Singapore Chinatown Half-Day Small Group Guided Heritage Tour

Excellent tour with a wonderful tour guide (special thanks to Eliza and May)! Due to recent changes in COVID cases, we were not able to visit the coffee factory (so that we don't put the older workers at risk), they have brought us to a traditional coffee stall at Chinatown Market with excellent tasting coffee and seeing how the stall owner makes his coffee. Followed by visit to the Sachima and Cuttlefish snack stalls (there's tastings for both), moving on to the bakery where shopowner Jimmy who is very hospitable and very friendly, kindly showed us around in his shop with an insider view of the equipments and how he makes bread daily (with free bread tasting yummy!) Headed to the Paper House making, it was very insightful, kind sharing and very welcoming by one of the craftsman (who was taught by his father), really an eye opener as it is a disappearing trade. Overall excellent tour, very insightful into the history of these disappearing trades, Eliza is very knowledgeable and friendly as well, doing her very best to ensure to incorporate Chinese lang into the tour for seniors who did not understand English. Its no wonder that its an award winning tour! Thumbs up! 👍

Very good tour that tells us facets of old Singapore that will probably disappear in 10-20 years! Our Kenneth Yeo is not only very pleasant but explains very clearly in excellent English. He is definitely the best English speaking guide from Singapore that I have encountered in my 30+ years of joining group tours.

Tour will bring you off the beaten path which is interesting even for Singaporeans. Owners/workers were friendly and some were happy to chit chat with us even though there were no sales involved. Very comfortable ride on the limo bus. Well organized and good explanations given.

My son and I had a good time. Our guide Iris was friendly and professional. I am glad we signed up for this tour as we might not have a chance to know more of these trades when they disappear in the future. It was an eye opener to us, especially so to my son. It was like an outdoor "social studies lesson" to him.

Use my SRV, a worthy experience tour with Lisa. A pity, didn't go to see the Nanyang coffee, but can see some interesting trades, learn some things in the tour. The trades are remarkable, and the hosts and hospitable. Some trades are daily activities or takes months to complete and doing for decades.

The trip is eye-opening and I have learned more about the disappearing trades in Singapore. The guide Iris is extremely friendly and helpful. She shared a lot of stories so I have gained so much insights of the businesses. I hope to see more of such day trips that help people to discover more of the local environment we live in. This is absolutely a great opportunity to showcase Singapore to my foreign friends :)

Being part of the younger generation, I tend to take a lot of things for granted because many things are readily available .It’s so convenient to just buy products off the shelves but when you see how much work actually goes into procuring these items it will really change your perception. Iris was an amazing guide, she was really engaging and provided us with an enriching, informative experience. I really appreciate that Iris planned and coordinated the tour so professionally. I was dead tired after the tour so I realised that talking for 4 hours must be even more exhausting for her too.She also encouraged critical thinking and didn’t just spoon feed us answers, making the tour very enjoyable.The tour started at Chip Hup Coffee Trading Co where we learnt the origins of Coffee as well as how they are procured. Had no idea caffeine was an enzyme produced to protect leaves and berries from pests/aphids.We then learnt about the entire roasting process and what happens to the beans at every stage.It was also interesting to find out how they carried out their business operations and their clientele.What sets it apart is the tedious method of procuring the beans and the addition of 2 key ingredients/different ratio mix.Most employees are in their late 50s-Really admire the uncles because it is really back breaking hard work in a hazardous environment day in day out ; the walls of the factory were covered in soot and grime making it really gloomy and there was a blanket of smoke filling the entire area.We weren’t able to enter the premises due to COVID restrictions.For our 2nd stop we ventured to Jie Traditional Bread Bakery to find out more about the entire baking process and the amazing machinery they used. Freshly baked bread must be eaten within 2 days due to the lack of preservatives.It was also cool to know that the crusts are actually the most nutritious parts of bread.The lovely aroma of freshly baked bread and coffee beans would no doubt make anyone drool...There are pit stops along the way(chinatown) for toilet breaks and also food to refuel if you are hungry.Our last stop - Associated Handicraft Co taught us that paper offerings are traditional and customary practices prevalent in the hokkien community.The paper paraphernalia include villas complete with pavilions,passports,dentures and even prosthetic limbs.Even title deeds are available!What’s most amazing is that everything is done from scratch without any drafts /blueprints-they are so skilled that everything comes from memory.Uncle Toh was also very welcoming and it was by far the highlight of the tour for me.He was also very excited to share his experiences and I really enjoyed seeing his paper bike.Iris also explained where the bamboo was sourced from, how the family delegated their duties and the significance of it all. The intricate oriental motifs on the paper houses were truly a sight to behold.They spend years honing their craft with meticulous precision and it’s sad to see that all their hard work often goes unrecognised= dying trade because the younger generation aren’t inclined to carry on this tradition.Would encourage anyone to embark on this learning journey as it is really something you can’t learn in a classroom.Also thankful for the bus driver-Uncle Xiao Shan for driving us to and fro and waiting for us when we went to the different locations.If you’re wondering whether you should sign up for this activity - the $100 bucks is worth it.

Our tour guide Andros gave us a lot of insight info and we love the tours as we get to see the behind-the-scene of each trade. Recommended!

The guide was friendly and she shared with us a lot of the information. We been to many places and overall it was a great experience.

We had fun learning about the disappearing trades in Singapore. The guide was knowledgeable and engaging.