Singapore/North and West

From World travel guide

The northern and western parts of Singapore are the city's hinterlands, consisting of jungle dotted with public housing blocks and a significant industrial area in the reclaimed area which was once Jurong Island.

Contents 1 Get in 2 See 2.1 Zoo, Night Safari and Bird Park 2.2 Gardens 2.3 Other 3 Do 4 Buy 5 Eat 5.1 Budget 5.2 Mid-range 5.3 Splurge 6 Drink 7 Sleep

Get in

The western junction of Jurong East is 30 minutes away from the city center on the MRT East-West Line. Traveling there by the North-South Line will take closer to 60 minutes.

See Johor Bahru for information on crossing the Causeway and the Second Link from Malaysia.

See

The sights of Singapore's hinterland can be easily divided in two: there's the zoo and the bird park, and everything else.

Zoo, Night Safari and Bird Park

Without a doubt the top three attractions in the area, the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Bird Park offer joint ticketing: combination tickets to any two attractions cost S$25, while all three (on the same day!) are S$30.

• The Singapore Zoo, 80 Mandai Lake Road (Bus 138 from Ang Mo Kio MRT), [1]. One of the best zoos in Asia, if not the world (Animal Planet uses The Singapore Zoological Gardens for some of its documentaries). The animals are kept in spacious, landscaped enclosures, separated from the visitors by dry or wet moats. To spare yourself walking under the hot tropical sun, you can board a little train that trundles through the park. The zoo's hours are 8.30am-6.00pm daily and adult admission is S$14.

• Night Safari, 80 Mandai Lake Road (Bus 138 from Ang Mo Kio MRT), [2]. A part of the Zoo but located on completely separate grounds that are closed during the day, this is the world's first wildlife park built to be viewed at night. The grounds are in fact larger than the main Zoo and only parts are accessible to visitors on foot, so most people opt for the guided tram tour instead. Open 7:30pm to midnight daily (last admission 11pm), adults S$18 plus optional tram tour S$6; get there on the same buses as the Zoo itself. There is a 30 minute show at the amphitheater with trained animal displays three times per night. (Sit in the center section three rows from the front for a nice surprise.) The tram tour is highly recommended unless you have the time to do a lot of walking. Lighting throughout the park is minimal, but sufficient. Stopping at the second tram station is a must as there is a walking path (The Leopard Trail) for viewing giraffes, flying squirrels, lions and others. Flash photography is not allowed, so a tripod is recommended. Some other animals you can expect to see include are various types of tigers, elephants, bats, flamingos, porcupines, leopards, otters, badgers, and storks.

• Jurong BirdPark, 2 Jurong Hill (Bus 194/251 from Boon Lay MRT), [3]. A 20.2 hectare open-concept park dedicated to, you guessed it, birds in all shapes and sizes. The Park specialises in birds from Southeast Asia and the more exotic and colorful tropical birds, and its collection of more than 8,000 birds from 600 species is among the largest in the world. The park is attractively presented and quite enjoyable even if you aren't a hardcore ornithologist. Adult admission is S$14.00, plus an optional S$4 for the Panorail monorail around the park.

Gardens

• Botanic Gardens, Bukit Timah Rd, [4]. Features trees and plants from tropical climes around the world. Walking and jogging trails are throughout. Outdoor sculptures dot the gardens. Look for the girl on the swing that appears to hang from an invisible chain in the air. The Gardens are open daily from 5AM to midnight and admission is free; the main entrance is on Bukit Timah Road.

• National Orchid Garden. A part of the Botanic Gardens, but an admission of S$2 is charged. This is where you can spot Singapore's national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, and many more. Open 8:30AM to 7PM. Accessible by bus or car, parking at the visitor's center.

• Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden, next to Lakeside MRT. Otherwise rather lackluster, these are only worth a visit during the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival (Sep-Oct), when the garden is lit up with tens of thousands of lanterns, including complex installations with moving figures based on themes ranging from Hello Kitty to Chinese folk tales. Entry S$13/9 peak/off-peak during the festival, $4.50 otherwise.

Other

• Haw Par Villa, 262 Pasir Panjang Rd, tel. +65-6872-2003. Formerly the Tiger Balm Gardens, this is the former site of the villa of the Tiger Balm brothers, Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, now packed with an incredibly bizarre assortment of statues illustrating Chinese legends and moral values. The most famous bit is the Ten Courts of Hell, which demonstrate in gruesome detail how sinners get punished in the underworld: for example, ingratitude is punished by grilling on a red hot copper pillar, while cheating in exams merits having your body dismembered and your intestines pulled out. Free entry, although S$1 admission applies to the Ten Courts (including the lackluster Jade House). Open daily from 9 AM to 7 PM.

