LA to Singapore layover

We left a very rainy Vancouver and landed in Sunny Los Angeles to meet Chloe and Maureen. We enjoyed the sunshine exploring the coffee shops and some antique shops in the Fullerton District where Chloe lives. On the 27th, with our combined 7 bags, we flew 17 hours to Singapore. The flight length didn't seem too bad surprisingly. We had an 11 hour layover so we checked our bags into a secure locker area then hopped on the train to the city for the start of our Food and Cultural Walking Tour.
Our tour began on Arab St. With Ian. 1st stop we sampled rich tea made from tea dust and condensed milk. The coffee would originally have been mixed with butter and sugar. We tried Jemput Jemput which translates to welcome welcome. It was like a dense donut made of mashed banana,flour, water and sugar. The other pastry was similar to a samosa. Singapore was established in the 13th Century and consisted of clusters of villages which are now 80% highrises. We walked through Kampong Glam ( type of tree with bark used as calking material for boats) Village with 18th Century Architecture. We walked past the Sultans House and Mosque on Haji Street, Singapore's oldest Street. Haj means pilgrimage. We tasted Putu Piring, a steamed rice and shredded coconut layered on caramelized sugar. Ian brought us through one of the older Chinese tenement buildings. He shared that people from the same cultural Heritage have to live in the same area, mainly apartment complexes and if you want to sell you have to sell to someone of the same culture. The highest population in Singapore are Chinese, then Malaysian and Indian. Residents are expected to learn and speak their mother language. Later they introduced English in schools which is considered neutral. Next we tried 3 Indian dishes in Little India. We took the train to Chinatown, where we sampled grilled & boiled chicken on rice, rice dumpling cakes & rolled rice noodles in sauces. We took the train back to the airport for our flight to Kathmandu. A perfect layover tour. In Singapore we were 15 hours time difference and in Nepal we will be 12 hrs 45 min. difference.Read more