We picked up a good deal for flights from Vientiane to Singapore and were quite happy to return after an absence of about three years. We headed down on Thursday and returned on Sunday – just enough time to eat, explore and do a little shopping.
On Friday we headed out to Haw Par Villa. It has been on my radar for a long time, but it was never quite the right time to slot it into an itinerary until now. I knew a bit about it, but basically told Andrew nothing except that it was “quite different” and he would either love it or hate it. It turned out the weirdness landed on the love side for him.
Formerly known as the Tiger Balm gardens, it was built by the Tiger Balm family over 8 Ha.
It all starts off fairly normal
Beyond words really, but worth a couple of hours there and back.
This trip we searched out a couple of recommended hawker food courts away from the pure tourist areas. The 1st introduction was Alexandra Village food court. While we had recommendations of where to go, in the end we used the traditional technique of choosing the longest line and ordering what the men in front of us ordered $3.50 each later we had a plate of delicious mixed pork and rice. The beers would have cost more than the meal itself!
We also went to Zion Riverside Food centre. But accidentally we went to the Old Zion food court, about 10 minutes walk away. Not inspired by the stalls, we settled for a chain store Indian meal. While eating our Kottu Roti I realised our mistake looking at the map. We were sad because we had been looking forward to some of the best Char Kwe Teow in the city and Dumplings. So we decided to walk there anyway, and it looked great. Having had a meal already, we bravely made room for some delicious (hot, hot) dumplings
Apart from some shopping we spent some time riding buses between destinations. It was good to see the apartment blocks and greenery and all the trappings of a modern efficient city. Rather a contrast to life in Vientiane.
And we have had a very culturally filled month. Earlier in the month, the Singapore Dance company came to Vientiane and presented three modern ballet pieces which were excellent. Looking at the arts calendar while we were in Singapore we decided not to see them again performing more ballet, instead we opted for Opera. At the Theaters by the Bay (the Durian shaped buildings) we joined an intimate audience in a small theater for 90 minutes of world-class piano and Opera. 2 women performers, who had spent a long time on the European circuits, presented a delightful mixture of pieces. It was a real treat, as Andrew always says
