INSIDE TIP
Clare Bolesworth, Flight Centre Okara Park
Singapore, the Lion City, is overflowing with sights and delights to tempt visitors. From world-class art museums and galleries, to mouth-watering street food and jaw-dropping vertical gardens, I couldn’t believe there were so many different experiences in this small, beautifully clean, island city-state.
Peranakans (meaning ‘‘local born’’) are the descendants of Chinese and Indian immigrants who married indigenous people from the Malay Archipelago in the 15th century. Their legacy is not only a collection of colourful two-storey shops and terrace houses with ornate facades, intricate motifs and ceramic tiles, but also a rich food culture. I really enjoyed the colours and detail in the rows of vibrant shophouses in the Katong and Joo Chiat districts.
Bugis St is Singapore’s biggest market, but the best thing about it is actually nestled right behind it. I stumbled across Victoria St, and found beautiful pastel spiral staircases that line the back of the narrow shops – very Instagram worthy!
Little India in Singapore lives up to its name as a tiny pocket of India. For ultimate colour, check out the House of Tan Teng Niah at 37 Kerbau Rd. This twostorey, free-standing structure survived Chinese colonisation and has been maintained by locals since.