Singapore! What a city!We had a few days to explore, which really is enough time. It is a fun city with lots of little different aspects to it. It truly is a mixing pot of Chinese, Indian and Malay cultures – and the food is so much better for it!
One thing I wanted to do was to visit the iconic Raffles Hotel. It reeks of colonial opulence, and has this special place in folklore, literature and history. When people think of British colonists drinking gin & tonics while being fanned by Sikhs in a palm surrounded white elegant building, they are most likely thinking of pre-1930′s Raffles. Which, is what I think that the modern-day Raffles has made a brand out of. They have still retained the Sikhs and other Indian serving staff. Still maintained the opulence. Still maintain the Singapore Sling (as this is where it was devised) and have even expanded the Sling to another 4 versions to reflect the seasons. What they didn’t really maintain was the original Long Bar – they moved that from the lobby to a lifeless back corner of the hotel. So, we went into the hotel courtyard bar that wasn’t exactly open to non-guests. Sat and relaxed after a long day exploring and enjoyed a gin & tonic.
