The most problematic thing to consider when you jio your friends out for an outing is probably deciding on where to go. We often complain how Singapore is too small and "boring" for exploration, and yet there are actually a lot of places to hang out. This post is dedicated to those who do not know what to do/where to go for the upcoming March holidays/Sem Break.
1) Hiking
For those who try to lead a healthy lifestyle or aspire to be some green ambassador, here are some reviews of the places I have been to.
a. Punggol Waterway/Coney island
There is this bike shop @bikesatwaterway near SAFRA that rents bikes at affordable prices, albeit more expensive than regular rates (compared to ECP/WCP). However due to budget constraints (we were really poor then) we concluded that Bus 11 is (our legs are) better in bringing us around. Unfortunately because we travelled by foot we didn't make it to Coney Island. Despite going in the early morning, it became really hot by the time it was noon and we gave up exploring. There were really some picturesque areas like this cute mural
and this nice bridge for those Take-Me-To-Places (Couple?) shots.
Verdict: This place is pretty cool for exploration but please rent a bike and at least make it to Coney Island if you are going to travel this far. (If you don't happen to stay anywhere along the purple line)
b. Henderson Waves/Marang trail/Southern Ridges
We started the journey at Vivo/Harbourfront station, towards Mount Faber.
There were many flights of stairs and we were sweating like mad by the time we reached Henderson Waves. It was pretty windy there and the view was nice. There are also many places to take photos like this colourful flight of stairs.
This photo does not do Henderson Waves justice because it is really quite a picturesque place. The photo looks a bit dull because we were simply too tired to give a shit. This was taken when we were lying down and chilling.
In the end we ended our hike before we made it Hort Park (we went to Ikea instead) But if you are hardcore you can always walk from Vivo > Mount Faber > Kent Ridge Park > West Coast Park.
Verdict: This is a great hiking spot. Not too hot and good for sightseeing.
c. Chestnut Nature Reserve
The park opened on 27 February 2017 and according to Nparks, it is the largest nature reserve in Singapore. Since the nature reserve is near my house, my friend suggested that we go there for sightseeing and photo-taking. Like who knows, maybe this will be the new hipster hideout.
We made our journey there but halfway through we started doubting our life decisions, because this place is really ulu. After alighting at the bus stop, we had to walk uphill and at some point of time there was no pavement, meaning we had to walk on the road.
Me: I think we are going to get kidnapped.
J (my friend): I am going to call my mum just in case.
.
.
.
Yeah but of course he didn't.
Seriously though, this place is too inaccessible for those without a car. We actually intended to take photos of birds because apparently some "globally endangered birds can be found there". Much to our dismay, all we saw was grass, mud and nothing else.
Verdict: This place is a good mountain biking trail for adventurous cyclists but if you want to do nature photography, Botanic Gardens is probably a better place. If you want to jog, MacRitchie is probably more ideal.
2) Museum Hopping
If you want to be intellectually stimulated you should really go for this. Ok jk. Honestly most of the time, I go to Museum not to learn about history but to do sightseeing. (But of course the history part is a bonus)
a. ArtScience Museum
The only exhibition that I have been to is the Future World: When Art Meets Science exhibition. If I am not wrong you can only enter the museum at certain time intervals so you have to wait for a while after you bought your tickets before entering.
There is some promotion going on, click here to find out more about the prices.
Well anyways, this exhibition is actually pretty cool. I am sure all if not most of you would have seen this on Instagram.
If not this -- the mandatory light shot. (Although the lights went off when my friend took the photo). Unknown to some, this area is actually quite cram and because everyone wants a photo there, we had a hard time taking good shots.
Instead this was actually my favourite spot. The flower area. It's basically a room with projections of flowers and relaxing music. Good place to destress, sit around and do nothing.
Verdict: You should probably visit this place like once just for the experience. The tickets are pretty pricey so I wouldn't recommend you to go more than once a year.
b. National Museum of Singapore
The following photos were taken two months back when the temporary exhibition -- What is Not Visible is Not Invisble was still there.
It had really some cool exhibits.
But rest assured, even though the lights exhibition is gone, there are always new exhibitions.
I remember going there a few years back. And some of the exhibits were completely different. Like these.
Verdict: The National Museum of Singapore is a good place to hang out. It is also located near the Singapore Art Museum as well as the Mint Museum so you can actually go for museum hopping. Most importantly, it's free to enter for all Singapore Citizens.
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