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Rediscover Singapore

Singapore is one of Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities. Some may think they know the place, where to shop and where to dine, but, as I was reminded on a recent visit, Singapore is forever evolving and changing. No matter how often you visit, there is always much more to discover. Here are some of my recent discoveries

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The Ultimate Food Journey The Ultimate Food Journey is the creation of Tribe Tours and offers privately guided tours curated by local people who wish to interact with travellers and tourists and share their knowledge and experience. Our tour started at the Geylang Serai Market, which sells a lot of halal products, giving us a glimpse into the lives of local people and their typical daily visit to the market. Just a short walk across the market and a 2-minute walk from the Joo Chiat Complex, we make a stop at the Sha Zah confectionery, a famous curry puff factory selling a variety of snacks including curry puffs, samosas, epok epok and Sha Zah pies. Next, we headed for the Kway Guan Huat (Joo Chiat Popiah & Kueh Pie Tee) nearby. Here we found ourselves hands on and rolling popiah (fresh spring rolls). Everything is homemade and even the popiah skins are made by hand. (www.tribe-tours.com)

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Je t’aime Perfumery Fancy your own perfume with your name engraved on the bottle? Look no further than Je t’aime Perfumery, a perfume-making workshop you’ll find at the Goodman Arts Centre. After a brief introduction, you are asked to answer a series of questions that indicate your personality. This identifies which ingredients suit your character and from there you can start choosing the oils and combining them in a bottle. The end result is your very own signature scent. It is an interesting process and of course a delight to produce your own individual scent. (www.jetaime-singapore.com)

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Tulipmania @Garden by the Bay Tulipmania is an annual highlight on the Gardens’ calendar of floral displays, offering visitors the chance to see flowers not normally seen in Singapore. In its fifth edition, the well-loved tulip festival has transformed Singapore’s Flower Dome into a floral art gallery with two of Van Gogh’s masterpieces, his self-portrait and The Starry Night, both recreated with tulips and hyacinths. The displays feature over 30,000 blooms, made up of some 90 different varieties of tulips and hyacinths and all from the Netherlands. A highlight this year are Darwin hybrid tulips, known for their vibrant and large cup-shaped blooms.

Vespa Tour by SG Sideways One of Singapore’s latest attractions and launched at the end of April, SG Sideways presents the world’s first vintage Vespa sidecar tour service, a tour that will take you to experience Singapore’s sights, sounds and flavours up close and personal. Don’t expect to be taken to the usual major tourist traps; this is a tour that will take you off the beaten track as you breeze across unexplored open rooftops and down quaint alleyways where you’ll come face-to-face with the locals. I was lucky enough to try the Vespa tour before it was officially launched, my tour started from the Malay Heritage Centre and cruised through Kampong Glam, passing many places I’ve never seen before.