While I am here in Singapore, I wanted to place myself into the footsteps of the locals and see this country from different perspectives. I thought a great way to see the whole (tiny yet seemingly huge) country would be to visit each MRT (mass rail transit) station and explore the areas surrounding. Here is a map of the MRT lines and stations for a frame of reference:
Yesterday, I took on the yellow Circle Line, in which I made stops at and walked between 13 different stations! At each one, I tried something new or found one thing that I thought particularly interesting. I left Kent Ridge station at approx 9am where I made my first stop, of course, at Holland Village to go to BreadTalk Bakery to get breakfast. Then, I headed off to Lorong Chuan MRT where there was absolutely nothing except housing developments and concrete burning in the sun...but in attempts to find something interesting, I thought that the escalator was extra tall and the station was relatively abandoned. After this stop, I went to Serangoon and walked from there to Bartley in which there was nothing too spectacular..just buildings and roads. I also found a lot of construction going on. Then I got to Tai Seng where I found a mall (they are outside most stations; very popular in Singapore) and I found a food canteen and decided to eat! I ate at my favorite Yong Tau Foo place...and got my noodle tofu soup. This is what the stand looks like...you get your bowl and tray and then you grab a pair of tongs to pick up the items from the racks that you want. Then you hand your bowl to the lady behind the counter and tell her (or in my case because I don't speak Malay or Chinese) point to which noodles you want and if you want soup or Laksa. That's one of the most intimidating things I find here in Singapore is ordering food because it is really hard to tell what places serve what kind of food and how exactly you are supposed to go about obtaining that food. Best advice I can give = trial and error and watch the person in front of you. Do as you see being done. |
I couldn't even finish my soup I was so full! I walked from this station to MacPherson station then to Paya Lebar. Today, I felt the Singaporean heat that everyone talks about. The sun was shining down and any ounce of wind felt great. I attempted to keep walking to the next station, Dakota, but I managed to get lost and ended up walking for about two hours in a direction that I did not know. I finally came across the station AFTER Dakota station...I don't even know how I did that. I also passed the Stadium and the Nicoll Highway which were stops after Dakota MRT as well, so I got a good taste of the area. I got on the train at Mountbatten and went back to Dakota just to say I'd been there and then I continued on. At this point, I began my journey home and switched lines at Dhoby Ghaut where I got a refreshing ice cold Jasemine Green tea with mini pearls! Once I got home, I was able to skype with Carter and enjoy a nice few moments on the grassy field watching the students play frisbee and soccer while I read my book. My new hobby is reading...for pleasure :) I am on my third book already! | Side Notes: Singapore has great public transporation via the MRT and an extensive range of busses. It is very expensive to own and drive a car here, as imposed by the government, to reduce the number of cars on the road. Singapore has really great food and it is everywhere. Also, the most popular sports I have seen here are tennis and frisbee. |