Singapore Day 2: Little India, HarbourFront/Vivo City, Sentosa & Bugis Street

On our second day in Singapore, I thought I woke up too early but I soon realized the darkness that seems to convey early dawn was only deceiving.  It was already 8 am and the 3 kiddos were yet in deep slumber.  When they rouse, they prepared for the day’s itinerary right away and we were able to reach our first line of destination on the scheduled time

We took the bus to Little India before noon.  Under the heat of the sun, we explored this old district of Singapore. We passed by Little India Arcade where handicrafts, arts, and Indian culture are blaring. Magazines covered by Bollywood celebrities as well as CD’s and DVD’s of Indian movies and music were all over the sidewalks.  There was again another Hindu Temple  like what we/ve seen in Chinatown.  Of course, this wasn’t surprising as we were in the district of Little India.  We only peeped in as there were too many worshipers coming.  There are also countless goldsmiths and jewelry shops along Serangoon Road. Then I smelled something distinct. Sniffing.. it's curried cuisine! The big kiddos wanted to try Indian fare but I wasn't adventurous. I had once tried Indian food and it didn't quite appeal to my palate. Perhaps because I'm not used to the Indian spices.  Little India is absolutely an ethnic neighborhood showcasing the culture and arts of migrants from India.

This sign was a big help for those losing direction like us. Lol!

Tourists being toured around Little India in pedicabs. The big kiddos
on the left side of the road exploring the place by foot.

Little India's Hindu Temple.(courtesy of Wiki).

Colorful garlands and jasmines for sale for use by Hindu worshipers.

Magazines with Bollywood celebrities on the covers.

Woman clad in Indian Saree.

The big kiddos consulting the map again for directions.

HarbourFront Centre. This is one of the big malls in Singapore that connects to Sentosa via Cable Car. We strolled inside and I found out it isn’t that big as I expected it to be. We contemplated on taking the cable car route to Sentosa but I noticed, only few are availing the seemingly exciting ride. But since Vivo City was another mall of interest for us, we decided to take the Monorail instead so we could roam around Vivo City on our way to the station.

HarbourFront Mall

Cable Cars to Sentosa from HarbourFront Tower.

Part of our KFC lunch in HarbourFront Mall

Double thumbs up for this KFC's Ultimate Filler

Next was Vivo City.  I just learned from a brochure that this is the biggest mall in Singapore.  This shopping mall is connected to HarbourFront Centre.  It's vastness stretching to the seaside. The Sentosa (Monorail) Station is located in the third level of this huge mall right above the MRT station.  The day being a Sunday,  we weren't surprised to find the station fully packed with waiting passengers.  Although jam packed,  it wasn't laborious at all to stand and wait for the ride anyway, as the station is comfortably air conditioned.

 Vivo City . (photo courtesy of Hub pages.com)

Reaching Sentosa was quick and easy by monorail.  There’s so much to see and enjoy in this fantastic resort island.   Beach, Bird Show, Animal Show, Butterfly garden, Underwater Worlds, The Merlion and Merlion Walk, Dolphin Lagoon and  many more. Unfortunately we were not able to see all those fun attractions. I don't think it's advisable to spend on tickets for those when you know you’ll run out of time for them. There are tons of good things to see and enjoy in Sentosa. I wish we had a week or more to spend in that amazing place. We left Sentosa at around 4 pm for further Singapore exploration.:

Daughter posing for Sentosa Express.

Caught this shot while inside the running train.

View of Sentosa Visitor Center from the train.

Daughter w/ the Merlion of Resort World.

Lake of Dreams:  Shows dancing fountain and colorful beams and lights by night.

The Merlion of Sentosa.

Attractive Water Fountain at Resort World.

Resting our weary feet.

Next stop was Bugis Street. We almost got lost here. It took us a long while figuring out directions coming here. But it was fun! Anyway, this is one shopping area that is comparable to Greenhills of Metro-Manila.  Goods are low priced.  Fashionable clothing, t-shirts, footwear, accessories, and other trendy stuff were hard to resist.  

The sought after Bugis Street Shopping Center.

Shoppers filled alley of Bugis Street.

The big kiddos enjoyed their loots from here. We left the place as soon as darkness sets in. Which meant it was already 8-9 pm then.  We haven’t had our dinner yet but ‘twas no problem! Our hotel is surrounded by scores of good eating places, entertainment plazas and big shopping malls to boot.

Too starved to take pictures of our meals. Only this was taken.

In Singapore Zoo?

We went straight to Concorde Shopping Mall's Food Court (right behind our hotel) for our dinner, before calling it a day.

Another day of adventure was over.  More thrilling discoveries coming next. Hope to see you again!

Have a great TGIF to everyone!