Daily Route

New and old parks

2012-01-09T23:50:00.000-08:00

Like many others, our walking group tried out the newly-opened Labrador nature and coastal walk last sunday.

Here are some photos of trees near the beginning of the walk.

The next day I re-visited Bishan Park after a year's absence, due to renovation being done there.

Glad to see that the majestic rain forest trees have been untouched, and that the mangrove trees are thriving around the pond. A hint of Housing Develpoment Board flats are seen at the upper left of the photo.

Roaming the Gardens

2010-09-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

The Botanic Gardens remains my all-time favorite place to walk in Singapore. Today I walked from Orchard MRT, past Wheelock Place, the Hilton Hotel, Orchard Parade Hotel, Tanglin Shopping Centre, St Regis Hotel , Tanglin Mall, and Gleneagles Hospital to the front gate of the Gardens.

The curtain-like roots of an old Banyan tree greeted me as I walked in the gates, followed by a tall mangrove tree. Both are quite majestic, and my photos, taken by my Nokia E72 phone, do not do them justice.

I decided to go round the lake by the path that is nearer the main road. This led me almost into the web steps of one of the resident swans there. He or she was having an auto-neck-rub, and I had to wait a while before its neck came up to it's usual height.

Here is the artificial waterfall that fascinates tourists.
Equally artificial was Chopin at his piano overlooking the Shaw Foundation stage where Sunday concerts are held.

Near the former entrance to the Gardens, where so many years ago, mum and dad used to park the car and we kids pranced up the driveway, I found another curtain of ivy roots . A banana flower peeking out between large leaves, and a back-lit shady palm tree brought be alongside the quiet Saraca stream and back to my starting point. A cool apple juice made for a satisfying end to an invigorating walk

10,000 steps around Marina Bay

2010-08-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

My 10,000 steps had been sorely missing since I came back from italy. Last week I had another stay at The Sentosa and had an envigorating walk. This week I was back on the beach again and tried the food at the new Tanjung Beach Club. The bruschetta was puny but the fruit bowl was gigantic...great for the cholesterol test this morning!

After the cholesterol test, I took a train to City Hall station and then had a good workout walking to the Helix bridge, and then circling all round Marina Bay, with views stretching from Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay to the Sail, a ritzy apartment block in downtown Shenton Way.

In between, the skyline of the historic district including the dome of the Supreme Court and Victoria Memorial Hall's clock was barely discerned above the trees.

On the other hand, the Maybank, Bank of China,HSBC and Straits Trading buildings dwarfed Clifford Pier, the 3 buildings of the Fullerton Hotel Group, and the Old Customs House.

Awesome as it was, I still thought of the time I stood at the end of Clifford Pier, breezes in my hair, and breathed the sea air coming from the far horizon beyond the mole.

The new sentosa

2010-04-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

It's back to my weekly playground, but it has been invaded since Feb 14th this year! It will never be quiet again, for the new "IR" (euphemism for CASINO) operates 24 hours. Thankfully, it is built right at the entrance to the island, so neophytes will not venture( I hope!) further if all they do is follow their noses to the "den".

My favorite hotel has closed for a year to renovate, but my preferred restaurant - Barnacles - is still operating. Chefs Joanne and Samson should have a faithful enough following to sustain the business. Tonight I am trying out "The Sentosa Resort and Spa". The deluxe room is compact and warmly furnished. Ouside the window I see a few of the taller buildings of the Business district above the lush grove of coconut and rain trees.

I set out early to fulfill my "10,000 steps" today, but got distracted by views here and there on my bus trip here, and after 10 hrs, still need another 700 steps! I was trying out my new camera, the replacement of the one stolen in Hanoi.

I stopped for breakfast at Novena Square, a shopping mall that I frequented when I lived in the Newton area. I had orange and carrot juice from the fruit stall and then, after snapping away, was told by the duty manager not to take photos. Nevertheless, I got a shot of the foodcourt signboard- Kopitiam - which is a chain of foodcourts in Singapore. Lots of Singaporeans call food courts and hawker centres their "dining room". Many Singaporeans do not cook, so you can find them here for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Finally, at 10am, I found myself at the monorail station for Sentosa. I got off at the waterfront station, following the hordes going to Universal Studios or the Casino. I wandered undered the covered walkways which provide good shade from the tropical sun. I particularly like this shade on "Festive Walk".

Onward I went, past the gigantic Merlion, and along the Gaudi-like fountain, which flowed down towards the Beach Station. From there, I walked to Palawan Beach, picking up another apple juice on the way.

Passing the lonely sentinels of Palawan Beach( fortifications from the British effort to protect Singapore from the Japanese invasion), I was fascinated by a rustic suspension bridge and the variety of vessels plying the waters beyond the protected lagoon: kayaks, motor launches, ferries to Indonesia, and the ubiquitous container ships. Just a few strides later, I found myself at the foot of the steps that led up to the swimming pool of The Sentosa.

sentosa views

2007-05-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

Stayed overnight at the Rasa Sentosa 2 weeks ago. Had a delightful seaview room and

tried out the new Barnacles restaurant by the beach.

