Singapore Sling Tour: Day 8 Wandering Singapore

By the numbers

20.72kms

26,381

The morning looked pretty clear and we were down stairs to have breakfast before heading off to check out one of the local hawkers markets even though we had just eaten. There were some stalls open with several vegetable stands selling their stuff. I think I gave mum a fair idea on what they would be like. From there, we walked towards Novena station the long way round as we were coming from another direction. I nearly got lost, well walked in the wrong directing and it was getting pretty warm out there. One of the local hospitals had a walking tour around it, so I would find something interesting after a while. In the end we ended up at the train station, where I walked into a supermarket for a look at it was playing their theme song the entire time I was there. Don Don Donki was an interesting store especially when they had suggestions on foods. We were resting our feet and waiting around. They seem to be having a security day as they were telling people to keep an eye out for suspicious people.

 

Dawn met up with us and we took the train into the city, although Singapore is just one big city with shopping centres on nearly every corner. We ended up at one of the shopping centres that backs onto Fort Canning Park. The shopping centre has an indoor rock climbing area, and a cycleway that runs right through the place. You have to be careful not to be run over, although I never seen anyone there and that includes the last time I visited the shopping centre. We had a tour of the eatery before I ordered my lunch beef noodles that came with coriander. I was asked if I wanted it and I obliged. It was a decent portion and I was happy with it as it would last me all day. From there we went to the National Gallery where Dawn showed us her sensory room that others in other locations had modelled off. It was a calming environment and I didn’t mind the weighted blanket and the mood lighting. It was nice of the supervisor to show us around and that there were stuff in the cupboards. Though I would never have looked in there at all. The building was part of the old supreme courts and they had little bits of the former life of the building like the remains of the cells with two remaining, the library and one of the court rooms, although they were showing exhibitions inside so we had to pay to really be in there. It was a nice old building that had been repurposed. Mum and Dawn decided to return and let me wander around on my own.

 

I headed back towards the shopping centre across from Fort Canning Park while watching the clouds form as they were getting dark. I was going to stop and have a look around. I was going to look in some of the shops, but I bypassed that for pictures of the fire station across the road and also the old police station with the colourful shutters. I crossed the road for a closer look and found the fire station is a civil defence museum that was not open on a Monday. The side of Fort Canning I was on was all steps and I was part way up when I heard my first bit of thunder. That had me worried, but nothing came of that as I walked all the way around as I went from the lighthouse to the Battlebox that was part of the British command when the British surrendered to Japan during the war. I was following the path that lead to the train station of Dhoby Ghaut, and part of the way was the covered forest and people were crowded on the stairs and halfway through the underpass taking photos. I ended up at the side of the station, where I could easily cross the road to enter the station.

 

The next place I headed to was Orchard around two stops away so I was happy to stand until then. Once I got off I popped up around Timezone inside of Ion and walked out the back of the building where the bus stop was. I seen some interesting buildings that I took photos of and then decided I wanted to try to find a music shop I was looking for. I ended up finding a space between the Ion and next door to it. Then I found I couldn’t cross the road as a sign told me to use the underpass. The first escalator took me past the floor I was meant to stop on. I ended up going up two flights to be on the correct level, though along the way I found other station entrances to the MRT. I found a random set of escalators that pointed to the road I wanted. I was able to cross the road from there, but I ended up popping underground again to get across the road though this time I used some random stairs. Turns out I was correct. I was looking for the Far East Plaza and found it. The stores inside were not big, but while I found the music store I wanted, I kept on walking as there wasn’t much there at all. Every suit shop I passed had a guy out the front wanting me to come in. I found the exit and headed back to the main road and followed the shops to Paragon, where I crossed the road to reach the bookshop again for a look. The bookshop in late afternoon was pretty busy.

 

It didn’t look like it was going to rain when I left Orchard, but by the time I walked out of Novena the rain had started. I had to take out my brolly so I wouldn’t get wet. By the time I ended up in the room the rain had turned into a full on storm. I was sitting at the window watching the storm and the flashes of lightning. You had a hard time seeing outside with the rain, and it soon eased off enough that I could go out for food. You could literally dodge those drops. By the time we had dinner the rain had stopped.