Picnics in Singapore & My Confession

I have a confession to make. I have never had a proper picnic (meal outdoors in a picnic basket and fully clothed) in Singapore. As a child I’ve had snacks in my swimsuit on a mat by the shore, mostly in Malaysia, but I never quite thought of those as picnics, but just a meal after a swim. Read about glorious picnics in books and it always seems wonderfully romantic in the movies where the climate is cool and the picnic spread is always so pretty, but somehow the heat in Singapore has put me off so far.

Well, maybe if you don’t count the time when I was a kid and my two little cousin prepared sandwiches for us to have a picnic at the East Coast beach. They were so eager and excited. We took a bus there with my little cousins gleeful and chirpy all the way. When we reached our destination it was packed with people. We put down some old newspapers in a small corner we found beside the throngs of people, but soon after we all started getting bitten by red ants. At that point my older cousin announced that we were leaving and my young cousin, the one who painstakingly prepared the sardine sandwiches, looked like she was going to burst into tears. My older cousin promised her that we would come back another day to pacify her and it kinda worked, but I think the poor mite was still upset. That picnic was not a success and since then I have never been on one in Singapore, always associating picnics with disappointment, great discomfort due to sweating in the scorching heat, and getting bitten by ants.

Today I thought, perhaps I should give the experience another chance. This new thinking was prompted by Notabilia. She intrigued me when she pointed out that she loves having picnics in Singapore and that many people picnic in Singapore. This prompted me to seek out where people actually have these picnics and how do they do it in our heat and humidity. Maybe there’s something I’m overlooking. Maybe I could avoid the heat with an evening picnic under a tree. If you’ve had a Singapore picnic or blogged about it, would love to have your thoughts and links in the comments below. Here are some links I found and Botanic Gardens by the lake, seems the most inviting at the moment:

So it is Singapore: Picnic at Singapore Botanic Gardens

Angry Angmo: The 5 Best Places for a Picnic in Singapore

Alvinology: Mass Picnic at Fort Canning

About bookjunkie

Blogging about life in Singapore & recently cancer too.
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14 Responses to Picnics in Singapore & My Confession

  1. whatsaysyou says:

    I had been on a picnics a few times as kid with my family. A picnic is a great idea to spend quality time and also de-stress.

  2. Crystal says:

    I have to confess, I like the idea of a picnic, but abhor the reality. I’m just not the type to enjoy sitting outside on the ground to eat.

    An american picnic lunch, though…

    1-Sandwiches of some kind
    2-Fruit
    3-Drinks
    4-Dessert
    5-Maybe chips?

    Tone matters. If I wanted a romantic picnic, I’d do a far more sexy menu, like chocolate covered strawberries and champagne.

    I feel like a lot of the picnics we had when I was a kid were more like outdoor bbqs. A lot of parks have bbq pits and you could cook some bbq chicken or hot dogs or burgers and have a picnic.

    • bookjunkie says:

      I am glad there is someone else out there who thinks like me. For me sweating is no fun and I sweat easily even in ‘normal’ conditions. Hehehe I would prefer a chair to sit on as well.

      I do love sandwiches…it’s my favourite kinda food. The strawberries and champagne sound good to me too.

      I’ve had Singapore style BBQs when my uncles booked chalets as we all stayed there overnight. Those were fun to do as we could be both indoors in the air-con and outdoors for the BBQ part. I must be sounding so spoilt & princess-y 😉 Another confession – I really don’t like roughing it. The more luxury/comfort the better.

  3. Lady J says:

    Okay, I have the same confession to make. Never really did a picnic in Singapore and now in Geneva where the weather is superb, we still haven’t done a picnic. ;p I really should reflect and perhaps pack a picnic bag soon.

    • bookjunkie says:

      You made me feel so much better. Hehehe i am not the only one…phew. For me a luxury kind of picnic in cool weather would tempt me….I’m so bad ;-p

      I will look forward to your post on how the Swiss do their picnicking 🙂

  4. ThinkPinkToo says:

    I would go on a picnic with you! You have to wait till christmas though 🙂

    • bookjunkie says:

      for sure 🙂 but you must remember I’m a princess who doesn’t want to sweat or get bitten by ants ;-p

      • ThinkPinkToo says:

        LOL….. As a fellow princess I totally understand! Ask your sis about the time she and R visited me and wanted to have a picnic at the beach. I kept telling them it’s a bad idea as they will get sand in their food and it would be too windy. They insisted on going anyway and guess who was right in the end 🙂 That was the day when we took the photo of R with the towel on her head!

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