To Singapore and a day's stopover

Tuesday afternoon on the plane, with window seat, it gradally dawned on me that  maybe I would have three seats to myself. No one turned up so. Bliss sun streamed in and  twelve hours of space and  comfort. Once there,a shuttle  dropped a  bunch of us, mainly couples at various hotels. 

 Mine was round the corner from the famous Raffles, so after I changed I headed down Bras Basah Road on foot  at about 8.30 pm. it had been raining . I was free to roam around inside , courtyards etc. and looked in on the famous Long bar. 

Raffles Hotel,  is sumptuous and atmospheric and Victorian, and round the front a costumed  turban clad doorman greet guests.  The famous Singapore sling invented here.

Little boutiques now fill spaces at street level. These were shut, but the Raffles City complex wasn't. This featured  Versace, etc. - high end European stuff. The Swiss hotel above the shopping is 72 stories high evidently. Just one of  several tower blocks on this site,which was once Raffles school grounds,,- first school in Singapore - interesting transformation of the land ?

The complex nearby called Raffles City, opposite hotel, and CHIJMES,  a converted convent,  for free education of the ppor. the name relates to its origins - CHIJ (Children of the Holy Infant Jesus ) 

Now, its an award winning  gallery complex of courtyard restaurants and music, in garden setting. both these places occupied a block. 

I discovered Andrews MRT card (underground travel system), had only $2..69 remaining on it, and the self help machines, could not top it up, so did not use the famous Singapore MRT underground to go further just then. 

Very steamy as it has been raining all day, I wandered back to the Grand Pacific, and there opposite the hotel I saw a few locals heading in to a side street. Aha ! A local food court! It is called Coffee Express 2000 Food court 24/7.

Nostalgic for Haugang, the complex, where Andrew lived for 5 months, in Singapore in 2011, I zoomed in and suddenly was transported to the aspects of Singapore I love, the range and variety of local food. Despite the hour, about 10.00pm,  people many in shirt and tie, sitting chatting and eating plates of comfort food court Laksa etc. very basic place 

Pretty soon I was eating a bowl of Teo Chew Dumpling Noodles, with chop sticks.  I mean that that is the picture I pointed to. I am no connoisseur but an enthusiastic participant in food tasting.Turns out this is a  recommended dish from the place. Cost $4.00.despite it's proximity to my hotel, across the road, it's not noticeable to a visitors eye. Yeay.  Right there, metres from the back of Raffles was this little triumph for local food for the people, nourishing and tasty. So back across to the Grand Pacific I went and went to bed

 Breakfast  tomorrow will be more local food - but what ? ?

(Photos feature famous  Raffles actually taken the next day).