Tag: Singapore

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Teenagers and Turtles

Combining a demographic that thrives on distraction with an animal that moves like a snail seems like a recipe for disaster. Teenagers and turtles, without the benefit of a ninja rat? Yet our visit to the Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum in Singapore one rainy afternoon turned out to be a great success.

World record holders

The museum was started in 2001 by Mr. Danny Tan to house his collection of live tortoises and turtles. If you’re wondering how many turtles there are, it’s hard to say. Every source that I’ve consulted had a different total. The simplest answer is – the most in the world. Don’t believe me? They hold the Guinness world record for the largest collection of tortoises and turtles. The museum lies inside the Chinese Garden, a scenic park in the middle of Jurong Lake in Singapore. I read about the museum in Kelvin Ang’s great book, Got Kids, Go Where? and it seemed like a good choice for an outdoor activity with the kids. The weather was overcast but we didn’t let that stop us as we strolled south from the MRT stop and across the bridge.

Entrance to the Chinese Garden is free. Entrance to the museum costs S$5 for adults and S$3 for kids under the age of 6. My youngest was thrilled to be considered an adult for once.  There is the obligatory gift shop co-located with the entrance.

Singapore's turtle museum

Turtle feeding frenzy

This small museum can easily be toured in an hour. You could spend longer, but I would guess the extra time would be spent feeding turtles on the wooden bridge that spans the small pond inside the museum. This is where hundreds of turtles await you. They know that visitors sometimes buy bundles of veggies to feed them (S$2 at the front counter) and they rush the bridge to greet you. Some would say rush is not the right word, but turtles are surprisingly fast in the water. Especially when there’s food to be had. Be careful doling out the veggies though, they won’t distinguish between a leaf and a finger until it’s too late. A few turtles will even amble onto the bridge to get to the front of the line for treats. Although you can feed other turtles and tortoises in the museum, most of the action takes place on the bridge.

Many other species of turtles are housed in individual aquariums along the wall of the compound, such as the funny looking pig-nosed turtle of Australia and the American alligator snapping turtle. Although they’re all reptiles, there are differences between turtles, terrapins, and tortoises.Turtles have webbed feet and spend most of their lives in water. Terrapins split their time between water and land. Tortoises live on land, usually in hot, dry climates, and do not have webbed feet.

Up close with a tortoise

One of the most interesting things to me was how quiet the museum is. Turtles aren’t known for being noisy (except of course the teenage mutant ninja variant). If you weren’t watching your step, you’d trip over a few of the larger tortoises making their way along the path.

Turtles are associated with long life in Chinese culture, which explains why they’re considered lucky. We were lucky to find this little chelonian sanctuary in Singapore. The boys enjoyed feeding them, and I enjoyed getting an up close look at these gentle guys.

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Texas Barbecue in Singapore

Having too many restaurants to choose from for is admittedly a first world problem. So for last week’s date night, we went back to our roots – Texas barbecue.

Neither of us is from Texas but we have fond memories of our time there. Especially the barbecue. We’ve been missing that wood-smoked, juicy goodness since we left. Our favorite spot in Texas was Schoepf’s in Belton. But where to find good barbecue in Singapore?

neon sign

Fortunately we heard about Decker Barbecue on Robertson Quay. Walking up to Quayside, we saw the stacks of wood outside which was a reassuring sign. When we got to the counter, we saw the meat being dished out on butcher paper instead of plates. Another good sign. The customer in front of us was from Texas. We were starting to feel right at home.

Co-owner Elliott Decker was slicing up the meats personally. We opted for a three-meat plate for two people ($75), which comes with two sides. Brisket, ribs, and pulled pork. Delicious. The mac-n-cheese and cornbread made it even better.

Texas bbq

With U.S. beers on hand and delicious desserts as well, this meal hit the spot. Go check it out.

Decker Barbecue, 60 Robertson Quay, +65 6635 8565

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Chicken Rice – Singapore’s national dish

Singapore is justifiably famous for it’s food, especially the tasty treats concocted at hawker stands across the country. There are over 100 hawker food centers in Singapore, serving cheap eats at all hours of the day. But the best dish of all, in my opinion, is chicken rice.

On the surface, this is a very simple dish. Steamed chicken (sometimes roasted), served with a side of fragrant rice. It’s served with a broth soup, some spicy chili sauce, and maybe some veggies. But it is soooo good!

If you pay more than $4 for it, you’re eating in the wrong hawker stand. Here are a few of my favorite locations.

