Shopping, this might be the first word adhered to Singapore. But I believe the country could offer me more than just shopping fiesta. I was indeed lucky to collaborate with an artsy travelmate namely @ettasekar, who surprisingly had the same taste with me regarding Singapore. We never had in mind to visit those mainstream places during our visit. Instead, what we did was mural and colorful old buildings hunting. So that’s why we called this collaboration as…

NABS X @ettasekar: POP! in Singapore.

Pop
// a patch of bright colour (Oxford Dictionary)

As the definition of Pop refers to bright color, you might guess which kind of places we had been to. Yup, as seen on pictures below, we wandered through small alleys and random streets to track murals and classic architectures those Singapore had. Only with the help of pictures we got from Instagram! Before our trip, we looked for old buildings and mural spots through Instagram. Both @ettasekar & I were avid Instagram users. Instead of planning our trip in advance, we booked our flight tickets and planned itineraries on our very last minutes.

Old Hill Police Station

If you looked through closely, Singapore was an interesting country. OK, I was a bit confused whether I should call it a country or a city. Since we discovered those hidden gems in this bustling country, we never thought of Singapore only as a shopping destination. During the trip, we didn’t buy a 5SGD EZ Link card because we both preferred to walk rather than use its super comfy MRT. @ettasekar’s main interest was the Old Hill Police Station with its picturesque building and colorful windows. The building itself was a former assembly hall that turned to be a Ministry office. The original design wasn’t with those brightly colored windows for sure.

(Still) At Old Hill Police Station

Old Hill Police Station (again)

Several buildings were located in a hidden spot around a neighborhood. Therefore, we would suggest you to walk and keep your eyes on your surrounding. You might be able to catch some buildings those aren’t on your list like what did happen to us. Although we had the list, we missed some places because we were busy keeping up with locals (incl. having reunion with old friends! Yeay!), eating, and eating, haha. Oh okay, this included some window-shoppings coz we trapped inside a mall (thanks to the rain).

Peranakan era one

Mural inside a tunnel

Somehow it was hidden in the middle of Little India neighborhood

… and what we didn’t miss: MURALS!

So far we were happy in Singapore thanks to everyone who made our visit an unforgettable one: our friends and new friends whom we met at the hostel (IMHO, sacrificing a comfy private room for a dorm room is worth every penny and experience). We won’t lie that we are still curious of those old buildings we haven’t visited yet, especially two in Geylang area. OOOOHHH SO CURIOUS! Singapore is close to Indonesia so we will come back, maybe?

Anyway, are you a fan of murals like we do? Don’t worry because in my next blog post, I will share some girl-ish guide to look for murals in Singapore.

Kisses and Love,

NABS X @ettasekar