• Labrador Secret Tunnels, Labrador Villa Rd (bus 408 from HarbourFront MRT, on weekends/holidays only), [5]. Opened in May 2005, there are two ways of looking at these two restored British-era bunkers: either they're done a pretty good job of making a tunnel interesting, or even if you dress it up with spot lights and recorded booms, it's still just a bunch of tunnels. Admission $8/5 adult/child by guided tour hourly from 10 AM to 6 PM (last entry).

• Reflections at Bukit Chandu, 31-K Pepys Rd, [6]. Small but well-implemented commemorative museum for the last stand of the Malay Regiment in World War II's Battle of Bukit Chandu. Admission $2, open daily 9 AM-5 PM except Mondays. Nearest bus stop Pasir Panjang Community Centre (lines 10, 30 from central Singapore), but it's still a bit of a hike up the hill from here.
  • If visiting here, make a short detour to the free Canopy Walk next door, an elevated footpath through the jungle offering nice views of Singapore's heartlands.

• Singapore Science Centre, 15 Science Centre Road, [7]. Set up to promote interest and learning in science and tecnhology through assortment of exhibits. There are more than 850 exhibits in the various exhibition galleries and it is not possible to view all exhibits in one visit. Admission charges are $6 for adults, $3 for children and $3.60 for senior citizen. Opening hours are from 10.00am to 6.00pm and closed on Mondays except school and public holidays.

• Omni-Theatre, just beside the Singapore Science Centre, [8]. OMNIMAX movies and Planetarium shows can be viewed on a 23m and 5 storeys high screen, tilted at a 30 degrees angle to the horizon. Admission charges are $10 for adults, $5 for children and $7.00 for senior citizens. Opening hours are from 10.00am to 8.00pm and closed on Mondays except public holidays. Accessible by car, with ample parking lots. By train, take the MRT to the Jurong East station, then transfer to bus no. 335 or take a 8 minute walk from the station.

Do

To find out what a sauna full of bugs feel like, go for some steamy jungle hiking.

• Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Hindhede Drive, [9]. At 166 meters this is Singapore's highest point — if you don't count the skyscrapers in the CBD. You can scale the hill in 15 minutes if you follow the paved road (boring) or 45-50 minutes if you do it the long way around (more interesting). Watch out for monkeys! Take SBS bus 170 or SMRT 67, 75, 171, 173, 184, 852 and 961 to the Courts department store on Upper Bukit Timah Rd and walk. Free admission.

• Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, [10].

After all that sweating you can go chill out in a distinctly less tropical climate.

• Snow City, 21 Jurong Town Hall Road, [11]. The first permanent indoor snow center in Singapore; interesting enough for residents of the tropics but probably not on the top of the agenda for pallid Europeans escaping their own winter. Opening hours are Tue - Sun (closed on Mondays) : 10.30am - 6.30pm and on public holidays: 9.00am - 8.00pm. S$12/18 for 1/2 hours.

Buy

There is little noteworthy shopping in the north or west, although the zoo and bird park have well-stocked gift shops. The major shopping malls are Jurong Point (MRT Boon Lay) and IMM (MRT Jurong East).

Eat

Budget

Hawker food is cheap in the boondocks, and there are a few culinary gems to be found — if you can find them, that is.

• Bao Gong XO Fish Head Bee Hoon, Blk 721 Clementi West St 2 #01-100. This place lets you find out what happens when you add XO cognac to fish soup. Less adventurous souls may want to try sliced fish instead of fish head...

• Joo Siah Bak Kut Teh, Blk 347 Jurong East Ave 1 #01-221 (MRT Chinese Garden). One of Singapore's best-known joints for bak kut teh (lit. "pork bone tea"), a peppery pork rib broth. Two bowls, rice and a serve of mui choy veggies will set you back S$9.10; add in S$0.50 for some you tiow fritters from the shop next door to dip in your soup. Open from Tuesday to Saturday 8 AM to 8 PM, and to 3 PM only on Sunday.

• Yan Kee Food Stall, Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre #03-137 (MRT Lakeside). A local legend for Chinese-style curry fish head (S$14/17 small/large), the gravy is good to the last drop.

• Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa, Blk 107 Depot Road, #01-667 Chia Lee Eating House. The best laksa in Singapore according to Makansutra and its many regulars. Expect to wait at least 30 minutes. Order with shrimp instead of cockles if raw shellfish is not your thing. Open daily from 10 PM to 2 PM only!

Mid-range

• Colbar, 9A Whitchurch Road (off Portsdown Rd). Stuck in the past and proud of it, this low-key eatery started life as a canteen for British soldiers, and fare like ox liver with peas and chips still figure prominently on the menu. Recently relocated (complete with original building) out of the way of an expressway, but still very popular. Most mains S$5-10, try the famous curries if British grub isn't to your taste.

• Lim Seng Lee Duck Rice, 38 South Buona Vista Rd. Well-regarded specialist restaurant serving up tender boneless duck with their special sauce; be sure to order some "spare parts", their name for liver and gizzard. Prices above average (around S$15 to feed two) but worth it.

• The Lodge on Flamingo Lake, in Jurong Bird Park. Visitors to the Bird Park may wish to dine here for local food at reasonable prices (S$10 and up) coupled with views of nearly 10,000 pink flamingos.

• Marina Bistro, 10 Tuas West Drive. In the Raffles Marina at the extreme west of Singapore right next to Second Link bridge to Malaysia, offers very competent Singaporean and Western food with mains in the S$8-12 range. Try the excellent beef satay. Open to non-members for lunch and dinner daily; to get there, take exit 25 from the AYE, immediately before the Tuas checkpoint.

• The Olive, Labrador Villa Rd (next to Labrador Secret Tunnels), [12]. Fairly decent pizza and pasta in a very attractive setting in the lush greenery of Labrador Park. Most mains around $15.

• Zi Yean Food Centre, Block 56 Lengkok Bahru #01-443, tel. +65-6474-0911. Locally famed outdoor coffee shop serving up Cantonese dishes like mui choy chicken (stuffed with pickled veggies), prawns wrapped in tofu skin and deep-fried, kangkong with century eggs, and abalone with chicken (a steal at S$5/plate). Prices generally reasonable but some dishes can be expensive. Open for lunch and dinner, closed alternate Wednesdays.

Splurge

The Bukit Timah area to the west of the city is one of Singapore's poshest residential districts featuring many high-quality restaurants, particularly in the expatriate enclave of Holland Village.

• Brazil Churrascaria, 14-16 Sixth Ave, tel. 6463-1923. Waiters walk around with meat-laden skewers, just choose and eat all you can for S$37+++ (drinks not included). Decent salad buffet for the vegetarian contingent too. Open daily for dinner only.

• Original Sin, 43 Jln Mera Saga, #01-62 Chip Bee Gardens. Continues to win awards for its Mediterranean vegetarian food.

• Sebastien's, 12 Greenwood Avenue, tel. 65-64651980, [13]. French food but decidedly not haute cuisine, Sebastien's dishes up hearty portions of rustic fare. Try the assiette gourmande (a set of pâtes and terrines) and boeuf bourguignonne (red wine beef stew). Mains around S$25, open for lunch and dinner daily and for breakfast on weekends only.

Another small cluster of upscale restaurants is nestled on the grounds of the Botanic Gardens.

• Halia, tel. 6476 6711. The location in the Ginger Garden of the Botanic Gardens is a reason in itself to visit especially at night, with stunning floodlit views of the surrounding jungle. The food is international with Asian twists, and comes at a fairly steep price; expect to pay around S$100 a head for a full meal with drinks. To get there, enter the Gardens by the Tyersall Ave side entrance and walk a few minutes following the signs. Reservations recommended.

• Au Jardin Les Amis, tel. 6466 8812, [14]. Part of the "Les Amis" group of restaurants and situated in a restored 1920s residence in the Gardens. The food is mostly French with some other European dishes thrown in and many given a little Asian twist, but given the very high prices (S$150+/head) the quality is a little wobbly. There is a superb wine list and a very helpful sommelier on hand to answer questions. The views of the garden are gorgeous. Enter through the Corner House Gate and follow signs to Au Jardin/EJH Corner House (the name of the building which houses the restaurant). Reservations recommended.

Drink

Except for the odd karaoke TV pub and beer at your favorite hawker stall, there is practically no nightlife.

Sleep

It's not really advisable to stay far from the centre in Singapore, but if you want to try life as the Singaporean live it you have one good choice:

• Hostel One66, Block 166 Woodlands Street 13 #01-545, [15]. A family-run 12-bed hostel opened in March 2004 with dorm beds starting from S$18, singles from S$45. Located near Marsiling MRT on the North-South Line.