Accidental Tourist - Taking a Bus ride

Taking a bus is easily one of the most mundane and uninspiring tasks that one has to undertake in everyday life. However, through the help of Allan of the Singapore ShutterJourney PhotographyGroup, I have re-discovered an old liking for bus rides when the bus ride itself was  an adventure & the destination un-important.  

On 31 October 2012, after a hearty dinner at Seah Imm Food Centre (a food icon in itself), a bunch of 17 camera strapping individuals boarded bus no. 30  from Harbourfront, home of Sentosa, our fun filled island before riding past the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station at Keppel Road and accessing Singapore's beautiful cityscape with Marina Bay Sands and Singapore Flyer flanking on each side of the bus. 

From there, it heads down to Fort Road via the East Coast exPressway (ECP). Thereafter it will weave past the roads of Tanjong Katong and Sims Avenue before reaching its final destination at Bedok interchange (one of the suburban areas of Singapore). 

The bus traveled slowly but surely filled with commuters who are more interested in sleeping than admiring the views of the nation. However, on this fateful evening, they had in their company an extra 17 of us and making hell of a lot of noise in getting our paparazzi pictures of everything & everyone that happens to be on that same bus. We did a roundabout & went back to Harbourfront the same way as we came before bidding our friendly bus driver adieus! 

Will definitely encourage this frivolous & lovely excursion for those who feel that they are all too familiar with Singapore or even for our overseas friends as nothing beats a bus ride around town. 

Till the next time, onto the world & beyond! 

Accidental Tourist – October 2012 Walking Tours.....as we walk along the Streets of......Singapore

One of the most entertaining (and inexpensive) ways for me to spend my Saturday weekend is to wander along the streets of Singapore with my camera in hand.

I have overdone my enthusiasm on last Saturday and went ahead to sign up for 2 walks with my recently ‘fresh from exams’ daughter. Both walks are organised by Preservation of Monuments Board (www.pmb.sg). 

I have done some of their walks in the past like “Accidental Tourist - March 2012 Walking Tour "Stained Glass Stories", February Accidental Tourist - February 2012 Walking Tour "A Debt to History" Each ordinary walk costs S$5 for adults and S$3 for children. For the bus tour, it costs S$5 per person. In urban Singapore, this is sure an inexpensive way to spend 1.5-2 hours of your time :) You may get a bit of a tan after the walk but it’s definitely better than just spending the day at the mall for the kids as they get a chance to experience and hear about the history of Singapore through trained guides.

The 1^st walk was a new one which features special commissioned tracks by local musicians which composed music to reflect their appreciation of the monuments - Musicity Singapore: “Music at the Monuments” covered 3 of the 7 locations namely, Hong San See Temple, Asian Civilisations Museum former Empress Place Building and Singapore Art Museum former St. Joseph’s Institution. 

Unlike other walks, we had the privilege of taking a shuttle bus between locations (which was a welcome relief when faced with the blazing tropical sun of Singapore). Using QR scan code that can be downloaded from the panels, you can listen to the specially composed music while getting a running commentary from the volunteer guides at each location.

Musicity Singapore: “Music at the Monuments”

After some lunch & down time, we went to our 2^nd walk in the afternoon called the ‘Mixed Blessings’ walk that covered Thian Hock Keng Temple, Al-Abrar Mosque and Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church all nicely spaced out along Telok Ayer Street. 

What pleased me most about taking my daughter along for the walks was that she actually remembered nuggets of information like which door to go into and out of a Chinese temple and why. To me, exposing my child to the multi-faceted side of Singapore is my way of connecting them to the country and hopefully they will be able to appreciate the rich diversity and mix of cultures that we have as well as cultivate a sense of sensitivity to different religions and cultures.  

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Accidental Tourist: End of Empire - Changi Museum War Walk with The Original Singapore Walks

A special walk to commemorate the 70th year of the fall of Singapore in 1942 took me around various parts of Singapore where the British/Allied or local forces fought against the invasion of the Japanese. I am obliged not to share most of the stories and places visited due to extensive research done to plan the itineraries but the things that will stay with me after this afternoon walk is the impact of seeing the rows and rows tombstones of the Kranji War Memorial and knowing that Singapore was not left to its own devices when met with Japanese invasion in 1942. 

I now know that sea-facing guns were in fact turned around and fired at the Japanese army and the small units of British/ allied forces together with the local forces (mostly volunteers) fought to the best of their abilities (even to the point of arm on arm combat) given their limited resources (equipment, machinery and ammunition) during that time.  The only war fought in the island of Singapore is long past but memorials and walks like this serve as reminders to us Singaporeans how vulnerable and prepared we have to be against those who view our geographical positions as strategic for their ambitions. 

Until the next time, onto the world and beyond. 

Accidental Tourist: Istana Woodneuk, previous palace of Sultan of Johor (Backyard of Singapore)

Had a little adventure by trekking through overgrown vegetation, climbing up a small little hillside to reach this abandoned building (at that time not known to be a former palace, belonging to the Sultan of Johor). 


Interesting site - would have been beautiful in its heyday and quite sad to be left in its current state of abandonment. 



Until the next time, onto the world and beyond!

