Travelog for: Frida

Frida is on her way to Singapore

I arrived at Singapore today after some 6 days of travelling. Mmm, that's a bit long considering that Malaysia is very near Singapore.

I'll stay with 3 hosts from Singapore, starting with Relie, so I guess I'll stay in Singapore for a quite while. 

I met some of Relie's friends at her house. They are so nice~ Relie says the 2 big friends, the elephant and the big polar bear has been with her for a loooong time, since she was 8 and 10 years old respectively. (They all have Chinese names, it's hard for me pronounce with my German background so i'm omiting it. hehe)



Relie said she was a bit glad that I wasn't here earlier. (I thought it was quite bad for her to say that! ) She quickly explains that Singapore has been raining non-stop for the pass few days. She borrowed a English newspaper from her neighbour (she only have chinese papers at home) and show me this:


Wow! In some low-lying areas of Singapore, the water level almost cover an entire car!  Scary!! Weatherman says more rain to be expected till Sunday... awww.

Relie says not to worry, she promises to bring me to some nice places in Singapore and she made me a raincoat just in case there's rain.

Phew, I was hoping to get some rest from all the travelling but Relie says tonight's weather is nice and fine so we better take advantage of it.

Since it's night already, she says she'll bring me to see some nice Singapore city night view and the best view is at The Esplanade, Singapore's biggest art theatre.

We took the MRT (Singapore's subway) to City Hall and went through the underpass to Esplanade. We walked pass an underground shopping mall call Citylink. Relie says Singaporean are so obsessed with shopping, they had to build a shopping mall underground. (I can't tell if she's saying that jokingly or not. lol)

Along the way, we saw some nice art works. This illustration is by Apotik Komik (Comic Pharmacy) from Indonesia.


In this maze of underground walkway, there's a open space and  teenagers took advantage of the aircon and shelter to gather and play. I can see some people are roller blading, some juggling, some training karate, break-dancing, hip hop. This is totally cool! There's an interesting mix of activities going on.


Durian is best serve chilled? Relie says Durian is a tropical fruit with thorns, it's fresh is yellow and creamy. If you chilled it, it taste like ice cream! Wah, I wanna try too! but Relie says it's not in season now. It's only available in June - August and she don't recommend it to foreigners cos they cannot stand the strong pungent smell. The locals often refer to The Esplanade as durian cos of the 'thorny' exterior.


Hey look look, some Singapore artist wanna turn all animals into lion! I better run away fast before he catches me and add a mane to me! keke


There's more art installations along way. I saw this big huge sign that says Singapura. Relie says it's Singapore in Malay language. Translated, Singa means Lion and Pura means City, so that makes Lion City. ahhh, that explains all the lion mane. haha. I had to take a pic here!! 


More art works! This installation is 'As it is...' by Victor Tan Wee Tar from Singapore.

Hey, I found out that there'll be a New Year countdown event at Marina Bay. They are gathering people to write their hopes and dreams for the new year on white beach balls, which will be thrown into Singapore river and there'll be some nice lightups! Relie wrote down her wishes and I signed that I was here! hehe. 


Close up of what we wrote.


Finally we went outside and I was attracted by this band performing at the outdoor theatre. They are so good that Relie and I stayed there throughout the performance! That vocalist really knows how to work the crowd and got people dancing right there! *shakes butt* 


Ok ok, after all the 'distractions' from the artworks and performance, here's finally what we came here for. The nightview photos!! First of all, The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay.



This is Swissotel the Stamford, The tallest hotel in South East Asia. Relie said she has been on top of the helicopter pad on a school excursion. General public is not allowed up there.


Oh wow, doesn't this look like a postcard? You see Singapore's Central Business District here, with Fullerton Hotel in the foreground and if you look carefully, you can see the Merlion!! Relie says she'll bring me here again in the day time to see the Merlion! And some of the wishing balls are already in the waters!! I can't wait to see them lighted up!
Yeah!! Gorgeous don't you think?

Today, Relie says she's bringing me to the East part of Singapore! She has been invited by her cousin to attend a church play at Singapore Expo. Off we go!

We took the MRT again to Tanah Merah Station. This is how the MRT looks like in Singapore.


We arrived at the Singapore Expo! Singapore Expo is one of the largest exhibition and convention centre in South East Asia. There are 10 exhibition & convention halls here with an indoor space of about 100,000sqm!


Arhhhhhhhh, RUN! I see a UFO!  

I didn't run too far before Relie caught me and got me to look carefully. Ohhh... it's actually the ceiling of the MRT station!


