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.

London in January: Day 4 part 2

Houses of Parliament

Taken from the park.

From this angle, the Houses of Parliament almost look like an American Ivy League university. Even the people waking around seem to be dressed rather like students.

The HOPs as a whole are not nearly as attractive as Westminster Abbey, but certain parts of the structure are very nice indeed. I like this section of it, which has wonderful long lines but isn't nearly as cluttered and fussy as the architecture at the other end of the complex (see pic below).

Houses of Parliament Again!

This part of the structure is rather ungainly and not nearly as elegant as the towers that we normally see in postcards or on TV.

Up close, it is at once breath-taking and puzzling. All that size and scale, and yet, could they not have made it just that little bit prettier?

View of Westminster Bridge and the London Eye from North Bank of the Thames

They are building one in Singapore, and there's one in Malaysia now, but this is the original Eye. Kind of like an extremely large ferris wheel.

I had forgotten that the London Eye is in fact really tall, as can be seen from the scale in the photograph. Of course, London is not a particularly sky-scraping city, and the areas around the Thames are generally quite low built. Still, look at how it dwarves the County Hall building behind it.

Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and the Thames from the Southbank

I made my way across the Thames, fighting crowds, kids and vendors. Lots of people selling sausages on sticks, for some reason. I know sausages are the quintessential British breakfast food, but the "on a stick" concept seemed very non-British to me.

Westminster Abbey can actually be seen between Big Ben and the HOPs. Just a glimpse and very blink and miss, but it is there.

You think I have a HOPs fetish?

Taken from Jubilee Bridge

I liked the way the sun reflected off the surface of the Thames, but these were very difficult photos to snap with a lower end digital camera with few customisable options. I did my best with by adjusting the brightness levels. In the end, I was quite pleased with the way these turned out.

I had put away my camera and was over the half-way point of Jubilee Bridge, heading back to the North Bank. Then I saw that dark bit of cloud moving towards the sun. It was an opportunity to take a photograph without the sun shining straight into the camera lens! I whipped out my camera, and almost lost the camera casing in the process. The wind was picking up and I was revisited by the fear of losing my glasses again. By the time I had gotten the camera casing safely into my pocket and positioned my glasses firmly on my nose, the cloud had almost passed the sun entirely. I still had to readjust the brightness control and switch the camera setting to low light. Not at all plain sailing but I managed to get that third shot in what I term the 'Thames Silhouette' collection.

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square

Taken while leaning against a traffic light pole at Charing Cross junction.
Buses kept getting in the way!

For a Sunday, there were so many people up and about in the centre of the City. I don't know why, but I had expected it to be quieter, rather like what I had seen in Edinburgh and Paris. Then again, Trafalgar Square seems to be quite the hang-out joint - there were people just sitting around, waiting for other people or talking on their mobile phones. And then there were the pigeons .... they were all over the place!

One of the Lions at the foot of Nelson's column

Actually, as monuments and sculptures go, these lions are something of a monstrosity. But I dutifully took a photograph, and managed to photograph someone else taking a photograph. The place was milling with people posing for pictures and people taking pictures. But there also seemed to be a fair few "natives", unhampered by cameras and just seemingly walking about and enjoying the sunshine.

As a point of interest, the brown building in the background is Malaysia House. I must say, they got themselves some pretty prime piece of real estate! There was a huge Visit Malaysia banner at the entrance of the building - obscured here by the lion.

Trafalgar Square with National Gallery in Background

Negotiating my way across Trafalgar Square was an exercise in pigeon dodging. I have a deathly phobia for birds, which did not help matters. It took me a full five minutes to cover a distance that would normally take no more than two minutes, had there been no birds in the way, hell bent on flying up and swooping low within inches of my head! I almost bailed, but I was determined to get to the National Gallery, to revisit a few old favourites.

After my near-death experience with the pigeons of Trafalgar, I spent a very pleasant 2 hours in the National Gallery. I could not find the famous Leonardo cartoon/sketch of the Madonna and the child, as the space was cordoned off. Perhaps the work was undergoing restoration. That was a disappointment as I had hoped to see it again after the hoopla of the Da Vinci Code movie and book.

I did get to see the works of the more "modern" artists, and in a new and improved space. They had moved the Van Gogh and Impressionists collection to a special space in the basement, with a theatrette outside screening short documentaries on the lives and works of Munch, Monet, Manet and others. These were fascinating; I watched 3 of the reels but could not stay for more.

London in January: Day 4 Part 1

Days 2 and 3: Stuck in Meetings. And it was as exciting as it sounds.

On to Day 4 which was a Sunday! I started early, strolling down Baker Street and catching sight of an already forming line to get into Madam Tussaud's Museum. I wondered down a few relatively quiet cobbled-stone streets and had a lovely time looking at window displays. I especially love the gourmet deli displays with all the wheels of cheeses and strings of sausages. Finally, I hit Oxford Street.

Marble Arch

Did a spot of shopping on Oxford Street and bought a winter coat to finally replace my old one which I have had since the mid 1990s. I was heading back to my hotel at LBS when I noted the strong sunshine and the position of the sun in front of the Arch rather than behind it. Perfect for photo taking. So I trundled down to the underpass and up several flights of seemingly neverending stairs to get to the Arch square.

Regent Park

Got back to the hotel room, deposited my shopping bags and had a spot of brunch, before setting out again.

My hotel room at LBS overlooked Regent Park and I had spent the better part of 3 jet-lagged mornings looking at people jogging around the lake. It was time to get up close and personal.

As it was Sunday and sunny, the park was teeming with people. Many were engaging in excessively rigourous exercise and I got tired just looking at them. So I took one picture of the lake, taking care to get the little black ducky in the foreground, then beat a quick path out of there. I was headed for the Thames and my favourite piece of London architecture: Westminster Abbey.

Big Ben up close

Before getting to the Abbey, I had to pick my way through hoards of camera-toting tourists (well, I guess I was one of them!) milling outside the Parliament compound. Everyone wanted to take a picture of Big Ben and I managed more than a few.

My old Olympus camera does not have the largest optical zoom range, but I was pretty pleased with how close-up I got on this shot. I believe Big Ben keeps good time, so even the exact minute that this photo was taken has been captured on record!

Views of Big Ben, the London Eye and part of the Houses of Parliament

This was taken from just outside Westminster Abbey. I caught sight of the London Eye in the background and patiently waited for people to pose and preen for photographs in front of the Abbey so I could position myself properly to get both Big Ben and the Eye into the frame. The sun was happily in the right place for this shot, which of course meant that it was completely in the wrong place for Westminster Abbey which was directly behind me.


Westminster Abbey

This photograph has gone through some colour and exposure adjustment and it is still a little dark. The sun was shining almost directly into the camera lens and no amount of manipulating behind structures and shadows could eliminate it directly.

The first time I saw Westminster Abbey, it just took my breath away. So very beautiful and majestic without being oppressively grand.

More Westminster Abbey

The entire enterprise was a battle with the strong sunlight that was inconveniently directly behind the Abbey. A few wisps of cloud were about and I was timing my shots with their movement, hoping for a moment when the sun was hidden. Those were few and far between and I finally gave it up for a lost cause. I was going to get overly exposed photographs, so be it.

I had great photos of the Abbey from a previous trip to London. It was summer and the sky was a clear cloudless blue, the sun was behind the camera and the photographs turned out postcard-perfect but those were not taken with a digital camera. I wanted a few jpegs for my personal collection. Scanning is the way to go, I guess.