Showing all Fitness Blogs for Singapore

Thanks to the huge Indian population in Singapore, there are numerous ways that you can celebrate the Festival of Light in the city. So if you want to celebrate this Indian tradition (it falls on 14th November this year), head on down to Little India and take part in some of the fun.  

Enjoy the lights

Simply taking a walk along the streets of Little India is enough to see some beautiful displays of lights. The real focal point are the peacocks at the beginning of Serangoon Road, and if you want to see the lights at their best, hang around until 7pm when the sun goes down and the whole street becomes electrified. The lights will be on until midnight and will last for a little longer than the five days of the festival of light.

Enjoy some authentic Indian food

The Song Of India is offering a special menu for Diwali and you will be able to see why they have earned a Michelin star. The tasting menu has four courses, including an ‘art palette’ that has seven different tastings. If that is out of your budget, then head to any of the Indian restaurants that dot the streets in Little India for some deliciously authentic food. 

Eat sweets until you feel sick

Indian sweets are addictive, sticky and sugary and once you start, you won’t be able to stop. Head over to Punjab Grill at Marina Bay Sands to buy their special Diwali sweet boxes. Look out for mango with white chocolate as well as green tea and pistachio. They also have plenty of dates and figs to celebrate without going into a sugar coma.  

Singapore’s desire to be a city in a garden is no better exemplified than the spectacular Gardens By The Bay. It can be difficult to know where to start, so here is our quick guide to the best way to make sure you don't miss anything. 

The gardens are divided into Bay Central Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay South Garden. Supertree Grove, the super-size man-made trees, are in the south garden. They are covered in trellises and are home to over 300 types of plants. Best seen at night, you can also take the Skyway, an aerial walkway that lets you walk among the canopies of the smaller supertrees. There is a particularly stunning light show, Rainforest Orchestra, which takes place at 7.45pm and 8.45pm.

In the south garden, you can also find The Cloud Forest and The Flower Dome. These work alongside the supertrees, and aim to project the vision of sustainability. Visiting the Cloud Forest means that you will come face to face with the Cloud Waterfall, which are over 35 metres high. Following the path, you can also see the different plant life found at different sea levels. The climate here replicated is that of Southeast Asia and South America, whereas the Flower Dome is more Mediterranean, as well as featuring the drier climates of Australia and South Africa. There is also a spectacular orchid display here, as well as flower arrangements which change with the seasons.

From here, head to the Heritage Gardens. This is a look at the diversity in Singapore, with Indian, Chinese and Malay gardens. There is also a water play area in the Far East Organization Children’s Garden, perfect for the humid summer months.

You can arrive at the Gardens by taking the Circle and Downtown Lines, the nearest MRT station being Bayfront. The park is open from 5am- 2am and admission is free. Opening times and admissions for the conservatories and other attractions may vary. You can visit the website for more information.  

Have you visited the Gardens by the Bay yet? What is the best attraction to see? Comment below with your experiences!

Why not treat yourself to a visit to one of Singapore's quaintest attractions? Find out all about this quirky little place below.

The history of the Sembawang hot spring

Found in 1903, this little spring was almost turned into a commercial venture. However, this fell through, mainly due to the fact that nobody knew where the water was coming from and if it was sustainable. However, more than 100 years later, the water is still running and is boiling hot! The spring was discovered by the son of Seah Liang Seah, the famous Chinese pioneer and namesake of many a steamboat buffet. A well was built by the spring, and it became popular with villagers who used the water for its healing powers. The spring became more and more famous, eventually attracting the attention of a soft drinks firm. They began to bottle the water but the flow was interrupted after being hit by a Japanese bomb during 1942. After conquering Singapore, the Japanese eventually began to build baths in the area. Interestingly, the spring was visited most frequently by gamblers, who took good luck baths before heading to the casino. Later, the Sembawang Air Base acquired the land but agreed to preserve the spring, due to its popularity.

How to get to Sembawang springs.

The spring is located on Gambas Avenue, between Sembawang and Yishun. Exit the Yishun MRT from exit C. If travelling by bus, take the 858 or 969 and get off 4 stops after exit C at Sembawang Road. Walk towards the overhead bridge and continue straight down the road. Take the left at the first junction where you can see the HDB Centre of Building Research. Keep going along the road until you see the two red signs. Enter through the gate and follow the path which will take you to the hot spring. The gate will only be open from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm daily.  

