Trip to the Istana

Today, I'm going to not talk about board games. Instead, I'm going to talk about my experiences when the Istana had its open house on 4th Feb 2011. Istana, meaning palace in Malay, is a place where the president resides. Since it was Chinese New Year, the Istana was opened to the public. It will only open to the public only during the major holidays like Chinese New Year, Labour Day, National Day, Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali. The Istana is located at Orchard Road right beside Plaza Singapura. Nearest MRT station, Dhoby Ghaut on the North South Line, North East Line and Circle Line.

We had to join a very long queue to the Istana. Since it was free to enter, (must show identification and foreigners will have to pay S$1 to enter the Istana) lots of visitors queued up like a maze (as shown in the picture) right until the front entrance of Plaza Singapura. After showing identification, we had to go for security checks as they do not want suspicious people and suspicious articles to be present in the premises.

Anyway, the security checks were hassle free and they were better than full body scanners right? After we have passed by the security checks, we were greeted with lots of greenery and there were also some visitors enjoying themselves on the grass having picnics, playing some ball and such. There were even golf holes. Since the Istana is the place where our Singapore president lives in, I'm sure he would like to enjoy golfing right at the front yard.

Since it was my first time going to the Istana, me and some friends of mine went to the main building. The place where the president and his family sleeps in. Plus, visitors could visit parts of the main building for a fee of SGD$2 and proceeds will go to charity. I wasn't allowed to snap pictures in the main building mostly because of security but anyway I will just describe it with words. Once we have gotten our tickets, we first entered the banquet hall. Most probably the room where the president and his family dines in. After checking out the banquet hall, there was this big room most likely the grand ballroom, showed visitors the different kinds of gifts donated by governments of other countries.


There were even elevators in the main building. So if they want to climb up to other levels, all they have to do is to push a button and wait for the elevator to come and pick them up. How many times have you seen a house with a built-in elevator in it? Elevators in HDB apartments in Singapore do not count. Eventually, we had a chance to visit the state room which was like a meeting room of some sort. With grand luxurious interior, luxury seats and a mini stage with a podium bearing the state crest of Singapore.

I forgot to mention this. Right before we bought our tickets to check out the main building, there were performances at the entrance of the main building. And guess what? WE SAW THE PRESIDENT OF SINGAPORE!!! His name is Mr S R Nathan and he is currently the president of Singapore. Our president has been serving his duty for 12 years and unfortunately, this year or next year will probably be his last year serving as president. He and his family were all present at the front entrance of the Istana main building and they get to watch the Chinese Dance performance. By the way, the man in purple below is the president of Singapore.

The visit to Istana was truly an unforgettable experience and you, regardless of whether you are Singaporean or not, should also enjoy the experience of going to the Istana. But a word of warning though, everytime you are planning a trip to the Istana, make sure you get yourself prepared by getting dressed in comfortable clothing, wear comfortable shoes and make sure you have strong legs as the distance from the main entrance to the main building is quite a long one. Pack in some snacks and drinks too. They're allowed but you are not allowed to consume it when you are in the Main Building.

Have some cash with you too. There will be souvenirs for sale. From bottles to mugs to souvenir books to umbrellas. Speaking of umbrellas, get yourself an umbrella because you will never know when it rains. Plaza Singapura is a shopping mall beside Istana and that will fulfill all your hunger and thirst and shopping needs after you have visited the Istana. Next open house will be held on 1 May on a Labour Day public holiday. Scroll down for more pictures of the Istana.