Revisiting Bukit Timah Hill

I have always wanted to go Bukit Timah Hill again.

I have been there once with Coco and her cousin and another time with my NIE coursemates for a learning journey.

I wanted Baby to experience what a hill was. I know Singapore’s hill is just a mound compared to other countries’ but I would like her to experience a humble hill and have a walk in a nature reserve.

So I asked her favourite cousin along, also my fifth sister’s son, but the third one.

We took a cab down as I didn’t want to tire them out before the climb. 

I was worried that it might be too hot for a climb at 3pm but the shady hill was a pleasant climb even at one of the hottest hours in the day.

They were sure that the Red and Blue routes were too easy for them so they voted for the Intermediate (Green) route unanimously.

The foot of the hill. We walked for a short distance before we spotted a stick marked by green paint, which indicated that we ought to turn to the Green route.

Our first fascination with the man-made steps at Bukit Timah Hill

After taking in all the trees and shrubs in their natural beauty, we were 'surprised' to see a 'man-made waterfall' in the woods

Baby was visibly relieved when she saw the first resting stop, a tiny hut with wooden seats

After quenching our thirst and resting our legs, we journeyed on

It was another some minutes of walk-and-climb until we reached the second hut which was 800m away from the peak

After emerging from the Green route, we came to a cross road where we had to decide if we wanted to climb a flight of stairs which was 150m away from the peak, or take the gentler slope which was 500m to the same destination.

Of course, our two brave souls chose the route few would venture

I was almost out of breath by the time I reached the top

I wondered aloud to the kids,"I distinctively remember there was a huge rock which people would take a picture with to tell people that they were at the peak."

The cruel nephew replied,"Er Yi (Second Aunt), that's 20 years ago."

I later found out from a friend that the Summit Rock is located at the end of the Blue route.

I was very excited to see the steep slope down the hill. I knew it would be the highlight for the kids. 

I read on the internet that the slope is inclined at 40 degrees but for some reason, our handphones just could not capture the steepness of the slope. 

They saw people walking backward so they wanted to try too. However, they gave up after a few steps.

"How can people walk backward without falling down?"

My nephew and I complained of painful toes as we strolled down. The inclined slope compelled our feet to hit against the front part of our shoes with each step. I made a mental note that I would bring a pair of sandals if I ever come here again.

We visited the Visitor Centre for the second time for new bottles of mineral water and a packet of potato chips before we ventured into the Hindhede Nature Park, which was a small park near the entrance of the Hill. I never knew that there was a quarry so I insisted on visiting it. 

We walked along the boardwalk and passed through a rugged play area that seemed more suitable for older children.

Then we came to the viewing point, a small area where a few visitors at a time would be standing to take in the tranquil and relatively unspoiled view. It's the kind of peace which viewers would quieten down as a sign of respect for the environment.

We left just as a few visitors came in to wait for the sunset at 7pm. We didn't think there was a need to do the same as the view we saw was beautiful enough for us.

Before we left, I decided that having a picture with the rock at the entrance is better than having no picture at all.

We walked out to the main road hoping to get a cab and we got to see some cute monkeys and a squirrel

Bukit Timah Hill is very manageable for a short walk. 30 minutes is all it takes for a leisurely walk to go up the summit. Not sure how viable it is for older people but I would probably choose the blue or red route if I come here with my elderly mother.

Nearest MRT station:
Beauty World MRT

Cat Cafe for a Cat-Fearer

A very belated post dated back to 15 October 2016! I must have forgotten to publish it!

After Baby's mini party in school, I tagged along with Coco to meet her friend whom I also knew.

They were heading to The Cat Cafe in Bugjs Village.

After a little search on streetdirectory.com, I found the location. 

 

It was a shop on the third floor of a shophouse just opposite Bugis Junction.

 

I am not a big fan of cats but decided to peek into the shop just to know how it was like.

 

The shopfront was a cosy food and beverage counter.

The cafe charges by per entry.

$15 per entry, inclusive of a soft drink. If you want other drinks such as orange juice, a top-up of about $3 is required.

Before entering the cafe-room that was separated from the F&B counter by a sliding room, we were briefed on the dos and don'ts: 

1. Pat the cats on their head, not their body (as cats are defensive animals). 

2. Do not enter the cats' resting area. They are there to nap and rest.

3. They are sleepy after their first meal of the day so do not force-carry them. If they want to come to you, they will.

 

It was a bright and cosy place. Wooden structures were set up at different parts of the cafe for cats to climb or move around.

 

Cat lovers may sit at tables with floor cushions to be in close proximity to cats.

 

We were given a table seat by the window in a corner when the server sensed that I was fearful of cats.

