The Backpack Adventures

Located east of the Singapore River, Little India is an ethnic district in Singapore that is home to the largest Indian Singaporean community.



Locally, called Tekka, Little India was where many ethnic Indians transferred after the original Indian community in Chulia Kampong district became very crowded. Today, the Chulia Kampong district no longer exists as a district area while Little India is now known as one of the famous tourist destination in Singapore.



Here are some of the things to see in Little India:

Getting to Little India:
To get to Little India, board down on any of the following MRT Stations:

Little India and Farrer Park on the North East LineRochor and Jalan Besar on the Downtown LineAnother option is to ride the following buses which pass thru the district via the Serangoon Road:
Bus no. 23, 64, 65, 66, 67, 131, 139, 147, 857 and NR6

Here's another must-eat dish in Malaysia and Singapore that is worth featuring in the food trip corner of my blog... join me as we try out and discover the bak kut teh.

The name bak kut teh came from the Hokkien dialect that literally translates to "meat bone tea". Despite being called a "tea", the dish does not contain any actual tea as an ingredient. It is however, rich in herbs and spices like cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds, garlic, and star anise which is boiled with the meaty pork ribs that gives it its complex taste.

Throughout time, additional ingredients were added to the dish like mushrooms, dried tofu, choy sum, and offal. Some Chinese herbs were also included like ju zhi and yu zhu. The bak kut teh dish is best served with tea. It is believed that the tea helps in dissolving the fat that was consumed from the dish. 

I got to eat my first bak kut teh in the Chinatown District in Singapore during our 2017 Singapore-Malaysia tour. I was also plan…

Located near the shores of the barangay of Pundaquit in San Antonio in the province of Zambales, Camara Island is a favorite island hopping destination of the province. 



Camara Island is about 2 to 3 kilometers off the nearest shore of Pundaquit. The island is no bigger than a professional football field. 4/5 of the island is dominated by a rocky hill while the remaining 1/5 consists of a stretch of 30 to 40 feet of cream-sand beach. 

The island is home to a few trees and an occasional flock of seabirds. Its surrounding waters is clean and teaming with marine life which is why it is perfect to go snorkeling in it. 
The island also provides a great backdrop for photo shoots and selfies. However, aside from snorkeling and photoshoots, there are only a few things to do on the island (unless you are creative and crazy). Overnight camping is prohibited and so is drinking sessions. If you want to put some excitement on your visit, I suggest you play the modified hide and seek where you hide ob…

Located in the western side of Sentosa Island in Singapore, Fort Siloso is the restored renmnant of the once formidable British coastal artillery fort. 

Fort Siloso got its name from the Malay word "siloso" which means rock. It was due to the fact that the fort was built in the 1880s on top of Mt. Siloso (a huge rock) that was like a sentry guarding the passageway to Singapore Harbour.
Here are some of the guns of Fort Siloso:





The fort was once manned by the British Royal Artillery and the Singapore Artillery Corps. From 1880s to the 1930s the fort armaments were constantly improved. It once had 7-inch guns, 64 pounder guns, 10-inch guns, 6-pounders, quick-firing anti-torpedo guns, machine gun nests, and Lewis anti-aircraft machine guns. The fort was also equiped with five searchlights and an Operational Tower. Sadly, these proved no match for the Japanese war machine that swept through Southeast Asia during the Second World War.


Fort Siloso was eventually turned into a prisoner…

Located in the western side of Sentosa Island in Signapore, Fort Siloso Skywalk is a 11-storey, 181 meter long skywalk trail that leads visitors from the Siloso Beach area to Fort Siloso.


The Fort Siloso Skywalk was launched with the Sentosa Cable Car Line on 2015. Its 11-storey tower comes complete with an elevator which brings visitors to the view deck. From the deck, visitors may choose to follow the 181 meter long skywalk trail that snakes above the trees going to Fort Siloso or simply enjoy the panoramic view of the skyscrapers of Singapore and the forests, cable cars, and beach events of Sentosa Island.





Going back to the 181 meter long skywalk trail, you'd notice that there are several covered areas spread throughout the trail. These covered areas are actually stations where the history boards about the history of the island are placed. It also serves as a perfect cover just in case it  suddenly rains.