Cruisin' the world together

Little India is the nearest tourist destination from our hostel, Tresor Tavern. Yesterday I decided to walk from the printing shop for our name cards.

Here are my few shots using my Canon Powershot.










What to see in Little India:
Little India Arcade - handicrafts, arts, and Indian culture
Buffalo Road - traditional shops, electronics supply stores and even fortunetellers
Kerbau Road and Belilios Lane - Indian restaurants, stalls and Sri Lakshmi Hindu Temple
Kampong Kapor - a small alleys divided into many lanes where shophouses selling spices, palm sugar, flower garlands, statues of Hindu deities, jewelry and many more.
Serangoon Road at Belilios Road - Sri Veerama Kaliamman temple constructed in 1881
Mustafa Shopping Centre - It's the only shopping centre in Singapore that opens 24 hours daily

Although Singapore is a small city-state and has progressed quite dizzyingly, it has managed to preserve a portion of its natural environment. Last Sunday, we took one of the country’s nature trail along what is called as the Southern Ridges.

We started off our hike at Alexandra Arch, near the HortPark garden. Alexandra Arch, a newly-constructed pedestrian bridge, is itself a piece of architecture. From there, we walked along the elevated steel bridge that connects the bridge to the Henderson Park. This part, which is called the Forest Walk, gave us a close view of the forest.

In the middle of the trail, it was sunset and it started to get dark. This probably made Albert's imagination as we could hear the sound of the birds and insects. He then said while we are walking “We need to rush because the jungle is getting spooky.” We asked what he meant and he replied, “It's spooky because its getting dark and we are lost!”






About Alexandra Arch
Conceptualised as a “Gateway to Nature”, Alexandra Arch links Hilltop Walk and Forest Walk.

Walk on this 80m long bridge and admire its unique architecture - it looks like an opened leaf across Alexandra Road, with its curved deck intersecting an arch that is tilted at a 70-degree angle.

Alexandra Arch is lit up by LED lights at night. The lights change colour at intervals from 7pm to 12am daily, displaying varying shades from the colour spectrum of dusk.

Distance: 0.08km
Difficulty level: easy






About Forest Walk:
The Forest Walk meanders through some 50 metres through the secondary forest of Telok Blangah Hill and connects to Alexandra Arch.

There are two trails on the Forest Walk (just cross over from Carpark 3 to get on either trail) – the Elevated Walkway and the Earth trail.

The Elevated Walkway, accessed by the metal bridge, offers you the experience of walking through the secondary forest of Telok Blangah Hill at eye-level with the forest canopy. This is an excellent platform for spotting birds, dragonflies and butterflies.

If you prefer a more rugged experience and hanker after a closer experience with wildlife in the area, embark on the Earth Trail. Steps have been built at some parts of the trail in view of the steep terrain.

The dense secondary forest found here, the Adinandra Belukar, is home to Singapore’s rich biodiversity.

Distance: 1.3km
Difficulty level: easy (Elevated walkway), moderate (Earth trail)
Walking time: 20 min

Henderson Waves: A unique architecture bridge in Singapore











Having a fun time on the bridge while taking a rest.


Henderson Waves is a pedestrian bridge which has a unique architecture and distinctive wave-shaped arches. From the bridge, you can have see a view of the Singapore Harbor. It's a nice place for star gazing (though not many stars can be seen in Singapore because of its extremely bright night sky).

After a long walk, we were all exhausted except for Albert. The wooden floor and benches on the bridge were good for resting. It's been a while since I lied down on a wooden platform. The feeling was very nice; the wood had a cooling effect. I suddenly missed the papag (wooden bed) of my Lola Petra in Valdez under the balimbing (star fruit) tree in the 1980s :).

While resting, we told Albert that we couldn't go home because we were up high on the bridge and we didn't know the way. Albert always replied with "It's okay" and went on to suggest on ways to go home. (I just realized that Albert has a very positive outlook.)


About Henderson Waves:
Admire the beautiful skyline as you stroll across this 274 metre-long pedestrian bridge that spans Henderson Road to connect Mount Faber Park to Telok Blangah Hill Park. At 36m above Henderson Road, Henderson Waves is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore.

The bridge is also worth visiting for its artistic, distinctive wave-like structure consisting of a series of undulating curved "ribs". These “ribs” also double up as alcoves providing shelter to the public.

Joggers, couples and families with children are a common sight on Henderson Waves during weekends. The bridge has also become a popular photography location in recent months for wedding couples posing against the scenic skyline.

The bridge takes on a different look at night, with the wave-form illuminated with attractive LED light from 7pm to 2am daily.

Distance: 0.3 km
Difficulty level: easy
Walking Time: 5 mins