Miss walking around Singapore? This YouTube channel offers immersive virtual walkabout tours

Though the circuit breaker only kicked in last week, it feels like an infinity ago since we walked the streets in town and other buzzy hotspots around the country. 

In case you’ve already forgotten how Bugis, Little India, Chinatown, Orchard Road, and more look like, turn your gaze towards YouTube channel Discovery Walking Tours TV, which offers exactly what the name implies. 

In lieu of actually being in places and risk getting fined for breaching safety measures during the pandemic, one can simply sink into a couch and tune in to one of the many videos shot by Alan Chua, who’s been recording his walks across Singapore and Asia and uploading them on YouTube since 2018. 

His filmed walking tours are of the utmost quality in video and audio, too. They’re shot in 4K resolution at a smooth 60 frames per second, while the audio is recorded with binaural microphones, so you can really listen to the soundscapes coming from different directions.

In other words, it’ll make you feel like you’re really there. Headphones on for a more immersive experience. 

“The walking tours are all filmed by me, with the aim of creating videos that are eye-opening, authentic, and giving you the feeling of being part of the city, without having to actually travel here,” he described his channel. 

Alan probably didn’t expect that his videos would be highly appreciated during a lockdown climate. A video he uploaded earlier this month proved to be pretty surreal — a walkabout at a near-empty Changi Airport even before the circuit breaker period started. 

The last couple of videos he shared offered a glimpse of what some of Singapore's typically crowded areas have been like since the circuit breaker started. 

 

If Singapore’s too familiar for your liking, there’s always the chance to go on a virtual walking tour in various hotspots in Melbourne, Bangkok, Taipei, Guangzhou, and more. No more overseas holidays and casual air travel for the time being, after all. 

 

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ilyas@asiaone.com