top 10 must do things in Singapore Archives - 2bearbear Singapore Travel Blog: Travel | Food | Hotels | Flights

Singtel Formula One F1 Grand Prix Singapore Night Race Street Circuit with Performances by Rick Astley and Shakira

This weekend, Kate and I decided to attend the Singtel Formula One F1 Grand Prix Night Race Street Circuit Singapore (what a mouthful!). As mentioned during a previous post, we are not really fans of F1. However, the main attraction for us this time round was Rick Astley and Shakira! (With hits such as Together Forever, Never gonna give you up, Hips dont lie, Waka Waka)

However, in order to catch them in the Fan Zone (dedicated area in front of the stage at Padang), we had to arrive at 3pm (gates open at 3pm) to get the Fan tickets that allowed us to enter the Fan Zone. It was quite fun to see that as soon as the gate opened, there were many people running towards the Padang Stage to get the fan tickets. We estimated that it was about a 200 metres sprint. Many faltered along the way, at the escalators and at the stairs.

For future fan zone tickets, it is worthy to note that even after most have gotten their fan zone tickets, there were still extra. So it really was unnecessary to run….

The first place we headed to was the Esplanade to catch the Rick Astley concert! There was already a long queue when we re-entered at 5pm! We entered from gate 3 because it was easily accessible via the City Hall MRT station/interchange.

Along the way, we got to catch the Porsche race as well…

However, we were slightly late for the Rick Astley concert

See how crowded it was!

Hence we had to settle for a bird’s eye view and enjoy an unobstructed view of the city…

Are you able to spot the energetic dancer in this clip? Clue: He is in white…

Next we headed to glutton’s bay to quelch our hunger. The prices were actually jerked up for the F1, fried oyster can cost up to $12 and people actually ordered it!

Of course we had to rush our dinner to ensure that we had a good view at Shakira’s concert…thankfully, there was a extension right in the middle of the stage that allowed Shakira to get closer to the fans in the middle. This was where we caught an excellent view of her.

Halfway through the concert, an enthusiastic fan just mounted upon his friend and bashed their way closer to the stage! But we could see he was a fan, being able to sing all the songs in Spanish as well…

After the performance, we are convinced that she is actually a very good performer live…take a look at these clips…

Shakira Dancing to the beat of the drums

Shakira on the harmonica and performing “Gypsy”

Shakira also did perform Hips Dont Lie and Waka Waka after the encore chants from the fans. This was how the concert ended, with mini fire works and confetti…

After the concert, we hurried back to catch the qualifying…however we were only able to catch the Q3 and final lap by the time we were seated (it took quite a while before we could leave the concert area at Padang)…

It was another long wait to leave the Bay Grandstand. However, we did enjoy this year’s F1 Race. We think that with all the festivities (sourvenirs, tents for food and drinks as well as concerts), it makes Singtel Formula One Singapore an unique event and one that is really prominent on the F1 calendar.

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Updated on November 28, 2020August 22, 2011Asia attractions holiday Places of Interest Singapore Attractions Singapore Travel Blog top 10 must do things in Singapore Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips vacation Visit Singapore Attractions

The Marina Barrage – Singapore’s most well kept secret

If you are not a local, chances are, you would not know about the Marina Barrage, one of Singapore’s most well kept secret.

However, with the increasing number of events being held at this latest lifestyle destination, it wont be long before this becomes an open secret.

NDP Theme Song 2009 Electrico – What do you see filmed on site at the Marina Barrage

In 2009 when Electrico performed the theme song for the National Day Parade, the marina barrage rose to fame. Forward to the last parts of the song and you will see stunning views of the Singapore City Landscape.

The Marina Barrage has a 3-fold function. Primarily, it is a water catchment area and helps to supplement Singapore’s water supply by cordoning off the marina bay area and converting it into a fresh water catchment area. In addition, the flood gates at the barrage helps to regulate the water levels within Singapore and helps to ease flooding conditions. Lastly, but most importantly, the Marina Barrage today, serves as a venue for families to gather and have fun together as it offers a venue for picnics, kite flying, water fun and water sports!

Bird’s eye view of the Marina Barrage

Well…for me and Kate, the Barrage holds a much deeper meaning. We have gone through anniversaries, dates at the Barrage and today we still very much enjoy just picnic and enjoy the views. Take a look at this view…

View of the Singapore Flyer from the Marina Barrage

Sometimes, it is just nice to lie down on the green pastures and enjoy the view of the clear blue sky….

A kite in the midst of the clear blue skies

The marina barrage has also accompanied us through countless sunsets…

Sun setting over the Marina Bay Sands

More Sunsets…

The Marina Barrage also accompanied us through earlier days, even before the completion of the Marina Bay Sands…

Marina Bay Sands without the sail at the top yet…

During one of our dates, we even encountered the helicopter fly-pass in preparation for the National Day Parade…

Close up of the National Flag Fly Pass

When all Singaporeans come together as one…

Of course, the reason why the Marina Barrage is a very well kept secret is because it offers the most fantastic view of the Singapore City Skyline!

At the Barrage, there is a cafe/pub with live music sometimes, a chinese restaurant as well as a souvenir shop. But most family nowadays head to the barrage for a time of gathering either flying a kite, having a picnic or having some water fun at the fountains…

But for Kate and I, the Marina Barrage will always be a well polished gem that both of us have discovered together…

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Updated on July 18, 2015August 15, 2011Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles Local Hawker Fare Places of Interest Singapore Attractions Singapore Food top 10 must do things in Singapore Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips Visit Singapore Attractions

Local Hawker Fare – Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles

There are so many local hawker fare in Singapore. To the locals, hawker food is still the best. In the olden days, hawkers used to ply the streets selling their foods. However, in the 1960s, the hawkers were re-located into hawkers centres where many stalls are gathered in one place. Today, these hawker centres are called food centres and the hawker food is also found in food courts everywhere in Singapore.

