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3 days in Singapore: The December 2019 edition

Day 1

Chicken Buddha Bowl from Kitchen by Food Rebel

Today is all about being fit and active, so start with a healthy breakfast at Kitchen by Food Rebel. This vegan- and vegetarian-friendly café located in the heart of the CBD was launched by a professional health coach. The casual 40-seat venue offers a lean morning menu that includes an energising Ultimate breakfast, a low-carb platter specially designed by Ultimate Performance gym.

Practice rock climbing at Boulder Movement

Suitably invigorated, take a short 10-minute walk to Boulder Movement at Downtown Gallery, the area’s only dedicated rock-climbing gym, for a one-hour beginner class that focuses on safety and essential climbing skills.

Afterwards, head to the building’s rooftop terrace for a healthy alfresco lunch at The Garden Club. Go for a mixed-fruit smoothie bowl or cheeseburger made with Beyond Meat and plant-based cheddar. Follow that up with a quick taxi ride to Marina Bay Sands (MBS) to align both body and mind at the Banyan Tree Spa. Perched on the 55th floor of Tower 1, the spa offers luxurious massages, facials and speciality treatments.

Aerial view of the Marina Barrage

Refreshed, enjoy a cuppa at Origin + Bloom downstairs, a patisserie pairing cold-pressed and exceptional coffee with a range of delectable chocolates and pastries – you’ve earned it. Try the signature iced mazagran, made with lemon juice and espresso, or their cold-drip coffee. Next, rent a bicycle – there are several providers in the area such as The Bicycle Hut – for a spin starting out at Marina Barrage, near Bay South of Gardens by the Bay. Part of the Eastern Coastal Loop, an easy 8km roundtrip ride around the Marina Reservoir takes about an hour and offers great views of some of downtown’s most iconic sights. Return your bike, then consider a bite to eat.

In the glitzy South Beach development, Real Food offers delicious vegetarian fare ranging from dumplings to pasta and pizzas. Alternately, if you get hungry on your ride, consider a pit stop at Fennel Café by the Flower Dome. Here, you can enjoy delectable small plates such as sourdough bread with hummus or a chilled tomato and red pepper gazpacho.

End the night with some time on the tables at Pinball Wizard. Located at Sim Lim Square, this retro-style bar and club lets you play classic pinball games themed after Star Wars, The Simpsons and more, while enjoying a cocktail and listening to DJs pump out classic ’90s jams.

“I love the Tanjong Pagar area for its vibrant nightlife venues and food joints such as RPM by D.Bespoke, Lucha Loco and Maxwell Food Centre.” — Yafith A Hamid, operations director of A Phat Cat Collective

Day 2

Colony’s seafood laksa featuring a homemade lobster ball

While waiting for the shops to open, head down to Clarke Quay and enjoy a pleasant early-morning stroll along the Singapore River from the old shophouses of Boat Quay to the downtown core. The river empties into Marina Bay, and it’s just a little further to Colony at The Ritz- Carlton, Millenia Singapore. Their international breakfast buffet is one of the city’s best.

Sifr Aromatics offers homemade perfumes

After breakfast, hail a taxi over to Kampong Glam. With scores of shops specialising in everything from aromatics to fashion, this atmospheric Malay and Muslim heritage district is great for unique, local souvenirs. On Arab Street, Sifr Aromatics is a third-generation perfumery offering a variety of homemade scents, while Haji Lane is lined with fashion and home décor boutiques such as HYGGE and Victoria Jomo. Also, check out the Malay Art Gallery on Bussorah Street, for its Malay weaponry, talismans and textiles.

No Singapore shopping excursion is complete without a trip to the retail wonderland that is Orchard Road; it’s a particular treat in December thanks to its Christmas lights display. First grab lunch at the recently opened Merci Marcel, a cute French boutique and café at Palais Renaissance mall. The red snapper ceviche and marinated crab tartine are two standouts on the menu. Browse the boutique’s French goods before visiting the nearby outlets showcasing some of Asia’s top labels.

NomadX is a unique multi-concept store with its own unique products and services to fit the needs of its customers

At Ngee Ann City, SocietyA spotlights fashion forward women’s clothes and accessories from nearly 50 regional designers, while Design Orchard holds over 60 homegrown brands. Over in Plaza Singapura, NomadX is a huge multi-label retail space notable for its design your- own-scent perfumery.

Leave your bags at the hotel, then grab a table at buzzy Blue Label Pizza & Wine at Mandarin Orchard. The creative pizza menu utilises uncommon toppings such as Hokkaido octopus and countneck clams. Afterwards, it’s a short walk to The Other Room at Marriott Hotel for vintage cocktail concoctions that date back to the 1700s.

