SINGAPORE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL NEIGHBOURHOOD // KATONG IS HIP, COOL AND REALLY BEAUTIFUL!

[@LinksRoyal]

thank you for sharing your day with us! awesome content!

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Thank YOU for sharing it with me!

[@hiddenblush]

i love watching your videos every weekend

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Thank you so much!! ❤️ keep joining us!!

[@anderslarsson1256]

Great video as always 🤓 will put Katong on the bucketlist, it looks amazing. I have never been there during my visits since 1992. Thiong Baru has always been a steady visit during all our visits 👍 /regards from Sweden

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Nice to hear from you again. Yea I love Tiong Bahru - I’ll be adding Katong to my list of places to take visiting family and friends as the shop houses are so beautiful and can pop in and out of all the little shops.

[@CKology]

Such nicely put together, super well research. Perfect narration! Bravo 👏

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Aww thanks! Nice to hear from you again.

[@healingpossibilities44]

I’m loving the little gifty type shops too. Great vlog reminding me of our visit to the shop houses. 🦋💜

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

This area was right next to the one we went to so can see that next time too!

[@VicariousWalker]

I love the shophouse buildings in Katong. Will always try to get a bowl of the Katong Laksa when I go there

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Ooh yes - that’s a great idea!! Mmmmmm laksaaaaaaaa.

[@leesiangchang5944]

Lovely n interesting video, thank you for sharing!

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Thanks for taking the time to comment such kind words.

[@gerardbyrne2440]

I so love Katong and all the Peranakan Culture. First place I visit every trip to Singapore.😊

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

So lovely! Have you ever been to Melaka? They have an amazing Perenakan house museum. Not sure if you’ve seen our vlogs in that area. Jonty’s grandpa was born there so we went to check it out.

[@patriciagoulter]

We love Katong. We have stayed here twice in the three times we have been to Singapore; most recently in December. Found some Singapore Christmas decorations there, at the shop you were in, with the bicycle, and the cats. Great for presents. Thank you so much, another great video. I want to come back!

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

That shop was Cat Socrates - my mum would call that an “itchy finger” shop as so many nice things you’d want to buy!

[@cheeseizblue]

​@@WONDERLUSTworld love that cat zu zu!

[@JapanHiroshima]

very nice footage

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Thank you!

[@tonyariel168]

Reminds me of the time I wanted to open a crystal shop in Joo Chiat Place 20 years ago, Katong area has a charming vibe till now, very nice video tour!

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Thank you! Did you ever open your shop?

[@audreyang902]

Ty tang Isn' t she is lovely , dedicated mum.. Although she lived in suburb in .Uk. Able to adapt our local cultures. Especially, thier children It's a joy to watch thier children taste all local hawker food... I , always smile watching thier journey here.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Aww thanks for your kind words. We all love it here very much.

[@kelvgan]

Nice! Hope you come back soon for part 2 , 3 , 4 and on and on...the whole street till geylang serai will be full of discoveries. Thanks for coming, make jonty and the kids come along next vlog here and many more series

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Hehe thanks! Jonty and the kids usually come but we’ve had a few busy weekends, that’s normally when we go out exploring together and film, with other things going on so just me this week.

[@kelvgan]

Joo chiat is like jonker street with more modern twist with niche fashion shops, restaurants, bars, coffee house etc the old school owners are handing over to new found brands and businesses, so all the plus points to come down and wonder more often.😊

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

We’ll have to do that soon!

[@raelenesharp-rc2zw]

Thankyou SO much for your fabulous videos. This one is just lovely and I cannot wait to return in October. I was last in Singapore briefly 17 and 15 years ago and first time there as in 1978…I’m looking forward to so many things, especially the vegan food and cafes/restaurants. I would love to purchase a few of the gorgeous Peranakan tiles, can you recommend a tile shop? Thoroughly enjoy your observations and comments…warm regards from Perth Western Australia

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Hello! Wow I’m sure things will have changed quite a bit. There are a few places to get the tiles. A few little shops in Katong and along some of the street seller shops in Chinatown, they are under like a tent cover. Both places worth just wandering around. Thanks for taking the time to get in touch. We’re going to be in Australia soon actually!

[@snoozkopponwotblitz2507]

You can explore Marine Parade. Just a 10-15mins walk. You will find Parkway Parade (used to be the biggest shopping mall in Singapore when launched). If you like local food, you will find hawker centre. Where you can find lots of good local food. Have fun exploring. 😊

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Ooh thanks! So many more spots in such a small neighbourhood. We LOVE local food ❤️

[@Dennis-kp2bc]

Hi Wonderlust, I really love to go Katong just to wonder around the area. What I like about this place is it give you the old feeling of Singapore you the old building.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Agreed!! It’s a beautiful marriage between young (hip shops and cafes) and old (shophouses etc) - clearly a very affluent area historically. The houses are so intricate and beautiful!

