February 7
Singapore
More virus news on the TV this morning. A case has appeared in the UK, apparently picked up in Singapore. Anyone arriving in the UK from South East Asia must now be prepared to self isolate. That could be fun!
Breakfast at The Sidewalk. The usual mix of noodles and cabbage, with the addition of a couple of dim sum. Also tea and an orange.
Another disaster. I took two trains for 35 minutes to Beauty World. This is named after the shopping and leisure complex which used to be over the road. Unfortunately neither the station nor the area have much aesthetically pleasing about them. It was here, last year, that I located the Green Corridor.
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I walked the half kilometre to the old railway bridge that I remembered
and found lots of green fencing and lots of work in progress. A helpful
map told me that the trail was blocked for a few kilometres in both directions
but that I could find it again at Hill View, the next station up the line.
I returned to the station, a round trip of a kilometre.
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I alighted at Hill View, crossed the labyrinth of major roads and wandered past the Rail Mall, a good sign. Ahead of me, crossing the main road, was a lattice girder bridge, another good sign.
Unfortunately, just as before, the line was fenced off and lots of work was in progress. If I return next year, the Green Corridor may be beautiful. Who knows!
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Feeling thoroughly ungruntled, I returned towards the station, had an iced black coffee, wrote my diary and wondered what to do.
I had one last shot at the trail, crossing the road to where the line should have run. All I could find were huge blocks of flats and a building site. I gave up and caught a bus.
This wound its way to the North of the island and, after half an hour, dropped me at Kranji station.
On the day that I arrived, I had spotted a huge lake by the side of the railway line near Khatib Station. This was five stops from Kranji so I caught the next train, alighted and walked just under one kilometre along a path beneath the elevated rail line to the Lower Seletar Reservoir Park.
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This was lovely, with shelters, footpaths, flowers and peace. I was interested to note that the jetty was closed for "fogging work". Research tells me that this relates to insect killing work, a frequent activity in Singapore. |
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I would have stayed longer but there were clouds which looked menacing and, with rain forecast, I headed to the bus stop. In the end, no rain came. Just like yesterday. A bus arrived which would take me almost to the hotel and, after about 45 minutes, it did. We passed through a cross section of what Singapore has to offer. New tower blocks; industrial areas; jungly bits; canalised rivers; and old style city streets. I've long since stopped trying to take photos from moving buses so you will have to take my word for it.
We finally arrived outside Raffles, where I disembarked and found the Valentine's display, which hadn't been there last night. They'll grab any culture here if there's a buck to be made.
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Being in close proximity to The Sidewalk, lunch called. The beer was cheap, $6.50, but the food was cheaper, $2.80. Tonight's meal will be far better but won't approach the stalls in this place in value for money.
I returned to the hotel for a rest and a change of clothes. The TV news was still dominated by the virus and the new cases which had emerged. If there is no change, the latter part of my trip may have to be changed. (If only I had known how true this was to be!!!)
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I walked into the centre, passing two fine Roman Catholic churches, the Anglican Cathedral and Chijmes, formerly a seminary but now a restaurant complex. The trees always make them difficult to photograph. Another of the churches had created its own barrier to photography.
My target was the Istana Heritage Centre, which celebrates the grand house built for the Governors General and then used as the official residence of the Presidents of Singapore. It was a fun little exhibition, with some history and lots of exquisite gifts given to the country by overseas dignitaries. Interestingly, there was one from New Zealand but nothing that I spotted from the UK.Right: Istana Park |
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Over the road was a branch of HSBC. I collected some cash from a machine and asked a man if I would be able to acquire some Malaysian currency from them. "No" was the answer. I would have to use an official money changer. I will ask in NZ.
It being 16.00, I was feeling tired and, as I had walked a fair distance, I returned to the hotel for a long rest, a shower and a change of clothes.
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I walked for less than five minutes to The National Kitchen, in the National Gallery, one of the outlets for Violet Oon, probably Singapore's top celebrity chef. It is in the National Gallery, formerly the Supreme Court Building and the City Hall, and is very classy. So classy that I wouldn't have dreamt of taking photos. The service was very proper, the room very elegant and the food was excellent. Unfortunately, the portions were too large, unusual for such a posh place, so that I wasn't able to finish two courses. Pudding wasn't a possibility. The food could be loosely described as Peranakan, the native culture in the city. |
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The couple sitting next to me were from Perth and regulars, both in the restaurant and in Singapore. We chatted happily and left a fair quantity of our food. So much for my diet.
I returned to the hotel feeling very tired.