Taking a walk down the Jubilee Walk with family

Little One received Jubilee Walk Family Time Activity Sheet from her school sometime during the 15 days of Chinese New Year. I was astonished that she was very excited about it. She is not a trail lover. She complains of boredom and she will rather stay in an air-conditioned place if given a choice. Hence when she kept urging us to bring her to the trail. We were skeptical. She was so enthusiastic to the extent that she hoped to complete the trail after school, which I think it was quite impossible.

"The Jubilee Walk is an eight-kilometre trail that connects the past, present and future elements of the Singapore story, from ancient Temasek to the colonial era, to nationhood, rapid urban development and beyond.

Encompassing historic and iconic areas such as Fort Canning Hill, the Singapore River, the Civic District and Marina Bay, the Walk offers a chance to discover the people and communities who have contributed to our cityscape. The draw of Singapore as a 14th century regional trading hub, the vision and toil of both colonial and immigrant pioneers, and the fiery days of “Merdeka” (freedom or independence in Malay) are just some of the stories waiting to be told here, as are the experiences of modern-day Singapore overcoming the odds to become one of the leading global cities today. "

                                                                                           -http://www.nhb.gov.sg/ 

The Jubilee Walk is actually an 8 kilometre trail but this Activity Sheet features only 7 out of 23 sites. We conducted the trail on 2 different days, both after school.

Reading the activity sheet and planning her route enthusiastically.

Day 1 

1. National Museum of Singapore

Favorite Gallery : Voices of Singapore

There are plenty of galleries here. We have not explored everyone in detail. Usually, if we bring Little One along, we would come and browse through all the galleries before deciding staying in one or two galleries.(most of the time in galleries with plenty of interactive games/media. Only then, we will be able to read or study the artefact in the particular gallery.

She has been to this exhibition area and loves listening to the songs and short skits here. On that day, she watched a short film, "The Singapore Story" in the mock up of the Drive in Cinema that used to be in Jurong. This was the first time Papa visited the National Museum after the New Permanent Galleries are opened. 

2. Fort Canning Park - Spice Garden
We took the exit at level 2 to Fort Canning. That was when we realised that  PLAY (play area in the museum) was no longer there.

In the Spice Garden (a replica of the original), we found a board to answer the question "What are some of the spices used by different ethnic groups?"

3. The Peranakan Museum
Here on display is The Great Peranakans: Fifty Remarkable Lives exhibition. Little One had to find out 2 Peranakan Pioneers and their contributions. I could see she was bored. The only thing she enjoys is running around for embossment on a separate activity sheet issued by the museum itself.

4. Singapore Philatelic Museum
We visited the newer exhibits "More Than Monkeys", "With Love from Snoopy, Charlie Brown & the Peanuts Gang Exhibition in conjunction with Snoopy & Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie" and "The Singapore Journey: 50 Years Through Stamps".

Every year, Philatelic Museum would hold an exhibit in conjunction of the zodiac year. This year is the Year of the Monkey. One would get to know more on facts about monkeys and apes. It is interesting to know that Hindu also has a monkey god. His name is Hanuman. The Chinese's monkey god is named Sun Wukong and he was born out of a magic rock.

I became excited to find out the Singapore's Collection in 1966 in the Green Room. These are stamps issued to commemorate the 1st Anniversary of Independence. Glad that I have a chance to see it! I think I should spend more time in this room.

Clockwise:
About Hanuman
Monkeys stamps
Snoopy stamps
1st Anniversary of Independence stamps.

Day 2

5. Armenian Church

The church was closed due to renovation. Hence, we could not get in the church. However, Little One and I had been to the church before. If you are interested, you may want to read about it. I am pretty happy they are going to set up a museum here!

6. Central Fire Station - Civil Defense Heritage Centre 

This is an interesting place which we had yet set foot on until then. It is a heritage gallery with quite a few old fashioned fire engines. We learnt how tough it was to fight fire in the olden days. On level 2, there are displays of modern tactics to fight fire as well as conduct a rescue during emergency. The children gets to dress up as  firemen too!

7. Old Hill Street Police Station - Kindness Gallery

I didn't know Singa (our courtesy mascot) has a home here! We get to take plenty of lovely pictures and took a look at all the Singa stuff that were on display.

Kindness Gallery

Favorite part of this trail:
It has to be the Civil Defense Heritage Centre. You can imagine us looking at those large vehicles and going ooh and ahh about them. The development of civil defense team is amazing! It has some interactive exhibits. Definitely, we will be going back.

Night Heritage Walk at Singapore Night Festival

Singapore Night Festival is coming. It will occur during the last 2 Fridays and Saturdays of this month. 7pm to 2am.

