Accidental Tourist - Pulau Ubin – the little island off Singapore

A short 30 minute boat ride taken from the eastern side of Singapore at the Changi Ferry Terminal brings one to Pulau Ubin. With a small boat price of S$2.50 per person each way, my family had a little excursion down to this little island.

Rustic and basic comes to mind but it’s a welcome relief from the tall buildings that surround Singapore, my island city. If you are not up to walking, bicycles can be hired for a quick cycle around the island. I heard that overnight stays at some chalets and tents are available. I have not yet tried taking the route down to Chek Jawa (a lovely intertidal walk that apparently houses one of Singapore's richest ecosystem) but it’s definitely on my ‘to-do’ list. 

Till the next time, off to the world and beyond! 

Accidental Tourist - Farm Visits in Singapore

I decided to bring my kiddos to a farm visit over National Day weekend. To be frank, they were initially reluctant to go as they would prefer spending the afternoon holed up in a shopping centre or so. But I was insistent & they relented. 

To make things more palatable for them, I asked each to choose 1 location that they wanted to go around the same area. It was the frog farm (Jurong Frog Farm @ 56 Lim Chu Kang Lane 6; http://www.jurongfrogfarm.com.sg/) for my boy and the aquarium (Hausmann Marketing Aquarium @ No 291 Neo Tiew Crescent, ( LCK 113 ) Singapore 718903, http://www.hausmann-aqua.com/) for my girl. 

The kids managed to get some fishing time at the aquarium that allowed for them to fish using their nets & return the guppies back to the lokangs where they came from. This arrangement suited me fine as I didn’t want the fish to die en-route back home. 

In between, we managed to pop by the Goat Farm (Hay Diaries, No. 3 Lim Chu Kang, Agrotech Park Lane; http://www.haydairies.com.sg/) and dunked in 2 bottles of goat’s milk each before taking a short walk around the farm. For a complete listing of what you can do in this location, access http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/sbwra.htm for more info. Here are some shots of the locations. All in all, a good day out for the kids & myself of course!

 Shop front at the Frog Farm

 Kids having some fishing good time

Goat farm

Till the next time, off to the world and beyond!

Accidental Tourist – Vesak Day 2011 (May) Shoot

This is a back post of the visits that I took over Vesak Day holidays.

I decided to trod by the Bright Hill Temple and the Tooth Relic Temple in year 2011. This is a continuation of last year’s Vesak Day photoshoot. I am in fact hoping that this will be a staple in my photography shoots & I will be able to take different types of shots at the same locations.

Here are 3 pictures taken at the Bright Hill Temple –  I was early enough to witness the arduous “3 steps 1 bow” ceremony that is only held at this temple on the eve of Vesak Day:

 full prostration is carried out by all devotees in this ceremony

 Monks saying their prayers before the ceremony

closeup of the Head monk having a moment 

My sentiments after witnessing this momentous grueling ceremony where the devotees essentially had to prostrate over the floor or bow once every 3 steps? I have nothing but respect for these devotees who do it as a mark of their faith.

On Vesak Day, I went to the Tooth Relic Temple bright & early. I had hoped to catch the early morning prayers but only to realize that it will only be open to the public at 9a.m. Nevertheless, I had a nice walk around as it was quite peaceful even on this very important day for the Buddhists:

 Tooth Relic Temple in all its glory

 not a Chinese devotee but just as welcome into this temple

 closeup of the guardians placed outside the temple

Compared to last year’s visit, I took in the temple at a much slower pace as the temple is definitely less crowded (likely due to the timing). But nevertheless, the feeling of peace and tranquility the minute I step into this place never fails to amaze me. 


Till the next time, off to the world and beyond!

Accidental Tourist - Ode to a Grand Dame...Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

It seems befitting that I post a "goodbye" post on 30 June 2011, the last day of operations of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. Like many people, it was a case of "lamenting when it is gone". Sometimes it is not the building or the bricks but the sights, sounds, people & smells of a location that one will miss after it is gone. Quite some people have thronged the station since news of it broke out and it is only fitting that I do the same as after all, one does not see the closure of a 79 year old train station every other day.....here's some snapshots to remember this grand old dame (a beauty in its time; soon to be a memory of years gone by):

Till the next time, off to the world and beyond!

Accidental Tourist - Photography Trip to the Singapore Zoo

I have visited the Singapore Zoological Gardens many times (with my kids generally) but only recently stepped in there after picking up my DSLR camera. I must say that it was definitely another experience to go there for a specific reason to take photos.

Perhaps the Zoo should consider having special photography guided tours to make things more fruitful for all the gazillions of photographers I encountered that afternoon?

Here's my White Tiger shots - I stayed there for about 2 hours trying to get the shots (photography has certainly taught me the art of patience):

The Rhino was a nice easy target for beginner photographers like me as they move ever so slowly:

Zebra is also a fav of mine. I like the way it was looking squarely at the camera when I took this shot:
Slow moving (and docile) animals like the one below is also another good target:
The most unlikely great photo I got that afternoon was from a humble duck:

Off to the world and beyond!