Accidental Tourist - 2015 - Singapore's 1st UNESCO World Heritage Site,Singapore Botanic Gardens 新加坡意外的旅客-新加坡植物园世 界遗产网站

Singapore welcomed its very first UNESCO World Heritage Site 3 days ago on 5 July 2015. The 1859 Singapore Botanic Gardens joins a prestigious list and rose to the top amongst excellent company. It holds the honor of being the first botanic gardens in Asia to be listed on the converted world heritage list and only the third in the world; the other 2 being the Orto botanico di Padova in Italy and England's Royal Botanic Gardens. The Gardens joins the likes of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Cambodia's Angkor with its magnificent temples and China's Great Wall on the world heritage list.

2015 年 7 月 5 日, 新加坡欢迎第一个联合国教科文组织的世界遗产，新加坡植物园。1859 新加坡植物园加入一个有名望和最优秀的列表。它拥有在亚洲上市转换后的世界文化遗产名单和只有第三个世界第一的植物园的荣誉。其他 2 被意的是大利Orto botanico di Padova 的和英国的皇家植物园。 新加坡植物园上世界遗产名录接澳大利亚的大堡礁，柬埔寨的吴哥和中国的长城。

I always remember my first excursion to the Gardens as a photography student where I saw the Gardens in new light holding onto my camera and taking in all the flora and fauna with my camera. It was also the place where I had my 1st in-depth education totaling 6 weeks of nature photography organized by the Nature Photographic Society of Singapore (NPSS) which hosted their classes there. It was also one of the locations I first tested my newly minted Infrared converted D90 Nikon DSLR as I needed the nice combination of tree, sky and structures coupled with the massive amounts of sunlight that Singapore is well known for.

我永远记得我第一次作为一个摄影学生出游到花园。那天我用新的眼光看见花园的植物区系和动物群。这也是我第一次深入教育 6 周的自然摄影由组织的地方Nature Photographic Society of Singapore (NPSS) 。我第一次测试我新崛起的红外转换的 D90 尼康是在新加坡植物园。花园有足够的阳光和很好的树、 天空和结构的必需结合。

Here is my small collection of photos taken at the Gardens over the course of my photographic journey:

请欣赏我的花园里的照片小集合:

till the next time, onto the world and beyond!

我们在这里告别。去环游世界!

Accidental Tourist in Singapore - Weekend Stay at Pod coupled with cupping (TCM) and catting sessions

We had a "radical" idea to spend a night at a pod hotel and basically prodding down the streets of Chinatown Singapore with a vague itinerary of hitting a cat café in the evening.

Why radical? Well, when you combine the ages of all 3 of us, you will realize it ;)

Here are my beginning thoughts before starting on my stay......"On my way to Pod stay at Matchbox Hostel with long time old friends F and L. Staycation with a difference because pod stay means solo cocoon- communal like living - something that 40 year olds like us stay away from.

What seemed like a good idea back when it was first conceived but now? A sense of anticipation of what to expect (or not expect) hahahaha"

We started our program for the day by taking a morning walk that coincided with the Heritage Fest 2015 Delicious Chinatown Walk(http://heritagefest.sg/events/delicious-chinatown). It was a nice walk to re-acquaint locals like us to what our little city can offer.  

Whilst walking amongst the stalls of the wet market, we were introduced to the history of our now famous 'Chili Crab' first introduced by Madam Cheah who started this culinary delight at her stall located in Changi Road which was the original location of the now famous Palm Beach and shown stalls that sell the spices and ingredients for Laksa (Chinese noodle soup with chili and coconut milk) and traditional herbs used to make soups that allow kids to grow big and tall (peanut soup) and Lemongrass (Malay origin) for its anti cancer and wind removal properties. 

We also went down to individual shops like those selling traditional biscuits like Lou Poh Pang (Old Wives biscuit). The biscuit has winter melon filing and the story of how it got its name is that in the olden days, a dutiful wife sold herself to get money for father-in-law's medical bills and her husband sold these biscuits to redeem his wife's freedom. 
We ended our little walk at a Chinatown dim sum eatery called Yum Cha (drink tea in Cantonese).

Our next leg was at a Traditional Chinese Medicinal (TCM) shop where we tried out cupping therapy (which according to http://www.tcmwiki.com/wiki/cupping is s a treatment in which a cup sucked to the skin to create local stimulation for disease treatment and prevention). We came out of the cupping session with slightly bruised skin in those areas where wind was removed and feeling rather sleepy so we headed back to our pod stay for an afternoon nap.

Our pod stay was at Matchbox Hostel located at the top of Ann Siang Hill. We opted for the lower bunks given our slightly creaky knees and less nimble bodies in a 'ladies only' room instead of the much bigger area for the mixed dorm.

