Suntec Singapore

Our third day in Singapore was spent partly on client meetings and on registering at the Suntec Singapore for the convention that we were to attend.

Suntec whose official name is Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Center was established in 1995 and has one of Asia's largest column-free space in the form of a multi-purpose convention hall. It has hosted some of the world's biggest events like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Bank Congress, The World Economic Forum's East Asia Economic Summit and the International Food Festival.

Suntec City is so big it has its own mall and a wide array of restaurants.

It is also home to some multinational corporations and prominent local companies.

And yes, the highest elevator that I have seen so far is at Suntec.

The most interesting thing about Suntec Singapore for me is its Fountain of Wealth. It is made of bronze, with a circular ring supported by four slanted columns. The circular ring top is visible at ground level.

This fountain was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1998 as the largest fountain in the world. It is said that the five tower blocks represent the fingers and thumb of a left hand emerging from the ground, with the fountain forming the palm of the hand. Flowing water was used since water symbolizes life and wealth in Chinese culture and its inward motion signifies water coming in and the retention of wealth for Suntec City.

At night, the fountain looks lovely as it has interesting lighting effects.

For more information Suntec City, check out its official website or click HERE for a Wikipedia entry about it.

Singapore's National Library and Bugis Village

After our sales call to various clients had ended, Jid and I went back to the Carlton Hotel, rested for a bit then decided to roam the streets of Singapore.

Earlier, I wrote about the proximity of Carlton Hotel to various tourist sites. It was thus a very leisurely walk since the hotel was just a stone's throw from say the National Library. Unfortunately, we were pressed for time so even when the book lover in me wanted to check it out, I couldn't. I thus just contented myself with taking a picture of its signage.

Our somewhat aimless wandering brought us to Bugis Junction. Its signage struck me as interesting so I snapped two photos of it.

Inside, we just browsed through each shop but the thing I remember most about Bugis Junction was Jid buying The Body Shop's Shimmer Cubes Palette. She thought it was on sale but when she paid for it, she found out that it wasn't due to the mix-up on the labels but she was too embarrassed to return it. Phooey! We just laughed it off afterwards but we were feeling chagrined since if we converted the price to peso, it would be the same.

Later, we passed by Bugis Street. This was one area that a local recommended for shopping. According to our map, it is the largest street-shopping location in Singapore and the place did have a huge signage proclaiming this.

The place was packed with locals and tourists alike. The atmosphere was like the Philippines' Divisoria, which sells anything from clothes, cheap jewelry, toys, watches, bags, shoes, etc. and everything seemed to be on sale. There were food stalls too in case you need a quick snack while out shopping.

Even at night time, the Bugis Junction was bustling.

The Bugis Village wasn't all about stalls selling stuff though as in the area were some mall buildings like this one.

We went inside Fu Lu Shou and compared to the stalls outside, it sold branded makeup, shoes and clothes. We were told that they were sold cheaper here though than if we bought the same item in a high-end shop in Singapore, say at the Suntec Mall.

All in all, it was a leisurely albeit a little tiring walk, with me heaving a sigh of relief at the end and it's not for the chance to rest but for the fact that the compulsive shopper in me did not buy anything despite being tempted straight to my face by innumerable sales. He he!