The old and new in the City Hall area

Planned to take a walk in the Marina promenade this morning (May21). Got off the bus at North Bridge road, and was fascinated by this view of the century-old St Andrew's Cathedral against a backdrop of the 1970's Raffles City tower.

The historic City Hall, situated just across the road from the Cathedral, and scene of many important events in singapore history, now stands empty, awaiting refurbishment. The dome of the Supreme court peeks out at the top of the photo.

I crossed the Padang, scene of cricket and rugby matches, National Day parades, and even served as a concert venue for the New York Philharmonic's first visit to Singapore! The spiked Dome of the Esplanade Concert Hall loomed in front of me as I entered the Esplanade Park, scene of many childhood frolics with Mum and Dad.

Pulau Ubin

My friend Susan and I went for a bike tour of Pulau Ubin on Vesak Day (May12). susan had never been to this island, a 5min ferry ride north of Singapore, in the Straits of Johor. We were surprised and pleased to bump into Rob at the bike rental place and he was our guide to Chek Jawa,seen here at high tide.


After our exertions on the uphills and downhills, had refreshing coconut juice straight from the fruit, in this waterfront cafe


We pushed on to the granite quarry, where Rob took us onto to increasingly higher viewpoints. The water looked invitingly cool on that hot day!