Weird and Whales in Botanical Gardens

 

I saw this picture of the whale display in the Botanical Gardens. The whale fin is at the back. I wonder how it related to the real size of a whale. Whales are large. This is why we talk about having a whale of a time. 

When I researched I discovered that the whales down under, like the elephants around London last season, are a rotating exhibition with lots of whales in lots of places. More chance to see them. But you have to hurry or mark your calendar before the next display comes along. So if you are keen on whale watching, run along fast, in real life to take photos of the displays alone or with you alongside, or online, alone or with your face or body overlapping.

From your happy, snappy traveller, Angela.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Singapore Swans and Penguins In Orchard Road, Fake, Fun and Real Creatures

I I saw two real white swans on the swan lake in Singapore's Botanical Gardens before I came across the large swan sculpture in the water.

A nearby plaque tells the story of the lake which was drained to remove a crocodile.

Earlier we had read another sign saying that you might be 'lucky' enough to see a monitor lizard, which, the sign reassures you, are timid and likely to retreat.

We saw a lizard about the size of a tall man's shoe. That was a fine size in my opinion. I do not want to meet a lizard which looks like a crocodile.

We took a taxi, actually a Grab, to Orchard Road. Penguins, models of penguins, were abundant.

Penguins and Igloo in Orchard Road. Angela on the left. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Art lovers, train lovers and sewing machine owners: Spot the sewing machine on the mural at Rochor MRT Station and more art throughout Singapore

Photo by CCL-DCL in Wikipedia article on Rochor MRT.
What do you prefer? Station murals showing history? Or Modern life? A mural at Rochor station in Singapore combines both, a motherboard showing an old sewing machine and modern gadgets.

Rochor station is in the art district, near the LaSalle Art School. The art school members designed the mural.

Rochor is a comparatively recent station. Building it in the centre of the city was a challenge. The construction team had to shift the nearby Rochor canal to make room for the station.

If you visit the station, spare a thought for the art students and the builders of the station.

What else can you see on murals in Singapore? Next stop along on the Downtown line, you will see Elephants in Little India MRT.

Continuting north, the next stop is Newton with passengers in what look like spaceships or submarines. Two stops further on is the Botanic Gardens with a tree and lots of leaves. I have several more posts on murals and stations in Singapore, as well as. London and around the world. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Where is the sewing machine? Go down to the platform on the Downtown line and look towards the lift and look up.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochor_MRT_station
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/01/more-cute-artwork-on-newton-mrt-train.html
Getting to Singapore
singaporeair.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

From Singapore's Changi Airport Take the Train and learn Chinese, Malay,and English VIP Names

Airport Boulevard leading to and from Changi airport has roadworks and lane closures scheduled 13-25 Feb 2019, a good time to consider taking the MRT train instead.





Singapore Flag.

Singapore is a great stopover on your way to Asia or Australia and a great destination in its own right. Take the train from or to the airport and learn to recognize English, Chinese and Malay names.

Arriving at Changi airport you can catch a train into town. When I visit Singapore I look at the names on the train map and try to find out what they mean which makes them easier to remember and recognize. I also listen to the announcements and ask people sitting alongside me or passers-by for translations. The station names tell you about the terrain, the geography, as well as Singapore's history.

Airport On The Train Line
Singapore's Changi airport is on the Singapore MRT, the last stop on east end of the green line, the East-West line, which forks to go to either Changi or Pasir Ris. Pasir Ris means white sand.

Small carry on bags to carry onto the train.

A One-Wheelie Bag Hop
I recently travelled to Singapore, and for the first time travelled longhaul for about 13 hours from Heathrow,  with only a carry-on bag.  I had less weight to carry and less clutter than usual so I considered taking the train all the way west across the island.

Seasonal lights. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Taxi or Train?
Instead I gook a taxi, which cost a lot more. When my taxi got stuck in a traffic jam caused by a road accident, I thought: next time I should seriously consider taking the efficient train service. The trains  run about every 5 minutes or even quicker. From Singapore's major MRT stations you can switch to the bus, hire a taxi, or a bicycle, and find fast food and a free toilet.



Swap from train to bus or bike and watch others at work. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

A couple of days later I took the wonderful MRT in the opposite direction and travelled east on the blue Downtown line towards Changi. I changed at busy Bugis onto the green East-West line (which posters tell you is being extended even further), ending at Pasir Ris.