Watched Star Cruise's Virgo come into port and

took a shot of the swimming lagoon in front of the hotel under the lowering skies. A vigourous walk on the beach brought the relaxing stay to a close.

morning at the reservoir

2007-03-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

Took a "reverse direction" walk at MacRitchie Reservoir last Sunday. I first went on the track that leads to the treetop walk. Have not done this before, and it remains one of my goals for this park. Need to do it with a friend, as the track is a bit isolated.

It took me only about 15 mins to get to the start of the Tupai trail boardwalk. It was quite a hot and humid morning and soon I ran into my favorite "litter plant". This is about one of the 2 plants I can remember very well from my "rainforest guide" training. That's because it is so clever at catching dead leaves which it uses to feed itself! Later on the walk there were lots of lianas to photograph. Here are a pair that are loopy:

Later there were some creepers that made a lovely "black-and -white" composition and finally there was a clearing in the canopy that allowed filtered light onto the boardwalk.

Roaming about town

2007-03-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

Have certainly slacked on this blog, but I am still roaming around Singapore on my 3-times-per week walks. Sentosa has changed quite a bit from a year ago, but I'm posting a photo which might well be archival, as this part of the rain forest on the island will disappear soon with the onslaught of the "IR" (a pc term in Singapore for "Casino"). This is one of my favorite walks on the island because it is cool ( i e the temperature!) at any time of the day, and I'm welcomed by cricket calls, bird calls, and unseen squirrels as they scurry out of sight. Who knows what other creatures live here (and soon will be deprived of their habitat). I have seen a magnificent meter-long monitor lizard in another part of the forested area of the island which is now the Amara resort. The greed of man destroys the beauty of nature...alas!

Last Sunday, I ventured into the "heartlands" of Singapore...the HDB (public housing) estate. Don't let the nomenclature fool you. Some of these estates are so beautifully landscaped, you wouldn't think it was "public" housing. I took a bus to Little India station on the NEL line and then from there I took the underground to Sengkang Station, having noted on the map that I could change to the LRT and get off at station 5. When I asked a station employee if I was on the right track (pun intended), he was adamant that I would be better served by a bus.

So I went downstairs to the bus terminal (all the afore-mentioned forms of transport are under one roof) and was surprised t0 find that the terminus was airconditioned and while waiting in line, passengers are protected from exhaust fumes by airtight doors. I've travelled widely, and must say that only in Singapore have I seen this (the other being the Toa Payoh bus terminus..but perhaps there are others that this city mouse has not discovered).

While I was waiting, I was even able to help someone looking for St Anne's church. Now, this was my first time in this area, yet there was a handy map on the wall and not only was I able to locate the church, I was able to advise her, from the map, which bus to take!

The station employee was right, Bus 87 dropped me right in front of Punggol Park. This is the quintessential HDB town park...everything is stiffly designed from the running tracks to the children's playground to where the trees and grass should grow and what shape the pond should be. The photo, taken from the park, shows blocks of HDB flats (apartments) in the background. My first activity was to buy a Singapore-made ice-cream from the ice cream man, who would put the small brick of ice-cream in a piece of soft bread, if requested. I asked for a cone. I walked round the park twice. This took 30 mins. I hopped on another bus to back to the terminus and this time I noticed that the building not only housed the 3 different means of transport, but there were also flats above the terminus!

That day I felt like a tourist in my own country!

PS: HDB=Housing Development Board, NEL=North-East Line, LRT=Light Rail Transit

The old and new in the City Hall area

2006-05-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

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

2006-05-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

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!

Keeping fit

2006-04-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places to walk is sentosa island. In recent years, it has constantly been developed, and I enjoy the food outlets on the beaches and the convenient transportation on the island. Soon a new mono-rail service will bring visitors directly from the Harbourfront MRT station to the beach terminal, seen in this photo, and they can transfer to the Siloso Beach tram waiting for them.

Last week I also took a turn at the historic Fort Canning which is just behind Wesley Methodist Church, where I was attending the Lenten prayer service.
Beside the Fort Gate, is one of the large Banyan trees that grow in the Park. In the photo, you can see the aerial roots which have grown from the branches downwards to the ground. They begin life as flimsy threads, but after many years grow to look like tree trunks.

Orchard Road

2006-04-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

i have a travel log, but decided that friends might like to follow me on my daily wanderings in my home city: singapore. I just received a little Ranger v-cam from my insurance agent as a gift, and am surprised what it can do. so here are some examples
This is Far East Plaza where I alight from the bus. I sometimes buy my morning papers here.

Then I walked on Steven's Road to my hairdresser's and passed one of our top girls' schools, Raffles Girls' secondary school, and took a photo of the lovely rain tree at the junction of Balmoral and Stevens road. There are many such lovely old trees all over Singapore.

I went for lunch at a japanese restaurant in united square, which I also visit often.
Later in the evening I passed by Raffles City and the Singapore Arts Museum on my way to rehearsal