[@leewn2319]

The sea used to be right up to the boundary edge of Katong Park. If you walk from end of Fort Rd behind Katong Park, behind The Seafront on Meyer that stretch right up to The Makena you may see a low wall that looks like a low retaining wall, this is actually the old sea wall.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Oh wow that’s amazing. I’d read about that but would love to go and stand where it actually was. Thanks.

[@markjones2781]

Hmm, Katong/Joo Chiat vise-vie Tiong Bahru. Both totally contemporary retro vibes at the forefront of where it is happening in Singapore. I can't decide which is my favourite. Fortunately, they are only a (relatively) short bus ride away from each other and I can sample both at my leisure. Mind you, when I saw the hipster woman from the pink Peranakan Houses on Koon Seng Rd had a matching pink VW Beetle car, I sort of lent towards Katong/Joo Chia as the place at the heart of Singapore.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Agreed - both such beautiful neighbourhoods. We are split - Jonty prefers Katong and Millie prefers Tiong Bahru!

[@michaelseet9320]

i lived in Katong for 45 years..i went to school in katong..i went to church in katong..i cycled all over in katong..i played football in katong..Chin Mee chin was 2 mins from the house i grew up in..

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Oh lovely! Has Chin Mee Chin changed much over the years?

[@reddotdiva]

Yayy! you visited my 'hood. I've been staying in the East side all my life. My old school building is still in existence although no longer a school. Katong is in my blood.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Oh nice!! We’ve been a few times and always love it!! Any suggestion on places I missed? We’ll be back soon 😁

[@rahimresad7045]

I love travelling in the bus too and seeing the progress and development in Ulu Singapore

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Yeah! It’s great. Our kids always love to get right to the front of the double decker buses.

[@noorirwan686]

Yess very cozy alley, area.. i used to live at eunos crescent 20yrs ago. I chose to walk an hour to parkway parade/ecp by joo chiat n the katong area alley n route instead of by bus😊 Btw my fave hangout place during my teens 20yrs ago was orchard road/bugis junction n paradize centre

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Oh nice! Thanks for sharing. Does it look very different now to then? I’d be interested to know what’s changed.

[@noorirwan686]

@@WONDERLUSTworld yes lots of difference looking at ur video, havent been there since moving to the west. Looking more like kampong Glam

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

It does have a bit of that feel, but has managed to keep a local vibe too!

[@SuccessforLifester]

Long ago there was a yaohan and IKEA there too and Seaview Hotel. I cannot hang out there last time after school because our school forbade us to roam around in uniform and wanted us to go home. Else it was pretty easy for me to access the area

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Oh wow 😯 I love to hear about what areas of Singapore used to look like. Thanks!

[@impopquiz]

The half floor steps for the houses are actually to prevent flooding water from entering the house way back in the day if I’m not wrong.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Ah, you know I read that Katong used to be prone to flooding so that does make sense!

[@Sgscouser]

Not sure whether u know that some of the elderly would drink their coffee/tea by pouring the beverage onto the saucer as it help to dissipate the heat.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Yes!! Jonty’s dad shared this with us one time when Jonty wobbled and his kopi spilt into the saucer 🤣

[@mindawareness]

i waitjng for your holland village video....

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@jeremychua4622]

A neighbourhood with the most different vibe. Has almost everything

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Yeah I would agree with you there.

[@timfitzmaurice537]

Teh tarik is the one for me if Im not on cold soft drinks

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

I’m getting us to it! But I usually go for sugar cane or ice lemon tea.

[@timfitzmaurice537]

@@WONDERLUSTworld Im somewhat addicted to lime juice myself - anywhere tropical and its my go to.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

That’s Milo’s pick. And he eats the limes too!

[@dennisleong7866]

You should get one of the Piranakan dress , you should be nice dressing on it 😊

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

I do have one actually. It’s in one of our Chinese new year vlogs 😀

[@SuccessforLifester]

I12 was more classy initially with carpet. And the basement has beautiful planted aquarium tanks. Too bad it became a generic mall after the latest revamp

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Oh wow carpet inside a shopping mall? I like the open feel of this shopping mall though.

[@bookwormfaith]

oh nice! which kim choo did you go to?

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

One in Katong!

[@audreyang902]

Do drop by The Cheese shop @ 267 , joo chiat rd..

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

😯 cheese is my favourite!!

