TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

On top of the Marina Bay Sands building is lifestyle venue KU DE TA. It is one of the hottest places to be in town. Not really just a place to be but a place to enjoy the beautiful evening skyline of Singapore as well. You see, the Marina Bay Sands building faces Singapore’s Central Business District skyscraper skyline. The KU DE TA is quite big and is located on the North Sky Park of the building. It has a restaurant, a sky bar, a club lounge and a pool & terrace bar. SisterJ, Myrrh and moi decided to go to the Sky Bar for drinks and to enjoy the evening view and lights of this metropolitan city. Here are some visitor facts and tips for you: - The website of KU DÉ TA, Marina Bay Sands: KU DE TA  - The KU DE TA SKY BAR would be the best place to go to if you are not going to dine and will just want to enjoy the view. Just buy a drink from the Sky Bar and you are all set. The drinks though are not cheap. The Sky Bar is located right above the Observatory Deck. -...

In the middle of the Central Business District of Singapore in the historic enclave, you will find these beautiful and brightly coloured restored Peranakan shophouses. It was also on this road that SisterJ and moi had our little fine art oriental tea afternoon. Read here: The Fine Art of Oriental Tea Drinking Shifts through time Would you believe that this area used to be a fishing village and around this road are mangrove swamps? This place is located between the docks and the main town which attracted many wealthy Chinese migrants (Peranakan) and Arab traders to buy land in this area. Many Indians came to work, as well as trade in the docks, so this place was quite multi-cultural back then. It was the Chinese migrants, also known as Peranakan who built these lovely shophouses. With time the area experienced different shifts of journey, from a major trading place with wealthy residents to becoming a ghetto and home to opium smoking prostitutes and crafty crooks, and t...

Because I am in Asia, particularly in Singapore I was in the mood for some tea drinking. The Chinese are the majority ethnic race in Singapore (74%) so there must be some cultured tea house somewhere hiding in the city. I have however thought of doing this in Hong Kong as well. Perhaps the experience there will be purer but I will be with family and I don’t think the parents would appreciate these cultural whims of mine. I’d rather have one victim to sacrifice. SisterJ in Singapore =) So, who would have thought that there is fine art in tea drinking? I am not talking about the overhyped and clichéd English Afternoon or High Tea in which the focus really are the scones, the cakes and the sandwiches (admit it you ladies). I am talking about the real thing, and that is oriental tea drinking. Yixing Xuan Tea House Website: Yixing Xuan Teahouse - The Tea Art Centre I found this teahouse after intensive googling and reading tea reviews. Now this very interesting piece of histor...