Night Life at Kampong Glam

Birds eye view of the Sultan Mosque at night

If you truly want to experience the bustling Kampong Glam, the best time to go would be at night. This is as most of the restaurants open later in the evening. Many people like to go to Kampong Glam at night for supper with their family and friends. Some Muslims would also patronize the restaurants after our night prayer. 

A club at night

Another club at night

In my opinion, the best time to go would be at around 4. You will be able to go to the museum and mosque then experience the night life at Kampong Glam. 

Wanna Shop at Kampong Glam?

One of the things I like to do at Kampong Glam is to shop. The streets of Kampong Glam is lined with many clothing and vintage shops. One example is the vintage toy shop that sells many old toys that I used to play with when I was younger. I always enter the shop when I am in the area and sometimes, I would buy the toy to play it. 

Vintage toy shop

I also love to shop at the quirky shops along Haji Lane.

One of the unique shops

Row of shops

When Hari Raya approaches, my mother would bring me to the textile shops to look for cloth so that she can send them for sewing just in time for Hari Raya. Normally, we would go to my uncle's textile shop. 

A picture of the textiles in my Uncle's shop

As Kampong Glam is very versatile, ready made clothing are also available for purchase.

Ready made clothing

Tourists would find it easy to buy souvenirs and the place is filled with many souvenir shops that sell keychains, t-shirts, magnets, and well, almost any souvenir you can think of!

One of the many souvenir shops

So whether you are looking for trendy or traditional clothing, Kampong Glam is sure to have it all!

Hungry at Kampong Glam?

If you are walking through Kampong Glam and ever feel hungry, do not worry! There are so many restaurants to choose from. From Malay to Turkish cuisine. I love eating at the cafe called 'I AM'. They sell burgers, pizzas and many delicious cakes. The cafe is a little pricey. 

The white building is I Am Cafe

Their red velvet and rainbow cakes

However, if you are budget conscientious, there is always the Kampong Glam Cafe. They sell mainly Malay cuisine that are cheap and delicious. If you are hungry for turkish food, Kampong Glam has at least 4 turkish restaurants. If you are feeling hot, head down to Tutti Frutti to get some frozen yoghurt and some free wifi. The only downside to this is that sometimes, the toppings such as the marshmallows and nuts are not from a fresh packet. Thus, they do not taste as nice. The fruits however, are freshly cut thus, they would taste delicious in the hot Singapore weather. 

Exterior of Kampong Glam Cafe

I ordered the Mee Hong Kong and Teh Cino for lunch

Tutti Fruitti from the outside

Haji Lane

I have patronized and Haji Lanes. I know the area by heart. This is as my mum and dad used to have a small, successful sandwich shop called Sandwich Garden. I used to go to the shop almost every weekend and sometimes, after school. I loved the area.  Several years ago, they closed the shop. Despite that we would still patronize the shops there, as they are very unique with it being shop houses. As a child, I used to be so amazed by the beautiful art on the walls. I still do admire the walls and take photos once in a while.

One of my favourite walls in Haji Lane

Walking through the streets, the smell of food is relatively strong due to the several eateries there. The 

quirky shops attract tourists and locals alike as they sell very unique items such vintage bags and clothing. If you ever are in Singapore, this is the place to go as you would be able to find quirky and unique items. 

The streets

One of the artistically painted shophouses

Walking through the streets

However, the only downside of the streets is that as they are very narrow, the disabled will find it hard to patronize the stalls. The walkways are always filled with items that the shops are selling or tables and chairs from the restaurants. Thus, wheelchairs would not be able to get in and out if the shops if so. Another downside is that if it rains, there are very minimal shelters. Not everyone would be able to fit in the walkways if it is crowded. Therefore, do not forget to bring along a small umbrella if you do not want to get wet!

The streets of Haji Lane

The Malay Heritage Centre

Before it was called the Malay Heritage Centre, it was actually called Istana Kampong Glam, which means the Sultan’s Palace. This was as it was actually a home to the Malay royalty in Singapore. Once, it also housed a club, Kota Raja Club, which regularly organized leisure activities for the community in Kampong Glam. From 2005 onwards, it served as the Malay Heritage Centre.

Moving on to my visit, the moment I entered the grounds of the museum, I was welcomed by the wonderful garden view with a mini water display right smack in the middle of the garden.

The outside if the museum with the fountain behind the signage

\There are no entry fees for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. A small fee is issued to foreigners. However, from 9 May to 31^st August, entrance is free for everyone. It is not stated why. However, I do think that it is because of SG50. It could also be because of the renovations being made at the Visitor Centre.

The silhouette's of some of the most prominent Malays, Arabs, etc with their achievements stated there

A mini theatre showing old shows and music videos

The National Anthem of Singapore

Zubir Said gallery exhibiting his musical instruments 

An example of the more elaborate dressers used then

The Heritage Centre consists of two levels with 6 permanent galleries. Once in a while, the heritage centre will exhibit temporary exhibitions. It was interesting to read about how the Arabs came to Singapore selling their textiles, as I, myself, am half Arab. The museum also talks about how the other prominent races came to Singapore. It exhibited old songs, record players, clothing and many more.

I think that the most interesting exhibit is the Zubir Said gallery. He was the man who composed Singapore’s National Anthem and several other popular songs. I think that it is very interesting as the gallery also displayed how the music was back then. Its nice to see how it has evolved over the years.

All in all, I feel that if you have the time are interested, the Malay Heritage Centre would be nice museum to visit to learn more about how the area used to be back then.

The Sultan Mosque

Masjid Sultan also known as Sultan Mosque, one of the main attractions at Kampong Glam was built in 1824 for the first Sultan of Singapore, Sultan Hussein Sheikh. It was then made a National Monument in 1975.

In my opinion, it is one of the prettiest mosques in Singapore. With the golden dome and its bright red-carpeted interior, the prayer hall can fit up to 5,000 worshippers at a time. Another unique factor is that the mosque's golden dome can be seen even from a few streets away.

The most unique feature of the mosque is its glass bottle-rimmed dome. The reason why the dome is rimmed with glass bottles is that when it was being built, the poor donated glass bottles so that the contributions do not only come from the rich.

Side view of the mosque

The mosque's interior

The view of the mosque from one of the streets

The view from across the street

Blue plastic drapes over the front of the mosque.

The mosque welcomes visitors. However, as it is still a place of worship, visitors are only allowed to enter if they are modestly dressed. Shorts and sleeveless shirts are not allowed in the mosque. Modest clothing is available at the entrance of the mosque for those who do not meet the dress code. When I entered the mosque to pray, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. It was very calming to be in the

mosque. The toilets were also very clean.

The mosque from another angle

The golden dome illuminates at night

Adding on, the mosque staff and volunteers are always happy to give free tours and answer any queries anyone has relating to Islam and the history of the mosque. The only downside of the mosque at this moment is that it is going through some renovations. Thus, many parts of the mosque are coved in plastic drapes. This prevents many from taking photos of the front of the mosque. Hopefully, the renovations can be completed soon so that we can all admire the beauty of the mosque.