Evening stop was at the Cat Café appropriately called 'The Company of Cats'. It was my 1st time at the cattery and frankly it can be quite therapeutic to be surrounded by the fluffies. I will leave it to the photos to showcase these fluffies.

We didn't realize it but our night was not yet over until we partake in the festivities near our pod stay that included a ‎Bhangra‬ performance.

All in all, a unique and unforgettable staycation involving long time friends.

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!

Accidental Tourist in Singapore - cycling around Singapore

Recently taken up Cycling in Singapore and slowly discovering that there are still many places left to discover in Singapore. The rides are always pleasant as the connections work well from place to place with occassional traffic lights. Can't wait to explore more about this means of travelling as so far, i have only been exploring the North Eastern Riverline route that has taken me past Bishan, Buangkok, Punggol, Hougang, Sengkang, Ang Mo Kio (more info at https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/park-connector-network about the extensiveness  of the Park Connector) - some of the photos taken so far during my rides....

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!

Accidental Tourist - 2015 - Treetop walk

Walking in Singapore is best done in early morning or late evening when the temperature becomes more bearable even though humidity remains a constant 90% throughout the entire day (and night). But to venture to Treetop walk at Macritchie, I had to brave the afternoon sun as the trail closes by 5pm. I chose to access the trail from Venus Drive, off Upper Thomson Road - frankly because it was a shorter trail (2.5km) vs. the other access point which is another 2km away. Walking can be therapeutic as you only need your physical body to get you ahead. For me, this is one activity that can be an enjoyable activity even if I do it alone. In this area, you almost feel like you are at one with nature with birds chirping and crickets sounds surrounding you the whole way. When I was up on the walkway, it was literally a bird's eye view as you are above the canopy of trees with a panoramic view of the nearby Upper Peirce Reservoir.  

“The TreeTop Walk is accessible from MacRitchie Reservoir Park via MacRitchie Nature Trail or from Venus Drive, off Upper Thomson Road. The distance to the entrance of the TreeTop Walk is approximately 4.5 km (1.5 – 2 hour walk) from the reservoir park and 2.5 km (45 mins – 1 hr walk) from the carpark at Venus Drive. Therefore, a round trip including the TreeTop Walk is about 7 to 10 km (3-5 hours depending on your walking pace).”
There will be a one-way system on the Tree Top Walk. That is, visitors can only enter from the Bukit Peirce entrance (via Peirce Track). Walking towards Bukit Kalang, visitors will exit along the Petaling Trail. 
More FAQs about the Walk on the NParks website. 

Till the next time, into the world and beyond! 

Accidental Tourist - 2014 Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk - Tiong Bahru walk

This is the 2nd photowalk that I managed to do over the past few months to continue shooting in my little island - the previous walk is captured in my earlier blog entry and now the "Scott Kelby Worldwide photowalk" held on October 11, 2014. 

This photowalk has a constant on my photo calendar having gone for my first worldwalk back in 2011: 

• 2011: Oct 2 - walk around Marina Bay area of Singapore - walk leader was Bernard Goh - https://www.flickr.com/photos/magtyfoto/sets/72157627682277461/with/6206379519/

• 2013: Oct 5 -  Civil District Trail of Singapore - walk leader was Wilson Wong - https://www.flickr.com/photos/magtyfoto/sets/72157627682277461/with/6206451967/

For Scott Kelby's walk, (Wilson Wong as walk leader) it was a nice little stroll around familiar Tiong Bahru neighborhood where I did several walks earlier i.e. 

• OH! Open House event in 2012: http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2012/02/oh-open-house-at-tiong-bahru-singapore.html
• Air Raid Walk again in 2012: http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2012/02/tiong-bahru-air-raid-walk-on-4-feb-2012.html 
• Escape to Nostalgia in 2011: http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2011/05/escape-to-nostalgic-side-of.html

Interestingly, there is a link back to my earlier walk that I did which I only realised now...there is a "Kim Cheng Street" (formerly known as "Kim Ching Street" in this Tiong Bahru neighbourhood which is named after Tan Kim Ching, who was a prominent member of the Hokkien clan back in 1800s. More info available here: http://tiongbahruestate.blogspot.sg/2007/08/tan-kim-ching-1829-1892.html. Coincidentally, he was the 1st leader appointed for the Hokkien Thian Hock Keng Temple that I visited for the earlier walk (http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2014/10/accidental-tourist-500px-photo-walk.html). 

Here are some captures of the neighborhood (and its resident cat): 

 More photos can be seen from my Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/magtyfoto/15317716527/

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!