in so it was a little grease and heavy.

After all the oil consumed in the Carrot Cake, we had to get some fruit to try and offset the feeling in our stomachs.

It took us longer than we'd like to admit to realize that this in fact meant 'Hi-Calcium' and not 'Hi-Calorie' milk...

Frightening ad in the subway

We decided to visit the Botanic Gardens early in the morning, hoping it might not be too crowded or too hot, so after breakfast we headed straight there. We managed to beat the crowds, but we sure weren't successful in beating the heat! ☹

There's gotta be at least one Koi pond in every Asian garden...

Peek-A-Boo!

This Tembusu tree, featured on the Singaporean $5 note, is believed to have existed before the Botanic Gardens site was first laid out in 1859. That was all the informational plaque said, no mention of what's important about it or why they put it on the $5 bill. Thanks a lot Singapore, very informative.

Self-Timers

Vanda Miss Joaquim (or Singapore Orchid)
The national flower of Singapore

Supposedly very pretty when in bloom, but unfortunately we saw them out of season. To us, they just looked like strange, upright tangles of vines.

Crazy looking, old tree

Creepy Art

Tourists...

The fountain at the entrance to the National Orchid Garden. The garden, or orchidarium is probably the main attraction to the Singapore's Botanic Gardens, but we're not really orchid enthusiasts in any way, so we didn't pay to tour that section.

You can spot a European from a mile away!

The Swan Pond

After walking around the Botanic Garden, working off our carrot cake from that morning and working up an appetite, we headed to a nearby neighborhood in search of a restaurant Judy read about online.

Found in a kitchen store:
Really?! You're still trying to sell this?

You really think someone's going to buy it?

French for lunch

First Course - Salads

Second Course - Mains

Third Course - Desserts

Our lunch at Bistro Petit Solut ended up being one of the best meals we had on the trip. Afterwards, we were uncomfortably stuffed, which was made even more miserable by the intense afternoon heat, but neither of us had any regrets!

Down the street from lunch:

All Breeds Pets
From the looks of it, this has to be the swankiest pet store in the world.

Arab Street & Little India

Birds

No question, the strangest exhibit at the Singapore Art Museum

Awesome fire escapes

Arab Street

Arab Street is the name given to Singapore's Muslim district. During the 1800's it was a bustling center for trade and commerce of goods such as textiles, spices and wicker furniture. Today, it remains a busy area, but not for the same reasons. While textiles, spices and furniture are still sold there, the majority of business goes on in the many restaurants and boutiques that have taken over the shop houses of merchants that have left. Today, it is noted as a 'shopping must-see' in Singapore because of the abundance of fashion designers displaying and selling their products.

We're always down for some shopping, don't get us wrong, but the real appeal of Arab Street for us was the promise of tasty Islamic treats!

Hey there, Korean friend!

Judy & The Sultan's Mosque

Sadly, it was as bright as hell out, so the vibrancy of each building's colors don't come through in all of the pictures. No color seemed too bright or too bold. It was really pretty.

Home Sweet Home

That is one spooky zooky!

Andrew made a friend

The front of the Sultan's Mosque

Coolest 7-11, ever!

Lunch @ Cafe Le Caire

Hummus with grilled lamb and pita

Falafel sandwich...both were amazing!

Arrange your plate accordingly
Thank you
I am watching you!
-Madam
PS: U know who u are!

We assumed this scary creature was Madam

Nip Shot!


Little India

A few blocks from the Arab Street neighborhood was Little India, the area of the city chiefly influenced by it's Indian, Pakistani and Tamil populations. This neighborhood, like Arab Street, was formerly a center of trade and commerce, but has now become less known for its traditional goods and more for it's traditional foods and flavors. Again, like with Arab Street, we were in it for the feast!

Mustafa Centre

A giant, 24-hour shopping center in Little India, Mustafa Centre, was one of the strangest places we saw in Singapore. It was like a grocery store the size of a shopping mall, and carried tons of everything imaginable, from electronics to fresh produce to spices, tailored suits and even airline tickets and vacation packages. No matter what you were (or weren't) looking for, you could find it here.

The Banana Leaf Apolo
aka Tourist Trap

(from left to right)
Pomelo Salad, Something with Chickpeas, Yellow Dahl

Since we were in Little India, we were hoping for some good Indian food. All the restaurants we passed were either completely empty or else buffets, and those are two types of restaurants we try to avoid while traveling (unless there is an all-you-can-drink option, of course). After some wandering, we found the Banana Leaf Apolo, which we remembered reading about in the book, and it was packed, so we decided to go for it. Once our food came, we discovered that the real reason the place was packed was because of the novelty of eating off of banana leaves instead of plates, not because the food was necessarily delicious. It wasn't bad, just not the spectacular meal we were hoping for.