China Town ? Take the MRT from Somerset to Dhobi Ghaut Interchange, then change lines and its two stations on? first Clarke Quay and then Chinatown!
Very busy and bustling with people.
We checked out a huge store ? Lisa called at an Emporium, it was full of very expensive things,way out of our price range!
So we moved on to the street of shop-houses, very old buildings that have, so far, escaped demolition, but it won?t be too long I fear..
We had a look at many of the shop houses but it was so crowded it was hard to see what was there..
A gap in the crowd!!
I found a shop where they were selling hand made chinese painted scrolls with names on painted in Chinese characters ? they were really special and I thought they would be lovely presents for my children?s homes.
The man who was painting them to order was fascinating ? he sat me down and introduced his art.
His name was Yip Shu Shan, and originally he came from Hong Kong.
I chose my scrolls and painting style plus the symbol that I wanted to give ?Happiness? for my daughter and her partner and ?Love? for my son and his wife.
They were beautifully made and took time to dry?
Fortunately my friends found me ? they loved the art work so much that Mark had one made for his Mum ? it was very pretty too!
Afterwards we looked around more of the shops
Look at these fans!!!
Then we tried the China Town hawker stalls for dinner? its very different there, touristy and not like we have been used to?. they close a whole road and put tables down the centre of it.
I didn?t think the food was as nice? quite oily but looking around it was a place where the locals don?t normally dine! It was full of tourists, just like me!!!
Well an early night was in order so we went back to the hotel to get ready for an early start the next morning?Malaysia here we come!!!!
When in China I always found the colors to be quite amazing. Everywhere there were splashes of color, especially red. Some of the detail work done by artisans in the little shops is fabulous, and I would have purchased more, but we were a bit nervous about what was legal to be taken out of the country. Sounds like you had a great visit to this area, and good on you for not eating the local “tourist” foods. We always went down the alleys to the little family restaurants and ate with the locals. I look forward to Malaysia!
That all looks exciting and interesting …… and VERY colourful
Looks very similar to our Chinatown but if you want the authentic stuff, you really have to explore the back streets, off the tourist trail, then I’m not a great fan of chicken’s feet . . .
Interesting Kate. Thanks for your concern and thoughts.
I’m with Baino about looking in the back streets for the authentic local dishes. When we were in Verona, we found a pizzeria right off the beaten track, apparently unknown to the tourists, and I’ve seldom tasted such delicious pizzas. Some special recipe that nobody else knew about.
Oops, I meant Bologna!
Sounds fun Kate. I am sure it can be arranged. You would be welcome here or we could meet. Let’s know when you know.
My E-mail is on my blog profile.