Singapore is, well...A city, but without the excitement of one. While the architecture is drab and the streets littered with malls, there are a few interesting things to see. For example, they are known for having a fantastic zoo and night safari, but, like everything else in Singapore, there is a hefty entrance fee to visit these attractions, thus I didn't see them.
There's Orchard Rd, which is Singapore's equivalent of The Strip, complete with neon lights and
people strutting there stuff wearing the latest fashions . It's about 2 kilometers of nothing but malls
(along with a few super-expensive hotels). It's kinda fun to go there and people-watch or hang out
at Borders (air conditioning!!), but the stores are way too expensive if you're looking for normal clothes.
Along with the fancy stores and Haagen Daas stands are a few little ice cream carts. If you're in
Singapore and you're an ice cream addict, these carts are the only affordable places to buy the stuff.
(Milk and dairy products are imported from Australia, so they're pretty expensive.) But even if
you're not an ice cream lover, there's something you should do just for the experience: go to one of
these cheap little ice cream carts and ask for an ice cream sandwich. It's not like the ItsIt's we have
in America. They simply whip out a slice of white bread, put a slab of ice cream on half of it, fold
the bread in half, and hand it to you. It's pretty weird tasting if you ask me, but it's only a S$1
(approximately US sixty cents) investment.
Also not to be missed
are the NeoPrint machines. They're similar to the picture booths in malls,
except you get a page of 16 small stickers and there's a cute (or should
I say annoying?) little voice calling, "NeoPrints!! Want to try? Say cheese!"
The botanical gardens were one of the few places one can visit for free,
and in my opinion they were the nicest place on the island! This is a small
pond, complete with turtles and fish, located near the entrance to the
gardens. The shadow is me leaning over the pond trying to focus in on the
turtle.
Nestled in the dense foliage in the central part of the gardens are a few sculptures, including this one, titled "Woman on Hammock" (I wonder why they called it that?). You have to search for them a little bit because they are off of small side paths but it's fun to walk around and explore the gardens. You seem to find something new around each corner, and they're worth the look. It's really nice to be able to get away from the traffic and buildings sometimes. The botanic gardens, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, and especially Bukit Batok Nature Reserve are great for getting away from the city life.
Near the sculptures is the fascinating Swiss Marble Fountain. I love this
thing! It's a huge solid marble ball suspended in about a centimeter
of water. It floats and spins on the surface of the water. You can stop
it from spinning by pressing your hands on it like this boy is doing. As soon
as you let go it starts spinning again. You can't see it in very well in this picture,
but the marble looked really cool because you could see the reflections of
the sun and a few clouds on it.
Hanging out with
the swans in the gardens.
I liked the way the shadows
looked on this. I also liked looking at it because we have a plant very
similar to it at my house. Amazing that a desert plant like this can survive
in Singapore where it rains so much and so hard that it seems like the
plants will drown...
For example, this is a photo taken during the worst storm I experienced during
my entire trip. Not only did half of Singapore's trees fall down, but I was
nearly struck by lightning...twice! The soccer field seen here from
my bedroom window was eventually covered with about a foot of water with
waves! Gotta love monsoons...
The Sultan Mosque in the Arab Street area is quite a sight. It's huge, which
makes it difficult to take a good picture of it. The domes are painted gold,
which makes it sparkle on a sunny day. The entire Arab Street area is definitely
worth a visit. It's much less developed than most parts of Singapore, and the
food stalls, small shops, and people can be quite interesting. If you're just
stopping in Singapore and aren't going to any other south-east Asian countries,
buy your crafts here and in Little India. Otherwise, wait until you get
to Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, or Thailand, because that's where all of
Singapore's crafts come from.
Doesn't it look futuristic? It's like something from the Jetsons! This is
the Pasir Ris MRT (mass rapid transit--the Singapore equivalent of the subway
but very clean) station. I love looking at the super-futuristic buildings
while standing underneath palm trees.
(More photos and commentary tomorrow!)
