Did you know that Singapore has a natural hot spring which is open the public? I didn't know that either until a Japanese acquaintance (trust the Japanese to find out about hot springs) wanted to go there. I merely tagged along.

Apparently, my parents knew about this place too but they've never been there nor did they bring me and brother there when we were younger. Looks like I'm the only one in the family who loves hot springs and soaking my feet in warm water. Yup...no wonder I'm into spas, right?

Located at Sembawang, this hot spring is very nondescript and this is the only sign indicating where it is. I find it hilarious that there's a sign telling you that you're not permitted to wash your laundry there! LOL. Hmm...would washing clothes with water from a hot spring make it cleaner?

Path towards the hot spring

The land is owned by the Ministry of Defence, which comes as no surprise since there is an army camp right next to it. You can tell that they really do not want this place to be some crowded public spot because there are really no signs and when we consulted Google Maps on how to walk there, it told us to walk beyond this gate and to make a huge turn. Hmm. Thank goodness we trusted our instincts instead.

Interesting fact: the hot spring is natural and was discovered in 1908! It was even bottled and sold under several names, even F&N had procured the rights to bottle and sell this water. Again, trust the Japanese to build onsens in this area during WW2 but they were destroyed by the Allied Forces' bombing. Otherwise, we'd probably have lovely working spas here.

Walking towards the taps, we could smell the distinct scent of sulphur. Yup, this was a legit hot spring. My friends and I were wondering how the heck does Singapore have a hot spring when we're so far away from volcanoes? Is the land here particularly shallow, which is why whoever discovered it need not have to dig very far to get to the hot spring?

The hot spring water flowing out from taps

Foot soak anyone?

There are 3 areas with 4 taps each and visitors can bring stools and pails to fill the water up and soak your feet or other appendages. If you didn't bring either, there are some lying around the area which you can grab and use but if it's all taken up, then...too bad.

Do not turn off the taps - By order

The water from the taps are really hot. One of the visitors there told us that it's nearly boiling point. It was quite funny how the 3 of us suddenly went very Japanese and said, "Oh...we should've brought eggs to cook onsen tamago!"

In order to fulfil our need (yes, need) to soak our feet, we had to tarik our water from one pail to the next to cool it down sufficiently.

We only managed to take this one shot before a nice army boy came in to round us out as he wanted to lock the place up. Yes, they are quite strict with the closing hours at 7pm.

On the way to our dinner, I couldn't help but start thinking of what else we could cook in the hot spring water besides eggs. I reckon anything that can be cooked sous vide style would work, wouldn't it? Hmm...salmon, beef...veg...yum!

Needless to say, I'm thinking of another trip to Sembawang Hot Springs for a full on picnic with family and friends! I'm also thankful that this place is free and hasn't been commercialised because although it looks a bit shabby, I like that there are parts of Singapore that aren't that manicured.

How to get there:

1. Take the MRT to Yishun station. 
2. From the bus stop just in front (facing Northpoint Shopping Centre), take bus service 858/ 969/ 811/ 965 and alight on the 4th stop (Blk 118 or opp Blk 115B). 
3. Walk straight ahead, along Sembawang Road towards Gambas Ave.
4. Turn left onto Gambas Ave until you see that nondescript gate on your left.

Did you know that entry to the Singapore Art Museum on Fridays after 6pm is free for all? Singapore citizens and PRs get free admission whenever. Just found that out last Friday as Moon and I joined a singles' event there. Well, don't expect a blog post about the event because I was really more interested in the art in the end. Below are a few choice pieces that really spoke to me. So...onto the art!

There were 3 ongoing exhibitions and the 1st one that I went to was entitled "Once Upon This Island" so it was about Singapore. I was really impressed with this portrait of our late Lee Kuan Yew simply because it was made totally out of shampoo bottle caps!

The 'darker' shade that made up Mr Lee's outline was merely from the open bottle caps. And why the title "No More Tears Mr. Lee"? The artist used Johnson's & Johnson's baby shampoo bottle caps for this artwork and it is also alluding to how Lee Kuan Yew cried upon announcing the news that Singapore was separating from Malaysia. This piece is particularly poignant considering that Mr Lee just passed away this year.