 

Soothing music was played to create a calm and comfortable atmosphere for the cats and patrons alike.

 

The cats were very docile. They didn't flinch even when patrons waved silly toys in their faces.

 

I saw that the cats didn't stir even when they were patted on their heads.

I thought it a shame not to have pictures taken at a place like this.

 

I may not return if I miss the photography opportunities!

 

Better cam-whore with the cats before I regret it!

  

The cafe hung their resident cats' portraits on the walls and did a write-up on the temperament and behaviour of each cat.

 

Even the tables had reminders about the dos and don'ts.

 

A thoughtful cafe with thoughtful cat-loving patrons who were almost equally quiet as the cats so as not to frighten the cats.

Kids Galore at Kidzania!

It was a brilliant Thursday morning and the first day of PSLE Oral Examination. I'd thought that it was an ingenius idea to take Baby and her cousin to Kidzania since:

1) it was a weekday

2) most parents would not think of the same idea as I did

What a surprise the genius me had! One of the nastiest queues I had ever seen at Kidzania at 10am, the opening hour! Apparently, half the Singapore population had the same idea!

We entered Kidzania at about 10.30am. Then we proceeded to the second level to get the Pazzport done. The making of the Pazzport took up another half an hour, so we only started our Kidzania activties at 11am.

The pilot job is an ultra-hot job at Kidzania Singapore so I made it clearly to the kids that we were going for the pilot job the first thing we reached Kidzania. Both kids were clueless about what the job entailed but agreed with me anyway.

We were instructed to queue for a Queue Card in front of the Kindergarten. It was distributed at 11.30am so a 30-minute wait was not too bad.

The Queue Card allows you to go away to try other jobs before coming back at a specific timing for the pilot job. 

We headed to the Health Institute on the same level to be Health Researchers because it was a mere 20-minute wait - probably the shortest ever queue we had ever seen in this crazy place! Their turn is next! 

Hands had to be washed and sanitised first.

Making liquid soap

The kids got to bring home a travel-size shower cream.

After all the waits, the kids were hungry. So we went for a break at KFC which was incidentally the cheapest eating place for a full meal at Kidzania!

 

Back to waiting in the pilot queue

First Officer in action 

After 2pm, the wait became longer, but still bearable compared to their first visit.

Queuing at the A&E Department to be paramedics

The perk of being paramedics!

While the rest were focused on attending to a patient, the two of them were checking out the first aid box!

"This is how a broken arm should be bandaged."

 

We headed over to Sticky on the first level to learn about the process of candy-making.

"Chop. Chop. Chop."

While most job stations pay the children a small amount of kidzos for the work they do, this station requires children to pay 10 kidzos as they get to bring home the candies.

Happy with the candies

 

At Abbot, the kids took up the role of Food Scientists to learn about the milk powder making process.

Mixing the ingredients together

Powder creation and germ-removal process

She insisted on drinking the milk she made when she got home!

The mascot appeared at the end of the day to join in the song-and-dance ritual.

I always get them to go to the bank to withdraw all their kidzos at the end of the day. They can bring them home or shop at the Kidzania Store to see if there was anything they fancy.

The boy bought a tiny souvenir for a 100 kidzos which Baby didn't think was worth the penny. She was saving up for a bigger-ticket item.

As it was a Thursday, the kid's city closed at 5pm and every job recruited its last batch of children at 4pm or thereabout. The two little imps only managed to complete five jobs. However, if I think about it, when they had up to 7pm to play around the last visit, they only completed six jobs and each job had an average waiting time of 45 minutes to one-hour. The popular ones even kept us waiting for 1.5 hours! I would conclude that the queues on a Thursday were definitely shorter. 

The shorter time span was actually better for the kiddos as they were not as exhausted as they were on their visit. They had the energy to run and discussed animatedly about the jobs they did, especially the pilot job, after the visit this time round.

Everytime I go to Kidzania Singapore, I learn something new. The last time I visited, I learnt that I should have got their Pazzport done at the first visit as you would lose all the stamps you could have earned for the jobs you do at the first visit if you only get that done on the subsequent visit.

This time, I bought 8 pictures including their soft copies for a whooping $140. However, I later realised that there was an unspoken option of buying 15 soft copies for $60 and I could have bought the 8 soft copies for $60 as well but as the staff there were predictably inflexible, the lady at the cashier's said,"We have printed the pictures." as if the printing cost a bomb, and did not allow me to change to soft-copies-only option even though I had not paid yet.

So if you are going to Kidzania Singapore, do opt for the choice of purchasing soft copies at $60 instead of overpaying for a few hard copies for so much more!