Saturday, September 26, 2020

Singapore - To Do 25Sept20 (Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum)

Singapore - To Stay
Singapore - To Eat
Singapore - To Do


Singapore - To Do
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
21min relatively long walk from Kent Ridge MRT
The LKC Natural History Museum is located at the Kent Ridge Campus of the National University of Singapore, housing the Raffles Natural History collection.
For Singapore its an excellent curation for close up views and some interactive displays.
They localized the curation and though most would be hugely impressed by the dinosaur fossils seen upon entry in the main foyer, the one display that truly resonated was that of the sperm whale and the story of how it came to be in the museums collection.
*They have an excellent loop video montage on the second floor of the whales story and journey to the museum*
About 2hrs plus worth of exploration. Think the place may hold the attention of older kids (<3yrs no charge) for longer. The curation hasn't changed much since a first visit a few years back but still has a nice overall display flow. 
 
In my opinion the world gold class standard still goes to London's Massive Natural History museum and unique of the beaten track Grant Museum of Zoology. However the sperm whale fossil displays holds a special connection with Singapore and its worth to really learn more about it.
Click here for LKC Natural History Museum 2 Conservatory Dr, Singapore 117377

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Singapore - To Do - 20Sept20 (Bukit Batok Nature Park)

Singapore - To Stay
 Singapore - To Eat
Singapore - To Do


 Singapore - To Do
Bukit Batok Nature Park
1.6Km from Bukit Batok MRT Station
Pretty decent sized parking lot. Plenty of parking space even thou visited on a Sunday at 1030am. 

The Bukit Batok Nature Park has two main attractions. Its mini quarry lookout point (600m) from the parking lot and the memorial staircase for soldiers past which leads up to transmission towers. We only managed to do the simple leisurely walk to the quarry lookout point which takes about 10-15mins from the car park. 

*Nice large sandy playground, though a little basic and unsheltered by forest, taking pretty much the full sun. It gets hot! However its conveniently located opposite the toilets with washing points and water coolers.*

*Toilets, washing and drinking facilities located opposite the playground*
*The usual chicken spotting*
*About three sets of picnic benches are available around the mini quarry for a great time out and enjoying the serenity.*
*A massive rock overgrown by the root system. The beauty of nature.*
The walk to the mini quarry lookout point is stroller accessible with straight paved roads. There are side tracks which are tilled and can be a bit of a steep incline. The walk up to the lookout point is definitely for the older kids but all in all its a decnet 1-1.5hrs just for the quarry section and playground. Will return another time for the lookout point.

Friday, September 11, 2020

Singapore - To Do 11Sept2020 (Sembawang Hot Springs)

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Singapore - To Do
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Sembawang Hot Spring Park
1.8Km from Yishun MRT Station
Nearest parking is at Block 114 HDB Yishun, 300m away
The Sembawang Hot Spring Park has some rich history and has been recently revitalized beginning Jan2020. From bottled spring water, to bath houses during the Japanese occupation and to a free to enter spring park, the Sembawang Hot Spring Park is one of the unique experiences in Singapore for a hot Onsen experience.  
*Takes quite a while to sous vide eggs like this. The place could have had some timing instructions. At 70degrees a google search sets it at 13min30sec or so but that required constant re-circulation of the water (which is very limited due to the taps and space). Any lower temperatures for cooking drags the cook time to an hour. Fun experience but really limited by way of faucets, We had soft boils in the end.*
A unique park to check out and overall fun experience. Just remember these few pointers and ya'll have a great time.

- A bucket or buckets for cooking the eggs or steaming your legs away from the main pool.
- Be careful especially with little ones as hot water is pretty much every where.
- There isn't that much shade available but some folks do bring down packet food to enjoy their lunch as they steam their legs away. 
- Pour the water into drains as pouring directly on the plants to kill them. 
- Great photo ops of Helicopters doing their circuits at the adjoining airbase.
A small eatery and toilets are available on-site. The park isn't that big and one goes there mainly for the 'small' hot springs area. Not a large space for cycling or scooting. Happy exploring!

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Singapre - To Do 09Sept2020 (GBTB - Children's Garden)

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Singapore - To Do
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Gardens By The Bay (GBTB) - Children's Garden
Bayfront MRT (1.6km/20min walk away)
Open daily from 9am-8pm
Closed Monday
Click here for location of Children's Garden
The GBTB Children's Water Park by Far East is a entrance fee Free area. Located in front of the picturesque cloud forest dome and Marina Bay Sands skyline. It offers a dry and wet play area. Thou we didn't get to the dry play area, the highlight is the main water play area for both larger and small kids.
The Garden has got water coolers, a wash and shower area as well as a small bistro for light eats. Nice music and in a picturesque setting, offers some fun in the sun, followed by dining options at the nearby Satay By The Bay or other eating options. 
 
Great half day activity.
Click here for Flower Dome and Cloud Forest Review.