We walked to the nearest MRT (mass rapid transit) station & bought a 3 day tourist ticket that allows you unlimited use of the trains & buses $8per day each (£4). The MRT is like the London underground, but clean & spacious. We took the train to the Botanical Gardens, there were a lot of runners on their way home from completing the Singapore Marathon which took place early this morning.
The gardens were amazing, again beautifully laid out & so well maintained. Lining the paths was a whole series of decorated Christmas trees in pots, each done by a different community group, schools, businesses, embassies etc.
The highlight was the National Orchid Garden - awesome in its beauty.
We were also lucky enough to see a Malay Muslim wedding taking place in the grounds, complete with traditional musicians. So interesting - the clothes were very traditional, most of the local lady guests were wearing green. The groom was Italian, so there was a real mix of cultures.
We decided to go on to Chinatown for the end of the afternoon & evening. Quite a feast for the senses - busy street markets & shops, with " food street "area crowded with locals eating the freshly prepared wares. Market stalls filled with strange looking fruits mangosteen & durian - a huge prickly item which seems to be a local delicacy. The thorny husk is discarded to reveal a pulpy flesh.
Down Pagoda Street to the Sri Mariamman Temple - a colourful Hindu shrine & then onto a Thai restaurant that used to be an opium den until it was outlawed in 1946.
No comments:
Post a Comment