3D2N: Walk Singapore

Now that the kids are bigger, it is time to up the bar and travel in less. Every member is equipped with a backpack to keep their personal belongings. Everything is kept at minimum with no check-in luggage. How did we fare?

DAY 1: Arrival

We took AirAsia and arrived in Changi Airport. The first thing I want to see was the Kinetic Rain Scupture in Changi Airport.

 We stood there for at least half an hour. It is so fascinating to watch.

Happens that it was the Pokemon Mania season. The kids are equipped with a camera each. They had fun snapping away and it is interesting to look at things through their angle.

 Not knowing the ways well. We decided on the train from the airport to our hotel (Swissotel Merchant Court). 

Kids with own bags studying up the routes of the train. 

 After checking in, we rested for a while and off we went for the Michelin starred chicken rice. The hotel is a walking distance from the Chinatown's Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle. The queue was crazy (Singapore = queue). By the time our turn came, there were no more rice. So we ordered noodles. The noodles were springy and the chicken smooth and succulent. A bit oily, but that's how the chicken turns out smooth and soft.

 From Chinatown, we took a bus directly to Orchard Street. Not so much for shopping but sightseeing, as it is the year end and Orchard Road is famous for its decorative Christmas lights. We walked from one end to the other, taking in the crowd, the performances and decorations. When we got tired, we went into Japan Food Town in Wisma Atria (http://www.japanfoodtown.sg/directory/). If we came without the kids, we would have made a stop at the Japanese Bars. But we rested at Inaniwa Yosuke (Udon specialty of Akita Prefecture). We are not a big fan of thick udon so this thin udon fits our palate just nice. If you like cold noodles, try the one that comes with half boiled egg. Yummay!

Too tired, we took the double decker bus that go back to the Orchard Road stretch and straight to our hotel.

End-day 1 report: Pedometer recorded 20,000 steps for the day.

DAY 2: The objective 

The sole purpose of this short trip is focussed on Gardens by the Bay.

 We start off our day with Tiong Bahru Hainanese Chicken Rice, which was just across the street from our hotel. We had wanted to go down slightly further to  Song Fa Bak Kut Teh but the Singapore queue put us off. It was quite a mistake. The curry rice was pretty disappointing. 

We then walk along the river front to Clarke Quay to catch a river taxi to Gardens by the Bay. The kids made a pit stop for Tsujiri Matcha Ice Cream. The cashier recommended Shiratama Parfait (O-Matcha). We shared among us. Nice.

 The river taxi took us from Clarke Quay to Gardens Mall. Then it is a short walk across to Gardens by the Bay.

 Our first stop is the Far East Organisation Children's Garden. Let the kids run and cool off. When they are done, we walked along the bayfront towards Satay by the Bay. We chose to sit outside under the sun & wind. Very relaxing.

We then walked to the Cloud Forest. Along the way, we explored the many sculptures in the gardens.

Cloud Forest

(Note: Bring along jackets)

It was very educational and fun in the cloud forest. Though not a lot of variety and species, but at least some explanation on the height and plant type. The floor on crystals were pretty boring. What impressed us was the Black Box that explains on the Gardens self sustainability through renewable energy. The kids was much affected by the visual on +5 Degrees. 

 

Flower Dome

The dome is segregated by plants from the different continents of the world. We could have spent a few more hours here, but we were late after taking our own sweet time in the other parts of the Gardens.

Some of the wood sculptures displayed were grand.

 There are special area displaying seasonal themes of the dome. This year's Christmas theme is The Nutcracker. The lights and real christmas plants were great for photos. 

Christmas Special: Christmas Wonderland 2016

Part of the open area of the Gardens was cordoned off for Christmas Special. We have to pay additional SGD6 per person. Glad we did.

Super Grove Trees were impressive at night. 

The kids remembered them and kept talking about them until now.

Surrounded by Italian Luminarie light sculptures

The highlight for the kids were the snow blizzards

As we walk back, we came across this big baby sculpture. Came back and did some search to find out that this piece is named "Planet" by nternationally acclaimed British artist Marc Quinn

End-day 2 report: Pedometer recorded another 20,000 steps for the day. 

Day 3: Head back

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Bye.. The kids enjoyed it. They wish to come back. Will probably plan on a trip to the Science Centre next. We'll see..

Additional things to note: 

1. If you are Malaysian, I got a good deal for the tickets to the Domes in the Matta Fair. Just so you know.
2. The domes closes once a while for maintenance purposes. Make sure to check the dates before you visit.

All are not gone : My take of Singapore

I never miss Singapore. I love travelling and I love the cultural exposures, but somehow.. Maybe it's the crowd. Anyway, coming back to Singapore after a decade does gave me a better chance to get acquainted and I do find a spot that I might get comfy. Not Orchard Road, hell no....
It's the rightly named Oasis of Cool and Extended Walk at Ann Siang Hill Park area. I went during the weekends and weekdays. It's somehow pretty calming for me.

Silent arches and figurines standing still amidst the blowing winds and bristling leaves.

I love the simple and stoic Nagore Durgha Shrine. Silence do express much more than words.

Looking over the doors, I see them all opening and doves flying towards the bright sunshine. Funny eh... How we tend to relate places of worship with lights and birds. These are all effects of too much impressions implanted into our heads since young. Photos.. Idiot box.. Anyway,

I do not really like the look of this supposedly one of the oldest temples in Singapore. The bright colours and compact deco just shouting commercialisation. Erghh... The only remnants of historical expression I find is the rooftop.

Dragons in the sky overseeing the community. May we all blessed with good health!

Sometimes it's hard to manage how much exposure I'd like for these shots. I'd like the bright lights but I'd like some colours to my photos too. But I thought this turns out quite ok.

I anticipated lots of greeneries when walking into Ann Siang Hill Park, only to find it all blocked by the shops' backdoors.

Silver lining beyond the dull cloudy walk, there are rows and rows of beautiful buildings of the past. Love the airy windows of yesteryears.

Why do we need standardisation? Why ignore the uniqueness within us?

This is the best place I found in Singapore! "Books Actually". That's a place to remember.

I love books. I do not believe that IT and television can ever take away the beauty of words and our own free will of imaginations. And this place seems to spell out all the good things in life. For me, at least.

The first picture that greets me when I stepped into the shop are cameras. Get it?

It's a small boutique shop of all things I hold dear. Meaningful literature, fanciful arts and beautiful past.

Simple deco at a contrast of black & white background. Who says books are boring? It's a matter of how we look at it.

The likes of classics and children ladybirds. What's not to love?

And all these settings with a background of jazzy french. Wow.. awesome!

All I can say is that, I finally found something in Singapore!

And the walk home will not be filled with void impressions of rushing souls and greying blocks.