At home, we helped the feelings by putting up and decorating the Christmas tree a few weeks earlier, endless listening to the usual “Last Christmas”, “Let it Snow”, “All I want for Christmas is You” and seriously over-indulging on home-baked cookies prepared according to Mum’s recipes.

All in all, as good as it gets for a Christmas in the City (and without family)!

On this Saturday afternoon we set off to discover the far west of Singapore, a region until now completely unknown to me.
We started at Bukit Batok Town Park, also known as Little Guilin because of its resemblance to Guilin in China, and took in the beautiful natural scenery and tranquillity. For many years, this place has been a quarry and the granite rocks still remain impressive and a bit out of place in otherwise mostly flat Singapore.

Following a small trail along the waters of Lake Guilin we reached a hidden path – with a sign indicating that is has been permanently closed. It was leading up and into the dense forest and, of course, we ignored the sign and followed the track. And we were not alone; we met a woman, a Romanian living in Indonesia and on a short trip to Singapore, and continued our adventures together. The track led us through thick foliage, first up to an overgrown viewpoint and then down to a small stream. After a bit more than one hour and some back and forth, we finally found our way out of the forest and back to civilization, which in this case (and typical for Singapore) was a construction site.

I started my tour with breakfast at Tian Kee, a retro-styled café. I have read that it had taken over the premises of the Tian Kee Provision Shop which was privately run and for 54 years catered to the daily needs of the neighbourhood.

In the late afternoon I came back in order to stroll around the blocks and take some pictures. I was initially not happy as the weather was rather hazy. After review I find however that it adds a special touch and conveys the nostalgic feeling really well.

Foremost, the National Stadium with its retractable roof. Whereas the stadium already sets a world record with the largest free-spanning dome roof (312m in diameter), I am curious to see how long it takes for sport records to be broken. Next year’s SEA Games (sort of Olympic Games of the South East Asia states) held in Singapore for the first time in more than 20 years will definitely add a lot of entertainment and spectacle and might as well set some new records.

Besides the National Stadium there is much more to discover. The Sports Hub includes the Aquatic Centre, the Indoor Stadium, a new shopping mall and – the highlight for me – a stunning vista over the bay, with Singapore’s skyline as backdrop.

That is why two friends from my recent photo course and me headed there for a photo outing. I had lots of fun and spent a great time!
We chatted with some of the residents and got a feeling how life in Singapore must have been half a century ago. It is great to be reminded that Singapore offers so much more than shopping, eating and the CBD (central business district around Marina Bay).

From time to time, especially in order to avoid too much routine, I try to review my imaginary to-do list and pick one activity. The recent visit to Jurong Bird Park was just such an example. It made a great weekend half-day program and combined some of my favourite pastimes: new discoveries, outdoor activities and photography.