Travel Bits: October 2015

This has been a crazy month at work for me. After my short holiday to Siem Reap last month, I have been working non-stop, seven days a week. And to cap it all up, some reshuffling of work schedules mean that I will have to correspondingly reschedule my planned trip to Hong Kong and Taipei next month! That's kind of disappointing but life always serve up its surprises; both pleasant and unpleasant and this is one of those unpleasant surprises.

Taking a short break from my work (well, I still have a life outside of work!), I decided to treat myself to some nice chocolate buffet in town yesterday night which was a Saturday. I have not been out and about in town of late, especially in the nights and I was surprised by the sights and sounds.

There are the usual night scenes in Singapore which never failed to amaze me even though I was born, live and work in Singapore. Not expecting the carnival-like atmosphere and the amazing sights that I was to encounter, the only cameras I had with me were those from my iPhones. And here are some of the photos I took yesterday night which I would like to share.

The Fullerton Hotel, amazing light up of this grand colonial-era building which used to be the General Post Office but which has now been transformed into a luxury hotel, Singapore (2015)

The Cavenagh Bridge spans across the Singapore River. Another colonial-era structure which has been splendidly preserved. Singapore (2015)

The Asian Civilisations Museum was organising an arts events called River Nights 2015 (23-24 Oct and 30-31 Oct) and there were lots of art works on display. Performances around the museum were both plentiful and interesting. In conjunction with the arts events, entry to the museum for the night was complimentary and I ventured into the museum galleries for the first time. I was to be surprised yet again, this time by the museum's collection of exhibits. After this visit, I can no longer said that Singapore Museums are boring; because they are definitely not! While the collections could not be compared to more established museums elsewhere in the world, the Asian Civilisations Museum is still a very interesting museum to visit!

An Angkor statue of a monkey, Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore (2015) - Photo taken without flashlight

Hindu-style statue from India on display at the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore (2015) - Photo taken without flashlight

Another age-old Hindu-style statue from India on display at the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore (2015) - Photo taken without flashlight

What I had experienced over the weekend is proof enough that one don't necessary need to take a flight to some far flung places to experience new things. You can do it right at home, in the city where you live, work and play! So, the next time you can't find the time to travel to another city or country, take a trip around the neighbourhood. You may yet discover experiences which you never expect!