"The eighth installation of the iconic alternative night-time extravaganza of arts, culture and revelry returns to the Bras Basah.Bugis precinct with free spectacular performances, light installations and a multitude of activities for all to enjoy! In celebration of Singapore’s 50th birthday, visitors can look forward to an exciting line-up that will transform the festival grounds into a constellation of glittering local and international acts against the night sky."

                 ~ quoted from Singapore Night Festival website.

I strongly recommend the Night Heritage Walk. Fort Canning offers a beautiful captivating view at night if you were to climb on top of the hill. Be sure to bring along a strong torchlight and insect repellent. Do go as a group for safety reason as Fort Canning at night is pretty dark. If you have keen on the heritage of Fort Canning, this is one opportunity to go as a group. You may want to sign up here. Below is recollection of the trail I had taken last year. I used flashlight to capture only 2 of the structures because they are too dark to be seen.

History of Fort Canning

Fort Canning Hill was originally known as Bukit Larangan, which means “Forbidden Hill” in Malay. The locals believed the hill was the site of burial grounds and palaces built by the ancestral kings of the 14th century, and thus were forbidden to ascend the hill. When Raffles arrived, he set up his residence and the government house on the hill, as it provided a clear view of the port city. This gave the hill the name “Government Hill”.

In 1859, a decision was made to convert the hill into a military site. A fort was built, and named after Viscount Charles John Canning, Governor-general of India. “Fort Canning” subsequently became synonymous with the hill. The decision to surrender Singapore to the Japanese on 15th February 1942 was made here at the Battle Box but all the bad decisions prior to surrender were made at the headquarter at Sime Road Camp before the Allied army retreated to Fort Canning.

Now, most of the fort is gone. Only remnants remains. The place is now a park for visitors to enjoy.

Fort Canning Green

Did you know Fort Canning Green used to be a cemetery? It is the second cemetery site on Fort Canning. It used to have up to 600 graves. Some are prominent people such as George Dromgold Coleman, the first Government Superintendent of Public Works in Singapore. (He designed numerous buildings in Singapore, including the Armenian Church and the second Telok Ayer Market. Coleman Street was named after him.) Many of these graves were exhumed. Today, Fort Canning Green is a venue for celebrations, playing host to concerts, theatre productions and festivals. 

12 gravestones relocated from Bukit Timah Hill Cemetery.

One of the Gothic Gates constructed in 1846, entrance of the Fort Canning Green. There are 2 of them on the ground. The letters “IHS” were inscribed onto both gates. They stand for “Iota Heta Sigm”, the first three letters of the Greek word for “Jesus”.

Right to Left: Former Fort Canning Centre (now Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris), Memorial to James Brooke Napier and Cupolas. The Cupulas are designed by George Coleman too.

Interested to see the evidence that the site was a cemetery? Look at the walls surrounding Fort Canning Green. See whether you can find the headstone of George Coleman.

Majority of the gravestones, memorial and inscription plaques had been removed and set in the cemetery’s walls.

Silhouette of tree against the evening sky

Keramat Iskandar Shah

This keramat belongs to  Iskanda Shah, also known as Parameswara, the fifth and last Raja of Singapura. According to the Sejarah Melayu (the Malay Annals), he was the great-great-grandson of Sang Nila Utama, the founder of the Kingdom of Singapura (Singapore's previous name). When the kingdom of Majapahit launched an attack on Singapura. Iskandar Shah fled to Malacca, where he founded a new settlement and became its first ruler. As he had died at Malacca,  It is believed that his body is never buried on this ground.

The keramat

9-Pound Cannon  and the South Battery

This is one of the pair of 9-pound cannons, which was part of a series of artillery installed in Fort Canning. However, they were never used in combat. Instead, the cannon was fired 3 times a day to announce the time at 5 am, 1pm and 9pm. It was also used as an alarm system for town fires. The fort was demolished in 1907.

The Lighthouse, Time Ball, Flag Staff and Raffles House (Maritime Corner)
Pardon me for only showing you the lighthouse, because only the photo of it came out best. All these are replica, it's a pity the original are no longer here. Look at the captivating scenery I have took.

Before land reclamation took place, Fort Canning Hill was near the shoreline and was very visible from the sea. A lighthouse was built in 1902 to guide ships into the harbour along Singapore River. The lighthouse ceased operations in 1958 when high-rise buildings in the vicinity blocked it from view. It was replaced by an electric-powered light on top of the Fullerton Building, but that light has ceased operation since 1979 with more reclamation and developments in the southern coastline of Singapore. The lighthouse moved to the top of condominium in Bedok. Even that will cease operation soon. Another lighthouse is built on top of No. 3 Marine Terrace to take over it. This continues the list of lighthouses built on Singapore mainland. The other 4 lighthouses are offshore.

