These few days were all about history for us.  This included the sites, smells, culture and food of Chinatown and Little India.

We also visited the Battle Box for a tour and found our way to the old Ford Motor Company where the signing of the surrender took place, handing Singapore over to the Japanese in World War 2.

Chinatown

Most people who visit Singapore pay a visit to Chinatown.

It’s easy to get to and thank goodness large sections of it have been declared national heritage sites and officially designated for conservation.

Real food made with real ingredients and to order

Push through the touristy sections and get to the heart of the real Chinatown.  Find the elderly gentlemen playing Majong and the hot steamy hawker street stalls selling the most beautiful and authentic street food.

Little India

From one culture across to the other.  Little India is steeped in history and the streets lined with ‘streethouses’ dating back to the 18th century.

We partook in a ‘Food Appreciation’ walking tour lead by a well known Indian Chef and she showed us around some of the more famous eateries in the area and the history surrounding them.  She also explained the different food from the different regions on India.

One of the many temples

Battlebox tour and Ford Motor Company

Scotty was in his element with these two destinations.

We went on a guided tour of the Battle Box at Fort Canning.  The Battlebox is a former World War 2 British underground command centre inside Fort Canning Hill in the heart of the city.  It was inside the Battlebox that the British decided to surrender Singapore to the invading Japanese on 15 February 1942.

From the Battlebox we travelled to the old Ford Motor Company which was seized by the Japanese and where the British surrendered to the Japanese army.  There is an amazing museum along with the original boardroom where the signing took place.

The actual boardroom where the unconditional signing of the surrender to the Japanese took place.

Light Show – Gardens by the Bay

Another tourist attraction that everyone wants to tick off the list.  We unfortunately must have chosen the busiest night of the year as it was the 40th anniversary of Star Wars.  There was also a walk/run happening at the same time in the same place so there seemed like there was thousands of people all congregating in the same place….eeeekkkk. However the Light Show was worth the visit and all set to the Star Wars theme music.  We can now tick that off the list.

As usual, there is a video of the highlights of our hectic days of sightseeing in Singapore.