Our First Experience At The Istana

We should have gone to the Botanic Gardens instead, despite the rain. It would have been a more pleasant experience for us. Sophie would definitely prefer that. Sophie’s swimming lesson had been cancelled so we could go out in the morning. I suggested a visit to the Istana as I would like Sophie learn more about Singapore during the National Day period. Frankly, we never like such events because we dislike crowds and the hassle. I planned to make it a quick visit and go home for lunch, but I guess I was too naïve. We ought to be better prepared with picnic gears, rations and wet weather attire.

First of all, the queue was scandalously long with not much ventilation (blocked by tall bushes and PS) and it was very hot and humid. I wonder why we did not notice the dark clouds until much later when we were almost at the security check point. Somewhere at the entrance, we saw an elderly lady with a young boy (Chinese nationals) and they did not have any money with them. Their relatives were already inside apparently. The staff at the entrance insisted that they pay $2 for admission. We almost could not believe our ears. Then she went in with her grandson, only to run back again with $2 for the donation box that says “… go to charity.”. I thought the staff could have just let her in and ask her to pay before leaving the premises later.

When we finally cleared the security checks, we knew we were in trouble because it started drizzling. So Papa quickly approached the tent (selling souvenirs) and bought an umbrella. It was $10 (“... go to charity.” again!) but it broke right after we left the Istana. Afraid that we would be caught in a heavy storm, Papa asked the staff if we could seek shelter there. Instead of being sympathetic or proactive in dealing with the potential problem (many visitors would be caught in the rain), they gave us condescending response like “.. it started to rain already?” and “… you know, you can lah (take shelter here) provided not too many people come in…”. I mean, come on… did we honestly look like we would love to share the tent with them?

So, we asked for directions to the nearest shelter and we were told there was a museum 10 minutes away. We believed him and headed straight along the path. By then, many visitors were trying to leave the Istana before the storm came. We were walking against the human traffic! Along the way, we asked every police officer on duty for directions. Yet none were able to direct us properly. Come on, if they did not know the place well enough and they could not tell us what was going on in there, then the security would be very questionable, right? We kept walking around, lost and tired.

Then finally, we met one police officer who told us the hard truth – no museum, no shelter (except two huge tents) and we had better start running. And ran we did. It started pouring the moment we reached the tent near the fountain.

I felt like crying when Sophie told us then she was hungry. I did not prepare any food or even a mat for her to sit down. We stood and waited for the rain to clear a little but it never stopped. Knowing that Sophie could not be contained like that, I told Papa to take her for a walk in the residence building. Fortunately, Alfee was still very manageable despite his occasion “dive” for milk. When they returned, I knew we had to get out of the place. I carried Sophie and covered her with my nursing cape. Papa took the umbrella to shelter Alfee. We made our way towards the exit.

Along the way, we saw the tents set up for activities. They were small and meant to shelter the staff only. Visitors had to queue in the rain for their turn. Was that the best they could do? No wet weather plan? Tables, chairs and playground were left in the rain, did they not anticipate rain? How much can tents cost to set up? Even pasar malams have shelter! Their activities were meant to be done outdoor with NO SHELTER for visitors!!! How juvenile! Most of the staff (if not all) looked on at the drenched visitors without any compassion. My goodness… It was a pathetic sight! I am sorry, no offense but it sucked big time! I was expecting a lot more from the organisers than that.

I was really upset and exhausted by the time we reached Plaza Singapura. I was so glad to head for home with the kids. Unless there is some compelling reason, I would probably not go there again.