I like interactive art. Especially if it's really meaningful, so I really enjoyed the below piece where you get to decorate the front of your HDB flat with stickers!

That's my personalised one! Too bad there were a lot of missing cards and I found it very interesting that in the sticker book, there were tons of Chinese altars and burning urns left unused. Not surprising, considering that most people who do visit our museums are actually tourists.

Anyway, you then add them to this whole wall slot area and I reckon that it is to look like the whole HDB block? Pretty cool art work where it allows the viewer to be the artist too! Now...refill those cards!

I love big bold pieces of artwork at times and this huge installation entitled "Bomba" was placed inside the chapel (for those who don't know, the Singapore Art Museum is located at the former St. Joseph's Institution) and it was so obvious why that place was so apt. Beautiful irony and meaning, considering how it was a statement about World War 2 and the bombs raining down. But it's peace now and the mirrors on the bombs give it that disco ball effect. All of this in a chapel where it is considered 'holy ground' and a place for prayer and peace.

This installation only brings to mind how art is also contextual and when Guia conceptualised this artwork, he was not thinking about THIS particular chapel to showcase his artwork but the curators did give this piece sufficient thought.

This gigantic metal ball was rolled and pulled along by the artist from Siem Reap to Phomn Pehn. It was his expression of the hardship faced during the war and personal struggles of the people then.  

The ball first started off as smooth and round but along the journey, it became dented, dirty, rusty and lost a few screws. You can only imagine how tiring it must have been and his motivation was purely coming from within because I bet you that most people who saw him dragging this ball along the road must've been thinking, "Crazy man. Nothing else better to do?" Nonetheless, the end result is powerful and does make you think about how we too are like the ball, getting knocked and dented along the way but we still move on.

I love chandeliers and I love this piece! It's made with car exhaust pipes and entitled "Air Pollution" but it's strangely beautiful. I can totally imagine it as a small chandelier in somebody's living room/ grunge loft. Probably not the artist's desired effect but...hehehe.

#WhereIsYourUtopia? There's another exhibition named "After Utopia" but I was more intrigued by the museum's own interactive mirror and art rather than the actual art pieces that were part of the exhibition. If it's not clear, I'm actually taking a selfie from the mirror. That means that the words were printed in reverse!

Do check out the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) when you can and do make trips there whenever the exhibitions change! Should be quite fun and I will make it a point to go there periodically! :)

Singapore Art Museum
Website: http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/index.html

Most people think of Singapore as a concrete jungle that is in the tropics, with beaches concentrated mainly at East Coast, Changi and Sentosa. There are a lot of smaller islands away from Singapore mainland that's worth exploring in a day trip; simply gather a group of friends and rent a yacht for the day. It costs around $1,200 to rent one for the day but there are quite a few Groupon/All Deals Asia deals that go for about $500 for a day. That works out to be about $50/pax and that's relatively affordable. Of course, there are some alternatives which I will mention later.

That's the yacht that we went on, thanks to Moon who won a trip from a Facebook contest held by the Neo Group. There were a total of 15 of us and we catered food from Neo Group (as part of the T&Cs) but if you rented from other companies, they usually allow you to bring your own food and some even have portable BBQ sets and you simply bring the raw foods.

We started our journey from the marina of ONE°15 Marina Club onboard PromiseOne. It was a very nice and sunny day but yet windy too! Glad that the weather cooperated with us to give us this lovely day to go yachting!

Other possible places to set off from are: Raffles Marina (that's in Tuas) and Keppel Island. Really depends on where you rent the yacht from.

I'm so happy that I finally managed to wear my Kate Spade Saturday sunglasses...on a Saturday no less!

We set off towards Lazarus Island, which is further south from Sentosa and this is the first island that I'm going to introduce.

Lazarus Island (the one with the pin) is one of the 8 islets south of Sentosa and it is connected to St. John's Island by a concrete bridge. Some smaller islands are now part of an extension of Lazarus Island thanks to the Singapore Tourism Board's plans in 2000 to develop it after Sentosa. So...better go and visit it before STB fully develops it and it turns from an unspoilt treasure into a manicured replica of it's larger sister.

