Istana Singapore is the official residence of the President of Singapore. Istana is the Malay word for "Palace" and it is used by the President to receive and entertain state guests. Istana is situated a short walk away from our apartment, on 100 acres of land along Orchard Road. Istana is only open to the public on 5 days out of each year. Each "Open House" coincides with the following occassions : Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya Puasa, Labour Day and National Day. On August 2nd, Istana was open to the public in celebraton of Singapore's National Day on the 9th. We took this opportunity to visit Istana and so did 16,000 other people that day. Fortunately we arrived about ten minutes before the gates officially opened and only had to wait about 40 minutes to enter. Security was very tight and there were metal detectors at the entrance and all handbags and backpacks were x-rayed.
Inside the gates, Istana is like a sprawling park and even has a 9-hole golf course. On this particular day the Singapore Art Museum was holding the Istana Art Event, with numerous art activities for children that included the annual On-The-Spot Art competition (there were many children all over the grounds, painting and drawing) and games. Also on display was the Canopy of Dreams, made up of over 1000 umbrellas designed by children from all over the country in celebration of Singapore's 44th National Day.
The magnificent white Istana building was also open to the public (for a small entrance fee of $2.00 per person), but unfortunately photo taking was prohibited. While inside, we were given access to three of the staterooms and we were also able to view a display of some of the many gifts that the President and Prime Minster have received from the leaders of other nations. The staterooms have retained a colonial feel to them and are spectacular with marble floors and huge crystal chandelliers. We had a good time visiting this historic building and the beautiful grounds that surround it.
