On the road or – up in the air – again
Yes. I’m out on the road again. This time I stopped over for a couple of nights in Singapore before going to Indonesia. I’ve been at the airport in Singapore a couple of times but always in transit. It’s a great airport that has the nicest smoking areas when it comes to those. Yes. I know. Smoking is not good for you. But I do, and doubt I’ll ever quit. And smoking in airports is getting more and more difficult so I thought I’d show some appreciation to those airports where you actually can. But. In the city of Singapore you can’t smoke wherever you want to. There are designated areas where you can have a cigarette. If you break those rules you can get a hefty fine. But there are many areas for smoking in the city so I didn’t feel like it was a problem. Didn’t get fined either. And, instead of just transiting through the airport, I decided to visit the city this time. A city I’ve heard so much about.
I really enjoyed myself in Singapore. It’s a city where the old and the new meet and mix very well. My favourite kind of city. There’s also a lot of green areas in the city. Like in the photo above. It’s taken from Marina Bay Sands Observation deck from where you have excellent views of the city. And, if you look really closely, in the lower left corner, you can see a road and on the road there are cyclist. There was a triathlon going on in the city. But. I took the photo before I knew the race was going on, and looked at the photo after I knew about the triathlon. That’s a photo tip too, always look very closely at your photos. There’s always something new to discover. Just like there is so much to discover in Singapore and I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface during my short stay. There’s lots to see and do in the city and I hope I get a chance to come back and continue my discoveries.
I was also quite jet lagged when I was in Singapore even though I was sleeping when I was supposed to. I have no idea how to beat jet lag. My body and mind is still in a different time zone and even if my body behaved like it was in Singapore my whole being hadn’t adjusted to the change in time zones. I’ve heard that it takes one week until you’re fully adjusted so I’m not really where I am yet. I guess my best advice to myself is to remember that I’m jet lagged and give myself some time to adjust. That’s also one reason why I stay away for a while when I’m travelling.
There are magnificent sky scrapers in the city like the ones above. They are on Marina Boulevard close to the Marina Bay Sands. It was just about to start raining so the photo got dramatic. That’s a reason to love what’s considered to be “bad” weather if you’re a photographer. More dramatic photos and the colours become stronger when it rains. I love straight lines and modern buildings as much as I love greenery and blue water. These buildings are next to the bay too, which makes them bluer.
You don’t have to choose either, between greenery and modern buildings, in Singapore. I saw so many amazing skyscrapers where lots of greenery and colour were incorporated. Like in the photo above, who wouldn’t like to take a break from work in such a nice garden. I spent a lot of time looking up at the buildings and they presented a new challenge as a photographer on the ground. I had a tele lens and was quite far away when I took this photo. And my best advice is not trying to fit everything into one frame. You have to choose what’s most important in the photo you want to take.
But. There is one place in the city which is just pure greenery, with dots of colour, and that’s The Botanical Garden. I spent lots of time in The Orchid Garden looking at, and photographing, orchids. When it comes to orchids, I actually enjoyed them more when I looked at my photos. I used a macro lens and there I could see the amazing detail in the flowers. Which are not really visible when you look at them with your eyes. But. The lens captures the details and enhances them. Loved my time there, and the photos I took.
Sometimes I see faces. Like in the photo above. Or at least I see a moustache. But that’s just from the angle I took the photo. And in no way I mean to be disrespectful to the orchid and the gardeners. It’s more a way of seeing that I have when I take, and look at, my photos which I think is a great asset for me as a photographer. Seeing things from a different perspective.
28 responses to “Singapore”
Great shots! I like the picture of the skyscrapers along Marina Boulevard; I only got to see those from ground level during my two earlier trips to Singapore. Lucky you for entering the Orchid Garden!
(Also, great to know that you weren’t slapped with a penalty for smoking. The Little Red Dot really holds up to its reputation as a “fine city!”)
Oh, it was a lovely view. Especially since I was up there on my first day and afterwards I saw the observation deck from all angles of the city 😉 And, the orchid garden was magnificent especially the orchids in the air conditioned green house 🌸
The rest of Singapore’s Botanic Gardens was definitely a respite from the surrounding concrete! Was there in 2019, and spent more than three hours with my younger brother walking around. Even though the sun was up at noon, it was cool thanks to the trees! 🌲🌳🌴
It’s such a nice place 🌳🌳🌳 and even if there are a lot of high rise buildings I didn’t feel like it was too much concrete in the city. Where I spent my days you could experience nature in waterways and parks. And, trees are so important, not just for the environment but for our own well-being. Enjoying some lovely grand banyan trees here in Yogyakarta. Or, Yogja 😉 as I’ve learned it’s called.
I enjoyed your lovely post, Helena. Singapore looks so beautiful, and you did an amazing job with your photos. The orchids are stunning!
