Running in Singapore - Travels with Verne and Roy

Singapore Cultural Attractions, 17 July to 2 August, Part 2

Singapore cultural attractions: a humble admission; Roy, then and now – a historical artefact?; Now Boarding: Experiencing Singapore through Travel 1800s – 2000s; Palawan Beach, Sentosa; meditating on dengue in Fort Canning Park; running up hills and through treacle; paths diverge at Botanic Gardens MRT

I wanted to title this “Culture Vultures in Singapore”, but had to admit it would have been an overstatement. Visiting one museum, two gardens and a theme-park island does not a culture vulture make.

What was more, the title had already been used: click here for a PDF of my recent Expat Living magazine article on our visit to Phuket. (But please remember to come back!)

National Museum of Singapore

Situated on the edge of Fort Canning Park, the National Museum of Singapore is a magnificent attraction worth visiting and revisiting – but at first I doubted I’d be able to drag Roy along with me. I’d probably have to go alone. (I could already hear the protestations: he’d been there before, what had changed, etc.)

Singapore cultural attractions, Singapore National Museum — Singapore National Museum, next to Fort Canning Park, Stamford Hill Road

Then, jogging past this lovely building on my way into the park one morning, I saw a possible way to lure Roy in: a current exhibition titled: “Now Boarding: Experiencing Singapore Through Travel, 1800s – 2000s”. Ha! That would be irresistible to a man who first visited Singapore as a teenaged BI (British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd) cadet in the 1960s.

Twelve Days of Christmas in Singapore

Eight days in Singapore turned into 12 for me. Someone at the Aussie High Comm in Pretoria had bungled my visa application, causing me to miss my 19 December flight to Perth, WA with Roy. Luckily, and to the huge surprise of all, the visa came through just in the nick of time to allow me to board a flight on the 23rd to join Roy and the family for Christmas .

Back in Singapore: #2 Run to Orchard

Running is the best way to discover a city – or, in this particular case, to re-discover a city. Alas, I’m about to find out that after six months of being away from Singapore, I’ve lost my acclimatisation to extreme humidity. It’s murderous.

Acknowledgement of gratuitous illustration: I did take the above photo of the iconic Marina Bay Sands; but that was sometime last year, and you wouldn’t see it in the course of this particular running route.

Running East Coast Park, Singapore

Back in Singapore for a far-too-short nine days, I pull on my running shoes one morning and set off to see if anything has changed in the past seven months. (Meanwhile, Roy snores gently, eagerly awaiting my report-back.)