Up to Singapore - March 6th-13th 2012

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March 12th 2012: Marina Bay, Bumboat Ride, Haw Par Villa, and more


Page 1 of 4.
Click on images below to enlarge:
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Campus
A sample shot of NTU's lush campus.
Another shot. NTU's campus has a network of covered walkways. You can get anywhere without being exposed to sun or rain. I took this picture the previous day.
Sometimes the paths leave the road and venture off by themselves, cutting across forested land.
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A sample shot of NTU's lush campus.
Another shot. NTU's campus has a network of covered walkways. You can get anywhere without being exposed to sun or rain.
I took this picture the previous day.
Sometimes the paths leave the road and venture off by themselves, cutting across forested land.
I noticed that the campus sounds like a forest: I heard the same clamor of bird and insect noise as I did when hiking the southern ridges a few days earlier.
Breakfast at Boon Lay Exchange
A red bean muffin and a chilli crab bun, both of which I bought because they sounded intriguing. The red bean muffin was so buttery I couldn't eat much. The chilli crab bun was decent, with a spicy chilli filling that had the texture of crab.
From another spot (Mr. Bean), I bought a peanut bun. It was dry and mediocre, with a layer of peanut crumbs in between the thick, springy bread.
A red bean muffin and a chilli crab bun, both of which I bought because they sounded intriguing. The red bean muffin was so buttery I couldn't eat much. The chilli crab bun was decent, with a spicy chilli filling that had the texture of crab.
From another spot (Mr. Bean), I bought a peanut bun. It was dry and mediocre, with a layer of peanut crumbs in between the thick, springy bread.
Balestier
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Notice the water kiosk on the corner? It's a tradition started by a local temple when clean water was hard to come by.
For completeness, the local temple now providing the service: Thong Teck Sian Tong Lian Sia.
Rocks too hard for you? Get a better seat.
I continued the walking tour of Balestier that I started the previous day.
Notice the water kiosk on the corner? It's a tradition started by a local temple when clean water was hard to come by.
For completeness, the local temple now providing the service: Thong Teck Sian Tong Lian Sia.
Rocks too hard for you? Get a better seat.
This canal that I didn't expect, the Whampoa Canal Park Connector, looks like a lovely place to walk. This is an HDR photograph taken with an android app.
Ten minutes later I realized why it's so clean. P.S. One guy waved to me.
These old condos have nice outdoor spiral concrete staircases.
The Sing Hon Loong Bakery, a wholesale bakery that distributes bread throughout Singapore, still uses old ovens. The walking tour guidebook calls the ovens "archaic."
This canal that I didn't expect, the Whampoa Canal Park Connector, looks like a lovely place to walk.
This is an HDR photograph taken with an android app.
Ten minutes later I realized why it's so clean.
P.S. One guy waved to me.
These old condos have nice outdoor spiral concrete staircases.
The Sing Hon Loong Bakery, a wholesale bakery that distributes bread throughout Singapore, still uses old ovens. The walking tour guidebook calls the ovens "archaic."
Travel to Marina Bay
A neat view of these colorful public housing units. I'd never seen them from this angle or the arcade in front of them. I took this picture from a bus heading downtown.
A series of origami birds. They run the length of the hallway. Pretty awesome.
Origami birds take two.
A series of signs or scenes symbolic of luck in various parts of China. I'd love to know what stories they all tell.
A neat view of these colorful public housing units. I'd never seen them from this angle or the arcade in front of them.
I took this picture from a bus heading downtown.
A series of origami birds. They run the length of the hallway. Pretty awesome.
Origami birds take two.
A series of signs or scenes symbolic of luck in various parts of China. I'd love to know what stories they all tell.
Marina Bay
I was headed to the prow of the boat that is the park above Marina Bay Sands resort, a.k.a. the SkyPark. It's an impressively large cantilever observation deck.
Singapore's central business district. The white building is the historic Fullerton Hotel. Sorry the picture is crooked. This is an HDR photograph taken with an android app.
Another light sculpture, this one of dancing people. I bet it looks awesome at night.
The Marina Bay Sands lobby and its large geometric mess of artwork.
I was headed to the prow of the boat that is the park above Marina Bay Sands resort, a.k.a. the SkyPark. It's an impressively large cantilever observation deck.
Singapore's central business district. The white building is the historic Fullerton Hotel.
Sorry the picture is crooked.
This is an HDR photograph taken with an android app.
Another light sculpture, this one of dancing people. I bet it looks awesome at night.
The Marina Bay Sands lobby and its large geometric mess of artwork.
Lunch at Marina Bay Sands Food Court
A panorama of the food court in Marina Bay Sands shopping mall. This is only about sixty percent it. (My panorama app ran out of memory.) It's much in the style of Food Republic--a variety of stands that have similar signage so it's a coherent experience. Each is labeled with the type of cuisine it serves, much easier than deciphering hawker center stand names.
