Singapore & A Day Trip to Bintan (Indonesia)
Had the chance to visit Singapore a second time, more than 10 years after the first visit. Definitely a city I could live in. Only an hour by ferry is the island of Bintan, belonging to Indonesia. Perfect for a day trip and full of peculiar and amazing sights.
Had the chance to visit Singapore a second time, more than 10 years after the first visit. Definitely a city I could live in. Only an hour by ferry is the island of Bintan, belonging to Indonesia. Perfect for a day trip and full of peculiar and amazing sights.
Panorama from Marina Barrage
Definitely a spot worth visiting.
Universal Singapore
A view over the Hollywood and Sci-Fi areas of the park, as well as the world's tallest dueling coasters.
Supertree Grove
The famous Supertrees at Singapore's Garden by the Bay behind Manila Bay.
Falls
The Cloud Mountain in one of the two domes in Gardens by the Bay. Worth a visit.
Cheshire Cat
Never stop smiling.
Dragon
Reminds me of the dragons from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
National Flower
Singapore's national flower is the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid.
Rose
Interesting geometry.
Playground
Kids (and me) could draw vehicles on papers, scan them, and they would appear moving on the projected back wall. Totally cool.
Puzzles
Arrangement required.
Balloon Fun
Another installation at the Art Meets Science exhibit.
Future World
The ArtScience Museum by the Marina Bay Sands showcased Future World: Where Art Meets Science, including this really cool installation.
Atmosphere
The installation included a la Arrival / Interstellar and the occasional burst of fast moving light flashes. I think I spent 30min there.
Wise Words
Harry Kroto won his Nobel Prize for discovering fullness. Don't ask me what it means.
ArtScience Museum
At sunset seen from the Helix bridge. The museum opened in 2011.
Downtown Core
The Singapore skyline, seen from the Helix bridge.
N
One letter of the Art and Science Museum
Supertree Grove
Seen from the Marina Bay Sands roof at night.
Supertree Grove & Cloud Forest
The park was part of the plan to transform Singapore from a "Garden City" to a "City in a Garden"
Textures
Green, concrete, glass, culture, business, old and new in synergy - Singapore.
Portal
Try and run towards the light.
AC Galore
Singapore is hot and humid. The result is here.
Interior
The inside of the temple during an ongoing ceremony.
Prayers
The ongoing mumbling during the proceedings had a somewhat soothing effect.
Monk
The monk in the central position during the ceremony.
10000 Buddhas
At the roof of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
Just chilling.
Obligatory cat shot.
Gambling
Traditional gambling is highly regulated in Singapore - not this type of street games though. Anyone knows what it is?
Free Cut
Free haircuts for the homeless and elderly in the Chinese quarter.
Inventive Laundry
I wonder how much gets lost.
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
Worth a visit for sure.
Great Offers
I didn't take advantage.
Sri Mariamman Temple
Unfortunately the temple was closed for cleaning.
Park Royal Towers
With their built in sky gardens.
Little flat iron
A building in the old district by the Boat Quay.
Tiny McDonald's
Maybe the smallest one I've seen.
Fishy Dreams
On the way up to Singapore's cat cafe. The one in Dubai is nicer!
Stamford Raffles
The founder of Singapore in the early 19th century.
Reflections
An installation near the Victoria theatre.
Contrasts
Looking towards Downtown Core and it's low rise buildings on the Singapore river.
St Andrew's Cathedral
Early gothic style and originally opened in 1861.
Interiors
The colorful windows create an interesting atmosphere.
Greenery
Singapore's flora is really amazing in parts.
Sri Thendayuthapani Temple
From the 1850s.
Bliss
The place was full of local families and kids, and it seems every weekend the sky is filled with dozens of kites. Great view.
Fireworks
Unfortunately I missed a much better view by a few minutes. Every Saturday in July, fireworks take place in preparation for National Day.
Lonely Swimmer
The very early morning is the only time you'll see the Marina Bay Sands pool this empty.
Sunrise
Looking east from the Marina Bay Sands rooftop.
Sunset
Looking west over the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool.
Marina Bay Sands
In all likelihood the most famous infinity pool in the world.
Sentosa Island
Looking down at Sentosa island, Singapore's entertainment district, from the cable car that transports you to the island.
Universal
The signature entrance.
ArtScience Musem
Seen from the other side of the bay.
Lantern
The rooftop at the Fullerton Bay hotel, with it's pool.
Attractions
Singapore Flyer, ArtScience Museum and Marina Bay Sands seen from the Fullerton Bay.
Fullerton Bay Poolside
A relaxing place in the concrete jungle.
Downtown Core & Merlion
Singapore's mascot and it's skyline in the background.
Lightshow
The daily fountain and light show attracts lot of people on the other side of the bay.
Merlion
Singapore's mascot comes with a few stories. For example, it was relocated in 2002, and in 2009 it was struck by lighting.
Moonset
The moon was setting in the late evening during my time in Bintan, just coming down behind the Ghost Ship shortly after sunset.
Construction Site
It was brought to Bintan a few years ago to turn it into a hotel. The work is ongoing and the hotel is expected to open in 2018.
MV Doulos
The ship was built in 1914 and held the record for the oldest active ship roaming the oceans.
The Ghost Ship
Close to the main ferry terminal is the "Ghost Ship" of Bintan.
Colours
The color and clarity of the water comes from the filtering of the stone.
Transformation
Most of the site used to be a quarry, and now looks like sand dunes of the desert.
Out of this World
Walking around here felt like another planet.
Rock Formations
Definitely one of the most interesting landscapes I've had the chance to photograph.
Hills
The landscape surrounding the lagoons is natural though, and certainly looks unique.
Sand & Salt
... makes up the landscape in this area of the island.
Danau Biru Lagoon
These amazing lagoons are not actually natural, but evolved out of the wholes dug when the land used to reclaimed Changi airport in Singapore was dug out of Bintan island.
500 Lohan Temple
The entrance to the temple, which in its current form only opened in 2017.
500 Arahats
500 lifelike status of the perfected persons following the buddhist religion, displayed at the 500 Lohan Temple. Worth a visit.
Cemetary
Close to the church is a cemetery with colorful gravestones.
Island Church
Despite the largely muslim population, there's a church on the island near the Grotto Santa Maria, originally built in the 1800s by a Dutch pastor.
Path of Jesus
One of the weirdest religious monuments I've encountered so far - deep in the jungle of Bintan is a path depicting the 14 stations of the cross.
Lunch time
Soup with chicken feet. Tasted good, or so they said.
Smiles
Although with a few missing teeth.
Dried Fish
Locals preparing fish to be dry in the sun.
Coal Factory
Up until a few years ago, locals still used these to burn mangroves to turn it into coal and export it. Mangroves are since protected by law.
Fishermen's Village
Bintan island is still home to a local population of gypsies, a few hundred of them permanently live on the sea.
Drying Fish
The locals dry young fish in the sun for later consumption.
Floating House
Local fishermen live in floating houses.
Island Bliss
Fisherboats on the beach of Bintan Island.
Baby Squid
Caught alongside the school of young fish.
Bintan Resort Beach
The island has a few nice resort areas, but there's a lot more to explore... look further!
Human vs Natural Palm Trees
You judge who wins.