Singapore // Arab Street + Haji Lane

Husband and I spent a lovely [if a bit sweaty] few hours wandering the area around Arab Street and Haji Lane. it's probably redundant for me to say, yet again, how much I loved the colors of Singapore. how much I loved the architecture. how I loved just wandering without much of a real plan.

so we're just going to let the photos do the talking.

let's take a brief moment to stop here and acknowledge I am completely obsessed with this teal color. I'm pretty sure that every time I saw something painted this color while we were in Singapore, I had to take a dozen photos.

ok, moving on.

how to get there

take the MRT to the Bugis station and head out exit #2. wander through the streets, appreciating the artwork, stopping into cute cafes, quirky shops and bookstores. grab yourself a long pour tea, hang out at a streetside table and people watch. repeat until satisfied.

Singapore // the houses of Emerald Hill

Emerald Hill is a charming residential area tucked behind one of the busiest neighborhoods in Singapore. just off the crazed Orchard Road shopping zone with its mile of mega-malls, you can find the gently sloping Emerald Hill Road.

I'm still reeling a bit from my recent food allergy revelations, so today we're going to take a nice quiet photo-filled stroll through this neighborhood.

most of these beautifully preserved and restored homes were built between 1900 and 1925. in case you didn't know, Singapore is stuffed full of this kind of gorgeous architecture. yes - there are skyscrapers too, but hidden in little pockets all around the city you can find colorful gems like these.

most of the buildings are still residential, with a heavy Chinese influence and obviously quite a bit of wealth. but a few homes closest to Orchard have been converted to shops and bars. don't you just want to curl up here with a bottle of wine and enjoy the scenery? that definitely would be my recommendation for a lazy afternoon. [unfortunately we visited around 10am and these cute cafes were not yet open.]

Emerald Hill makes for a quiet break from the bustle of the Orchard Road shops - and is a treat for architecture enthusiasts and color lovers alike. you can find this street just off Orchard, almost directly across from the Somerset MRT station.

Singapore // exploring Little India

if delicious food, stunning colors, and colonial architecture are your thing - Singapore just might be your city. Little India is just one of the areas in the city that check all three of these boxes, and probably the neighborhood we spent the most time walking through on our recent visit.

while we did a lot of poolside relaxing on this trip, we still managed some exploring. the first hotel we lodged at [Wanderlust] was located in this colorful neighborhood. we wandered around before and after incredible meals [try Lagnaa Barefoot Dining, trust me] and on our way to and from Singapore's stunningly clean and organized MRT system.

Little India isn't a large neighborhood. without any planning, we managed to stumble onto one of most iconic landmarks in the area. this colorful beauty is the House of Tan Teng Niah - a Chinese style villa built in 1900 which has been decked out in rainbow paint and is probably the most instagrammed building in Little India. [and with colors like these, I don't think I have to explain why.]

we also inadvertantly crossed paths with the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. you know how I love my temples - and all the colorful detail on this one won me over immediately. plus, how cool are the neon light accents? we didn't have time to go inside, but I hear the interior is just as beautiful.

I know there are more places on the "must-see" list for Little India, but mostly we enjoyed wandering the back alleys and streets. everything was so alive and vibrant with color - from the market stalls to the window shutters.

my favorite thing about Little India [other than the colors and the food] was that it really felt like a local neighborhood. the shops and restaurants were run by and used by the people who live here. we only saw a handful of other tourists, and in the evenings the streets were crowded with people walking home from work [rather than the visiting hordes we encountered around the Marina Bay Sands.]

even if you choose to stay elsewhere in Singapore - my advice is to take a trip out to Little India for a meal and some exploring. just charge your camera batteries and take the MRT to the Little India Station [NE7/DT12] on the blue or purple lines. and then... wander.