Caned

The cat in the bookshop nearly won, but the sugar cane juice was so refreshing.

Today was a fine adventure that began with a delicious Burmese lunch.

What I love about Singapore is that moments from the hub you can be in a world remote from the skyscrapers and Tiong Bahru is the perfect example of such a place. It was a new area to explore; blissfully and entirely tourist/expat free - with the exception of us(!). I cannot believe that this should be so for it was oozing with charm, epitomizing authentic Singapore. Locals chilling (perhaps melting would be more accurate) in great cafes; fantabulous meat/fish/fruit/vegetable market below a spectacularly diverse hawker centre. Chicken rice = 2 dollars 50; pig organ soup = 3 dollars; sugar cane juice 1 dollar 20: 2 dollars = 1 pound. Lanes were filled with an eclectic assortment of shops; next door to 'The Department Store'(v.small grocery shop) was what looked like a run down aquarium, but which was selling the most incredible looking fish, ranging from one to nine hundred dollars.
Then there was this bookshop. I'm a sucker for bookshops but this one will remain forever in my memory for its impressive stock, ambience and above all, its resident cat sharpening her nails on a pile of books.