Travel & Trips Blog

Singapore is a city-state - but one that claims, and proves, to be a "garden city". The government mandate is that every citizen should have a park within 25 minutes' walk and new parks are being continually added. Gardens by the Bay is one such area that has been developed over the last ten years (with new bits still be developed). Built on reclaimed land - these parks have become a landmark area with the flower dome and cloud forest displaying ever-changing floral landscapes and the 'super trees' - actually rainwater collection reservoirs, becoming a display in their own right.

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As I was on holiday, and Shanhong was not, I took the opportunity to go and explore a new corner of Singapore!
Grabbing my HelloRide Bike (public rental bikes all over Singapore - scan and ride) at Springleaf MRT, it was time to explore the North Cycle Loop.

I followed the map and directions provided at bike-a-local.com under their "Secret Pedals" Ride #12. This took me to a variety of parks following the PCN network for the most part. The parks included the Lower Seletar Reservoir Park, Yishun Neighbourhood Park, Sembawang Park, Woodlands Waterfront Park, Admiralty Park and the Sembawang Hot Springs Park. A total of 36.1km taking around 3.5 hours.

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Kranji Marshes are Singapore's largest freshwater marshes, spanning some 57 hectares, although only a small section is open to the public. With the marshes being home to 170 species of birds, four species of butterfly and 33 species of dragonflies (as well as the squirrels), there is plenty to see. The Kranji marshes are predominantly open, grassy marshland, with six bird hides, two blinds, and the raptor tower to offer viewing opportunities.

Unfortunately, it is a little "out of the way" connected only by an infrequent shuttle. I visited by bike, although the marshes are officially outside of the public bike area! It's a nice place, but compared to others in Singapore, a little too small, and too far from public transport to make it really worthwhile.

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The Mandai Wildlife Parks are Singapore's resident "zoo" group - operating Singapore Zoo, The Night Safari, Bird Paradise and River Wonders. This year, they added a fifth park, Rainforest Wild, as well as a free Boardwalk around the outside of the reserve.

I visited Rainforest Wild early on a Monday morning to 'check it out'. The main difference is this park is laid out as a series of short 'trails' - so, rather than wide tarmac/concrete pathways, you are walking across pebbles or stones or following a grass track. This makes it much more intimate and natural feeling. There are less animals in this park; however, those that are here are in larger spaces where they have a certain freedom to roam. These include the Francois and Javan langurs, Malayan Tiger, Crocodile, Sun Bear, and a selection of different deer breeds. Unfortunately, I was too early and none of the deer, tigers or crocodile were out, so I feel I missed a major part of the experience.

Rainforest Wild also offers (at an additional fee) some adventures, such as rock climbing, rappelling into a cave, trampoline nets and a canopy jump. A beautiful park, although smaller that Mandai's other parks. However, do come later in the day when all the animals are out.

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Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a the first wetlands reserve to be gazetted in Singapore (2002). Home to its own collection of crocodiles, monkeys, monitor lizards, and local birdlife, it has global importance as a stop-over point for migratory birds. The reserve, with an area of 130 hectares, was listed as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2003. Just outside the park is Singapore's only goat farm, so of course we had to go feed the goats! Pics from multiple visits have been added to the gallery.

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The Fuling or Fu Mausoleum (福陵), is the mausoleum of Nurhaci, the founding monarch of the later Jin dynasty and his wife Empress Xiaocigao. It served as the main site for ritual ceremonies conducted by the imperial family during the entire Qing dynasty and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.

The first few photos are actually from another site - but, my apologies, I have forgotten the name of that one. There are a lot of historical sites in Shenyang!

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We popped into Dalian, to sort out the flat, get personal items sent back to Shanhong's parents, and put the flat on the market. Anyone looking for a place to buy? Lovely compound, really nice flat with a beautifully converted attic space (all Shanhong's design) and a beach like this... ... a steal at around GBP 100,000.

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Mukden Palace (盛京宫殿), was the former palace of the later Jin and early Qing dynasties. It was built in 1625, and the first three Qing emperors lived there from 1625 to 1644. The palace has now been converted into the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum. In 2004, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, as having equal importance to the 'Forbidden City' in Beijing.

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In the middle of Beiling Park (北陵公园), the largest park in Shenyang, lies the mausoleum of Emperor Huangtaiji and Empress Xiaozhuang - "Zhaoling (清昭陵)", also known as “Beiling”. Zhaoling is one of the most representative imperial tombs of the early Qing Dynasty in northeast China, and one of the most intact ancient imperial tombs in China.

Covered with verdure, Beiling Park enjoys a quiet and beautiful environment. Towering ancient pine trees, rippling clear lake, stately palaces and dazzling glazed tiles, fully show the majesty of the royal mausoleum and the elegance of the modern garden. The over 300-year-old ancient pines are still standing tall and straight, guarding the royal garden like loyal guards.

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Shenyang is Shanhong's childhood home, so we started with a trip to the university where they all used to live! Then, it was on to Fangcheng Cultural Zone. This is a core part of Shenyang's historical and cultural city, covering an area of 1.69 square kilometers, rich in historical and cultural resources and unique tourist attractions. It is home to the Shenyang Imperial Palace, a world-class cultural heritage site and one of the only two remaining royal palace complexes in China.

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