A Different Singapore: Around Lim Chu Kang

Lunch at Gallery Hotel

The day began with lunch at Gallery Hotel. This is apparently Singapore's "hippest" art-deco inspired hotel. Bits of the external architecture is a testament to the art-deco style but the influences are more obvious in the interiors. Zenden's (lunch venue) had an interesting pink and purple colour scheme going with the upholstery and napkins, with contrasting tampered glass tables and industrial furniture touches such as hinge clamps.

One for the Tourists: Bumboat passing beneath Alkaff Bridge

View of Singapore River

After lunch, a short stroll down to the banks of Singapore river. The sun was blazing hot, which nicely lit up the multicoloured Alkaff Bridge. In a span of five minutes, two bumboats passed by, mostly filled with tourists. Good sign for the tourism economy!!

View of Choa Chu Kang Chinese Cemetery

Road leading up to Choa Chu Kang Chinese Cemetery

The roadtrip begins! After a false alarm and an almost detour to Jurong Island, we were on our way up towards Lim Chu Kang Road. Ultimate destination was Sungei Buloh Park. On the way, the road was peppered with signs on "Memorial Gardens" and the such. On the left, I spied a Jewish cemetery, which is something I had not expected to see.

And so, on a whim, we turned into one of the side roads and found ourselves in the midst of the Choa Chu Kang cemetery grounds. I don't know how I managed to live all these years in Singapore and not be aware of the existence of this place, which is the largest cemetery in Singapore.

I have always thought that cemeteries are among the most peaceful and scenic of places. In Edinburgh, my favourite place to visit was Canongate Churchyard, where Adam Smith's tombstone is located. It was quiet and restful and pleasing to look upon, with the green of the grass amidst the headstones.

I found parts of CCK cemetery to be aesthetically refreshing, compared to what we usually see in Singapore. The road leading up to the top of the Chinese Cemetery Hill was particularly well landscaped.

View of Chinese Cemetery and Muslim Cemetery in Distance

Terraces of Tombs

View from Top of Hill at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery

View from Top of Hill at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery

No grave in sight: View to the North (this could be Thailand, no?)

View to the South from Top of Hill of CCK Cemetery

There were great views to be had at the top of the hill!! To the north was more cemetery land, terraces upon terraces of Chinese graves and in the distance, the Muslim cemetery. Beyond the cemetery lands was the acres of undefined greenery; I suspect some of these might be military landspace.

To the west are the lands of the National Shooting Centre. As I was taking the these photos, I could hear sounds of rounds being fired in the distance. Thank goodness, the sounds were distant enough that I was not worried about stray shots in my vicinity!

Plaque at Entrance of Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve

Wetlands at the Sungei Buloh Visitors' Centre

Wetlands at the Sungei Buloh Visitors' Centre

View of Johor Bahru City from Kranji Battle Site

View of Johor Bahru (State Mosque and Sultanah Aminah Hospital)

Kranji Reservoir Park

Kranji Reservoir Park

Kranji Reservoir Park

Kranji Reservoir Park

Dempsey Hill: (Calculated) Casual Chic

In case anyone's lost .... the Dempsey Hill Sign

It's a different Singapore up on Dempsey Hill. It rather reminded me of one of Malaysia's resorts; perhaps Cameron Highlands or Frasers Hills, minus the cooling temperatures. The furniture and antique shops at the outskirts and lower parts of the hill certainly brought to mind the sleepy retail outlets of Malaysia's cottage wood industry.

Resemblances to affordable Malaysian destinations end there. Once you start looking at the eating places that are housed in the premium blocks at the top of the hill, affordable might be the last word that comes to mind. It's not fine dining, by any means, but it's decided up-market casual.

