Chinatown

 Stop 2 on our busy day was Chinatown. It was a couple of stops on the train from Fort Canning and therefore easily accessed.

We walked along the main street heading for the Hawkers Market (below) for lunch.

The market was exactly as the tourist guides had described... Hectic! So hectic, in fact, that we couldn't find a table to sit down. let along chose a food vendor. Eventually, we gave up and went to find a more peaceful, if more expensive restaurant down one of the many side streets.

It proved to be a good choice. The one we stopped at had air conditioning with very nice food. Harry discovered how good satay sticks can be, along with the sweet Mantou buns. There a bit like a donut but not as sickly sweet.

After lunch we explored Chinatown a bit more. The side streets were full of small market stalls, intermingled with restaurants.

A number of the buildings are painted with elaborate depictions of life in Chinatown early last century.

The centre piece of Chinatown is the Budda Tooth Relic Temple (above). It is quite the achitectural work of art.

With Chinatown explored, we headed for the metro station (above) as the next activity was in the zoo precinct in the northern part of the island.

Battlebox, Fort Canning

 

Today is going to be a long and busy day. This morning, we started with a visit to the Fort Canning Battlebox. It is located within the Fort Canning parkland, and a stone's throw from our hotel. The Battlebox is the facility where they were managing the military effort in WWII as the Japanese invaded Singapore.

Inside the Box, there are many displays of the equipment that would have been used during WWII. The very detailed, and almost lifelike wax models of the soldiers involved.

 

Garden Rhapsody

 

We spent the afternoon in the hotel pool before returning to the Gardens for the evening light show in the Super Tree Grove.

The sun was just vanishing over the western horizon as we arrived at the Gardens. The lights were turning on illuminating various features including the giant steel drangonflys and fountains.

The Super Trees were also lit up and as it became darker, the picture changed. The lights gradually cycled through colours making for an endlessly changing scene.

The Rhapsody music started and the light show ramped up to match the flow of the music. We lay on our backs looking up at the show which ran for about 15 minutes.

What a great show! The Gardens had certainly delivered today. One last look at the Marina Bay Sands lit up before catching the train back to our hotel.