This church rents one of the exhibtion hall for christmas service. This is how it looks like inside. If I didn't tell you this is a church service, would you think that i'm in a pop concert? keke.

After the service, Relie brought me to Tampines, one of the bigger neighbourhoods in the east. This is Century square, a shopping centre.


After Tampines, we went to Pasir Ris, the last MRT Station in the East. This is White Sands, a shopping centre.


Relie said that Pasir Ris has a nice beach, chalets, Escape theme park and Wild Wild Wet, a water theme park.

It's a somewhat cloudy day today. I hope it doesn't rain! Today Relie says she'll bring me to a historial tour of Singapore. Relie says she loves old buildings. Ohhh, I'm getting excited!

This is Raffles Place MRT station.


We are in the middle of the Central Business District. There are lots of tall buildings here!


Look at this cheerful looking motorbike! The owner is very nice to let me pose with it but he is camera shy. 


We walked straight towards Lau Pa Sat. In Singapore, brown signs indicate places of interest.


Lau Pa Sat (in Chinese, meaning old market) is more than 150 years old, it is the largest remaining Victorian filigree cast-iron structure in Southeast Asia. It is formerly a wet market and now it has been restored and is a favourite food centre of the locals, offering a wide variety of local food.

We walk down to Telok Ayer Street towards Thian Hock Keng (Temple of Heavenly Happiness). This is the oldest temple in Singapore. The temple is dedicated to Ma Zu Po, the Taoist goddess of the sea and protector of all seamen. The temple was originally built on the waterfront, but in the 1880s, the area was reclaimed. 



It started to drizzle so we stayed inside and took lots of pictures.



This is the alter for Confucius. 


This is the main alter for Ma Zu Po.


On the door are Door Gods. I'm standing on a wooden bar that sits at the foot of the temple entrance. This serves a couple of purposes: First, it keeps out wandering ghosts, who cannot cross over the barrier. Second, it forces anyone entering the temple to look down as they cross, bowing their head in humility.

Can you spot me in the picture?


Hey I found the postbox of Thian Hock Keng! Maybe I can send a postcard to Ma Zu Po to ask for good weather? hehe


Beside Thian Hock Keng is Al-Abrar Mosque. It is now close for restoration.


This street is lined with old shophouses where Immigrant trade.

Here we are at Club Street. This street is named after the old community clubs that have historically lined the street. In the recent 1-2 years, Club Street is fast transforming into one of the trendy spots to wine and dine. There are also some art galleries and niche boutiques along the street.



Just across the road is Far East Square. Far East Square comprises a cosy enclave of 61 beautifully preserved shophouses. It's a great place for wine and dine too. In keeping with its cultural heritage, it is built on the traditional chinese concept of Ying and Yang - in which the universe of life is kept in balance by the 5 elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Frie and Earth.

Here we are at the Fire gate. Sometimes, you'll see people gathering here for line dancing! On alternate weekends, people gathered here to sell their wares ala flea market style.



This is a sculpture of a old hawker. This is how they sell food long time ago.

We finally reached Singapore River! Singapore River used to be a busy harbour where all the traders from neighbouring countries gathered to trade their wares.

This is colorful building belongs to MICA (Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts). It's previously the Hill Street Police Station, built in 1934.



In the background is the central business district. The river is lined with shophouses. These shophouses are now converted into pubs, restaurants and cafes. The area is known as Boat Quay.



This is Singapore's new Parliament building. You can see Singapore's crest here.


View from the other side.


WOOOAHHH! Another flying saucer!
Nah, haha, it's just the new Supreme Court. lol.

We have arrived at the Civic District! The Civic District was the historic birthplace of Singapore where early settlers worked and lived. Singapore's most valuable and historic structures, parks and monuments are within this 105 hectares!


Turn around and we see someone famous in Singapore: Sir Stamford Thomas Raffles! Where the statue stands, marked his landing ground. Sir Raffles helped turn Singapore from a poor fishing village to a busy port, like what it is today.


This is a scene of people trading in the olden time. Can you see that the chinese men wore plaited hair? This style is from the Qing Dynasty. On the floor is Chinese wooden clogs.


This is the Asian Civilisations Museum aka Empress Place Building (it's so named at beginning of the 20th century, in honor of Queen Victoria). The building is an example of the neo-Palladian architectural style and it used to be a government office.


Oh, this big guy is a Ming Dynasty Warrior!


This is previously our Parliament House, since 2003, it's been coverted to a Arts House.