  • Empress Mall
  • Zion Riverside Food Centre
  • Toa Payoh Food Centre
  • Chinatown Complex
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Big Move to Singapore

I guess this post starts with an apology. It’s been about a month since I posted anything. That’s because I was in transition to my new home in Singapore. I was trying to build a consistent routine for 3-4 months of blogging, as recommended by Nikki at The Pin The Map Project. But my relocation got the best of me and a hiatus ensued. It’s much easier not to post after you’ve missed a couple days. I’ve rallied though. Now that I’m settled in my new home, I will strive for more consistency. I haven’t explored too much of the Lion City yet, but below are some weird things that I’ve found so far in my apartment.

Top 3 Weird Things About My Apartment in Singapore

Weird is maybe a strong word. Different than I’m used to, let’s say.  There’ll be a lot of adjusting in the days and weeks ahead. For now, just a few things that are different. And unexpected. I’m not going to waste time commenting on things that are different but expected. A rice cooker is a standard appliance here instead of a luxury item, which is not surprising. The fact that the thermostat is in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit is also to be expected. I wasn’t thrown off by the different electrical plug shape either, because I’ve traveled here before. But in the past, it was always to stay in a hotel. I’ve discovered that there are some unusual differences between my apartment and homes in the U.S.

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1. The bathroom light switch is outside the bathroom. See that light switch just outside the bathroom? That’s the light switch for the bathroom. For some reason, the lights for bathrooms here are outside. That’s just weird. Maybe it’s because I grew up with siblings, but I want control of the lights while I’m in the shower. I mean, if there’s one room where I don’t want someone to be able to turn off the light on me, this would be it. And it’s not just in the apartment. I was in a public space in the apartment building yesterday and noticed that the light switch for that public restroom was in the hallway.

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2. Some rooms have steps. Not a normal 7-8 inch step up, but a 1 inch lip. Just enough to smash your toe on as you step in instead of up. Which I’ve done several times already. It’s not in every room either. Just the bathrooms and kitchen. I could understand if one had to step up as you left the kitchen, as a sort of flooding prevention measure. This is just the opposite, however.

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3. Different levels of dry on the dryer. Did you know that there are different levels of dry? I’m used to different setting for various fabrics. I guess if I thought about it, dryers in the U.S. sometimes have settings like “quick dry.” But I didn’t know that there was a difference between cupboard dry and mix cupboard dry.

I’m sure there’ll be more surprises as I adjust. And I’ll post stories from my great American road trip that I took just before moving here as well.

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Legoland Malaysia

I remember Legos as a kid, but I don’t remember them being this big. Earlier this year, Brand Finance announced that Lego is the world’s most powerful brand. So I guess it’s kind of a big deal.

We went to Legoland Malaysia last year. It’s strategically placed in the state of Johor, close enough to Singapore to be a day trip. That’s what we did, taking public transit across the Tuas Second Link. I have to say, that park is awesome. Each park has rides designed to look like they’re made out of Lego bricks. The center of the park is called Miniland and features world landmarks in miniature made out of Legos. The detail is amazing!

There are six Legoland Amusement Parks around the world, so you don’t have to go to the one in Malaysia. But the distribution is largely Eurocentric, owing to Lego’s roots as a Danish company. There are European parks in Denmark, Germany and the UK. Two more are in the U.S. (California and Florida, of course). The seventh park is set to open in Dubai next year. There are two more planned for Asia, in South Korea and Japan, set to open in 2017 and 2021 respectively.

As an amusement park that caters to Westerners and rich locals, it’s not a cheap day out. But I did appreciate that there was not as much in your face marketing as I’ve seen at American amusement parks. Of course the food vendors were expensive and there was a store at the entrance to help you buy all the Legos that you want. But it still felt less commercial.

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The Regent Singapore – Museum Quality Library

Traditional caping, worn by young Bugis girls as a modesty piece.

Have you ever dreamed of spending a night in a museum? I mean, without Ben Stiller and the gang. The Regent Singapore is a pretty good substitute. The pieces that you see in the lobby are, in many cases, museum-quality artifacts.

I stumbled on a book called Treasures of the Regent Singapore in the hotel club lounge. This terrific book fills in the holes and gives details on the hotel’s collection, from textiles to jewelry to weapons.

Delicate craftsmanship revealed in these earrings.

The items on display call for a leisurely examination.

What about you? Ever staying in a museum? How about a hotel that feels like one?