One of my favourite hawker food is the Hokkien Mee…

Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles

How it is made

In order to create this local delight, kilograms of prawn head and shell are boiled together for hours with pork bones or ribs. The stock is then kept to fry the noodles. Thereafter, egg, noodles (both white and yellow), garlic and the stock is fried together, simmered again with more of the stock, to allow the noodles to be infused with the flavour of the stock.

When this is done, pre-cooked sotong (squid), prawn and sometimes slices of pork are thrown in and fried for a short while before serving. The hokkien mee is usually served with chilli on the side.

In recent days, the hokkien mee may also be wrapped in Opeh leave (some kind of bamboo leave I believe) so that the fragrance can also be imparted to the noodles.

The Taste

There are many varieties of this same dish. Some like it dry and sticky, some like it moist and wet. I like mine infused with the flavour, no matter dry or wet. Primarily, the hokkien mee has a seafood taste with a prawny slant. It is generally savoury sweet (not the dessert sweet) with a hint of bitterness from the yellow noodles. The taste of the noodles will really depend on the stock (i.e. the ingredients used to prepare the stock) and should be rich. The time taken to simmer the noodles and infuse the stock will determine its final taste.

Just writing this post makes me want to eat hokkien mee! Enjoy!

Updated on November 28, 2020August 14, 2011Asia attractions Chingay Parade Festival Singapore Chingay Parade Street Festival Singapore Festival and Events holiday Places of Interest Singapore Attractions Singapore Travel Blog top 10 must do things in Singapore Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips vacation Visit Singapore Attractions

Chingay Parade and Festival Singapore – Street Parade Culmination and Melting Pot of Cultures, Street Performances and Displays

Kate and I were invited to the Chingay Parade and festival and it was our first time ever! We were of course excited and decided to be there early to join in the ra-ra (pre-show audience warm-up) before the show started. Before we go into the details, a little bit about the origin of Chingay…

The Chingay Parade had its roots as a street performance or masquerade started in the 1970s. Today, it has evolved and has become an international festival with audience from all over the world. Touted as the grandest streets and floats parade in Asia, the Chingay Parade boasts of dazzling displays of colours and multi-culturalism that Singapore offers.

The Chingay Parade has been held at the Pit-Building (the actual Pit building for formula one on the F1 calendar) for the past couple of years. It is primarily a street performance where audience are seated on both sides of a street as the performers and displays pass by. The performance would include street performers from all over the world. In addition, organisations in Singapore , both private and public companies or organisations, would also stage performanances that attracts the attention of the crowd. At the pit-building, more than 150,000 spectators can be seated.

As Kate and I begun to get seated at our Category 3 seats (costs about $25 dollars), we noticed 2 of Singapore’s most famous hosts – Gurmit Singh and Quan Yi Feng. It was exciting to see how they warmed up the crowd and entertained us, getting us all psyched up before the first performers arrived.

We were surprised by the first few acts whereby firecrackers (something banned in Singapore except at festivals such as this) and fireworks were used. Stilt walkers and performers from China held huge flags and balanced them superbly as they passed the audience. It was awesome!

The whole parade was filled with dazzling colours and wonderful floats. One of the 2 floats that caught our attention was the USS (Universal Studio Singapore) floats with all the characters such as Kung Fu Panda and the Madagascar Characters. The other float that caught our attention was the HDB (Housing and Development Board of Singapore – Provides public housing for all Singaporeans). This is because the float featured the latest public project that garnered design awards – Pinnacle@Duxton. Here are some of the highlights of the evening…

Of course, to round of the entire parade, what else but FIREWORKS!

Kate and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (as you may have heard from the screams of our video) and we were pleasantly surprised by how great and awesome a street performance can be. We formerly typified floats as boring as we see them drive pass during the parade season.

However, having come close to the performance, it actually brings us to see how much work the performers have put in and how much attention to detail have been placed into all the costumes and float designs. Impressive!

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We hope you’ll enjoy the Chingay Parade in Singapore this year!

Updated on November 28, 2020August 13, 2011Asia attractions Ducktours Singapore holiday Places of Interest Singapore Attractions top 10 must do things in Singapore Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips vacation Visit Singapore Attractions

Ducktours Amphibious Fun! – See Singapore on land and on water!

On one fine Saturday afternoon, as Kate and I were passing by the Ducktours booth in Suntec City, we thought to ourselves…”Hey, let’s be tourists for the day!”

So without much hesitation, we bought tickets ($33 per person) and waited to board our very first duck tour ride.

The Duck is actually a re-modelled WW2 Vietnamese amphibious craft.

The “Ducktainers” or tour guide would introduce us to the various structures as the Duck drove pass the landmarks. At the start of the tour was the fountain of wealth, right at the heart of Suntec City. Next, we headed towards the city hall area and viewed the Cenotaph, one of Singapore’s oldest war memorial. It was here where we entered the water…

We were soon in the basin of the Singapore River and we were able to see many of Singapore’s most iconic landmarks and structures such as the Merlion, Esplanade, Fullerton Hotel, Singapore Flyer, The World’s largest Floating Platform (where the National Day Parade is held), Tallest Hotel in Southeast Asia – Swissotel Singapore and the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort halfway built…

Singapore’s Tourism Icon – The Merlion

Overall, it was a nice refreshing tour. The “Ducktainers” were indeed entertaining and even “prepared” us as we entered the water (saying we’ll get wet and all, which we didnt). They were also armed with snippets of information which would be interesting for tourists.

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