Singapore TidbiTs

Where can you find some wildlife apart from the zoo in urban Singapore? Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is located at the quiet remote corner of northwestern part of Singapore. Buloh is a Malay word for bamboo. And Sungei means river. Therefore, Sungei Buloh means Bamboo River. Simply because it is located along Buloh River. Maybe there are many bamboos which grow in the area previously You certainly can see some bamboos there. The rich mangroves at Sungei Buloh were once used as a spawning location and nursery by prawn and fish farmers. The wetland reserve officially opened in 1993. But since 2002, the 202 hectares of rich biodiversity of wetlands of mangrove swamps, mudflats, ponds and secondary tropical rainforests of Sungei Buloh has been protected as a nature reserve. Sungei Buloh Wetland is a member of the East Asia-Australasian Flyway Partnership and is Singapore's fist ASEAN Heritage Park. What do mangroves do? They contribute to soil formation and help to stabilise coastline...

The calories rich but tasty teh tarik (or teh tarek) or pulled tea is a unique milk or 'sarabat' tea found in Malaysia and Singapore. It is made of black tea in combination with condensed milk, and tossing or dragging (tarik) the tea from one container to another at a height. This tea is usually drank while having roti prata . Well you can drink it with about any snacks or dishes or you can just sip it on its own. There is also teh masala or spice tea, but for the locals here we tend to stick with either teh tarik or teh halia. These teh tarek stalls are traditionally owned or operated by Indians. A glass or a cup of teh tarik usually cost between $1 to $1.80 depending if you get them at hawker centres or air-conditioned food-courts. Teh tarik seller You can get a fix of teh-tarik not only in Little India but all over Singapore. Obviously it is cheaper and tastes better at the road-side stalls or at hawker centres . We locals like to say it feels shiok having a cuppa of teh ...

Cheng teng is a uniquely sweet local dessert or comfort drink that has been around for generations. This icy cold dessert drinks are popular especially given our local weather that are hot and humid. You can also have your cheng teng (also spelled as cheng tng ) warm or hot. Bedok Corner cheng-teng Cheng teng can be served either hot or cold. It is a potpourri of ingredients that include longan, ginko nuts, lily bulbs, white fungus, red dates, lianzi, barley, etc. Cold cheng teng is added with shaved ice. It is a sweet ‘cooling’ tasting dessert, like most desserts here. Cheng teng is believed to be able to get rid of heatiness in the hot and humid Singapore weather due to the tonic effect of some of the ingredients, which are herbal in nature. Some ingredients are used as part of traditional Chinese medicine, which have been used for centuries. But with so many ingredients in a bowl, cheng teng tastes very refreshing and sweet. The hot or warm version is even sweeter without the added...

Public or community libraries can be found in almost housing estates. Some libraries are even housed in shopping malls and arts galleries! How cool is that. You can shop, eat (not in the libraries, of course) then nourish your brain in the libraries. You can read some books or magazines, or the daily newspapers for free or watch some audio-visual materials from one of the computers. There are comfy seats for you to read. Some are too comfy that can make people snooze. You can also surf internet on your laptop, tablet or iPad using the complimentary wireless@sg WiFi. The libaries are air-conditioned so they are good place to escape the heat and humidity outside. Though just like cinemas, many libraries air-conditioning are set at winter temperature, so bring along a light sweater if you plan to stay in libraries for an extended period of time. Going to the zoo can be costly plus its open and hot. Public library The central, regional and public or community libraries are all open seven d...

Kaya toast set. Usually eaten for breakfast that can be found in many kopitiams . That ubiquitous pair of soft half-boiled or semi-boiled (not fully boiled or hardened) eggs served with slices of toasted bread or buns spread with kaya jam and thin slabs of butter, and complete with a cup of tea of coffee. All for between $2.30 to $5, depending which cafes or food-courts that you go to. At many school canteens you can get a set for only $2. You can find kaya toast at many local cafes here which are more commonly known as coffee shops, at the hawker or food centres , food-courts or in kopitiams (the local lingo for breakfast joints) Islandwide. This iconic breakfast set is originally served in Hainanese kopitiams . And while it is best or traditionally eaten for breakfast, this breakfast set is served all day long at many cafes. Kaya toast set with buns. Kaya is a coconut based pandan flavoured jam. Though traditionally it was simply coconut-based jam. The half-boiled eggs (the sof...

The orchid family, Orchidaceae, is one of the two largest flowering plant families in the world, the other being the sunflower family, Asteraceae. Orchids are also one of the most widespread and variable families of flowering plants. There are about 30,000 orchid species in the world, making up to 8% of the plant kingdom. They can be found on all continents that support vegetation but are most diverse in the tropics which suits well in Singapore tropical and humid climate. Orchids are generally herbaceous plants as they do to have woody parts like trees or shrubs. Orchid seeds are also the smallest seeds in the world. Many orchids grow on trees called tree orchids or epiphytic orchids, but they do not receive nutrients from the trees and are therefore not parasites. Many other orchids grow on the ground called ground or terrestrial orchids. And orchids that grow on rocks are called lithophytic orchids. Few others are lianas, climbing on small trees such as Vanilla planifolia . Vani...

Durians are tropical fruits. Considered by many as King of fruits of South-East Asia. Whether durian is the most favourite fruit here, that is a bit subjective given its' famous pungent smell that some find simply overpowering. It has that distinctive special smell or odour, that you can smell a kilometre away :). Some loath it, many love it. Green and thorny outside. Yellow, soft and fleshy inside. Do you know that that there are durian trees in Singapore? The scientific name for durian is Durio zibethinus. And yes you can find durian trees in Pulau Ubin and at Mandai and some odd ones at other parts of Singapore as well. During durian season you can spot the distinctive green-shelled thorny fruits up in the trees. Durian is native to Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo and of course Singapore. Do you know that when the British arrived in Singapore in the early 19th century they found durian trees at Fort Canning Hill ? Apparently durian trees have existed in Singapore since the 14th ce...