Some boats choose to dock near the beach and some kayak to shore but the water was a little choppy so we decided to dock at the calmer lagoon where the proper jetty is located.

I liked the idea of using corals and seashells into the pavements. Quite rustic and environmentally friendly, no?

One of the locals

Walking towards the beach with almost nobody in sight

How difficult is it to get a toddler to be in a selfie with you? Apparently, very difficult. Especially if said kid is more interested in playing with the sand and wondering where his father is walking to.

Now...this is what I love most about Lazarus Island - the beach! The sand is super fine and soft, the water cold and not a lot of people on the beach. There aren't any stores selling drinks so please remember to pack your own food and water. This spot is perfect for a short picnic and dip into the sea. Bring a tent if you want some respite from the sun but some people were quite creative and made make-shift tents with their beach towels.

I'm planning to come back another day just to Lazarus Island to picnic, swim, maybe kayak and just chillax. Remember to bring loads of sunblock and check out the weather forecast before your trip!

After our lunch and island exploration, we headed off to Kusu Island. The island isn't very convenient for pleasure boats because the jetty is more suited for the larger boats. So, if you want to visit Kusu, I suggest taking the regular chartered ferries from HarbourFront terminal (about S$15 for adults and operated by Singapore Island Cruise).

If you want to hang out with turtles, wild monkeys, insects and be in a nice park with almost no beach. Kusu Island is super crowded during the 9th lunar month (around October) so please check in advance whether pilgrims will be making their way down to the temples there first. If you're one of the pilgrims...then...erm...you should know when is the best time to visit. If you're like me and hate crowds, avoid the 100,000 devotees and make your trip to Kusu Island during other months.

Thanks to the STB plans, Kusu Island is starting to look very manicured and there are a lot of 'huts' for people to sit and picnic. The temple on the lower grounds look a bit HDB-ish too. Despite its park-like appearance, overnight camping is not allowed on the grounds. Thank goodness for this because as it is, it is a bit irritating that the government is capitalising on the religious activities and tourism aspect. Shouldn't the actual island dwellers have some say?

Kusu literally means turtle and legend has it that a giant turtle turned into the island in order to save 2 shipwrecked sailors. Thus, turtles are considered to be something semi-sacred on this island and all of us were very excited to see our first giant turtle at the wishing well! There were many other turtles in the shallow sea bed.

The temple keeps terrapins too! There's a small pool within the temple for these terrapins to swim or just lie down.

A lot of people throw coins into the wishing well, thinking that it'll fulfil their wishes while donating to the temple. However, the late temple caretaker, Madam Sim, said in an interview in 2007 that it's actually owned by Sentosa ergo the government. Hence, none of the money collected goes to the temple.

Another government initiated modernisation is the building of this food centre which is very empty on normal days. I reckon that it's only filled during the 9th lunar month where devotees make their annual pilgrimage.

There are 2 religious sites on Kusu Island. The first one that you see when you arrive is the Dua Pek Gong (pronunciation in Hokkein) temple.

The 2nd religious site is the Kusu Kramat which is up on the hill. 152 steps. Ok...I gave a miss because I was thirsty. I guess I should've done the trip considering that this was my first visit to Kusu. Oops.

If you're not visiting Kusu for religious reasons, there's nature to just enjoy:

The resident monkeys are wild so beware. Don't feed them nor approach them because they're not friendly. Good thing is that they're not as spoilt as those on the mainland so they do not know that your bags contain food etc. However, please do not train and encourage such behaviour. Keep your food secured.

Since Kusu is originally a reef island, there is a small lagoon where some tourists enjoy sunbathing but honestly, the beach at Lazarus Island is a lot nicer.

I really enjoyed my day of island hopping and being on a yacht because it's rare for us to see the city from this view:

More trips await me! Uh oh...I need to find people who share similar interests...I can't afford to go out on a yacht trip to these islands all by myself.