The original flagstaff was a wooden structure, and was erected in 1825. The flagstaff provided numerous signals and information, such as the arrival of ships and the conditions on the ships.

The Time Ball was originally erected on Fort Canning to keep time. It would be raised at 12:55pm daily, and then dropped at 1pm. This allowed everyone living in the vicinity to synchronise their clocks and watches with the time announced by the Time Ball.

The residence for Sir Stamford Raffles, known as Raffles House, was built here. In the past, it had a clear view of the settlement around Singapore River. It was subsequently known as Government House. The House is opened for functions and events. I had seen a wedding taken place at this very building with my family. 

Part of Singapore River can be spotted here

Wall sculpture

Fort Gate, Fort Wall and Sally Port

Perhaps the most fun part of the trail is climbing up the fort gate and walking through Sally Port. At
least, that was how I feel.

In 1859, a decision was made to convert the hill into a Fort. It was completed in 1861, and included a strong wall that surrounded the summit of the hill. A moat also ran around the wall. Today, the moat has completely disappeared, together with most of the Fort Wall. Only the Fort Gate and a fragment of the wall remain today.

If you want, you may want to try pushing the any one of the gate doors. They are pretty heavy. You can also climb up the narrow stair way to the top of the gate and have a view from the top.

There used to be 3 sally ports where troops could escape from enemies undetected. However, only one remains. This is located near the fort gate. It is slightly disappointing to me because I had imagine it to be a long, mysterious tunnel. haha...

Top of Fort Gate

All in all, the night experience in Fort Canning is fun. Do register with NParks if you are interested. Sending the link here again for your easy reference. Details of Singapore Night Festival can be found here.

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Night scenes in the City

A replica of the lighthouse on Fort Canning lights up the night sky

Awesome view from the top of the hill.

View from National Gallery - Former Supreme Court

View at Fullerton Heritage Precinct is not to be missed

The newly constructed Jubilee Bridge

Wonder Full show at Marina Bay Sands added beauty to the Marina Bay

Attempting light play using camera

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Sculpture #2 Sculpture Society (Singapore) Annual Show 2014 SG-TW Shoebox Sculpture Show

If you are interested in sculptures, why not visit the Shoebox Sculpture exhibition at the Foothills, Fort Canning Park in Geleri Utama. Most of these sculptures are made by local sculptors. Some of these sculptures are for sale.

Outside Geleri Utama. Check out the flowers!

Sculptures on shelves

There were 6  shelves of sculptures on exhibit. Last 2 shelves contain sculptures made by Taiwanese sculptors. As these are not tag, you would have to refer on a piece of paper on the wall near the entrance, who the sculptors are and the name of the sculpture.

Showing some of my favourites.

姿 by 王秀杞 Love the posture of the sculpture

清晨 五点十分, 2013 by 简志达 These birds look so real and the pillow looked soft too!

金刚犀牛 ,2012 by 施力仁. I was told the sculptor had made many of these and the back of these rhino could be open to put things into them. Wow!

种子系列, 种子I, 2014 by 杨华 

Seed Pod II, 2014 by Han Sai Por , I love the combination of these colours

Me/ Layu, 2014 by Ezzam Rahman, I was told this is made from fingernails!

A cage, a man and an apple, 2014 by Nya Soe. Does the cage reminds you of the wooden blocks that children plays with?

The distance between the window and the door, 2014 by Yeo Chee Keong

A dream house , 2014 by Justin Lee. Somehow reminds me of a fusion between kampung zinc roof and the doors and windows of old estate such as Queenstown. A nostalgic feel.

All that Shines, We Climb, 2014 by Xin Xiaochang

种子, 2014 by Chua Chon Hee. Another seedpod.

Autumn by Aileen Toh. 

And many others... include Chua Boon Kee's work (bottom right, The Sandalwoodie family)...

Even outside the gallery,  there are sculptures

If you have about an or two hour to spare, you may want to walk around Fort Canning Park. There are at least 20 sculptures on the hill.

Little One's favourite kind of swings

Aren't they cute?

The Geleri is located just opposite Liang Court, near to the Fabulous Baker Boy cafe. I read good reviews about this cafe. Have you try it?

If you are interested in sculptures or intend to buy some, you may want to pay a visit to this gallery.

Venue :Geleri Utama

The Foothills, Fort Canning Park Singapore

Time of exhibit: 7th to 31st August 2014, 10am to 6 pm

Admission is free 

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