A weekend to remember

Hey everyone, hope you are all enjoying yourselves and making the most of the hot summer weather! This weekend I had the chance to revisit some of the more memorable areas in Singapore. I woke up Saturday morning to (yet another) another beautiful sunrise...it seems like I cannot take enough pictures of them. I made my way to the National Orchid Garden, home to hundreds of native and hybrid species, some even named after celebrities. There was also a "Cool House" which, besides playing host to a number of exotic high-altitude plants, provided some relief from the hot sun. The rest of the morning was spent perusing the shops in Orchard Road, where free samples were scored at the Singapore Food Festival. I have taken a special liking to Pocky, a sort of chocolate-covered biscuit sticks, and made short work of the green-tea-flavored pack I was given.

After picking up a few things in the Chinatown street market, I made my way along Boat Quay, where short breaks were punctuated by jet flybys and flag-carrying choppers. Looks like everyone is preparing for the country's 50th anniversary. This was confirmed later in the evening, while having a bite to eat and enjoying some live music at Clarke Quay I was surprised by a few bursts of fireworks, none of which unfortunately were long enough to take a quality video.

After a well-deserved rest my legs were telling me to take it easy, so Sunday was mostly spent strolling through museums and galleries. Worth mentioning was the Peranakan Museum, whose three floors of exhibits gave much historical and cultural context to my experience in Joo Chiat last week. The Gillian Barracks, refurbished to display fine and abstract art collections, were also very interesting and a nice break from the bustling crowds. After waiting out a short monsoon, my explorations were concluded with a delicious beef goulash in a bread bowl (which I sadly devoured before thinking of taking a picture). Even though I still have 30 days left in the country I can't help but look back at everything I've seen and done so far. The people, the places, not to mention the food, are absolutely fantastic and I wish you could all be part of it. Hope you're all enjoying the posts; I'll leave with some pictures.Read more