More people will have Changi Airport as their destination.

Changi Airport. Photo by David in Wikipedia under Changi Airport.

CHANGI AIRPORT and MRT train station
Changi is known for its award-winning modern airport, a great shopping centre which has green walls and palm trees, giant sculptures, seasonal displays and a free Butterfly Garden on two levels with giant butterflies which you can admire and photograph. Changi Prison and Museum also attract those interested in history.

Free Tour Bus
If you are on Singapore Airlines and have a long stopover of, say, five hours in the daytime, you can book a free bus tour of the city which takes about two hours and gets you back in time for the hour or so you need to check in for the next flight. (The airport also has a hotel with a pool, and a cinema.)

Changi's Tree Name
The name Changi is probably botanical. The Malay version of the name stands for one of two possible plants, perhaps the hardwood tree which grew in the area and was used in building.

When you take the blue Downtown line from Changi Airport, the train map has two stations using the word Changi. The next stop is Upper Changi,

Green East-West Line Destinations
The Green line takes you from Changi Airport or Pasir Ris into town to City Hall, a big interchange. Next stop is equally busy Raffles Place, named after the man whose statue stands on the seafront and in renowned Raffles Hotel.

Raffles Place MRT station exterior. From Wikipedia.

Shopping On Orchard Road
You could go to Newton, for the nearby Sheraton Hotel. Or swap to the red line, going one stop to Orchard, the centre of Singapore. Orchard Road is a hive of hotels such as the Hilton and shopping malls plus all the seasonal lights delightfully illuminating the streets and skyscrapers at night.

The green line passes through some easy and self-explanatory station placenames; Redhill, Queenstown, Commonwealth, Dover, Chinese Garden and Lakeside.

Tampines Trees On the Green Line
The next stop is Tampines East, and the Tampines is another tree. Singapore is full of trees, bordering every road, my favourites being the rain trees like umbrellas, with orchids crowing in the fork of the branches, which you will see if you take a taxi instead of the train.

On the train, on the blue Downtown line, after Upper Changi, you reach Tampines East MRT, Tampines MRT, a big hub and bus exchange, then Tampines West.

Changi Airport seasonal display for Easter. Full of Photo Opportunities. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Pasir Ris - Eend of The Green East-West Line
Pasir means sand. According to  Wikipedia Pasir Ris means white sand in Malay. Most people will tell you white sand, although Infopedia gives an alternative version. Malay is written in the English alphabet, which makes it easier to pick up than the Chinese pictograms.

The Blue Downtown Line
Instead you could take the blue line. Only one stop away from Changi is Expo, with vast exhibition halls. So exhibitors and visitors to exhibitions keep this station busy. I have visited wine fairs, food fairs and other events.

The Busy Blue Line
The Blue Line eventually takes you to: Chinatown, Bayfront, Promenade, Little India and Botanic Gardens, all major visitor attractions. If you are blessed with beautiful weather, go to the Botanic Gardens, which has wonderful walks, numerous photo opportunities, as well as big shopping areas and gourmet restaurants if it rains.

The end of the blue line in the north is Bukit Panjang. Bukit is Malay for hill. Panjang means long in Malay. The Malay words often have two syllables.The adjective usually comes after the noun, unlike English. (Pasir Ris - sand white. Bukit Panjang, hill long.)

Chinese Names
Stations with single syllable names, and three single syllable names are Chinese. Remember the VIP, the late Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have many more posts on Singapore, the MRT, the Botanic Gardens and cities and stations around the world and learning languages. Please share links to your favourite posts.

To learn Malay and Chinese (Mandarin) for free online, use Duolingo, Memrise. Chineasy is on YouTube or buy their products from Amazon or Ebay.

Chineasy

On your MRT (train station) map you can recognize the Chinese signs for king (centre top in the Chineasy signs in King Albert Park MRT (DT6 Downtown station 6). The sign for mountain (lower left) is in Hillview MRT station (DT3) Downtown station three.