[@syarifahnajwa5491]

​@@WONDERLUSTworld mine too🧀

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

🤤

[@tonyquek6157]

East Coast is the best! 👍

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Hehe so you stay in the East? What are your favourite spots?

[@tonyquek6157]

I grew up in the East, use to visit the beach along east coast before it was reclaimed to be Marine Parade now. Love the makan places n the former movie cinemas in Marine Parade n Parkway Parade. Reminiscing now 😂

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

I didn’t realise so much land had been reclaimed! When was that??

[@tonyquek6157]

East Coast land reclamation project was completed in 1985 after 22 years of reclamation work.

[@SuccessforLifester]

Joo Chiat area some years ago was almost like a little Vietnamese area with many working Vietnamese ladies. It still has numerous Vietnamese eateries.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Oh thanks for sharing. I’m always interested in the history of areas in Singapore.

[@cheeseizblue]

It has been cleaned up alot - residents fought back to protect the neighborhood's precious cultural identify. No new ktv pub licenses will be given out anymore. And a good 50% decrease in numbers in last decade or so, according to the police. Yay, joo chiat can finally return to its organic nature. (at one point it really looked like the old quarters of hanoi and full of illegal hostesses spilling over the sidewalks, nightmare on haha, JC street!)

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Woah! I had no idea about this aspect of its past! How long ago was this?

[@cheeseizblue]

@@WONDERLUSTworld the peak of this was around 2000 if I didnt recall wrongly. Almost every other shop for rent was taken by KTV pubs or illicit massage parlor. You would hear Vietnamese spoken at every corner, it smells like Vietnamese streets, fights breaking out amongst drunken unbuttoned shirt men, working ladies with clothes the size of handkerchief on them smiling with intent at any male passerby... Now, Joo Chiat-Katong is traditionally occupied by upper/ middle-class families with strong cultural lineage, so they fought back with a working group that gotten the attention at parliament seating. Joo chiat's sleaze cleaned up after numerous pubs and parlors were shut down by 2010s. Pandemic almost choked their last breath, all the working ladies couldn't fly in from Vietnam. when shops were slowly allowed to re-open for businesses, the pubs had to pivot to F&B. Also, there was a huge national uproar when one hostess spread covid to numerous patrons when she was infected by her boyfriend. Then we had to suffer another round of national lock down!!!! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😅😅

[@leewn2319]

In the old days when u mentioned that u live along Katong Meyer Rd, people will associate u from a rich family.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Ooh fancy! I guess I can see why with all the shop houses about.

[@johnlim549]

Coolest or most beautiful neighbourhood? Which is which? I would pick Tiong Bahru estate as the most beautiful but Katong does have the coolest vibe in its food, cafes and shops 👍

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Hey there, I think I’d agree with you there. I love the style of buildings in Tiong Bahru. But I also love the shop houses of Katong. What do you love about Tiong Bahru?

[@SuccessforLifester]

Looks like you were on a solo trip? Where was Jonty??

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Jonty was at work, we’ve had a couple of busy weekends with other engagements so I filmed in the week.

[@alanchiam4546]

Coolest and the most expensive place, too commercialised

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Although there are some new places here I feel it’s keeping its old style charm. There are lots of options too for a less expensive day out in the same area - just take a little more exploring to find.

[@gli7279]

I12 means I want to

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

I want to…spend money? 😆

[@gotmyonu1027]

Lets hope the overly ambitious govt won't turn this last remaining place into something unrecognizable!!!

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

There’s lots of other beautiful neighbourhoods out there! But yes, I’m sure they’ll protect and conserve this area and the shophouses!

[@mindawareness]

pls visit holland village.... really a nice place too

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

The second to say that! Thanks for the suggestion.

[@mindawareness]

its raining heavt today

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

It was very on and off 🌧️

[@jeremychua4622]

Totally biased statement .. 😅

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Haha according to the internet! I really like Tiong Bahru actually as my favourite place to wander about and take my visiting family too.

[@jeremychua4622]

​@WONDERLUST I do have some family staying there as well, and I must agree ... a very diff. feel to the neighbourhood plus close to the city. We'll just have to share top spots ..😅

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Please do!

[@dtang3288]

Tip: instead of showing so much of your pretty face and yourself talking, I'm sure viewers would like to see more of the Katong views instead.

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Thanks for the tip - and thanks for watching our channel! We actually have a new series of videos coming out really soon that will have none of my pretty face, and none of my husband’s pretty face either. Do subscribe so you don’t miss out and I hope the new content is more to your liking 😊 Have a great day!

[@syarifahnajwa5491]

I love to see Mille beautiful face when she's talking🥰😊🙃🙂

[@WONDERLUSTworld]

Heheh - thank you!