Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
147
with scenes from Chinese history. The main prayer hall has fantastic details in the ceiling,
wood panels, and other woodcar vings. In the back is a shrine to K uan Yin, goddess of
mercy.
Originally built amid farmland, the temple became surrounded by suburban high-rise
apartments in the 1950s and 1960s, with the Toa Payoh Housing Development Board
New Town project and the Pan-Island Expressway creeping close by.
184-E Jalan Toa Payoh.
&
65/6259-6924.
Free admission. Daily 8:30am-5pm. Located in Toa Payoh New
Town. Toa Payoh MRT to bus no. 232, 237, or 238.
MacRitchie Nature Trail
Of all the nature reserves in Singapore, the Central Catch-
ment Nature Reserve is the largest, at 2,000 hectares (4,940 acres). Located in the center
of the island, it's home to four of Singapore's reservoirs: MacRitchie, Seletar, Pierce, and
Upper Pierce. The rainforest here is secondary forest, but the animals don't care; they're
just as happy with the place. There's one path for walking and jogging (no bicy cles
allowed) that str etches 3km (1
3
/
4
miles) fr om its star t in the southeast corner of the
reserve, turning to the edge of M acRitchie Reservoir, then letting y ou out at the S inga-
pore I sland Countr y Club . The TreeTop Walk is a 250m-long (820-ft.) suspension
walkway that rises 25m (82 ft.) from the forest floor. The views are great, but it is a hike
from the par king lots. The National Parks Board gives free guided tours on the second
Sunday of the month at 9:30am (
&
65/6554-5127
).
Central C atchment Natur e Reser ve.
&
65/6468-5736.
w ww.nparks.gov.sg. F ree admission. F rom
Orchard Rd., take bus no. 132 from the Orchard Parade Hotel. From Raffles City, take bus no. 130. Get off
at the bus stop near Little Sisters of the Poor. Next to Little Sisters of the Poor, follow the paved walkway,
which turns into the trail.
Mandai Orchid Gardens
John Laycock, the British founder of the O rchid Society
of Southeast Asia, began the M andai garden in 1951 to house his o wn collection. Now
owned and operated b y S ingapore O rchids P te. Ltd, M andai br eeds and cultiv ates
hybrids for international expor t, and the gar dens double as an STB tourist attraction.
Some of Mr. Laycock's original collection survives, though many were lost in World War
II. Arranged in E nglish garden style, or chid varieties are separated in beds that ar e sur-
rounded by grassy lawn. Tree-growing varieties prefer the shade of the co vered canopy.
On display is S ingapore's national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, a natural hybrid in
shades of light purple. Behind the gift shop is the Water Garden, where a stroll will reveal
many houseplants common to the West, as you would find them in the wild.
The Vanilla Pod
restaurant gets many of its ingr edients from its own herb and spice
gardens, and the specialty crabmeat salad uses the garden's orchid as an ingredient. (Tues-
Fri 11:30am-3pm and 6:30-11pm; Sat-Sun 9am-11pm;
&
65/6368-0672
).
Mandai Lake Rd., on the r oute to the Singapore Zoo.
&
65/6269-1036.
Adults S$3 (US$2/£1.35), chil-
dren 11 and under S$1 (US65¢/45p). M on 8am-6pm; Tues-Sun 8am-7pm. Ang M o K io MRT bus no .
138.
7
Night Safari
Kids
Singapore takes adv antage of its unchanging tr opical cli-
mate and static ratio of daylight to night to bring you the world's first open-concept zoo
for nocturnal animals. H ere, as in the z oological gar dens, animals liv e in landscaped
areas, their barriers vir tually unseen b y visitors. These ar eas ar e dimly lit to cr eate a
moonlit effect, and a guided tram leads y ou through “regions” designed to resemble the
Himalayan foothills, the jungles of Africa, and, naturally , Southeast Asia. S ome of the
free-range prairie animals come very close to the tram. The 45-minute ride covers almost
3.5km (2
1
/
4
miles) and has a stop half-way to get off and hav e a rest or stroll along trails
