TOURING SINGAPORE IN ONE DAY

A Singapore tour was organized by the Staff Room Club today. So a busload of teachers, staff and family members made our way across the Causeway for a one-day excursion. I would never say NO to this kind of activity, because there could be new places that I have not visited. The visit was accompanied by a tourist guide so it was much more informative as were briefed about the places we saw and some background of the Republic itself. The itinerary had to be changed as there was a cycling competition going on which had made many roads were closed to traffic.

STOP 1: CHINA TOWN pagoda like building

Am I in Japan?

love the spectrum of colours of the lanterns

There must be a lot of Chinese people around here, hence the name China Town was derived from. Not much can be seen except for unique architecture work of a few buildings, roads which were beautifully decorated with lanterns and flowers (in conjunction with the recent CNY celebration) and stalls selling souvenirs from Singapore (but made in China, I think).

STOP 2: SENTOSA ISLAND

We were given only about 45 minutes here, so many things to do and yet so little time. I had to settle for Sky Tower, which cost S$12 per ride. It was a twirling platform that went up a tower which enabled you to observe the beautiful surrounding of the island. And before even you knew it, the whole thing had ended - it lasted for about 10 minutes. But at least I could say later, "been there, done that!"

STOP 3: ARAB STREET

Masjid Sultan

beriani rice with honey chicken

My first time here, we stopped at Arab Street for Zuhur prayer and lunch. The beriyani was delicious, huge portion and almost a quarter chicken, plus drinks, cost us S$7 which was quite reasonable (without converting to RM).

look at the decoration in black right below the dome

There is one very interesting story of Masjid (mosque) Sultan that I want to share with you. Long time ago, when they were trying to build this building, the did not have enough funding so they started to ask donation from people. Those with money donated money and those without, gave empty bottles of soy sauce to the mosque. Perhaps at that time, these bottles could be sold, and we think recycling only started only recently. However, the architect did not sell the bottles in the first place but what he did what was he used the black bottles as a part of the decoration. So if you look closely, you can see the bottom of the bottles adorning the lower part of the form. It was really the thought that counted.

We came across Malay Heritage Centre nearby. This was actually Kampong Gelam Palace which housed the Singapore royalties of the past.

STOP 4: ORCHARD ROAD

We had a short stop at Orchard Road, Singapore most famous shopping hub. Just to have a glimpse of the exclusive shopping complexes and stop for the Asar prayer at a mosque located in one of the building which did not look like a mosque at all from the outside, but does look really matter?

STOP 5: ESPLANADE AND MERLION

with Mr. Zain, with the Esplanade in a distancewith Pn. Noraliza Mazni and the Merlion busy spurting water

with some of the members of the tour group

Before going back home, we stopped at Singapore most famous landmark: the Merlion (half mermaid, half lion). There were many people taking pictures there which must be a must for visitors to Singapore.

That was all for the day. I am now getting to know the island more and I am sure there are still places in this island that are yet to be explored, soon.

VISITING ANOTHER ASEAN COUNTRY

Well, it is just across the Causeway. But the last time I went there was about ten years ago. On Sunday 19th July, I made my way to Singapore with two ex-students: Farhan, who acted as the tour guide and Solleh, the other tourist. So we walked the hundred miles across the island from morning until late at night.

Bugis Junction

Bugis Street

The places in Singapore are linked to each other by the MRT rails so moving around was never a problem. We first went to Bugis Street, a place similar to Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur. Here you could find varieties of items on sale, and this would be a good place to get (cheap) souvenirs from Singapore. Opposite it is another shopping complex called Bugis Junction which has unique architecture. It looks like blocks of old shop houses conserved and converted into modern shopping complex. It is a spitting image of KL Central Market except Bugis Junction is much bigger and more vibrant with activities.

Orchard Road

We moved next to Orchard Road, the place where people really go to shop in this island. People were everywhere, the stream of people walking seemed endless. At one spot of the road, we felt as if we were in Manila because we were surrounded by the Filipinos. Mind you, we were just here to observe but not to shop. The currency was still quite high for us to spend our money, we had to multiply every single Sing Dollar with about 2.5, so every single cent counts!

Harbour Front

in conjunctions with H1N1 flu

The next stop was Vivo shopping centre and as we walked out one of the doors, there was Harbour Front overlooking the Sentosa Island. Many people, mostly families, were just there to enjoy the scenery or to play in the ankle-deep pool, and some were even seen having picnic at the park.

Sentosa Island

Even though it was almost 6:00 pm, we still decided to go to Sentosa Island by taking the monorail. On this small island, there were interesting places to visit and interesting things to do but time did not permit. We only managed to see a few things, and it was too dark to take pictures. But for sure, we will be coming back again, Farhan and I were already planning of taking the others to spend the day there, sooner or later. So, any takers? The one day trip was really enjoyable, and thanks to Farhan for guiding me and Solleh through the roads not taken before. Until the next trip...