Primarily residential, and overwhelmingly affluent, these two areas to the immediate west of the city centre are book-ended by two of Singapore’s best-loved green spaces: the astoundingly beautiful Singapore Botanic Gardens and the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. The latter is a tiny patch of jungle offering a chance to see tropical birds, monkeys and other exotic wildlife (look, but don’t touch, and for their sake and that of your bank account, don’t feed the monkeys – fines for feeding them approaches the yearly GNPs of some emerging nations). Both of these places are absolute must-sees. After spending an afternoon strolling through manicured gardens or primary rainforest, take some time to visit some of the area’s upscale restaurant strips like Holland Village, Greenwood Ave and Dempsey Rd, which, also known as Tanglin Village, offers great shopping, eating and drinking opportunities, and is pretty swank considering the site is a converted former army barracks. Holland Village has long been a favorite nightspot for Singapore’s expatriate community, offering a number of excellent restaurants, bars and clubs. An evening out in any of these eating areas, not often visited by casual tourists, is a good way to get a real taste of Singapore.
SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS
6471 7361; www.sbg.org.sg; 1 Cluny Park Rd; admission free; 5am-midnight; Metro Orchard, then Bus 7, 77, 123 or 174 from Orchard Blvd
You can’t beat the botanic gardens as a spot to recover from your jet lag, have a picnic or just lie around forgetting you’re in a large metropolis. Established around 1860 and covering 52 hectares, the gardens originally acted as a test ground for botanical research and potential cash crops, such as rubber. Today they still host a herbarium housing more than 600,000 botanical specimens and a library with archival materials dating back to the
16th century.
Visitors can enjoy manicured garden beds or explore a 4-hectare patch of ‘original Singaporean jungle’, a sample of the kind of forest that once covered the entire island – though Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (right) and MacRitchie Reservoir give a more accurate picture of that. Still, it’s worth taking one of the rainforest tours. They usually cost $15 for a group of up to 15 people, but call ahead because there are free tours at certain times.
Also don’t miss the extraordinary National Orchid Garden (adult/child $5/free; 8.30am-7pm), one of the world’s largest orchid displays featuring over 60,000 of these delicate looking but incredibly hardy plants, including the Vanda Miss Joaquim. This hybrid orchid, Singapore’s national flower, was discovered in 1893 by Agnes Joaquim in her garden.
BUKIT TIMAH NATURE RESERVE
1800 468 5736; www.nparks.gov.sg; 8.30am-6pm; Bus 65, 75, 170 or 171
The only area of primary forest remaining in Singapore, this 164-hectare nature reserve offers a range of nature walks, testing jungle treks and even mountain-bike trails. It’s a haven for plants (one naturalist estimated there are more species here than in the whole of North America) and 160 species of animals. It also boasts the highest point on the island, Bukit Timah (163m), though the dense foliage doesn’t afford much of a view.
The most popular and easiest walk in the park is along a paved road to the top of Bukit Timah. Even during the week it attracts a number of walkers, but few venture off the pavement to explore the side trails, which are more interesting. For a distinctly out-of-Singapore experience, try the North View, South View or Fern Valley paths.
These involve some scrambling over rocks and tree roots and can be quite testing in parts.
Pick up a map of the park’s trails from the visitor centre, where an exhibition details the various flora and fauna that can be found in the reserve. A small shop here sells drinks, snacks, guidebooks and the all-important mosquito repellent.
Bukit Timah has two tough mountain bike trails, 6km in all, running around the edge of the nature reserve between Chestnut Ave and Rifle Range Rd. The trails cut though jungle and abandoned quarry sites and are hilly in parts. There’s also a bike trail running through the neighboring Central Catchment Nature Reserve to the MacRitchie Reservoir, 6km east.
Several buses run close to the park, including buses 65 and 170 from Newton MRT, bus 75 from the CBD and Chinatown, and bus 171 from the YMCA on Orchard Rd or from Scotts Rd. Get off at the Bukit Timah Shopping Centre; the entrance to the park is about 1km north along Hindhede Dr.
CHINESE TEMPLE FESTIVALS OF SINGAPORE
Anyone’s trip to Singapore should include a visit to some of the Lion City’s vibrant Chinese temples. Should your journey coincide with a temple festival, you’ll be in for an amazing display indeed – not to mention the possibility of a free vegetarian meal.
Festivals are based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, so you’ll need to convert the dates into their Western calendar equivalents using an online Western-to-Chinese date calculator. A good one is available at www.chinesetools.eu/tools/chinesecalendar.
Chinese New Year’s Eve Held on the 29th or 30th day of the 12th month, depending on the year. This is perhaps the most important Chinese holiday (think of Christmas in the West). Expect to breathe in temple air filled with incense burned to welcome in the lunar New Year. Some excellent spots to join the revelry include Thian Hock Keng on Telok Ayer St, Wak Hai Cheng Bio on Philip St and the Kuan Im Thong Hood Cho (Goddess of Mercy Temple; p69) on Waterloo St.
Birthday of the Monkey God Held on the 15th or 16th day of the first month. Beloved by many in Singapore, this religious celebration honours the birthday of T’se Tien Tai Seng Yeh, the Monkey God, who cures the sick and frees the hopeless. During the ceremony, mediums called Tan Kees perform miraculous feats, going into trances, piercing their cheeks and tongues with skewers and writing out charms in their own blood. This festival is celebrated at many temples throughout the city, including Qi Tian Gong (Monkey God Temple) in Tiong Bahru and Poh An Keng on Tampines Rd.
Birthday of Matsu Held on the 23rd day of the third month. The birthday of the goddess of the sea, Matsu (sometimes spelled ‘Mazu’), is a major cause for celebration for Taoists, especially those who live by the ocean. Expect processions, incense and celebrations galore. Thian Hock Keng on Telok Ayer St and Wak Hai Cheng Beo on Philip St both play host to worshippers on the goddess’ birthday.
Vesak Day Held on the first full moon of the fourth lunar month. This important holiday celebrates three important events in the life of the Buddha: his birth, his enlightenment, and his attainment of nirvana. The flavor of this holiday will differ depending on which sect is celebrating it. The Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Geylang sponsors a huge tent festival in the park across the street; expect the air to be filled with incense and Tibetan chanting. Free vegetarian meals are also served.
Hungry Ghost Festival Held on the seventh lunar month. An important festival that incorporates various prayers and activities all over the island. The Chinese believe that during this month, the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander to seek food on Earth. If you’re feeling spooked, remember that offering food to the deceased is believed to appease the spirits and ward off bad luck.
Nine Emperor Gods Festivals Held from the first to the ninth day of the ninth month. This is celebrated at many of the Taoist temples devoted to the nine Emperor Gods. During this festival, many temples of the nine Emperor Gods will be celebrating by going to the river or sea to welcome the gods on the eve of the first day and at a grand sending off on the night of the ninth day. In between, they do processions visiting fellow temples.
Special thanks to local author and noted scholar of Chinese culture and religion Victor Yue, who was gracious enough to share his expertise on the Chinese temple festivals of Singapore. Victor recommends Margaret Chan’s book Ritual Is Theatre, Theatre Is Ritual to anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of local Chinese popular religion. Victor’s blog can be found at http://chinesetemples.blogspot.com.
Singapore: Holland Road & Bukit Timah
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