“For local brands, I suggest visiting an atelier such as The Canary Diamond for jewellery, Reckless Ericka if you’re looking for contemporary clothes and Vaughn Tan for couture.” — Pek Lay Peng, owner of SocietyA

Day 3

Both adults and kiddos will enjoy brunch at Fynn’s

Today is mostly about the kids. Take your time getting them ready, and then head to a late-morning brunch at Fynn’s, an Australian-style bistro with terrace seating. Kids will love the buttermilk pancakes and waffles, while the truffle-infused omelette and decadent French toast stuffed with gruyère and bacon are a delicious treat for adults.

Walk 10 minutes down Raffles Boulevard to Marina Square, home to the world’s first NERF Action Xperience. This massive 1,670m2 space is divided into four main thematic zones, including a zombie apocalypse arena, where you can duke it out with NERF guns. Smaller rope courses and playgrounds also cater to younger kids.

The ArtScience Museum opened in February 2011 and can accommodate 3,500 visitors at once.

When you’re done, walk across the street to Suntec City for lunch at Pasta Supremo. Here, it’s all about fresh, handmade pasta with an Asian twist. A “build your own” menu means that everyone can get what they want. After lunch, take a taxi to the ArtScience Museum, which hosts the Southeast Asian debut of “Disney: Magic of Animation”. This wide-ranging exhibition includes interactive areas and more than 500 paintings, drawings and sketches from some of the studio’s beloved animated films, including its most recent hit, Frozen 2.

Open Farm Community is the perfect place to dine while immersing yourself in nature.

Next up it’s a 20-minute taxi ride over to Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden, located in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. This nature-themed playground includes a working garden, farm and treehouses; the water play and photosynthesis areas reopen this month, too. From here, it’s a short ride to Open Farm Community in leafy Dempsey Hill. The environmentally conscious restaurant grows its own ingredients in a garden that includes a great sand pit for the little ones.

With such a full day behind you, book a babysitter at the hotel before squeezing into tiny Junior The Pocket Bar to unwind with a cocktail. The décor and menu change every six months – the current ski lodge theme brings winter holiday magic and alpine liqueurs to the tropics.

“I love to eat at Kazbar. The head chef is Lebanese, and they serve high-quality fish. For brunch, I head to Artichoke.” — Elika Tasker, founder of Food Rebel

Book This

’Tis the season for top-notch live entertainment

Imaginique

Spark your little one’s imagination at this immersive 10-day children’s festival (13 to 22 December) featuring non-verbal theatre, dance and art performances.

Legacy Festival

Dance the night away at Sentosa’s Siloso Beach during this two-day EDM extravaganza headlined by the likes of Tiësto and Zedd (6 to 7 December).

CATS

Catch Andrew Lloyd Webber’s world-famous musical live at Marina Bay Sands from 17 December – then see its big-screen adaptation this month, too.

Unexpected Journeys

Try more off-the-beaten-track activities in Singapore

From farmstays to smash rooms you can discover more unique destinations to visit in Singapore with a new video series launched by Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Tourism Board. Visit 7 unexpected and alternative things to do in Singapore to find out more.

SEE ALSO: 3 days in Singapore: The November 2019 edition

This article was originally published in the December 2019 issue of SilverKris magazine

The post 3 days in Singapore: The December 2019 edition appeared first on SilverKris.

from SilverKris

Photo essay: Inside the daredevil world of skiing’s fastest sport

Ski tips hang precariously over open air. Below, a slope pitched at a dizzyingly steep 45 degrees has been immaculately designed to allow skiers to achieve speeds on a par with a Grand Prix motorcycle.

In the start gate, Jan Farrell adjusts his carbon fibre helmet and fights to steady his pulse. His bright red polyurethane suit is stretched over his body like a second skin, the only protection between him and a 200-kilometre-an-hour slide for life.

A fall at these speeds can result in second-degree burns – caused by the friction between skin and snow – or worse.

With speeds exceeding 200km/hour, speed skiers can barely focus beyond five metres. The sport was deemed too dangerous for the Olympics after several deaths.

But Farrell can’t focus on that, nor the crash he sustained at a contest in 2016 that left him burned and bruised for weeks. He can only focus straight down, a single kilometre of adrenaline-pumping skiing standing between him and World Cup glory. Taking a few more deep breaths, he readies his poles, and drops into oblivion.

This is speed skiing – the fastest non-motorised sport on the planet and the wildest human thrill ride. Less technical than its alpine cousins, speed skiing was created by adrenaline junkies and perfected by purists, with athletes capable of reaching speeds topping 250 kilometres per hour.

