What have we done lately?

Singapore National Day



The highlight lately has been Singapore National Day. This was on August 9 and it was a Public holiday. At home we think of Waitangi Day as our National Day and for many it is just another day to go to the beach or maybe take part in some sort of protest. Over recent years there has been debate about the value of New Zealand’s celebrations and often we have turned on the news to see examples of civil unrest.




Here in Singapore it is a really big occasion. They seem to celebrate their independence and their ethnic differences. Preparations have been taking place throughout the year. For weeks before the big day Singapore flags keep appearing on the sides of buildings and in front of apartment blocks. Each of the local districts have banners erected in public places congratulating Singapore for its birthday. This year Singapore turned 42. I take this to mean that it is 42 years since Singapore became an independent state.

The highlight of National Day is the National Day Parade. This year the National day Parade took place at Mariner Bay and the stage for most of the performances was an enormous floating stage. This floating stage is capable of holding 4,000 performers. The Stadium seats 24,000 people. A lot of action takes place around the Marina Bay area. The rehearsals went on for weeks prior to the big day. As a part of the rehearsals every child in Primary 5 in Singapore gets to go along on a Saturday and be in the Audience. This is a part of the Primary 5 Social Studies Curriculum. A feature of these rehearsals is a fireworks display.
On the night, the National Day Parade is televised live and can also be watched via the Internet. Thousands of people pack to various vantage points to watch the fireworks. We were fortunate to have friends staying in the Stamford Raffles Hotel on the 56 floor and were able to invite ourselves to their room to view the festivities. Even after spending 7 months living in Singapore and being a part of the 4.5 million people we were not prepared for this event. We arrived by train at City Hall MRT Station, the train was busy but the station was absolutely crowded. There was a sea of people all tightly packed heading out of the station. I wondered how many people were trying to go against the tide. All of the escalators were turned off and people had walk up them, I imagine this was an indication of how busy it was. Once we got up in the room it was evident just how many people there were in the vicinity for this event. The show and the fireworks were really amazing. I can recommend this for any travelers coming to Singapore. When it ended the crowds dispersed quickly. From up in the room we could see this happen, it was so orderly. I continue to be amazed by how well the transport system here copes with moving the masses. The masses tend to be so well behaved at these events.

Singapore Botanical Gardens.

When we arrived in Singapore Ruth and I had a list of things we wanted to see and do while we were here. We hadn’t actually written it down, which was probably a good thing because we have done so many other interesting things that we didn’t know about.

One of the things on our list was a visit to the Botanical Gardens. Recently we made the opportunity to visit them, we were not disappointed. These are a great place to wander and enjoy the labours of others. The gardens are really pleasant, so many interesting plants growing in this tropical climate. Singapore is known for their orchids. The orchid gardens here are spectacular. The range of flowers on display is well beyond what could we expected. In fact I never dreamed that there so many orchids. Another interesting thing about the botanical gardens is that there are a range of places to eat.

Mac Ritchie Reservoir.

This is more like my kind of place to take an afternoon stroll. It is an area of jungle surrounding one of the three reservoirs in the centre of the Island. The tracks in this reserve are well maintained and included a treetop walk and an observation tower.
Recently Ruth and I took the train and then a bus and explored, it. A couple of weeks later a group of teachers from MASC had an outing there. I went along for the walk.

Actually the jungle is very similar to New Zealand native forest. Walking along the tracks under the canopy it is very humid, much more so in at home. This means that a
Three hour walk actually tends to take its toll on the body. Rehydration is a must. The birds encountered and the insects make it and interesting walk. In the reservoir are many different species of fish, some appear to be quite large. There are also plenty of monkeys that seem to hang around the board walks intimidating the tourists.

What impressed me about this area was it is so peaceful, yet it is in the heart of a city of 4.5 million people.