Raffles Hotel

This afternoon we went to the extraordinary Raffles Hotel, which is in the Raffles area of Singapore, named after a British "explorer" who arrived in Singapore in 1819 and imperialistically changed it from a small fishing town into a British colony, once more giving the British opportunity to steal resources from foreign countries. Yesterday we learnt from our tour guide that Raffles bought the island from the Sultan of Singapore for 5000 Spanish dollars, but I am unsure how true that is.

Putting aside my rendition of a brief history of Singapore and it's post-colonialist connotations, the Raffles restaurant is very beautiful! The all-white exterior is beautifully contrasted by native tropical plants and is as expansive as it is ornately beautiful. The interior aesthetic is similarly ornate and exquisite, however we were not allowed to take any pictures inside.

After looking around the outside for a little while we entered the restaurant where we were greeted by a delicious and diverse Indian buffet and several helpful waiters including a man named Raj. Everyone was looking forward to trying the food and we all took generous helpings. The highlights were the lamb curry and the lamb kebab with yoghurt.

After we had finished we were all very satisfied and walked back to the hotel hoping to work off some of the energy we had just consumed. It began to rain a little but as our tour guide told us yesterday, it is monsoon season afterall.

The visit to Raffles was enjoyed by all and is sure to be a highlight of the trip!!