Grandvalira’s metal-scaffolding start ramp is designed to help the world’s best speed skiers gain a few extra kilometres an hour on the slope.

Today, Farrell joins a dedicated group of over 60 athletes from around the world at the World Cup Championships at Grandvalira Resort in Andorra. The mountainous country sandwiched between France and Spain, and just a two and a half hour drive from Barcelona, has more kilometres of ski slope than highway, and has become the annual host of speed skiing’s biggest hour.

On the line is not only a World Cup Championship, but the overall World Cup title, upping the tension on an otherwise pleasant sunny afternoon in the Pyrenees (a separate World Championship event was contested earlier in the season in Vars, France).

With Farrell safely at the bottom, one after another, skiers drop from the vertiginous start gate, each determined to satiate a primal need for speed as they pursue the ultimate limit.

Race preparation includes long days in the wax room. 2019 World Champion Simone Origone is seen here applying wax to reduce the friction between his skis and the icy slope.

Speed skiers wear specially fitted fairings on their legs to reduce wind drag at high speed. In many cases, these are handmade from everyday objects.

Italian speed skier Simone Origone practises his pose while making a few last-minute checks to his equipment before racing day.

The artwork on a speed ski helmet is often the only way to differentiate speed skiers. They are built to perform like the nose of an airplane.

Speed skis measure close to 240cm and have nearly no tip rise, a design meant to prevent the wind from sending it – and the skier – airborne.

A skier drops into a run at the World Cup Championship, which takes place every year in the Andorran Pyrenees. Around 2.5 hours by train from Barcelona, the tiny country of Andorra has hosted the championship for over half a decade and will do so again next year.

An aerodynamic body position can be the difference between claiming victory and a devastating crash.

Swiss skier Philippe May takes the spoils on Day 1 of the competition. The official men’s world record is 254.958 km/h set by Ivan Origone, Simone’s brother, in 2016.

Italian fans celebrate as Valentina Greggio claims the top spot at the 2017 World Cup. Greggio also currently holds the women’s world speed record.

Singapore Airlines flies direct to Barcelona five times weekly. To book a flight, visit singaporeair.com

SEE ALSO: Beyond the slopes: Activities to enjoy at some of the world’s best ski resorts

This article was originally published in the December 2019 issue of SilverKris magazine

The post Photo essay: Inside the daredevil world of skiing’s fastest sport appeared first on SilverKris.

from SilverKris

An insider’s guide to Yangon, Myanmar

EAT

Rangoon Tea House takes Burmese food to new heights with its classy, chic setting. Make sure you try their pyay paratha (flatbread served with a lentil and chicken curry), a dish widely loved across Myanmar. For Western fare, try Sharky’s on Pansodan Street, which has adopted a farm-to-table concept with its menu of fresh salads, local cheese and charcuterie platters. 999 Shan Noodle Shop is a great spot in the city for quick, tasty and cheap noodles. Do try their fried tofu and dumplings too.

DRINK

Opened last November, After 8 is popular for cocktails and shots designed by the self-fashioned “cocktail professor” Jarl de Vries from Amsterdam. On the other hand, overlooking the Shwegondine neighbourhood, there’s NYX Rooftop Bar. Named after the Greek goddess of the night, it’s where regional and international DJs perform.

EXPLORE

Shwedagon Pagoda’s golden roof remains prominent in any panoramic picture of Yangon; the splendid stupa glimmers with over 7,000 diamonds, rubies, sapphires and other precious stones. The National Museum of Myanmar is filled with Burmese art, history and culture, and the Yangon Gallery is perfect for those who want to view the work of contemporary local artists. Make sure to end the day with sunset views at Botahtaung Harbour before taking a short stroll to Botahtaung Pagoda.

SHOP

The major local bazaar is Bogyoke Aung San Market, where you can find antiques, Burmese handicrafts, jewellery and more. The market has over 2,000 stalls, so you’ll need comfy shoes and remember to flex your bargaining powers. Afterwards, cross over a connecting bridge to the recently built Junction City shopping mall for even more retail therapy.

TIPS

Yangon is best explored on foot. Though it isn’t the most pedestrian- or bike-friendly city, the downtown area has many attractions within walking distance of each other.

Singapore Airlines flies to Yangon daily. SilkAir flies to Yangon 11 times weekly. To book a flight, visit singaporeair.com

Illustration by Ohn Mar Win

SEE ALSO: Yangon’s timeless tea houses

This article was originally published in the November 2019 issue of SilverKris magazine

The post An insider’s guide to Yangon, Myanmar appeared first on SilverKris.

from SilverKris