The spring itself

The spring is locked inside a concrete structure but there is access to the hot water from a tap. Many people collect water in buckets and fill a paddling pool in order to enjoy the spring. Some people even take a shower directly from the taps, there are more than one tap, so don’t worry if some are already in use. The spring is visited by all ages looking to feel the benefits of its supposedly restorative properties for skin complaints such as eczema and conditions such as arthritis.  If you ask the caretaker, he will provide you with a bucket and a towel to make your own foot bath. Some visitors even bring eggs to boil as a snack! Whilst the experience is not exactly like that of a first class spa, it is certainly much cheaper (free, in fact) and a lot more fun.  

Have you ever visited the hot spring at Sembawang? Comment below with your experiences!

Kampong Lorong Buangkok remains untouched by Singapore’s rapid expansion. Visiting this village shows just how much the city has changed over the last few years, and it can be seen as the last surviving link to Singapore’s past. Here is the story of the last kampong of Singapore. The land was first acquired by Sng Teow Hoon, a Chinese medicine seller, who rented out the land for people to build homes. The land later passed to his children, one of whom still lives there in the kampong to this day. The families that live there pay a small sum of S$30 in rent.
 

The kampong

Coming from the Malay, kampong etymologizes the English word ‘compound’, symbolizing a group of small houses that live together in close quarters to form a community. Singapore had plenty of kampongs until they were unilaterally destroyed to form high-rises to cope with the rising population. The survival of Lorong Buangkok really has been against the odds, even considering that it now rests on a swamp. The kampong as it stands today is home to 30 families, a mix of Malay and Chinese. Modern life has not infiltrated the community so much, amazingly. Families all know one another and take part in activities together, displaying the best example of ‘kampong spirit’ where people live together and survive together, without petty fallouts and consternation.
 

Visiting the kampong

There is not an awful lot here, so you can take your time to walk the streets. Rural life here has been beautifully preserved, and visitors can see plant life all around, encompassing shops, houses and even the local mosque. Take your time to walk around, but remember to be respectful. This is not a museum, and people still live here so be careful not to peer into too many windows. The houses are situated on dirt paths and are made of wood with zinc roofs that are distinctly weathered. There are no gates or barriers protecting the homes and if there are gates, they will usually be open. A rare sight indeed in Singapore. This is another representation of the kampong spirit that exemplifies this community. You will be greeted by dusty fake flowers, abandoned TV sets, ancient postal code signs and wooden clogs lined up outside the door. This perfectly exemplifies the olde worlde feel of the kampong. There are rumours that the kampong’s days are numbered much like the Bukit Brown cemetery in order to make way for new high-rises, so visit now whilst you still have the chance to appreciate a more rustic style of life.

How to get there

Take buses 70 or 103 from Serangoon MRT and ride 10 stops down the line to Church of St Vincent de Paul. Cross the road and walk towards the Shell petrol station. There is a flight of stairs next to the petrol station, which you need to walk down, cross the canal and walk straight. The kampong can be found on the left.  

Have you visited the last remaining kampong in Singapore? Comment below with your experiences!

Wild Wild Wet

This is an especially good idea if you are travelling with children. They have built four new rides since October 2017 and this water park is a great day out for little and big kids alike. From the Kraken (a four lane mat slide) to the Torpedo, where you are ejected from a capsule eighteen meters in the air into a freefall, there is plenty to do for those who prefer to cool off in the water. They also have more gentle slides like the Royal Flush, Slide Up and Ular-Iah, which allows families to ride together. They even have rest zones where you can lie back and suntan. For little kids, there is a toddler’s play zone as well as a pool for babies. They have plenty of facilities for young families, such as nursing rooms, kid’s shower cubicles, baby carriers and even baby floats. A great choice for the whole family! 

Go ice-skating

Whilst this sport may usually be reserved for winter months, it is also a great chance to cool off whilst enjoying a new sport. Thanks to it’s indoor location, you can also enjoy the air-conditioning! JCube Shopping Mall has a rink which also offers classes in figure skating, ice hockey, curling and speed skating.

