I didn't imagine I would set foot again in Singapore after my short trip last 2014. My nurse friends were now successfully employed in various Singapore hospitals and I promised to visit them one day. I was always on the look out for promo flights and always went in to Jetstar's website. The ticket I booked for Singapore flew out on a Saturday night. It was the last flight out from Phuket and arriving Singapore at almost 1 am.
After a few hours rest and meeting my friend PJ, who worked in Singapore for the past 6 years, my adventure began. First off, we went to Bugis Street. It was around 10 in the morning and vendors were already able to set up their stores. I saw a lot of things being sold. From shoes and bags to dresses, blouses and shorts. There were temples in the area and people were coming in and out from them.
The main purpose on why we headed to this street on a Sunday morning was to hear mass at the nearby Church of Our Lady of Lourdes. I have always believed in Proverbs 3:6 - In everything you do, put God first and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success. I wanted to thank God for the safe flight to Singapore and to ask of His guidance while I am in a foreign land.
After mass, as it was also lunch time, we headed towards Zam Zam Restaurant. This is an Indian- Muslim restaurant opposite Sultan Mosque. This place has been serving dishes since 1908! My friend suggested we eat Beef Murtabak and drink Teh Tarik. It was a fulfilling and delicious lunch.
We continued exploring Arab Quarter after lunch. Believed to be named after a noble Arab merchant, the street is a bustling trade center. I saw different kinds of restaurants offering Middle Eastern and Malay cuisine as well as stores selling fabrics, carpets and other products. The place was lively with a lot of people having a good time by either chilling in the restaurants or just walking.
Moving further, we reached the famed Haji Lane. More boutiques selling quirky stuffs are on this lane. It is said that this lane is fast becoming the fashionista's paradise. Another interesting thing about this place is the colorful murals it has. I had quite a lot of photos taken while I'm at this lane. They were all Instagram worthy but I chose to only post a few.
Next up, my friend brought me to a place which he is proud to say with a touch of a Filipina. He brought me to Alkaff Bridge. It is a 55 meter steel bridge spanning the Singapore River at Robertson Quay. It was painted in January 2004 in vibrant colors by Filipina artist Pacita Abad together with a rope specialist team. It has since been known as Singapore's first "bridge of art".
We then rode a bus towards Napier/Holland Road to reach Tanglin Gate. This is one of the entrance gates to see Singapore's first UNESCO world heritage site - The Singapore Botanic Gardens. This 156 year old attraction is the third botanic garden listed in the world's heritage site after Kew Gardens in England and Padua Gardens in Italy.
Before exploring the things inside, we stopped by one of the food joints to stuff ourselves.
The area is so huge and a lot of walking is required. Nevertheless, clear paths were present as well as signs on where to go.
It has an area of 74 hectares and are divided into different gardens such as Bonsai Garden, Ginger Garden, Fragrant Garden and Healing Garden to name a few.
Entrance to the whole garden is free except when you would like to see the National Orchid Garden which houses 1,000 orchid species. I did not know orchid species to be this many. Paying 5 SGD as entrance was worth it as there were a lot of orchids of different colors and sizes inside. I know my mother would have really loved to visit this kind of place. There were beautiful colored orchids whatever direction I turn.
These are arches full of Yellow Dancing Ladies. Never have I seen a lot of Dancing Ladies in my life. We only had a stem or two in our little garden back at home.
We also went inside the Cool House. It is an enclosed space which mimics a tropical highland forest. Besides orchid species housed in this area, we also saw carnivorous plants such as this.
The place was cool and it was such a relief from the heat outside.
Moving forward, we saw this lovely place. I want to have something like this in our own backyard!
I had a lot of fun walking and discovering what Singapore Botanic Gardens can offer. There were countless stunning sculptures around such as this little girl with a shell.
This clock tower was commissioned by Lady McNeice to commemorate the opening of the Gardens's visitor center. It has now been relocated and stands right outside the National Orchid Garden.
A lot of tall and majestic trees can also be seen throughout the place. These are Heritage Trees and because there is a danger of losing them with the country's continuing move for progress, a scheme was made to conserve and educate the community on the importance of protecting them.
I found the swan lake interesting. It is a major attraction in the Botanic Garden and is home to a number of aquatic plants and fishes. It has been named because of the presence of a pair of beautiful swans from Amsterdam. Unfortunately, I was not able to see them during my visit.
Beside this area is an open space used by families and friends to have a picnic. It was nice to watch them have a good time.
Singapore Botanic Garden is so huge that I cannot finish viewing each corner without hurting my legs from all the walking. On the way to the exit, we chose to sit and watch the beauty of the place near the bandstand.
This octagonal gazebo known as the Bandstand was erected in 1930. It is a favorite photo spot for weddings and sure enough while we were there, a couple was doing poses for their photographer. This spot is an iconic landmark of the Garden.
It surely was a long day full of walking for me and my friend. To conclude it, I asked my friend to take me to Jollibee. I know it is just a popular Filipino fast food restaurant but I missed Jollibee because there is none here in Thailand. This ends my first day of my second trip to Singapore.
Thank you and 'til next blog! :)
