We lived in Singapore for 2 years (1995-97), our first overseas home. With a long weekend available in Hong Kong due to the Chinese National Day on October 1, we decided to drop down to visit some friends and have some good food.

Leo and Grace also joined us for this trip, and we were able to show them a little of Singapore over the weekend.

Perhaps one of the best things about Singapore are the food courts. Not the air-conditioned, underneath the department store, McDonalds-having food courts, but the ones in the common blocks of the HDBs (Housing Development Board - public housing). The food is varied in style (but leaning mostly towards the standard Chinese, Malay and Indian, good quality, and cheap. This is the hawker center (off Owen Road) where I ate virtually 75% of my dinners while living in Singapore; I'd ride my MTB there, bring a book, buy a plate of food and maybe a tall Tiger beer, and relax under the breeze of the fans, all for a couple of bucks. We've never found anything quite like it anywhere else.

Nearby the above food court was a wet market where you could buy food and some other necessities (although most of the floor space was for fruit, vegetables, fish and meat). Since it was so convenient and cheap to eat out, we didn't buy much food for cooking at home, but we did eat a lot of fruit.

At left (above) is Mr. Teo Ah Lek (Fruit Pa), the owner of our favorite fruit stand. A family-run business, I started going there after walking by while exploring our new neighborhood. Mr. Teo's son, Teo Kok Hwa (right), to be known by us as "The Fruit Guy", gave me a warm welcome and smile. They were always friendly, letting us know what was fresh or sweet that day, and quickly learned our favorites. Many evenings I'd ride away with a pannier full of watermelon, pinapple, longans, rumbutans, grapes, or whatever was good that day. When I stopped by to visit them on this trip, they offered me a Thai pineapple that was just as sweet as I remembered them to be - Shelley and I ate it in our hotel room with a tea spoon.

Time for some food! The Satay Club is a re-creation of an old Singapore standby; located at Clarke Quay, it is now more touristy, but still fun (and tasty).

Breakfast of Roti Prata is an indulgence; this food court is off Owen Road. Don't ask the fat content; the dough glistens before being fried. At least the curry is good for me, right? Right? Please?

Finally, here is a picture taken at night (without flash) of Grace at the Singapore Zoo's Night Safari.