Silver Kris - The Travel Magazine Of Singapore Airlines
Silver Kris Oct 2007 Issue.
Touchdown Singapore - Bohemian Rhapsody.
If you are looking for a unique "village" experience in Singapore, over the glitzy city feel of Orchard Road, look no further. Tracy Lee-Elrick follows the trails to the island's most colourful lifestyle enclaves. Photographs by AGRON DRAGAJ.
Just as Parisians, Londoners and New Yorkers have their idiosyncratic 'hoods' such as Marias, Portobello and Tribeca, so too, do Singapore denizens, who are eschewing Orchard Road with its mix of international high street and designer labels, in favour of quirkier playgrounds with more breathing space.
The most well-known of these is Holland Village located an eight minute cab ride from Orchard Road. A cluster of low rises, it offers an eclectically cosmopolitan array of goods, services and F&B options. Travel magazines have also been touting nearby Rochester Park as Singapore's latest chichi dining and entertainment hot spot, with its colonial black and white bungalows. Once the homes of British officers some 70 years ago, they are now breathtakingly beautiful galleries, studios, spas and speciality retail shops.
Here are some other charming areas to check out:
Kampong Glam
In 1819, a treaty was signed between the de jure and de facto rulers of Singapore, and the British trading firm, East India Company, giving the company the right to set up a trading post in Singapore. In 1823, the British came into possession of the entire island, except for the residences of the rulers. Kampong Glam was designated for use by one of them.
Anchored by two impressive mosques, this are has, over the centuries, retained its strong Muslim identity. A visit to the Malay Heritage Centre and Sultan Mosque will give you a feel of the history of this place. There are a range of traditional fabric shops and halal restaurants (serving food in accordance with Islamic dietary law) catering to their Muslim regulars. In recent years, students from nearby art schools have joined in, browsing the stalls along Arab Street for trinkets, before heading to North Bridge Road for a spicy meal washed down with teh tarik (or pulled tea) so called because of the way the tea is poured from a height into another cup.
Then, in 2005, Singapore media maven Theseus Chan chose a narrow side street called Haji Lane as the temporarty location of his travelling Comme Des Garcons guerrilla store, and the are took on a whole new look.
Today, the vibe is grungy and bohemian, with funkily dressed teenagers trawling boutiques like Pluck, White Room, Billet Doux and Salad for indie designer threads and retro home furnishings before heading off to House of Japan to scour racks of affordable imported secondhand apparel.
For a breather, head to Egyptian eatery Al Tazzag and relax over kebas and tea. This is a favour spot with rocker dudes who like to lounge on carpets placed along the building outdoor alleys.
Another entertaining way to pass the time is to buy $5 worth of snacks from Pitch Black which gains you admission into their tiny indie theatre on the second floor. Screening schedules features a different focus each week - it could be musicals one week and Fashion the week after.
Down the next alley, in Bali Lane, find indie/hip hop music store Straits Records and Blu Jaz Cafe where you can have a drink (it is one of the few places here that serve alcohol) and listen to a live jazz performance....