Days 7-9 in Singapore

I’m writing this a bit belated since I’ve been busy at my conference, but I’ve still had a few chances to continue exploring Singapore.

On day 7, Nick went back to California and I moved over to a student hostel, where I was staying during a two-day pre-workshop for junior scientists.

My friend Charlene and I used our free day to go for a hike along the Southern Ridges Trail. The weather was very hot as usual, but the hike was enjoyable and we got some nice views of the habor.

The next day we had some free time after the workshop, so we decided to visit the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. (Nick and I visited the building previously, but weren’t able to go inside.) The interior of the temple was really beautiful, filled with lots of gold and elaborate decorations.

Thousand Arm Avalokiteshvara, the guardian deity for anyone born in the year of the rat (my birth year).

We got to observe Buddhist monks leading a service, which was really interesting.

The Buddha’s immaculate conception by Queen Maya

Afterward, we spent some time walking around Vivo City, another enormous shopping mall. Then we took the cable car to Sentosa Island, where we met up with the workshop attendees for an excellent beachside dinner.

Today, we visited some local biotech companies as part of the workshop. Then we moved again to a hotel, and the main conference began in the afternoon. The day concluded with a really nice dinner at the Flower Dome. The tulip display from last week had been entirely been replaced with a brand new rose-themed display, so it was cool to get to see it again in this new form.

After dinner, my friends Charlene and Joy walked with me to the Supertrees, where we had a chance to watch the Garden Rhapsody, a show where the Supertrees light up in sync with opera music. It was a really cool show and a great way to kick off our conference.

I probably won’t have much more time after today to explore Singapore, since the conference days will be really long. But it’s been an amazing time getting to explore this beautiful country, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to visit.