I grabbed lunch from an award-winning Hakka Yong Tau Foo. (The other award-winning stand was a franchise chain that I've eaten at elsewhere.) One picks a bunch of ingredients, most of which involve tofu.
My dry (soup separate from other stuff) yong tau foo. I got (roughly clockwise from left): eggplants stuffed tofu shiitaki mushroom stuffed with tofu some kind of crisp, slightly stringy green vegetable wrapped in tofu a spiral made of alternating layers of seaweed and fried tofu. Though not something I'd seen before, I liked it, as I did everything else I got. a ball of tofu mixed with a variety of diced vegetables. A fun party. tofu stuffed with something squishier (than tofu) (not shown) greens noodles. By the way, these needed something. I ended up eating them either with soup or went back for more chili sauce. There were half a dozen toppings, mostly to flavor the soup. I didn't know what to do with them.
Kiwi juice.
A panorama of the food court in Marina Bay Sands shopping mall. This is only about sixty percent it. (My panorama app ran out of memory.) It's much in the style of Food Republic--a variety of stands that have similar signage so it's a coherent experience. Each is labeled with the type of cuisine it serves, much easier than deciphering hawker center stand names.
I grabbed lunch from an award-winning Hakka Yong Tau Foo. (The other award-winning stand was a franchise chain that I've eaten at elsewhere.) One picks a bunch of ingredients, most of which involve tofu.
My dry (soup separate from other stuff) yong tau foo. I got (roughly clockwise from left):
  • eggplants stuffed tofu
  • shiitaki mushroom stuffed with tofu
  • some kind of crisp, slightly stringy green vegetable wrapped in tofu
  • a spiral made of alternating layers of seaweed and fried tofu. Though not something I'd seen before, I liked it, as I did everything else I got.
  • a ball of tofu mixed with a variety of diced vegetables. A fun party.
  • tofu stuffed with something squishier (than tofu) (not shown)
  • greens
  • noodles. By the way, these needed something. I ended up eating them either with soup or went back for more chili sauce. There were half a dozen toppings, mostly to flavor the soup. I didn't know what to do with them.
Kiwi juice.
Park above Marina Bay Sands (Skypark)
A model of the Marina Bay Sands hotel/resort/casino/mall/museum/theater/etc. complex.
From the SkyPark atop Marina Bay Sands, a high resolution shot of the so-called Gardens by the Bay and its giant metal purple trees ("supertrees"). I know this scene looks like a model but it's not.
Looking toward the gate of the marina. In the distance is the Marina Barrage, a recent construction that makes the whole marina into a freshwater catchment.
A close-up of the Marina Barrage.
A model of the Marina Bay Sands hotel/resort/casino/mall/museum/theater/etc. complex.
From the SkyPark atop Marina Bay Sands, a high resolution shot of the so-called Gardens by the Bay and its giant metal purple trees ("supertrees"). I know this scene looks like a model but it's not.
Looking toward the gate of the marina. In the distance is the Marina Barrage, a recent construction that makes the whole marina into a freshwater catchment.
A close-up of the Marina Barrage.
A long panoramic video looking down (including straight down at the highway), up, and around this area, Gardens by the Bay and vicinity.
A panorama looking over the Marina Bay Golf Course and the Gardens by the Bay and out to sea.
A panorama of the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Golf Course, and a bit of downtown. This is to the left of the previous panorama.
A high resolution shot of the Marina Bay Golf Course and a number of housing complexes in the distance.
A long panoramic video looking down (including straight down at the highway), up, and around this area, Gardens by the Bay and vicinity.
A panorama looking over the Marina Bay Golf Course and the Gardens by the Bay and out to sea.
A panorama of the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Golf Course, and a bit of downtown. This is to the left of the previous panorama.
A high resolution shot of the Marina Bay Golf Course and a number of housing complexes in the distance.
From this height, the Singapore Flyer looks short.
An absurdly wide panorama meant to show the great number of shipping vessels moored off Singapore's harbor. I got bored taking all the fodder shots.
A panorama of the Singapore's financial district as well as the colonial center (short buildings in the middle), and the floating stadium. This is to the left of the earlier previous panorama that included the Marina Bay Gold Course.
A closer look at the financial/business center. This is an HDR photograph taken with an android app.
From this height, the Singapore Flyer looks short.
An absurdly wide panorama meant to show the great number of shipping vessels moored off Singapore's harbor. I got bored taking all the fodder shots.
A panorama of the Singapore's financial district as well as the colonial center (short buildings in the middle), and the floating stadium. This is to the left of the earlier previous panorama that included the Marina Bay Gold Course.
A closer look at the financial/business center.
This is an HDR photograph taken with an android app.