All over the world, we applaud the bravery of our frontliners, from nurses, hospital staff, grocery clerks, police and other officials who join together to fight Covid-19. They are the people who never get tired of helping the general public to have “a bit of a normal life” and for the public to stay at home especially in this unfortunate time.

At Hello! Singapore Tours, our frontliners are our tour Guides. These people kept their enthusiasm and positive attitude to continuously show the beauty of the city when walking tours were still allowed Singapore.

Now, that the city has strictly implemented a policy that no mass gatherings and tours are allowed in the city. I know that you are all wondering, how are they doing now? What’s keeping them busy?

Meet DAN, our tour guide from California. A former aircraft mechanic and project manager who fell in love with Singapore instantly. A very passionate tour guide who shares his experience and knowledge about the city and why he fell in love with it.

Hello! Singapore Tour guide Dan spending some quality time with his two wonderful children.

On a normal day, you are usually out on the streets showing our guests the beauty of Singapore. Given the travel restrictions imposed by several countries how are you spending your time now and what keeps you busy?

I am a single dad, so most of my day is spent keeping my kids in-line and making sure they complete their home-based learning activities. My main job aside from tour guiding is performing and tutoring music, so I've been pushing out more recordings and online lessons from home. 

We know that you also suffer from wanderlust. When this Pandemic is finally over, and you can go anywhere overseas where will your wanderlust take you and why?

I have no particular travel plans at the moment and my boys and I have season passes to Universal Studios Singapore to use up when it opens up again. My dream holiday is to take the kids to Philadelphia in the fall to watch an Eagles game and to see for ourselves who truly deserves the crown of "Best Philly Cheesesteak".

After the world comes out of this dark time and that everyone can travel to Singapore again, what is the first thing or place you are most excited about showing our guests? and why?

I love the Old Airport Road Hawker Centre. As a guide, we have a great deal of freedom to tailor the food we try to the guests' preferences. The face people make when they take a bite of something completely unfamiliar but unmistakably delicious is like watching a kid eat chocolate for the first time. 

What is one thing that this very unfortunate event taught you or helped you realize?

I have realized, now more than ever, that I'm comforted by a warm, virtual blanket of benevolent people who I'm proud to call my friends and family. It's comforting to see kindness rise to the top in this unfortunate time. 

Dan’s personal message

I would really love to see local Singaporeans or Expats living in Singapore sign up for tours as soon as we open for business again. Tours are not solely for tourists. I'd especially love to see new expat families sign up for the Hello Singapore Food Tour to gain perspective on living in Singapore through food and get an introduction to how to eat locally on a budget. 

The Hello! Singapore team is still and will always be here. We are all optimistic that we will get through this and we will come back stronger. We are all looking forward to showing you around Singapore once this Pandemic is over.

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Food is one of our greatest passions. Where to find the best eats is a common topic among Singaporeans. We are even known to discuss what to have for dinner as we’re enjoying lunch! Our strategic position as a shipping port has long enticed people from around the world to set up home here, creating a melting pot of cultures. Many have brought with them a taste of their homeland but infused local flavours, producing a vibrant culinary scene making their food tourism very diverse.

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A wide variety of shops like goldsmiths and traditional Indian beauty parlours can be found along Serangoon Road, the main thoroughfare of Singapore’s Little India district. On the corner of Serangoon Road and Bukit Timah Road is Tekka Centre , which houses a wet market and food centre on level 1 and retails traditional Indian clothing, textiles and footwear, on the upper floor. Located off Serangoon Road is one of Singapore’s most famous shopping centres: Mustafa Centre. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this emporium sells an incredibly wide range of products— from sportswear, electronics to groceries and jewellery—plus it has a 24-hour pharmacy.

An interior view of a shop selling saris

In the heart of Little India, Jothi Store & Flower Shop (www.jothi. com.sg) is worth a visit to catch whiffs of fragrant jasmine garlands and peruse traditional Indian beauty products, homeware, and kitchenware. After exploring the area, bring home Little India-inspired fabrics, cushion covers and more from Onlewo’s Jalan Besar outlet nearby.

Visitors will find traditional shophouses alongside chic yoga studios and traditional coffee shops beside hip cafés that crank out cold-brewed coffees in the Katong and Joo Chiat neighborhood. Visit quaint Peranakan (Straits-born people of Chinese and Malay/ Indonesian heritage) boutique Rumah Bebe to pick up exquisite fabrics and embroidered pouches, and then head over to Cat Socrates.

This charming shop, founded by Hellen Jiang, specialises in Singaporean literature and quirky local-inspired Bric- a-Brac—think cushions that resemble tutu kueh (steamed cakes with crushed peanut or grated coconut filling), feline- related merchandise and Singlish (a colloquial form of English) postcards. Take a trip down to MOX, a co-creative working space, for fresh finds by young entrepreneurs.

Visitors to MOX can take home contemporary renditions of traditional clothing from modern batik (traditional Indonesian fabric) fashion brand Baju by Oniatta and modern cheongsam (a body-hugging traditional Chinese dress) brand Studio HHFZ

Peranakan shophouses at Katong.

Lovers of timeless fashion from the 1950s to 1990s should head to A Vintage Tale, a concept store showcasing carefully curated collections from across the globe. For specialty coffee, travelers can pop by Choice Cuts Goods + Coffee for a cuppa and enjoy it while browsing vinyl records in a relaxed atmosphere.

