Raffles Hotel and beyond

As promised in my last post, the Singapore story continued for us with a cultural tour of the city’s ethnic neighborhoods. However, before that I need to share with you the luxurious accommodations we are experiencing at the world renowned Raffles Hotel. 

This gem of colonial architecture in the heart of the city was built back in 1887 and named after the city’s founder Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. The property is constantly maintained and renovated within historical parameters required for a historic landmark. 

It is the most excuidite hotel stay ever in my life!  What a treat!

Let’s now Start out with Little India where colorful houses and a market infuse the streets in magical smells of spices and grains. 

Roughly 10% of Singapore’s population of 5.3 million is of Indian descent. 
The biggest religious block after Buddhism is Muslim. So it is only logical that we visited the grad mosque and it’s Islamic neighborhood called kampong glam.

From there we traversed the city over to the western part where the largest ethnic group, the Chinese reside. While we have our own china towns in most big U.S. cities, this one set the standard for cleanliness and character. A visit to the Buddhist temple in the center of the neighborhood made it even more special. Then there is the culinary aspect, complete with the very smelly Durian fruit.