Rasa Fiesta Singapura Part 2 was held at Picnic Wisma Atria from 4th to 5th November 2017. What attracted me to attend this event was the variety of rum and series of workshops conducted by bartenders from all over the world.

Throughout the 2 days, many workshops were lined up and it was my first hands-on attempt with  concocting cocktails. The first experience was with the "Francis Drake" which contains Ron Abuelo 7 years rum, passion fruit puree and giffard cinnamon syrup. A rather tropical drink which was a mild mix of sweet and sour.

The following workshop attempt was "Strawberry Batida" which contains Brugal Anejo, BOLS strawberry, fresh strawberry, lime wedges and basil leaves. I quite liked the fruity taste and the fragrance of the basil leaves. Chatted with the friendly bartender and he shared some rum knowledge with me, such as rum pairs extremely well with tropical fruits such as coconut, pineapple and passion fruits.

My friend later on ordered a cup of "Spice Up You Life" that contains Chalong Bay Cinnamon. The garnish was an thin slice of apple with spices and the cocktail was fairly potent. For, me since I have low alcohol tolerance, I had the Caipirinha (blueberry and blackberry) and requested for less of the Maracatu used in the drink. I wasn't expecting the drink to look so photogenic with its blue-reddish colour, garnished by the rose-cut strawberry, lime and blueberries. Not only appearance, the drink was bursting with fruity flavors, refreshing and easy to drink. The girl who prepared my drink (and strawberry) was so shy to pose for photo since my annoying friend teased her quite a bit.

Anyway, besides educating participants about different rum and their versatility, Rasa Fiesta Singapura Part 2 allowed us to explore/taste unique rum brands which might not be easily available in Singapore. Furthermore, the art of concocting a perfect rum cocktail showcased the skills of a bartender.  

The beach, sand and scotching hot sun were never friends of mine but for the sake of capturing artistically crafted sand sculptures, I tagged along with my friend to Sentosa. I brought my whines along as we made our way to the tentages specially set up to house 2,400 square metres of exhibition space on Siloso Beach.    

Not much of a traffic issue despite being a Saturday, probably thanks to the heat and sun as we walked through the firmly erected sand structures admiring and capturing photos of our favourites. These sands sculptures definitely reminded me of my trip to Huabin in China, popular for their ice/snow sculptures that reached storeys tall. The only difference was the temperature and I did not miss the -30 degrees celsius and wearing multiple layers of clothes.

There were many ushers stationed around and the exhibition was divided into 3 different zones.

Zone 1 - Our Sandsational Singapore (Singapore, Ho Say!) 

This zone features 15 sand sculptures inspired by the local culture, quirks and colloquial slangs. Examples would be "Blur like Sotong, Gabra like Zebra", "Jiak Zua" (To eat Snake) and "Kan Cheong Spider". Their images attached below.

Zone 2 - Sentosa International Sand Sculpting Championship

The 14 international sand master's masterpieces demonstrate their creative expressions of ‘Imagination’ through sand work. Examples would be "Tropical Splendor" and "Broken Heart".

Zone 3 - Shifting Sand 2

A showcase of interactive sand art pieces by JOOheng, which pays homage to his exhibition held at Sentosa’s Palawan Beach in 2010, when he became the first sand sculptor in Singapore to hold his own sand sculpture exhibition.  

Note that I only select and feature personal favourites to post below. Also do check out the fine detailings of some of these sand art that kept me staring for quite some time.