Hanging out at Arab Street

During the last Hari Raya festive period, Rachel and I headed to the  Kampong Glam and Arab Street area to check out the food bazaar as well as to sight-see. Often time, we find it more convenience to head to the ubiquitous air-con malls rather than check out some of the heritage or heartland areas in Singapore.

Although it was a weekday noon, the place was relatively crowded, with mostly tourists milling around. There were also some secondary school kids in uniform running around, probably out on a school excursion.

We bought beef kebab, mutton lontong and barbecued chicken thigh to share among us for lunch. The first two items tasted great. The chicken thigh was horrible though. We should have known better when we saw the hawker using an electric heated grill instead of the usual charcoal.

After filling our stomach, we loitered around the area for a while. We were delighted to find a little spice garden where many tropical spices and herbs were planted. An unexpected find was the mysterious Tongkat Ali, a famed local herb for improving male potency.

We then made our way to Haji Lane where the hip and cool hang out. We had fun checking out some of the quirky fashion boutiques there. It was interesting to see graffiti art and other youth fixtures in the area, contrasted against the old colonial architecture.

We headed home after that, satisfied with ourselves for finding an alternate way to spend a day in Singapore instead of the usual shopping or movie. 🙂

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