The historic Arab Street which lies between Victoria Street and Beach Road in Singapore’s Kampong Glam district is known for its well-preserved shophouses selling all manner of textiles and carpets. Local dressmakers still come here to pick up lace, silks and batik (traditional Indonesian fabric) sold by the yard or metre from shops like Molkan Fabrics and Collezione La Prima. For modern batik designs, visit stores such as Ozel and Utopia Apparels.

Today, an array of cafés and concept stores, such as All Things Delicious , Scene Shang and bespoke perfume-maker Sifr Aromatics , can also be found alongside the textile and carpet shops. Just off Arab Street is Haji Lane, a vibrant alley covered with colorful street art. Shop for home accessories and fashion pieces at the Salad Shop, bespoke jewellery and apparel at SSFW and edgy menswear at Sup Clothing.

Visitors looking for unique lifestyle products can check out the numerous pop-up shops at So Gelam Market—a kampong-style (villages) weekend street market held monthly in

Singapore’s cultural precinct of Chinatown is a hive of activity day and night and a heady mix of old and new. Retail options range from traditional wares to indie boutiques and bespoke finds. Visitors can head to On Cheong Jewellery for gold jewellery that features not only traditional Chinese motifs but also contemporary designs.

Egg tarts and the new contemporary cookie tin series at Tong Heng are the perfect treats for visitors with a sweet tooth. For tea connoisseurs, a visit to one of Singapore’s oldest tea merchants, Pek Sin Choon along Mosque Street is a definite must.

An angled view of a row of shops selling table cloths , bags, ornaments etc

Visitors who are interested to learn about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) should stop by the Eu Yan Sang flagship store on South Bridge Road. It stocks a variety of health and wellness products, including medicinal herbs, herbal teas, pre-mixed soup packets and medicated ointments. On Ann Siang Road nearby, visitors who love fashion can step into innit Bangkok and browse the collection of fashion merchandise.

In the past, Bugis Street Market, located in the Bras Basah.Bugis district was filled with entertainment and alfresco dining, along with nightly adult-themed shows. Today, the bustling street market offers bargain hunters an array of apparel, accessories, quirky local souvenirs and eats. While wandering through the numerous shops, grab a bite at one of the snack stalls located within. With over 600 stores spread across three levels, shoppers will find something that appeals to them.

The external façade of the Bras Basah Complex. Collectors can browse through vintage magazines and books and art materials at this old school mall.

A pair of twin sisters founded the local boutique brand in 2015. As trained architects with a keen eye for design, the duo choose to set up Binary Style as a means of distilling key elements of Singapore’s architecture and weaving it with local patterns, shapes, and colors to tell a captivating tale. Primarily inspired by Singapore’s culture, heritage, urban life, and nature, Binary Style uses its collection of over 60 beautiful scarves as a medium to illustrate and narrate Singapore’s story–be it from the past or present. These scarves are made of either cotton, silk, cotton silk or chiffon, making them classic and comfortable pieces to wear and own.

Where to buy: Design Orchard, 250 Orchard Road and other outlets islandwide
Tel: +65 9030 6465 (Trade Contact: Santhi Tunas)
Website: www.binarystyle.co
Email: binarysingapore@gmail.com (Trade Contact: Santhi Tunas) Write in to enquire about travel trade deals.
Opening Hours: Mon–Sun 10.30am–9.30pm

Photo Phactory encapsulates Singapore’s heritage and history through vibrant photographic prints on various lifestyle products–from clutch bags and silk scarves to canvas prints and coasters. Its prints are inspired by various districts of Singapore and feature architecture, patterns, pop-up art and more. Many of them are presented in a colourful quilt-style that showcases different designs and places The brand’s design vision seeks to take classic elements and create them anew through everyday lifestyle products. The designs make great statement pieces and even better conversational pieces to tell tales of visitors’ trip to the city-state.

Where to buy: Design Orchard, 250 Orchard Road and other outlets islandwide
Tel: +65 9061 9772 (Trade Contact:Valley Arora)
Website: www.photophactorysg.com
Email: valleyaroraphotophactory@gmail.com (Trade Contact:Valley Arora)
Opening Hours: Mon–Sun 10.30am–9.30pm

Drawing inspiration from its Singaporean roots, Onlewo creates pattern designs with stories. Each design is a contemporary rendition of heritage, places and culture in Singapore and has been donned by public figures such as Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information, S Iswaran. Look out for Onlewo’s rendition of ethnic neighbourhoods like Tiong Bahru, Little India and Chinatown that takes a modern and artistic approach in encapsulating their heritage.

The brand seeks to connect people and memories, enliven conversations and ignite new passions. Visitors will find all-original designs, including gifts, ladies’ and men’s fashion, scarves, fabric, cushion covers, bags, and many more. These specialty goods are available in Design Orchard and Naiise Iconic at Jewel Changi Airport. Write in for trade discounts.

Where to buy: Design Orchard, 250 Orchard Road; Jewel Changi Airport, 78 Airport Boulevard #02-205/206
Tel: +65 9112 4685 / +65 8100 9800 (Trade Contact: Eugene Yip)
Website: www.onlewo.com
Email: eugene@onlewo.com (Trade Contact: Eugene Yip)
Opening Hours: Mon–Sun 10.30am–9.30pm