Trishaw uncle!


This is the Fullerton Building, built in 1928 is an example of neo-classical architecture, distinguished by tall Doric columns. Previously it was the General Post Office, The Singapore Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Since 2001, it transformed into Fullerton Hotel.


The full view of the hotel from the other side.


Opposite the Fullerton Hotel is the MERLION~!



Behold the giant durians! lol. The Esplanade during daytime!


This is a common view in Singapore. The NO xxx Sign. Fine $xxxx Sign. Singapore is a Fine city, yes!


Flowers during December! WOW! At the background you can see Swissotel the Stamford.


This is the Lim Bo Seng Memorial. Major-General Lim Bo Seng was one of Singapore's heroes and a martyr of World War II. The pagoda is made of marble with a solid bronze roof and is guarded by four bronze lions.


This is the City Hall. It is built in 1929 and is the site of the Japanese surrender to Lord Mountbatten in 1945 during World War II. City Hall has housed various government departments including the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the former Ministry of Culture and the Industrial Arbitration Court. City Hall will be converted into a world class national art gallery by 2012.

The field in front of the City hall is the Padang, this was the venue for the swearing-in of Singapore's first president, Mr Yusof Ishak, on 3 December 1959.

The Padang is also where we will host our National Day Parade, since the National stadium is closed to make way for a bigger one.



Right beside the City Hall is the Old Supreme Court. Built in 1939. The imposing Corinthian and Ionic columns, as well as the tympanum sculpture fronting the Supreme Court Building, were the work of Cavalieri Rudolfo Nolli, a Milanese sculptor.



Behind the Supreme Court is the Singapore Cricket Club.


Here is the Victoria Concert Hall. Opened in 1905, Victoria Concert Hall was formerly known as Victoria Memorial Hall and has been the residence of the renowned Singapore Symphony Orchestra since 1980.


Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is made up of 2 buildings namely Victoria Memorial Hall and Victoria Theatre, connected by a 54 metre clocktower. Here you see another Sir Stamford Raffles Sculpture. 

Wow, Big huge christmas tree at Raffles City Shopping Centre, it is link to the Swissotel the Stamford Hotel.


Christmas lightings at Raffles City.

This is CHIJMES (pronounced “chimes”) is previously a convent school: Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ), established in 1854. It is now converted into a popular dining, shopping and entertainment site.

It's Christmas Eve today and Relie says we should go for a church service and countdown to Christmas like what Christians do.

This is St Andrew's Cathedral. It's one of the oldest church in Singapore.



Interior of the Cathedral. There were only seats left at the corner... so we can't take anymore nice pics.

It's Christmas Day!! Thank God for the good weather today!

We went to Orchard road, the shopping street of Singapore. A MUST go if you are a shoppaholic. hehe! The whole road is lined with shopping centres!

During Christmas season, Orchard road is beautifully lighted up and today, the authorities as closed up the whole road for a christmas concert held on the road! It's one of those rare time you see Orchard road with no cars!



Orchard Road is flood with people!! Gosh!




The only 'cars' on Orchard road today are these decorative floats!




Christmas tree outside Paragon Shopping Centre, a high-end one where you can find all the designer brands like Gucci, LV... etc.


Another Christmas tree~ This one looks very expensive! Swarovski Crystal Christmas tree! WOW!


Along the road, there's this Nativity village.


The Nativity scene (The birth of Jesus Christ)


There's a Christmas concert on the road.


This is Chen Song Ling, a famous Hong Kong Actress/Singer.


This is a light show projected to the ground at the Orchard road junction.


A newspaper cutting about the lightshow.

It's been raining very heavily for the past 2 days, so we stayed indoors.

Today's weather seems to be quite good and Relie brought me out real early! We are going to the west part of Singapore!
First stop is the Science Centre! This centre showcases a range of interesting and interactive exhibition.

However, by the time we got there, some dark clouds are already looming over us...  Let's keep our fingers crossed!


This is a map of the Science Centre.


There's a pretty garden just at the gate of the Science Centre! ahh, I just have to take a pic here!


Eh! Something caught my ears! The funny sounds are coming from here! This is 'sculpture' is call Audio-Kinetica. There's a number of balls travelling inside and along the way they produce very unusual and interesting effects. Relie and I were pretty mesmerised by it.


WOW, this look fun! It's a Water Works playground for kids!


Ohhh, A fountain power up by solar energy!

It started to drizzle and we quickly set off for some shopping at this mega shopping centre - IMM.



Christmas decoration of the shopping centre.