Challenge 1: Try Going Somewhere New - Jurong Lake Gardens

Heyo lovelies!

I'm happy to report that I have completed one of the items on my Challenge list! The Challenge is meant to get me out of my comfort zone and do new things. I picked one of the easiest things to do first.

Try going to somewhere new

I wanted to venture out to places that I do not usually go in Singapore. 

There should be no excuses such as 'too far' as Singapore is truly a small island. I mean, how can anyone claim that they enjoy travelling when they can't even travel to the other end of their own country? Not cool right?

So off we go!

We travelled a long way on the train and arrived at...

Jurong Lake Gardens!

If you do not already know, the Lakeside Garden at Jurong Lake Gardens recently opened to the public on April 27. This is only the first phase and the remaining sections will open progressively from 2021 onwards, according to CNA.

Wow, can you imagine living in one of the houses near the lake? You will be greeted with this beautiful expanse of water every day.  How marvellous.

We found these huge deck chairs (that can easily fit two) and spotted this little birdie near the waters before heading to the boardwalk.

Ixora looking flowers growing like a mini tree shrub

Me and the many different flowers around the pathways!

It was a scorching hot day and we didn't manage to get to the Grasslands, ie. the 'lalang field'.  Nevertheless we had fun walking around :)

Then we crossed over to the Chinese Garden. 

I must say that this is actually my first trip to the Chinese Garden 🙈 . I've always wanted to visit it, especially during the River Hongbao celebrations. Well, I'm super late but I'm glad I finally made it!

I had a fun time there really. I loved looking at all the bonsai and Chinese and Japanese style architecture.

I mean, check out this magnificent Japanese Yew at the entrance!

Japanese Yew, cultivated since 1712. SAY WHAT? A cute looking three hundred year old tree aww! 

Here are some pics of the doorways I found visually interesting. 

Overheard conversation near the Pavilion:

Mother to Kiddo: "You know that ah ma and ah gong got married here?"
The whole family was there on an outing. So cute.

Awww!

It's also amazing how many of the windows in the house were designed to be like picture frames, framing the inner gardens and creating a 'still picture'. There's so much deliberation in creating dedicated spots to view beauty.

Outside the bonsai garden, we discovered some cattail, unique with their distinct 'corn-dog' look.

I went to touch one. It was a little furry!

A moodier scene just a walk away.

Can you spot some animal friends in the pictures?

Didja spot him?

And this big guy?

There was a big Confucius statue near the big pond and on it were these words:

In Teaching There Should Be No Class Distinction 有教物类 - which means that anyone, regardless of their class or financial situation, should be able to receive the same quality education. There are many things we take for granted today - in the past, people had to fight for their education and other rights, and we owe it to them for what we have today.

Later, at the Eight Heroes section, there were statues of notable figures in Chinese culture and history such as Yue Fei, Zheng He, Guan Yu etc. But who really caught my eye? 

Hua Mu Lan! Female represent!! I just felt really happy because I was not expecting a female to be featured in this section. Thanks for adding some representation to Chinese history. Women and their efforts are usually disregarded or forgotten in the grand scheme of things, but remember, they hold up half the sky.

The plaque writes something about how she showed that women are equally as brave as men.

 

At the back of one of the statues, we found this. Teehee.

Headed to the Zodiac Animals garden. It was a cheerful garden with pairs of the zodiac animal statues, alongside information such as the years of the animal, and characteristics they embody (Hardworking, Smart, etc) on the metal plaques. 

Super cute and cheeky! The characteristics for those born in the Pig Year are: Impartial and fair, ready to help others. Treat others with sincerity but lacks confidence. 

The Romance Bridge 情人桥 LOL. "The bridge is short because romance is short," said the BF. LOL

And that concludes my trip to the West! We went to Jurong East to eat lunch after - more on that in this post!

I'm glad I checked off an item on my list :) It was definitely worth the effort and time going to visit the new Jurong Lake Gardens and also to explore the Chinese Garden for the first time!

Hope you guys will have fun if you're challenging yourself to make some change in your life too. A little deviation sure adds some colour to my life lol.

Love,

Skye