Chinatown and a Sling
Lunar New Year in Chinatown
We are up early trying to reconfigure our packing for the very low weight allowances on Air Asia for tonight’s flight. Let’s just say the two stuffable neck pillows are the silver bullet to keeping our checked luggage weight down
Today is the Lunar New Year so we head to explore Chinatown in the daylight. Because of the holiday, many things are closed including the walking tours so John downloaded one from the internet.
We visit inside the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. The ‘relic’ is the left canine tooth of Buddha taken from the ashes of his funeral pyre. Many people are here to celebrate the new year. We 
watch a dragon dance outside the temple. Click here for a video.
Chinatown has some beautiful artwork on some of their buildings and in some alleys.
We also visit the Thian Hock Keng Temple. So many people giving offerings of oranges, incense, candles, money and more.
Legendary Bak Kut Teh
Back in Clarke Quay we stop at a restaurant called Legendary Bak Kut Teh. The restaurant doesn’t look like much but has won numerous awards and has great TripAdvisor and Google reviews. There is a wall of pictures of celebrities who have eaten here and a huge lineup of people on the street. We join the line. It is worth the wait.
Boat Quay
We walk around the museum area, checking out the atrium of the National Gallery and then walk over to say goodbye to the Merlion.
We make our way to Boat Quay because there is one last thing we need to do before we leave Singapore later tonight. We find a restaurant with a table overlooking the river and order a couple Singapore Slings.
Our drinks were $10 each. A Scottish couple at the next table said they went to the famous Long Bar at Raffles Hotel (home of the Singapore Sling) where the charge $38 each.
Spoiler alert: Slings are not really my thing.
The Jewel
With the subway right in front of our hotel, we take it to the airport. Singapore has the best subway system that I have ever been on. It puts Toronto’s to shame.
Speaking of best, Singapore also has the best airport that I have ever been to. We go to the airport early so that we can explore it. There is a huge area for shopping etc called the Jewel. It’s a multi-level atrium with the world’s tallest indoor waterfall in the middle, surrounded by walls of real plants. Behind these plant walls are floor after floor of stores. It is fabulous. Click here to see a video.
We are now on our AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur, Asia.