It’s a Sunday night in Singapore and the air is sweet with the scent of apple shisha.
Beside me are two dear friends, Bridget and Manisha, and the remains of our succulent feast – lamb kebabs, paprika-dusted hummus and warm strips of pita (or pide bread, as this restaurant spells it), avocado salad, and a mint tzatziki sauce I simply can’t get enough of.
Stomachs full, we lean back in our chairs to let the meal settle, sipping on the dregs of Turkish coffee and sweet mint tea. I’ve only been in Singapore for the weekend and yet I know that it’s here, here in the heart of the Arab Street neighborhood, that I will look back on as my favorite corner of the city.
I find such enclaves of a culture fascinating, the way they can instantly transport you from world to another. One minute, you’re in one of the cleanest cities in the world (at least it feels that way to me), not even able to take a sip of water on the metro before a guard in a lime green polo shirt tells you off with the threat of a $300 fine.
The next minute, simply by crossing the street, you’re in the Middle East, with shisha pipes gurgling and the call to prayer sounding, shop signs written in Arabic, and women passing by in black hijabs, their husbands in long white tunics and prayer caps.
Gone are the sleek and shiny skyscrapers that form the city’s skyline, lined up in perfect shades of glass and steel. In their place are two-story shophouses with clay tile roofs and shuttered windows, painted in bold tones of blue and purple and pink.
“This is how all of Singapore used to be,” Manisha tells me, and I can’t help wishing I’d seen it then.
But what strikes me the most here on Bussorah Street – formerly known as Sultan Road, after the golden-domed Sultan Mosque at one end of it – are the smells. While walking back to Bridget and Manisha’s flat on Saturday afternoon, I stopped in my tracks and took in a big breath. And then I took another, and another, each time growing more perplexed.
The thing was, I couldn’t smell anything – and after living in a country like India, where the air is a constant mix of the sweetest and foulest scents in the world, it was an odd revelation.
But not so in this part of Singapore.
From swirling shisha smoke to roasting lamb, the smells were back – and for that, I loved Arab Street all the more.
I just replaced my desktop wallpaper (from your Dharamsala sketch!). I LOVE this one Candace, there’s something so intoxicating about the colours, I just can’t stop looking at it. What a way to start your sketching trip. Just beautiful 🙂
Ah, I’m so glad to hear that, Hannah! I love knowing my humble sketches are currently gracing your desktop 🙂 And yes! The different colors of all the shophouses were definitely my favorite part of the scene as well – so fun and vibrant, you know?
I LOVE your sketches and I can’t wait to see the other ones from this trip. I’ve always thought Singapore is slightly bi-polar.. I mean, there is the pristine stretch of high-end malls on Orchard Rd. and then there is the dirtier streets of Little India; traditional street vendors among brand-new and modern restaurants; nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed Singapore!
Hey Pauline! Thanks so much for this great comment – and I totally agree with what you said about Singapore. It was a fascinating city to visit, I just wish I could have spent more time in places like Little India and Chinatown…next time, right? 🙂
Lovely sketches Candace. However please be careful.
Thanks so much, Jeremy!
So many things to see in Tokyo, probably walked more in 5 days there than I usually walk in a month. However, if you get a chance, I would totally try out the Studio Gibli Museum. It’s in a cute little suburban kind of area and the place is just ridiculously amazing. If things haven’t changed you buy tickets at one of the convenience stores and get a little discount… forget which one though!!! 🙂
Hello Leah! Thanks so much for not only stopping by, but for leaving such a great Tokyo recommendation. I just looked up the museum online and it seems so fun! I will definitely have to try and get there while I’m here 🙂 Thanks again!
You are so insanely talented! I love the sketches and the photos!!! Have fun in Japan! Try to sketch some cherry blossoms while you’re there.
Thanks so much, Andi!! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying the sketches. I just landed in Japan last night and am loving it so far! While some bad weather this week has apparently blown most of the cherry blossoms away, there are a few still hanging on that I’m desperate to get out and sketch 🙂 Here’s hoping they hang in there!
Hi Candace,
I have only just now ‘discovered’ you. How cool to find another travel writer that sketches as well!
What a lovely blog you have. Looking forward to following you here. Wishing you many happy sketching travels;-)
Kind regards,
Anja from CurlyTraveller
Hello Anja! Thanks so much for saying hello – it’s awesome to meet you here 🙂 I’d love to see some of your sketches! I took a quick look at your site but couldn’t find them there – do you have any posted online?
Hey Candace,
Really me, to notice your reply and questions only months later;-). In the meantime we connected via your summer-travel-sketches-call-out. You can see more of my sketches on my FaceBook: find me as: tangueranja
Candace! We should have met! Nice sketch by the way, it really shows Bussorah Street, but you know what;s missing in there? You and me!
I don’t know if my comment was posted, there was an error.
Anyway, we could have met Candace! Let me know when you’re going to be in Sg, drop me an email or tweet, etc. Nice sketch of the mosque and Bussorah Street, but you know what’s missing? You and me!!!
No worries, Lela! I think both of your comments went through just fine 🙂 It is definitely a shame we weren’t able to meet up this time in Singapore, but I’ll be sure to let you know when I’m passing through again!
I just love the sketches posted by you .I have collected so many of them and and also shown it to my friends.They all appreciate the sketches and ask me about from where i get these.Thanks to you
Thanks, David – I appreciate it! Really glad to hear you and your friends enjoy the sketches.
How did you meet your singapore friends? And have you been getting my comments? when i hit submit i get a blank screen and even refreshing doesn’t bring up anything. will you email me to confirm that you’ve received them?
I actually met Bridget and Manisha through the Rickshaw Run! They were on a team this past January run, we got along great, and they invited me to come spend a weekend with them in Singapore – so I decided to launch my sketching trip from there 🙂 And I’m definitely getting your comments, so I’m really sorry to hear about that weird blank page issue…not sure why that’s happening, but I’ll look into it!