Visiting the Istana..

Date: 30 Aug 2011
Venue: Istana, Singapore

We all know what a White House is. You could compare the Istana to the White House! Istana means palace in Malay.The Istana grounds are open to the public five times a year in celebration of
Chinese New Year
Deepavali
Hari Raya Puasa
Labour Day and
National Day.

Today being the Hari Raya, we ( Bernice Teo- the outing organiser, Zenn Lai , Barbara Lee and myself ) set out early morning hoping to meet Mr. President! The girls wore flats and I was in my shortest heels anticipating a long day and a long walk ahead of us.

All prepared!

The four of us walked met at the entrance, thank god for Mc D we grabbed our breakfast and headed towards the Istana.We queued early morning at 9:30am and were in at no time. Admission to the Istana grounds is free for Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents.  Visitors are required to pay an entrance fee of $1 per person.

Mr President here we come!

Once inside you will actually see how big the grounds are! It houses the Swan pond, the golf course, a Japanese garden, Queen victoria statue. I couldn't help but admire the hard work that goes into maitaining the place! The greenery everywhere, plants and trees and the green lawn ! A perfect place -  for picnic,or an educational tour  or for a photographers haven or just for those who desire to bump into the President ( like me)

So many places to go , so little time!

After walking which seemed like for hours we reached the main edifice! Marvellous  majestic white building ! There is an entrance fee to enter the building which is $2 for all including Singaporeans and PR's. the money goes to charity.Photography is not allowed inside the building which was quite a disappointment as there were magnificent paintings and other gifts which were presented to the President by other renowned people.We were allowed to only see the ground floor part of the building which is not much compared to the size of the building.

The captivating ISTANA

Although its supposed to be the residence of the President himself, after speaking to a guard we found out that the President does not reside here at all. Its just his office along with the Prime minister and a few VIP's offices. I could not help but wonder 2 things:
1: One could get lost in this magnificent building. Wonder how many times Mr.President lost his way
2: Wonder how many secret treaties have been signed in this very building I was in!
This silent building might have witnessed so many secret alliances! The building in white looked mysterious and overpowering at the same time to me!

Supposedly built in 1859 by the Indian labourer convicts and then renovated a few times , I have to emphasize on the point that the architecture is just out of this world.

We girls had a great time clicking pictures and not to mention cracking a few jokes about our adorable 'Papa Nathan' . It would be his last days at the Istana as his reign ends now..

P.S: The next Istana Open House is scheduled to be held on  26 October 2011, Wednesday (to celebrate Deepavali)