Tag: Asia

Travel Thursdays: Singapore

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Best to know about a country from a local-cum- tourist, someone like – well me. 🙂 Being Singaporean I can’t help but feel a sense of pride for my country.  Frankly, I don’t know where I belong due to my history, but it’s safe to say I am Singaporean.  Travelling has its perks, but it definitely comes with a price to pay.  An individual’s sense of belonging is lost – and for me, I find my belonging to any country questionable.

I predominantly love the radiant multicultural aura that Singapore has.  Everyone feels welcomed in a country like that.  Although, I’ve always come across negative comments about the country being a concrete jungle.  There is truth to this, as land is scarce and population is growing.  Thus, to counter this problem the government built high rise buildings.  Large sky scrapers surround the country which is a distinctive feature of the country as opposed to countries like Australia and USA which have an abundance of land.

A question of whether the weather plays a role in your holiday is an important one.  Singapore is located on slightly north of the equator which makes it a hot country!  Being an island the level of humidity is pretty high as well. I guess geography lessons paid off somewhat.  Tropical countries make a good holiday though.  You can bring out your summer dresses, flip-flops and sunnies and start your day exploring.

If you love a fast-paced city life, Singapore is a holiday destination that is perfect for you!

Shopping malls are open till very late at night and 24-hour food joints are found in every corner.  Do try ROTI PRATA (flour based bread) which is an Asian Indian speciality.  It’s typically served with fish curry but there are vegetarian options and dessert options too.  I can’t believe I went without mentioning food for an entire paragraph. Maybe my diet is working and my brain is avoiding topics related to food. 🙂

Anyways, I love shopping and window shopping (it’s a cheaper option to be honest though the level of satisfaction is questionable) .

So here are a few tips on shopping in Singapore from a shopping expert (myself of course!)

Malls I recommend (click on the links to see store listing): 

– Ion Mall: new mall that has recently opened

– Vivocity: huge mall with a cinema as well

– Somerset 313 – shops and one of my favourite restaurants : Marche

Do try a Rosti! It’s delicious! After eating it there years ago, I’ve tried making it at home too!

 Cheap shopping of souvenirs and clothes:

-Bugis Street (opposite Bugis Junction Mall) You can reach there by MRT- alight at Bugis station.

Sight-seeing

–Sentosa – the luge ride is fun! Stay for the fountain show too

–Supertrees (new addition to Singapore.  I went last week at night and was mesmerised by it.  It’s located in Gardens by the bay)

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Took a few pictures for my blog!  The beauty encapsulated in the picture is a fraction of the beauty it exudes in real life.  Breathtaking.

–Marina Bay Sands – A hotel that is recently made.  It has a gondola rides in it that replicate Venice.  It’s also beautiful to make your way up to Kudeta restaurant which overlooks Singapore’s city.  I’d recommend for you to make a trip up there at night as the night-view is spectacular.

 Mode of transport:

-MRT – the train system is fantastic. It’s fast,convenient and punctual.  The tube system should learn from Singapore! It’s cheap too.

-Taxis: the flag down rate is $3.20 which is very reasonable compared to most countries.

If you are making a trip there and need further advice, feel free to contact me!

Bon voyage.

X

B

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About Me

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bandhnakaur Hi there! I’m Bandhna pronounced as ban-the-na.  It’s a bit tough for most people. but what’s life without a challenge?  It’s a Sanskrit name that translates to worship – just FYI.  My friends call me B – easier on the tongue I’m guessing! Welcome to my bubble, my world.  I love all things that sparkle and try to add a bit of spark to my everyday life. May it add spark to yours too! Multiculturalism – I’m a living example of that! A Singaporean Punjabi, brought up in Kobe Japan.  Moved back to Singapore after 12 years due to a literal earth-shaking experience, “The Great Hanshin Earthquake 1995”.  Which was terrifying I must add, but I guess what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.  Subsequently, I moved to Singapore for 7-8 years.  Then it was time to move again.  This time to a different continent- Australia.  Lived in Sydney and at foundation year topped the cohort in Legal Studies (was given prize money and an award – yaey!)  Subsequently, I enrolled in a double degree (BA + LAW).  However, Law didn’t seem to be right for me and I ended up deferring my law degree.  I completed my BA with a double major in Economics and Sociology and graduated 🙂 The bells of destiny rang once again – it was time to fly to Singapore for my wedding with a Malaysian born Punjabi who resided in London. TIME TO MOVE ONCE AGAIN. So now, for now, I live in London.  I try to make the most out of life and try to explore Europe whenever possible. All this moving has made me appreciate anthropology and the study of different cultures.   I have a natural flair for travelling and I think “B” could very well stand for Butterfly!

This quote describes my passion for travel:

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page””– St Augustine

In this blog I hope to capture interesting parts of the world through my eyes.  Perception stems from background, and I believe if your background is so diverse your perception will not be limited due to a greater exposure and understanding of the world. My interest lies in Apps, Globe-Trotting, Fashion & Vegetarian Food – all of which I will be writing about.  My passion is wide-spread as you can see 🙂 ONE STRONG PASSION I DO HAVE IS FOOD – I absolutely love food. It’s the love of my life. I’ve been vegetarian for 10 years now and love experimenting with new recipes, so I might make you hungry with some of my eats.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you! My biggest accomplishment so far is summed up in one word –  ENVYLOPE.  An app that was approved at the first submission to Apple with zero prior knowledge on how to make it.  I recently self-learnt U/I Designing for Apps and am so thrilled to say that I am the Co-Founder of Envylope.  My husband (sole-developer) and I launched our own company – Appsolute Pixels where we intend to bring all sorts of Apps.

I like ‘likes’ and I love ‘comments’.  Look forward to hearing from you! xx B