Escape Rooms

Increasingly popular, and with plenty of options all over Singapore, these are a great indoor activity that means you escape the heat of the street. If physical exercise is not your bag, then some mental exercise might just do the trick instead. This is a great activity if you have a group of friends willing to take part, and it can be a lot of fun. Many escape rooms have different themes, such as solving crime or escaping from zombies. You can even try to escape from Aokigahara, Japan’s notorious suicide forest, or Alcatraz. Lost SG, Escape Artist, Lockdown, Escape Hunt and Trapped SG are some of the best.

You might have lived in Singapore for a while and think that you know all there is to know about the city. You might assume that amidst the skyscrapers and luxe hotels, there isn’t a square metre that lies undiscovered. Maybe not, but there are parts of Singapore that do not have quite the same footfall as others. These secret corners have some tantalising delights for tourists, expats, and locals alike. Let’s take a closer look.  

Colbar

This bar used to be a British Army hangout back in the 1950’s and it has retained some colonial charm. They sell plenty of beer (British nonetheless) and Hainanese Chinese cuisine, including a great Hainanese chicken rice. There are plenty of historical artefacts, and the owners have tried to keep as true to the original as possible. Look out for the antique weighing machines.  

Coney Island

Much like it’s namesake in New York, Coney Island is quite popular among locals and tourists alike. There are also plenty of white beaches, that look as if they could be straight out of a Thai holiday brochure. Punggol Ranch is the entrance point, and it is worth looking at itself, for all the flora and fauna on display. Some plant species are even believed to be extinct throughout the rest of Singapore. You might even be lucky and catch some birds in migration.

Bollywood Veggies

This organic farm, run by Ivy Singh Lim, is out of the main drag of the city but is well worth the car trip. There is an excellent restaurant here, which really does farm to table exactly right. The restaurant is not the only gem here. There are also plenty of workshops, kids activities, cooking classes and tours of the grounds.

Travelling can be a meaningful, enjoyable and memorable experience for all the right reasons. Yet sometimes it is possible that we start to feel a little under the weather. It can be hard to stay healthy when relocating to another country as there are so many other preoccupations. Multiply that with travelling and suddenly, you find yourself bed-ridden. However, there are some preventative measures you can take and here is a list of our top ten tricks to stay healthy whilst on the road.  

Hygiene first

It may sound obvious but when we are in the middle of a full bout of wanderlust, we often forget certain protocol that we would never abandon in ‘real life’. That means staying away from street food that may look tempting but does not practice effective hygiene. This advice does not mean you have to miss out on trying some local delicacies but exercise caution and common sense. It also goes without saying that washing your hands should take priority. If there are no facilities available, buy some antibacterial hand gel as a safety net. It also makes sense to wash your hands after using public transport as it can be a hotbed for germs.  

Watch your water

Again, it sounds like common sense but it is wise not to drink anything that has not been purified. In slightly more upscale restaurants, there should be no need to worry but when you are on the road, it is best to only drink out of a bottle or can. It is also a good idea to leave out the ice, no matter how hot it is. It might seem refreshing at the time but you could regret it later. Watch out for beer bottles that arrive already opened  too. The beauty of travelling around Asia is trying exotic fruits and juices but again keep an eye out for the water supply. It might be handy to have a bottle of water on hand to rinse off the fruit and try to steer clear of vendors who have ice from an unknown source. 

Eat wisely

Try out vegetarianism for a day or two

As well as being allegedly healthier, sticking to vegetables for a few days may be a good idea whilst you are acclimatising. This does not mean you have to avoid meat entirely but if you are unsure, there are plenty of other options which still enable you to enjoy food on the go. Vegetables are far less likely to give you an upset stomach, as well as giving you an energy boost if your immune system has taken a hammering. Asian dishes usually have an array of fresh vegetables in them, and all of them are delicious. Served with rice and some spicy sauce, you can have a great meal without any of the worry that you are going to spend the next day feeling green around the gills.  

Be prepared

A lot of people swear by probiotic supplements or herbal remedies to alleviate any symptoms before or as they happen. Carrying a supply of chamomile tea is often the salvation your stomach needs after a dodgy dish. Acidophilus pills are also quite common in helping to adjust our stomachs to new foods. Whether this may work for you or not is a question of testing it out, but it might be worth considering as you prepare for your trip. Certainly, having some anti-diarrhea pills and pain killers may be wise if you do find yourself caught out. Prevention is often better than cure, so speak to your pharmacist before travelling to see if they have any recommendations.  

Do you have any tricks for staying healthy on the road? Comment with your suggestions below!