Useful Websites
MRT Train
https://www.transitlink.com.sg/images/eguide/mrt_sys_map.htm

Changi Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changi

Pasir Ris Station
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasir_Ris

Learn Languages
duolingo.com
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=chineasy

Botanic Gardens:
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/SBG

Butterfly Garden at Changi Airport
http://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-experience/attractions-and-services/butterfly-garden.html

Travel to Singapore
Singapore Airlines
shttps://www.transitlink.com.sg/images/eguide/mrt_sys_map.html

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Souvenirs of Singapore - where to buy and what to buy

Singapore flag.

Souvenirs of the MRT
Other souvenirs of Singapore:

Orchid Jewellery
The Botanic Gardens shops as well as major department stores such as Takashimaya in Ngee Ann City mall on Orchard Road will have gold-plated as pendants or brooches, or a brooch which can be worn as a pendant when attached to the accompanying chain.

Other sources of souvenirs are the shops in the Botanic Gardens.

Seasonal foods include the mooncakes for the autumn harvest festival sold in supermarkets as well as department stores and the lobbies of hotels such as Sheraton Towers. The cheapest will be in the supermarkets, the dearest in the five star hotels. Hotels often offer a free tiny taste.

In late January and February you will see the orange lanterns added to the lighting displays around malls and shopping streets which signal that shops are starting to stock seasonal goods for a seasonal Chinese festival such as Chinese New Year.

Starbucks 

Starbucks sells mugs with local scenes as well as teddy bears. Prices came down after Christmas and New Year in the January sales. 

Last Minute - Mustaf's

Mustafa's department store near Farrer Park MRT is open 24 hours. 

Planes

Finally, your plane will have gifts listed in the magazine.

Travel Tips

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

australia.com

visitbritain.com

visitbritain.shop.com

visitbritain.org

visittheusa.co.uk

visitsingapore.com

Singapore Airlines: 

singaporeair.com

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/12/secret-travellers-seen-on-newton-station.html

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/01/cute-musicians-in-cartoons-on-toilet.html

Botanic Gardens MRT station - see the tree

 Botanic Gardens MRT Station
Problem - which trees do you associate with Singapore. You will probably recognize more than you can name. I like the rain trees which spread like umbrellas along the PIE (Pan Island expressway) and the ECP (East Cost Parkway) - leading to and from the airport. I also love the red stalks of the lipstick palm and the other palm trees. I enjoy going to the botanical gardens and identifying the trees.

If you have time, get off at the Botanic Gardens interchange and go upstairs to the entrance to the Botanic Gardens.

Even if you don't have time to leave the station, you see artwork featuring plant life in various parts of the station.

The plaque about the Downtown line Art tells you about trees in the left column and about the artist in the right hand column.

The tree is a giant Tembusu tree. 

If you google Tembusu tree you will find newspaper reports about the tree which fell in the Botainic Gardens, killing one persona and injuring four more. I noticed that one of the trees in the park has a lightning conductor.

On a lighter note, if you have time, the main entrance to theBotanic Gardens has many more plaques about trees and plants. Entry to the gardens is free and you can see the real trees, many of which have descriptions. 

See my other posts on the Botanic Gardens and other gardens around the world and stations in London, England, Singapore and around the world.

Useful Websites:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botanic_Gardens_MRT_station

visitsingapore.com

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.sg/2018/01/beautiful-botanical-gardens-in-singapore.html

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.sg/2018/01/beautiful-food-in-botanic-gardens.html

MRT=Mass Rapid Transport

Author

 Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Beautiful Food In The Botanic Gardens, Singapore

Moscato d'Asti.

Wild Mushroom.

Pork Scratchings.

Problem
Where can I eat Western food well for a celebration or farewell dinner, near an MRT station in Singapore?

Answer
Botanico Restaurant in the Botanic Gardens. Easy to remember, nearly the same name as the Botanic gardens.

Downstairs is the Bees Knees restaurant and you can see through the windows the cooks busily cooking. You can eat outdoors in good weather.

Up an outstairs staircase is the Botanico restaurant. I didn't see any lift.

Your choice of seating is indoors, or outdoors under the canopy. We chose indoors.

Absolute tops was my drink. Perfect muscat.

The food is unusual. I started with a mushroom soup. On the side was foie gras sandwiched between two small biscuits. Delicious.

The port scratching turned out to be a bit like puffy crisps, with a creamy dip.