Thanks 🙏 the orchids are truly stunning. Hope the gardeners and The Botanical Gardens see this because it’s they who should have the credit for them.
timley..for some reason I’ve been thinking about Singapore lately..for some reason I searched how expensive it is to own and drive a car in that city..and wow….a great way to control congestion, get people to use public trasnportation and other forms of getting around….and the numbers of people in a relatively small area, here where I am, about 1 million eating up a lot of farm land….have never been, have a friend who recently married and moved there….on the bucket list…
You should go! Almost all of their cars are new there, and the public transport works very well. And the air is good! And it’s a nice city to wander around in, stop for a coffee or meal and then continue exploring. It’s also a melting pot for many cultures. And, a cultural and business center. So much in one place! 🧳
Marvelous topic <3. There you go again, soring to new heights and experiencing the highs and the lows and everything in-between — seeing things through your eyes from your perspective that are usually eye-opening and intrigue me 😹😁😁.
Those are some EPIC photos that you took from the air of various attractions and places in Singapore 🛩📸🖼👏👏. I actually forgot that you smoked too 😄. As long as you are in good health overall, I suppose there is no need to worry 👍😃😆. Just make sure that you keep preventing those smoking fines wherever you go lol.
You were in Singapore at a very interesting time because it's pretty super that you managed to get piece of the triathlon action in the photo without even realizing that a triathlon was even going on 🤣🤣. It's also proof of how incredible the view of the area you had really was LOL. Your photo tip suggesting to people to always look very closely at the photos, was extremely sound, and I totally get where your points about jetlag were coming from and I do take into consideration that it's one of the reasons why we may not see you for a while at times 💌✌️🤗.
You said many great things about the skyscrapers (which I think the photos you took of were SUPER ‼‼), and how certain weather conditions came make the photos more dramatic and make the colors stronger, plus how you love seeing straight lines of building, and loving that as much as greenery and blue water. I loved the photos you took of the greenery and the flowers in the graden 🌾☘🎋🌻🌹💐, and I was most captivated by your lessons in tele-lenes and mico-lenses 📹📸😹💯. It was hilarious reading your point about seeing faces and moustaches in the photos with flowers and plants when you look back at them 😆🤭
There are just so many great things you have shared, but in the interest of not making this comment any longer than it has become, I'd just say that I hope that you get to do it all again! haha
Thanks for you awesome reply 🙏 as usual I’ve been busy. And MIA again. There’s something called Bali Belly that has never bothered me … until now. 😹 feeling better tho 👍 yes, let’s hope I get to visit Singapore again. There’s so much more to see. And as always, another blog post coming up about the city. My endless pipeline 😄
You’re welcome 😁🥰. Bali Belly is news to me 😹, I don’t know what it is but I am glad that you feel better 🌹🌹.
Right, you are not done with Singapore yet 💯😹, but for now you have other things on the cards such as your other blog post coming up and other plans in your eventful pipeline 😃😆
So much to do, and it just keeps adding up. I’m taking part in a business incubator in the north of Sweden called GoBusiness. It the next step in the business development I was part of two years ago 😉
Understood 💙. You’re a business woman now so your schedule is packed 📈📊😹. I wish you all the best in this next step my dear 🫶🙌
Matur Suksma 🙏 there’s so much to do 🙄 don’t even have time to blog about my visit here in Bali properly for now. But. Grabbing moments whenever I can to check in. Like right now. I’m in a car going from Canggu to Ubud and we’ve stopped at a petrol station. Cheers ⛽️
Cheers to you aswell sweetie. Yes when things get that busy, time doesn’t even seem to exist 😅
I hope you do get to where you need to be without many setbacks 👍👍. it’s always good to see you 💌🥰
Thanks for your update 😍😍
Hopefully, I’ll be able to focus on my business within a month or so. I’m moving to an apartment when I get back to Sweden. Less snow to shovel 🙄😹
I believe you will get there eventually; go where your heart tells you to go 🫶☺️.
I Iike that you will be moving where you don’t have to shovel as much. Basically, cross_fit-lite 💪😂🤣
Cross fit lite, and hopefully more yoga, skiing, swimming and work 🤞🙏🙌 one week two winters ago all I did was shovel snow. Didn’t even make it past my mailbox. Have 400 square meters to cover 🥹
To have the opportunity to do all of those activities because of way less snow, would be super 👌😆😆. I definitely had to bring up the cross-fit refference when I remembered that’s what you called shovelling the snow haha. WOW, having to cover 400-square-meters of snow-shoveling is surely enough to make anyone cry 🥹😅.
Thankfully, you’ll be leave that behind for a while ❄🌨😃😄
Oh, yes. Hopefully I’ll leave some other things behind me too 🤞
✌️✌️ certainly, cheers to that 🥂😆
Let’s hope so. I have no idea if it will work out. But, I have to try 🤞
Nice post 💕
👋🙏 I started following your blog.
My only goal is to grow together if you also follow my blog. Interacting in our posts. I hope you don’t mind the message and I look forward to your response. Thank you 🙏💯 🇪🇦
(https://pkmundo.com/)
David López Moncada.
Oh, I thought I was following your blog. I’ll get to it when I’m back in Sweden. Right now in a car in Bali 😉🙏
A beautiful space, thank you for sharing, Helena. ❤️
Thank you 🙏 for stopping by. And indeed, Singapore is beautiful and very special.
Long time no see your visit to my blog – hoping all is well. Biss
Thanks 🙏 and I know, haven’t even had time for my own website. And, at least for the next two weeks I’ll be terribly busy since I’m moving and have to pack up my whole house. But thanks for stopping by.