Team Stories: Exterior view of the National Stadium in Singapore

In My Hood: Out and About in Geylang, Singapore

Welcome to my neighborhood: purser Christoph Haug feels almost at home in the Geylang district of Singapore. A stroll through the neighborhood including tips

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4 min read
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Geylang is my home whenever I am in Singapore. The neighborhood still offers much of what traditional life in Asian countries is all about. Here, I immerse myself in the everyday lives of the people and almost feel like one of them. 

Geylang, located on the eastern edge of the city center, is home to the Geylang Serai district, the former trading center of the metropolis and one of the oldest districts in Singapore. On my walks, I keep discovering evidence of history. Many streets still have historic buildings, such as the magnificent Sri Sivan Temple dedicated to the goddess Shiva (1). 

But the traditional hustle and bustle can also be felt throughout the district, as can the influences of immigrants from India, Pakistan and China. For me, Geylang is the most authentic and colorful district in Singapore – also when it comes to food and drink. 

The shopping center in the Paya Lebar district in Singapore.
You can experience modern Singapore in the PLQ shopping mall (© Shutterstock; header image © Alamy Stock Photo)
The Sri Sivan Temple in Singapore.
Hindus honor their goddess Shiva in the Sri Sivan Temple (© Alamy Stock Photo)
The Geylang Serai market in Singapore.
The Geylang Serai Market offers more than 500 food and vendor stalls (© Alamy Stock Photo)

Between Changi Road and Sims Avenue, for example, is the Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre (2), a first port of call for trying out the diverse cuisine. Food and groceries have been sold at this location for almost a hundred years. In 2009, the district had the old market demolished and a modern building erected in its place. 

I often just stroll along Geylang Road and its side streets, the lor, with their small stores, food stalls and restaurants. A good place to eat fish is No Signboard Seafood (3). 

And it's not just the fish that is recommended: the kitchen offers almost everything the sea has to offer in terms of tasty dishes – crabs, prawns, lobster in special preparations. A few steps further on, things get exotic – at least for European palates: chicken feet and frogs' legs hang on stalls and in front of stores. 

Eminent Frog Porridge (4), which is known for its kung pao frog – fried frog legs marinated in soy sauce – is also located here. 

I encounter modern Singapore in Geylang on a detour to the Paya Lebar Quarter (5), which is home to a large shopping center, among other things. The PLQ Mall is located between Sims Avenue and Paya Lebar Road. 

Its façade looks like the scaly skin of a large fish and lights up in the evening thanks to countless lamps installed in the façade. The Paya Lebar Quarter offers a shopping experience as well as places for leisure activities and relaxation.  

When I need a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, I go to the Old Kallang Airport Gateway (6), a park on the site of Singapore's first airport, which was closed in 1955. Before my first visit, I would never have expected so much greenery and so much peace and quiet in such close proximity to the colorful, noisy life in Geylang. 

Unless an event is being held at Singapore's National Stadium (7), which is just a few hundred meters away. The stadium seats 55,000 spectators. The Singapore national cricket team plays its home matches here. But rugby and soccer matches as well as athletics competitions also take place here.

About:

Christoph Haug is a purser and has been travelling for Lufthansa since 2014. He visits Singapore several times a year. Haug is interested in Asian cultures and lifestyles and loves Asian food. What he appreciates about Geylang is the authenticity that characterizes this district in the middle of the metropolis.

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