a day at the beach!

this the first time i've been to sentosa in a year, and possibly the last time till next year. you can't blame me. singapore is an island-state; we're surrounded by beaches. i don't have to go all the way to the tiny tourist trap south of the mainland to enjoy some sun, sand and sea. there's always the lao di fang of east coast park, with the revamped lagoon and it's flurry of activity, and the hawker center full of glorious local fare. think: satay bee hoon, chili crab, beef noodles, oyster omelette... damn i gotta go there again.

but back to sentosa...
rasa sentosa is so old, this looks like a scene out of 1980's cuban seaside resorts. it's perfect if you don't have the cash or the means to travel back to cuba.

sentosa does have its own island charm. it's probably more evident if you're a mountain dweller more used to snow storms and such. to me, a singapore native, i only noticed while i was reviewing my photos.

there was a lot of hype about cafe del mar, and we were eager to check it out. it wasn't hard to find; it was just beside the beach (d'oh..!) we were greeted by a cheapskate banner with even cheaper-looking font declaring "cafe del mar", far from the chic image that we were expecting. sheesh. but from where i was, the interior looked interesting. the deejay decks were on that little white raised hut, which looked quite cool. there were a few poseurs sipping their god-knows-how-long-it-has-been-there drinks and tanning in the sun. hmmm, warm cocktail anyone?

oh, the magnificent sunset! or sunrise? i realize i can't tell by looking at the picture.

and some post-tanning monkeying at the restaurant.

all full-res pics here! (thanks to photobucket!)