Singapore With Kids
We went to Singapore over the weekend. Hugo and I went a day early, and although things didn’t go smoothly, it was absolutely lovely to spend some concentrated time alone with my baby.
The trip was not a resounding success. So many things went wrong. I was distracted. I couldn’t figure out how to buy subway tickets. I left my lunch in a taxi. I lost my phone*. I made a critical error with my bank card that resulted in several hundred dollars of mistaken charges (it looks like we’ll be able to recover this money, but it did cast a shadow on our trip.) Hugo could feel my agitation, I’m sure, and he wouldn’t sleep, and refused to nap. At one point, I was pushing Hugo down Orchard Road in his stroller. We were passing all sorts of fancy Singaporeans with their fancy babies in fancy strollers. I was sweating, my black shirt covered in baby snot, and my baby was naked (but for a diaper.) So that gives you a bit of a taste of how things went.
To give ourselves a bit of a reprieve from my generalised state of discombobulation, we stopped off for a thali in Little India. When we emerged from the subway (I did EVENTUALLY figure that out) it was pouring down. The kind of rain that will soak you to the bone in twenty seconds flat.
We sat for a while, Hugo and I, just out of the reach of the rain. We watched people run for cover, newspapers over their heads. We waited until the rain slowed. Hugo blew raspberries. I took pictures.
We wandered around Little India for a while, and then went in search of something to eat. Hugo, I leaned, is a great fan of papadums and jasmine rice. He also appreciates rita. It turns out that Indian restaurants are actually pretty baby friendly. I wouldn’t have though so, given the spiciness of the food, but white rice, a few tomatoes or cucumbers and a bowl of yogurt makes for a pretty good lunch.
We ate here, the food was tasty, the service fast, and it’s about a two minute walk from the Little India MRT station.
Here are a few other finds that I ran across on this trip, in case you’re interested.
Tanglin Mall
Tanglin Mall is a great spot for children’s nonsense. I found a few of my favourite insta cultish brands (including Gardner and the Gang, and Ferm Living). Check out The Children’s Showcase and The Better Toy Store.
Cluny Court
This was a bit of a chance find for me. I stumbled across this mall next to the botanical gardens (which I intended to visit, but it looked like rain, so I skipped in favour of shopping????!!!)
Again, lots of kids’ stuff, and a few nice looking cafes. And the location is pretty great!
Food Opera
Located in the basement ION at Orchard (B4, I think) Food Opera kind of reminded me of a hawker centre, but in a much more gentrified setting. Stella and Hugo had the chicken rice, and both gobbled that right up. I had a pretty fantastic Vietnamese chicken sandwich.
There are high chairs, and the bathrooms are super clean. You could totally change a diaper in there.
Gardens By The Bay Children’s Garden
We’ve visited this place in both of our previous two visits. For Stella, a trip to a water park is mandatory if we're in Singapore.
*It turns out that I didn't so much lose my phone, but more put it away in a really, really, really safe place, where I could not find it again until four days later.