Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018

Yesterday I made my first trip to Geylang Serai in like almost 20 years.  It was really amazing to see a different kind of bazaar/carnival (as compared to the ones in Chinatown and Gardens by The Bay).  My main purpose for the trip was actually to snap a cover photo for my company's newsletter, the secondary purpose would be to satisfy my curiosity on Hari Raya Aidil Fitri lighting.  Lastly, to try the hipster bazaar delicacies.

So I went with Lincoln to Paya Lebar MRT station where we met my wife and together, we took a 7 minute walk to the bazaar area near Tanjong Katong Complex.

Some food stalls were still closed and would re-open nearer to break fast time at approximately 7 pm local time.  Other stalls were already open possibly as they need some time for preparation and also to serve the non-Muslim crowds who are there to experience the fun.

So while waiting for the blue hour, we went around playing some games and trying the food.  Before we chomped down on any of the food, we tried our luck playing some carnival games.

Shoot some pokemon and win a prize - A7R2 + Batis 2/25

Notice the cleared row on the left next to the bad piggy?  I cleared that row first and passed the toy gun back to Lincoln for him to just have some fun shooting.  We got a small prize from this game.

After that short game, we started to look for things to eat.  There were so many food stalls I wanted to try but since my stomach has limited capacity, we had to make selective choices.  So we started with the most crowded stall:  Meatballs in a Bucket.

Meatballs in a bucket - A7R2 + Batis 2/25

There was a long queue there alright.   Only three items in the savoury menu, twister fries with nacho cheese, chicken meatball in satay sauce and ketupat, chicken meatball with mashed potato and twister fries in nacho cheese.  Since Lincoln can't take any spicy food just yet, we went with the mashed potato and nacho cheese.  Boy it was really good.  I actually liked the mashed potato more than the meatball. 

First snack in the bazaar - A7R2 + Batis 2/25

I actually really wanted to try the Indonesian style martabak manis and pisang goreng.  That is such a rare find here in Singapore.  But my wife reminded me that we should perhaps try food we haven't had before in order to make this trip worth it, which after some short pondering, I had to agree.  So we skipped the martabak manis for now.

Yummy martabak manis & pisang goreng coklat & keju - A7R2 + FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

Then my wife went to get a chocolate drink while I looked around for more interesting eats and I chanced upon this fries with spiced cheese.

Katoshka fries with spiced nacho cheese sauce - Samsung A8+

The fries were perfect, crispy outside, warm and soft inside.  And that cheese sauce, so yummily finger licking good!  Lincoln finished most of it while I helped myself to the remainder.

We walked up to the non-food area to see whether there are anymore interesting stuffs we could chance upon.  Near the playground area I snapped a photo of this display.

Salam Aidilfitri - A7R2 + FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

The non-food bazaar was pretty standard I guess, temporary henna tattoos, decoration flowers, baju kurung, perfume and even property agents, insurance agents and car dealers. 

One of the many non-food stalls in the bazaar - A7R2 + FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

As we walked over to Geylang road I went up an overhead bridge trying to catch a photo of the street with all the beautiful lights.  It was at times like that I wish I had a tripod with me, but then again, it was quite troublesome so I had to make do by holding my breath and don't even twitch a hair as I pressed on the shutter.  Ended up with quite a decent shot.

Geylang Road as the sun sets - A7R2 + FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

After we were done there, we walked back to the playground area as Lincoln wanted to try playing some carnival games.  So we played the Boom Boom Car, some dart games and ended up winning 2 prizes, a doll for Lindsay and a character balloon for Lincoln. 

More games to play - A7R2 + Batis 2/25

Lincoln and his loot - A7R2 + Batis 2/25

Overall it was a great visit to Geylang Serai Bazaar, soaking up the Ramadhan atmosphere, hipster food and night market and carnival feel.

During break fast, I saw a family of 6 sitting together and ate, it was a heartwarming sight to eat together after a hard day's work and adherence to religious practice.  Seeing them broke fast together reminds me of the old saying "a family that eats together stays together".

On the way back home, I stopped for dessert, Ondeh Ondeh churros with Gula Melaka sauce.  It was heavenly!

Ondeh Ondeh Churros with Gula Melaka Sauce - A7R2 + Batis 2/25

And that's how I ended my Geylang Serai Bazaar "expedition".  😄😄😄

Here's a closing shot for this entry:

Salam Aidil Fitri - A7R2 + FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

~ Photos taken with Sony A7R Mk 2 + FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS & Batis 2/25; Samsung A8+~