(Why no amuse guele - compliments of the chef? At those prices I'd expect that, as I would get at a similarly pricey restaurant in London.)

My main course was chicken with avocado and polenta. The chicken was perfect, soft. Bland flavour.

Dessert - the fruit was divide. My chocolate dessert was good, although not outstandingly surprising. However, I also tasted the fruit. A mixture of peppermint and other flavours.

A very good meal.

Botanico Restaurant, Singapore. Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Botanico at The Garage
50 Cluny Park Road
Botanical Gardens
Singapore 257488.
Tel: +65 9831 1106.
MRT Botanic Gardens on the Downtown line.
Email: enquiry@thegarage.sg
website: thegarage.sg

Price?
Pricey. Even though we chose the least expensive starters and main course, it was pricey.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel wrtier and photographer, author and speaker.

Trevor Sharot Photo of Monitor Lizard And Its Long Tongue In Singapore

Photos by Trevor Sharot, copyright.

Problem
How do you get up close to a monitor lizard? How dangerous is it?

Answers
I was sitting across the table from William in Singapore and I told him about the monitor Lizard which Trevor Sharot saw in Singapore.

Monitor Lizards In the Botanic Gardens

My new friend, William, was phlegmatic, unconcerned. He said:

"I saw monitor lizards in the Botanic Gardens."

"In a cage?"

" No, just lying around enjoying the sun."

"Aren't they dangerous?"

"Not if you keep your distance. But you wouldn't want to get too close."

"But Trevor saw one the other side of a wall with tennis netting.  The lizard was growling and striking its tail."

"Maybe it was protecting its eggs."

"How many did you see in the Botanic Gardens? Two?"

"About ten."

"Ten! I'd have left if I saw even one. I won't be going to the Botanic Gardens again."

Trevor Sharot's Video of Monitor Lizard
I asked Trevor Sharot to send me a still from his video. In the video you can see the lizard thrashing its tail against the wall.

Monitor Lizard's Tongue
Then it puts out its tongue. It wasn't until we freeze-framed the video to select a suitable still (showing the head not obscured by the wall or netting) that we realised how long the tongue is. It looks like a flexible pencil or piece of bamboo. The tongue strikes so fast! It's out and visible in one frame but gone in the next.

If you want to see a monitor lizard, go to a zoo, or Singapore's Botanic Gardens.

Useful Websites:
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/singapore-botanic-gardens
http://www.visitsingapore.com/en/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Octagonal Gazebo in Botanic Gardens

Singapore's Botanic Gardens contains an octagonal bandstand dating back to 1930 which is now an historical landmark. This white structure was once used for bands to play but nowadays it is popular for wedding ceremonies.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Halia restaurant, Botanic Gardens, Singapore

the Botanic Gardens are a delight, with trees bearing plaques and a white bandstand for weddings.

Inside the restaurant is very elegant. White and glass and mirrors and glimpses of the greenery outside.

Ginger drink and ginger dessert - Halia is heavenly. H a l i a means ginger - and ginger flavours are a feature of their menu. Walking from the car park up the pedestrian only path to the restaurant you pass trees with plaques. We went to a wedding where the ceremony was booked to be performed in the bandstand out in the gardens.

Ginger was a flavour of the cocktail we were served in the restaurant lobby area whilst waiting for the start of the ceremony. Ginger and lemon grass. I've often asked for a drink supposedly flavoured with lemon grass and it did not taste of anything. But here the lemon grass and ginger flavours were zinging.

The pumpkin soup was lovely flavour and consistency. (A few days later I had pumpkin soup at another restaurant, the Amarone, where it was not nearly so good.)

The service was superb. The wedding guests' placards were market with red dots if the diner had ordered meat, blue for fish. My salmon was moist, succulent.

The highlight of the meal was the dessert, a kind of crunch meringue with nuts and fruit flavoured cream.

The shape of the hall was in two parts, like an L shape and a screen in the larger room showed what was happening at the top table in the smaller room. If you were not at a wedding but having a lunch that would not bother you.

Afterwards we wanted to go back so I looked at the set meal on line. They offered a two course or three course set meal, 28 or 32 dollars, so near in price that you might as well have the three courses. The price includes tea or coffee. But they will add on ten percent service charge plus the 7% GST (tax).

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.