DINNER AT JUMBO'S!
It was time for a rest, so we let ourselves be a little lazy this morning - sleep in, read, relax. In the afternoon, we went to a nearby shopping center to use the internet cafe to write home and let them know that we were alive.
That evening, we took a cab to the East Coast Seafood Centre, which is a collection of several different restaurants on the East Coast of the island. One of the best know is Jumbo's. It's well regarded for it's Chilli Crab and it's Pepper Crab, both of which are Singapore specialties. This is right on the ocean, and it's a great chance to sit outside by the water. You won't be close enough to see it, but your close enough to smell it and know it's there. We had a big seafood feast that night, and really enjoyed it.
The cab driver we had on the way home was crazy - the cab driver was speeding so fast that the little alarm system built into the car kept going off - but it was pretty funny. We had him let us off in China Town near our hotel, and walked around a little for a while before we head back for bed.
China town was beautiful, and all lit up at night. There was a combination of small carts with small trinkets for sale, and full stores with beautiful silk and fine products. There were also all level of restaurants you can imagine. All the buildings were one of a kind, with beautiful carved wood doors and windows.
On our way to catch a taxi back to the hotel, we passed some sort of very large gathering, with men on a stage, under a large tent on the edge of China Town. It was unclear what was going on exactly, but there was a sign that made it clear that there could be no pictures or recordings of any kind, and we got the impression that basically we shouldn't be there at all. We headed away again, got in our taxi, and headed back to the hotel.
It is famous for it's Chile Crab and Pepper Crab, and we were told that if you were only going to get one chance to eat these things, do it here!
So off we headed. It's a lovely area, right on the water, so you can walk over and really enjoy the Straits of Singapore.
It's not a fancy place, but fancy is not why I go to Singapore! You'll be sitting at old tables, and plastic orange chairs.
We ordered one pepper crab for the table, some prawns, and the yam covered scallops. It was all very good and very interesting. It was quite unlike the seafood we eat at home.
I can't tell you exactly why I enjoyed this night so very much, but I really did. If I ever go back to Singapore, it will be one of my first stops to celebrate my arrival back to the city I love.
We stayed in this hotel in 2004, before it was taken over by Holiday Inn; so things may have changed since the change in management. That being said, it was a good mid-budget option for us while we were there.
This hotel is in a quiet part of town, but only minutes away by cab from anywhere you want to be; Orchard Road, Marina, and China Town is walking distance.
There were pros and cons to this hotel; because of the atrium that goes all the way up the center of the hotel, the noise from the bar in the lobby can carry up to the rooms if there is a band playing at night (you HAVE to write me if you go here and a band called "Jive Talking" is still playing- I'll die laughing).
The pro was the cost. Although if you look on the official website this doesn't look that cheap, if you look for it on some discount sites, the price can't be beat. We got it on Priceline for only $50 a night, so if you're traveling with even one other person, that's only $25 per person...
The rooms were fine, and for the most part quite clean. The bathrooms were a little run down, but for the money, it was more than fine.
One word of caution; the breakfast is not free, and was VERY expensive and not at all worth it - again, this could have changed with the new management...
