Second day is all about culture and shopping and no better way to spend it than in the Kampong Glam, Bugis Junction, and Orchard Road! Let's explore two of the most popular spots in the city in this second travel diary!
KAMPONG GLAM (ARAB ST., HAJI LANE)
Home to Arab st. and Haji lane, two of the most popular tourist destination in Singapore, Kampong Glam is one of the important districts in Singapore because it is where modern and traditional cultures, sensibilities, and communities meet.
Arab st. is home to the highest concentration of Arab settlers and merchants. Fancy souk shopping vibes? Then Arab st. is the place to be. If you're into intricate, colorful homeware, then you should swing by and pick up a lamp or two. I saw so many nice lamps and small carpets that would look good in my bedroom, but my luggage just wasn't ready to accommodate those things. :(
Arab st. is also very near Muscat st., which is the pathway to the iconic, picturesque Sultan Mosque. This is a pretty good spot to take pictures in.
If you also love Turkish cuisine, then Arab st. should be in your list. Before leaving, be sure to sample authentic, mouthwatering Baklavas in the area; there are mini marts and convenience stores that sell ready made Baklavas and they're so, so good!
Hungry? Then be sure to dine at the famous Kampong Glam cafe.
Haji Lane is for art lovers. This hip street is famous among younger travelers who are looking for local brands and hip bars, cafes, and restaurants.
And if you visit this area, be sure to take lots of pictures. The art everywhere is amazing!
BUGIS JUNCTION
After about 1 hr. and 30 mins, we finally headed to Bugis Junction to do affordable shopping.
Bugis Junction is about a 5- 8 minute walk from Kampong Glam. If you want to shop for mid- priced brands and department store goodies, then be sure to swing by this area. There's BHG department stores for department store finds and Bugis Mall has consumer brands such as Adidas, Nike, and Skechers to name a few.
Just beside Bugis Mall is Bugis Village, which is the place to be if you want to shop for affordable souvenirs.
So after my husband and nephew have completed their shopping list at Bugis, it's now time for Tita Martha's shopping escapade at Orchard Road haha! I spent the entire afternoon completing my shopping experience in the area.
I remember the first time I visited Singapore, I literally had no money and my mother only gave me around 50SGD for shopping. There were so many brands that I wanted to shop in at Orchard Road, especially Chanel, but alas, I was broke. Now I'm back with a vengeance 16 years after LOL!
My main itinerary was to buy another dream bag of mine from Chanel. I had to wait in a queue and that frankly took up a huge chunk of my shopping time. To kill time, I accomplished the other things in my shopping list instead while waiting for Chanel's text message. First in the list was Byredo. I grabbed another fragrance and I wanted to get a smaller version of Bal D' Afrique, but changed my mind because it was VERY expensive. I proceeded to Sephora to pick up a few items (Charlotte Tilbury was WIPED OUT, huhu) as well as Bath and Body Works to pick up some souvenirs for my mom, mom in law, and sis in law.
Finally, we are in! It was my first time to shop in a Chanel store and it was a surreal experience because I never thought that a girl who was selling mangoes for extra school money once upon a time would literally get to this point in her life and be able to buy one of her dream items; ijt hits different when you can finally do the things that you used to only dream about doing.
This is my second Chanel bag, but first time to buy it in person, which I personally prefer because to me, buying the luxury item yourself is part of the experience.
I'll just unbox the bag in a Singapore haul blog post. :D
After picking up my birthday gift aka Chanel bag, I proceeded to Takashimaya to buy another perfume from Chanel and a lip oil from Dior (just wanna see what the hype is about) and finally, Apple to get a magsafe case and magsafe powerpack. We ended our day at Violet Oon, which is dubbed as one of the best fine dining spots in the country and the raves are right this time around; Violet Oon serves really good, delicious Peranakan food and I highly recommend this place if you want to eat in a fine dining restaurant for the experience.
That's all and I hope you enjoyed this! Next, let's go to Merlion Park and let's check out the attractions at the Marina Bay Sands area!
I also created filmed a vlog of my shopping experience so visit the link below to watch it:
Check out the other blog posts related to TBJ TRAVELS SINGAPORE 2022:
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