After the early afternoon session on 25th June, we will travel to downtown Singapore to enjoy a one-hour cruise along Singapore River and Marina Bay. Sights along the way include sites dating from the British colonial days, to the modern day city-state of Singapore.  

The Conference Banquet will be held at the Permata restaurant. Permata restaurant is housed in Gedung Kuning ("Yellow Mansion" in the Malay language), a 19th century mansion that used to be part of the royal compound of the Sultan of Johor and Singapore. The restaurant serves Nusantara cuisine. Nusantara being a term that describes the local Malay and the wider archipelagic world of island Southeast Asia. This world made up of > 10,000 islands is linked through trade, language, and customs, over the past thousand years. 

The area around the royal compound, known as Kampong Glam, is well worth a walk around, before and after dinner. Sights include the Istana Kampong Glam ('Istana' means palace in the Malay language), and the Sultan Mosque.

Just in case you need to get to Permata by taxi, tell the driver the postcode: 198497. 

The "highest point" in the island city-state of Singapore is actually atop a building in the downtown area (290 m). On the other hand, the "natural highest point", Bukit Timah Hill, rising to a majestic height of 164m, is near the central part of the island.  This is where we will be heading to.

Here's the rough plan:  After lunch at the end of the conference on friday 26th June, you can proceed back to your hotel for a change to more a walking/hiking attire (shorts, t-shirt and walking shoes). At about 4pm, chartered buses from both NEC and Genting Hotel Jurong will bring us to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. 

The hike/walk through the lush rainforest of the reserve to the summit is about 1 to 2.5 km depending on the route we take (we shall decide on that day itself). The walk should be rather easy, and anybody should be able to do it. It is the hot and humid (with some chance of being rainy wet) weather that may be trying.

Afterwhich, we shall proceed to nearby eating places for some local food (please have some Singapore dollars, as these local food stalls may not take credit cards. SGD 20 per person is more than enough for most food and non-alcoholic drinks). After dinner, you will travel back to your accommodations by public transport (This, you can use credit card).  

You will most likely be all sweaty and sticky after the hike, so it is probably not advisable for people who are leaving directly to the airport late on 26th June night.