A typical Dempsey Hill Block

Another typical Dempsey Hill Block

Dempsey Hill used to house the CMPB and was the first point of call for Singapore's young men reporting for national duty. Now, it is home to an esoteric mix of furniture retailers, spas, gourmet grocers, wine retailers and dining establishments. Is this something like the evolution of New York's meatpacking district from butchers' thoroughfare to trendy hotspot? I love that this latest haunt of the affluent has its roots in such an uniquely Singaporean slice of history.

We browsed around Jones the Grocer and Culina. I find myself having a craving for spinach and cheese ravioli cooked in Italian herb and tomato sauce.

Lots and lots of cars all over the place

For a supposedly quieter part of Singapore, walking around was an exercise in avoiding traffic. There was a constant stream of cars coming and leaving the place.

A survey of the backlot car-parks (not pictured) was edifying. I had never seen so many convertibles in one small area in Singapore. Someone driving a "budget" model might have felt somewhat intimidated by the automotive extravagance on display.

A Spot of Greenery

Encounters in this little spot of nature:

(1) terrifyingly buffed male Caucasian jogger who was running without a top on

(2) family exercising their four dogs: a yellow lab, a largish hound, a spaniel and what looked like a dashund.

From East to West and back: A Singapore Day Trip

The trip began with a detour to Changi Airport, the true starting point of any decent cross-Singapore trip. The aim was to journey from the Eastern most point to the Western most point of Sinhapore; ie Changi Airport to the Tuas Checkpoint. Distance from East to West - approximately 45 kilometres. Route taken: the good old ECP-AYE.

The vast expanses of the Tuas Industrial Area.

It is hard to believe that there are actually places in Singapore with such wide open spaces. If this place was more accessible by public transport, I would expect to see every inch of it covered by picnic mats and plastic bags. One could almost fool oneself into thinking that this is some wild wind-swept British moorland, no? Except for the manufacturing plant in the distance. But they have plants in the British moorlands too! I have seen them!


That's the sea beyond the blue yonder

Another go at pretending this is taken somewhere other than Singapore. If it were not for the lamp posts, I could have pulled it off too!

This is actually just a couple of hundred meters away from the South Western shoreline of Singapore. The dots in the distance trees that line the seafront. It was all blocked off and non accessible. Not sure why, perhaps there is some land reclaimation going on. Or maybe this area is port waters.


The Long and the Straight

Just another one of those broad, straight avenues is the Tuas Industrial area.

It is amazing how completely empty the roads are, especially in these remote recesses where there are few buildings and acres of unoccupied land. Still, Singapore being Singapore, the infrastructure is tip top. Note the well-painted double yellow lines on the road, the flawlessly symmetrical lines of trees and of course, the ubiquitous lamp posts.


Lifestyle of the Rich

These are just two of the very many shots I took of boats at the Raffles Marina. The lighting was just so pretty. It was nearing 6 pm, the magic hour nearing dusk when the sky takes on a glow.



More boats, with the Tuas 2nd Link in background

I wonder what kind of moolah one needs to own one of these. Many of these boats were flying foreign flags (mainly Australian and UK), which led me to surmise that the boat owners are probably expatriates working in Singapore. Maybe one needs an expatriate salary (and allowance) to finance this hobby.



View of Raffles Marina Club House

Last year, I was inside this very same building attending a staff retreat. Stuck indoors for the entire day and gazed longingly through those ceiling high windows during tea breaks. Admired the sight of the boats and the Second Link looming behind in the horizon. It was nice to see the glass windows from the other side!


The 2nd Link Bridge: Expensive, underused, but makes for a nice photo

It looks like the Loch Ness monster, I think, except with many legs. Sort of the centipedal Loch Ness monster.

Or actually, come to think of it, it looks like the top part of a dinosaur's skeleton. Rather reminiscent of the one in the main hall of London's Museum of Natural History.


And back to the East ...

View of SIA plane taken from the T2 viewing gallery.

From sea vessels in the West to air planes in the East. Who says Singapore lacks variety?

Went through the KPE for the first time on the return leg of the trip. Very impressive indeed. Now, if they could only put the MRT underground throughout the island.