Little India, Singapore - Little India Arcade

The Little India Arcade is a bustling shopping centre tucked in the heart of Little India along Serangoon Road. The arcade comprises of small Indian shops closely packed to one another along narrow passageways. It has a bazaar like atmosphere and you would probably think you were in a Mumbai or New Delhi rather than cosmopolitan Singapore.

Shops here sell all things Indian including saris, silverware, bangles and decorations. There are also shops selling varieties of Indian sweets and spicy snacks, and tucked away is a small restaurant serving curry rice dishes on banana leaf. There is an Indian Cultural Corner and admission is free (opens from Monday to Saturday except public holidays).

Little India Arcade by alex.ch

Indian jewellery store

Indian sweet shop

Decorations for the Deepavali Festival

Shoppers and visitors at the arcade

Bugis, Singapore - Open Air Market at Bugis Street

Besides the covered market at Bugis Street, there is also an open-air section. Unlike the covered section, the open-air market has a more Singaporean flavour and a bit more interesting (at least for me) than just being a place for bargain hunters. Furthermore, the covered section gets hot and stuffy when midday approaches. Who cares when shopping for bargains!

There are stalls selling fruits, foods, ornamental plants and Chinese incense sticks at the open-air market - you won't find these in the covered section. Fruits imported from the region include mangoes, pomelos (a citrus fruit) and bananas. Then there is the pungent durian that many Singaporeans will testify as the 'King of Fruits' that they prefer to eat it straight away.

Open-air market at Bugis street

Souvenirs and trinkets

Ornamental plants for sale

A fruit stall

 

Eating durian

Bugis, Singapore - Shopping in Bugis

The heartbeat of Bugis has always been in the area around Bugis Street but the days of rowdy bars and prostitutes have disappeared and nowhere to be seen. Bugis Street today has taken a new life with its maze of lanes occupied by nearly 600 stalls and small shops. It stretches from the entrance at Victoria Street to the other entrance at Queen Street.

No brand names here but cheap bargains including clothes, bags, kitchen items, trinkets and foodstuffs. There is even a shop selling sex toys and other items for bedroom play. Bugis Street is popular with Singapore's bargain hunters and younger generation. There are also plenty of tourists but seem to be here more out of curiosity and taking photographs. 

Entering Bugis Street

Stalls at Bugis Street

Shops at Bugis Street

Shopping for bargains

Sex shop (centre)

Orchard Road, Singapore - Going for the Brand

Orchard Road has some top of the brands in fashionable wear. Guess, Prada, Gucci, Armani, Hugo Boss, Burberry and Massimo Dutti are just a few I can remember. Some brands have their flagship stores in Singapore located here. Classy upscale shopping centres include Mandarin Gallery, The Paragon, Hilton Shopping Gallery and Palais Renaissance.

If high price brands are out of your league, then window shopping would be the next best thing and that includes me. Thinking of buying something for my wife each time I'm in Orchard Road? As usual, I give her the same lame duck excuses - forgot to bring my credit card, low on cash, store was closed for renovation and the store wouldn't let me in!

The Paragon by Sesamehoo

Window shopping at Orchard Road

More window shopping

High-priced watches at the Hour Glass

Orchard Road, Singapore - High Street Shopping

For a heavy dose of retail therapy in Singapore, then Orchard Road is the place to be. If you are not staying in the area, take the commuter train and stop at the Orchard Road MRT station. Other nearby MRT stations include Dhoby Ghaut and Somerset. At one end of Orchard Road (near the Dhoby Ghaut Station) is the 'Istana', the official residence of Singapore's President - no, you can't visit the place.

Plenty of brand name items with Italian and French sounding names - some familiar, some I have difficulty pronouncing and some I have never heard. I have lost count the number of shopping centres along Orchard Road. Among them are Ngee Ann City (where the Takashimaya department store is situated), Plaza Singapore, CentrePoint and Orchard Point. Shop till you drop in Orchard Road!

CentrePoint in Orchard Road

Walking pass CentrePoint

Orchard Point shopping centre

Takashimaya department store

Peranakan Mall

Orchard Road, Singapore - Premier Shopping Destination

Orchard Road got its name from a road that led to several fruit, nutmeg and pepper orchards and plantations in the mid-1800s. Today, Orchard Road is a 2 km (slightly more than a mile) stretch that is Singapore's retail hub and premier shopping district. The stretch is also a major nightspot, a popular destination for dining and occupied by several 3 to 5-star hotels. 

Touristy, too commercialised, over-developed, over energised (may be age is creeping on me) and crowded but what the heck, if you haven't been to Orchard Road then you haven't been to Singapore! Orchard Road is well known for its high-street shopping but there are a few department stores selling items in the mid-price range. Great bargains await for those during the sales period.

Orchard Road around 1900 by G. R. Lambert & Company

Orchard Road today

Takashimaya Department Store

Fashion boutique 

Nightlife along Orchard Road

Chinatown, Singapore - Souvenir Shopping

I never seen so many souvenirs sold in one location other than in Singapore's Chinatown. Even the tourist infested Bugis Street does not have as many souvenirs. Plenty of souvenirs here with the usual range of key chains, postcards, T-shirts, refrigerator magnets and a lot more. There are also the unusual items that I have yet to figure out what they are or called! Take your pick and buy three for SGD10, four for SGD10 or even five for SGD10. Like anywhere on this planet, the souvenirs here are probably made in China.

Shopping for souvenirs in Chinatown

More souvenirs

Stall selling souvenirs

Shop selling souvenirs