Trip to Singapore (Day 4)

Date: 20 September 2009, Sunday

Venue: Singapore

Occasion: Holiday!

SELAMAT HARI RAYA!!

Today is the 1st Day of Hari Raya Puasa. After a month of fasting, I'm sure this was a much awaited day of celebration & also a day to seek forgiveness from each other. Selamat Hari Raya to all my Muslim friends & all Malaysians!

It's also my final day in Singapore. Time really waits for no man...in a blink of an eye, 3 days have passed & I've already reached the finishing line of my 'amazing race' :D

Half of Day 4 was spent in Singapore, while the other half was back in Malaysia. Ah...such nostalgia as I sit at my desk & reminisce of the wonderful time I had in Singapore & KL last Sunday :) I spent the morning of day 4 with Fern at her place. We woke up quite early (for a lazy Sunday morning) for breakfast with her housemate, Jane, who had to work that day just to meet the dateline of her project.

Fern & I in her rented room

Ghim Moh is said to be one of the more famous places for good food. True enough, this area offers an extensive variety of delicious local Singaporean food. Yeap, for a Malaysian to say that the food in Sinagpore is good is something, eh? It's not "wow, I need to have more of it!", but it was acceptable & palatable ;)

Ghim Moh market was walking distance from Fern's place, so we ended up having breakfast there. There were SO many people & SO many stalls to choose from - one is just spoilt for choice at the market! The 1st quest for us was to find a place to 'rest our butts' :D Almost every table, except those that are in contact with the sun, are occupied *sigh* Adults are just early birds...hahaha...we ended up sitting at a table where we received some natural source of Vitamin D. No choice. We took turns to order food & thank God, we also managed to locate a table amidst the crowd, away from the scorching sun! :D Hurray!! *dances with joy*

Food, glorious food! I won't bore you with more words, so dig-in imaginatively through the food photos that I took of our simple breakfast ;)

The famous Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh (S$2.40 for 8 pieces)
Chwee Kueh is a type of steamed rice cake served with diced preserved radish. It's just like our Malaysian's "wun chai ko" (small bowl rice pudding) without the sweet dark sauce that usually goes with "chee cheong fun". The rice pudding is soft & smooth, & eaten with crunchy diced preserved radish that's stir-fried in much oil. This particular stall is very popular & has a bee-line waiting for their turn to buy their satisfying breakfast.

This is how the Chwee Kueh looks like...

Soya Bean (around S$1.00/cup)
The soya bean was ok only. It's a 'lil diluted, but apparently there's this one stall behind this row of stalls that sells good soya bean...I've yet to try!!

Stall #01-48

Good Indian Food? Stall #01-15
Head to "Heaven's Indian Curry" stall! Walauwey, even the name itself is more outstanding than the rest of the stalls at the food centre!

Just check out the line!!!
Lining up for breakfast?? Waiting for just a thosai/canai/idli/appam??? *in awe* Self-service it is...

Masala Thosai (S$2.00/piece)
Wow...we lined up for more than 5 minutes for this & tadaa! our Masala Thosai. 1st impression, I was actually quite disappointed :( That's all the potatoes they can give?? *sigh* Malaysia's Masala Thosai overflows with potatoes!! Yes, yes, the carbs...but hey, I appreciate some 'value for money' :P The thosai was alright. I've tasted better back home :) Even Paandi's in Jalan Gasing, near Raju's is nicer...gah...Perhaps Heaven's Indian Curry is more famous for their prata *shrugs*

Map to Ghim Moh Market, Block 20, Ghim Moh Road

View PerutBesi in a larger map

After breakfast, Fern & I parted ways :( It's so sad. I've no idea when would be the next time we'll meet. I sure hope we'll get to meet up before she gets married! *lol* Both of our schedules are so packed & that woman is forever buried under her researches & books, so meeting up seems like a challenge to us. I went back to my aunt's to pack & together with my mum, we said our "goodbyes" & "thank yous" before we left for Changi.

'Family photo' with my aunt & part of my cousin's family

Hari Raya Goodies from neighbours!
Oh my, it's been a long time since I've seen such traditional goodies - ketupat (traditionally-wrapped rice cakes), curry, & Raya cookies! Seems like the tradition of sharing/treating our neighbours with Raya food is still practiced :)

Ah...we had a whole hour to recall the memories that we've journeyed through the past 3.5 days in Singapore with our family & friends. I had a lovely time with my mum, joining me to meet my friends - she's a cool mum! :D My mum had a great time with her sister & I sure hope she enjoyed the whole Singapore trip :)

Free Shuttle Bus from Terminal 2, Changi to Budget Terminal

The flight back on the Firefly airplane was quite a fast one. Upon arrival, my dad was already at the Subang airport to pick us home. I'm really blessed & thankful for family, friends, & food!! *woots!!!*

Complimentary light refreshments on the Firefly airplane

Puffy clouds :D

There's my house!!
I stay near the Subang airport, so I was overly excited to see my apartment from the plane :P

Stay tuned for more updates on the Raya break :D Oh, my never-ending food & travel adventures ;) Me likey!

- Ruth