Info obtained from http://remembersingapore.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/last-royal-palace-of-singapore/ regarding the site:

On a nearby hill, Sultan Abu Bakar built another majestic blue-roofed house for his beloved fourth wife Sultana Khadijah. It was Istana Woodneuk, often confused with Istana Tyersall but was just as grand during its heydays. In 1930, the house was renovated by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar (1873 – 1959), son of Sultan Abu Bakar and the 22^nd Sultan of Johor. Today, it is surrounded by thick overgrown vegetation along Holland Road, forgotten and in ruins. The land where the house is standing on still belongs to the Sultan of Johor.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Accidental Tourist - Singapore Walks conducted by the Original Singapore Walks

I discovered that an interesting way to spend the mornings in Singapore is to go for some of the morning walks organised by the Original Singapore Walks http://www.journeys.com.sg/ Their walks start around 9.30am and ends around 12pm. 

I got myself a 3-day pass at a discount of $78 (usual $90 or $30 for each walk) and went for 3 morning walks with them from Monday to Wednesday. It is definitely a different experience to walk around the city I call home and being able to act like a real tourist :) 

The walks are enjoyable as they are often history/ facts peppered with many personal stories that the guides shared while growing up in Singapore. As much effort and time was done to research the facts and plan the itineraries, I am obliged to not share most of their stories and routes taken but safe to say, I am extremely pleased with the coverage (both in terms of locations selected and stories shared during the walks). 

I would like to share at least 1  (un)known facts I found particularly interesting for each of the walks. For the walks covering Chinatown and Little Indian, it was revealed that the Indian community were first allocated the areas around Chinatown to settle as part of the town plan formulated in 1800s during Raffles time. They subsequently found it to be unsuitable for their main trade of cattle farming so they shifted to the current Little India site which was flanked by the Rochor canal and the Kallang River area. That is why the oldest Indian temple is located in Chinatown. The Chinese on the other hand first settled in Rochor area but relocated to Chinatown as they found that the soil was unsuitable for padi farming. For the walk covering colonial Singapore, an interesting fact indicated was that the Raffles Hotel is actually the sole remaining structure of what was once a cluster of bungalows set aside for European section of the Raffles town plan. 

As usual, some pictures of the places visited during the walks. 

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond! 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Accidental Tourist - "Can Survive Lah!" Tour with Gereldene Lowe

I was fortunate to walk with Ms.  Geraldene Lowe on her 'Can Survive Lah!" tour that focuses on Singapore's surviving but vanishing trades like Joss Stick Maker, Paper House Maker, Chinese Instruments/ Opera Shop Owner and Wood/ Seal Carver. 

Before joining her tour, I was definitely unaware of the existence of these men and women who have been working their craft with their families in the same trade for the past 2-3 generations. 

The Joss Stick Maker was one Mr. Amos Tay who is a third generation artist who makes intricately carved figurines and joss sticks from the cinnamon tree. His shop is located at an industrial park area in Ang Mo Kio. I saw him work his hands that transformed what looked like the 'modern day' "Play Doh" to a fine looking porcupine fish. On another side, gold colored paint was being applied by hand onto certain sections of joss sticks and I stood there mesmerized by the speed of the handiwork that is being performed before my very eyes. From what Gereldene shared, 20 feet tall joss sticks are now banned in Singapore due to fire hazard concerns. I was happy to see that they kept a 10 foot tall joss stick in one corner of the shop and quickly indulged in my photography passion. 

‘Mixed Blessings’ walk by Preservation of Monuments Board

Free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

At our next stop, we walked down to a shop that does Paper Houses. I spoke to one Mr. Zhou who was kind enough to spare me some time to tell me a bit about the history of this place. Apparently he is also took over from his father and these paper houses are generally offered as part of the last journeys of a deceased i.e. burnt as part of the offerings. He told me that after the frames are assembled and tied by hand with each sheet of paper applied onto the stick frames by hand. Despite the labour intensive work involved, they can complete their usual orders in about 1 day! His sister then showed me a photo of one of their most elaborate pieces and informed me that the paper mansion complete with garden, forecourt, gate etc) took them longer - I think she said it was 1-2 months. 

Slideshow personalized with Smilebox

After a refreshing fruit juice stop at a fruit shop in a hawker centre, we were sped off to meet Mr. Jeffrey Eng (owner of Eng Tiang Huat, a shop who promotes and provides Chinese cultural products like musical instruments, opera costumes and embroidery work since his grandfather's time from 1937). Mr. Eng was affable and was deft in explaining what a Chinese Opera will require to put on a performance by using fake moustache, whiskers and hats. He even played some of the Chinese musical instruments like Erhu and Gong to show how the music complemented the Opera being staged. He was very entertaining with his stories and his shop is definitely a shop of treasures! 

Create a slideshow design

Our last stop for the day was at Yong Gallery in Chinatown where Mr. Tay (expert woodcarver/ seal maker) is stationed. With patrons like prime ministers, ministers, dignitaries, he is definitely well loved for his skills and handiwork. Fortunately for us, he was able to display his carving skills on a small Chinese seal in a work table located just outside his shop. Mental note to self is to make sure I get a nice wood carved plaque made by him for my birthday. 

Another free digital slideshow by Smilebox

I have certainly enjoyed my half-day excursion with  Geraldene  as I saw a side of my little island that I have NEVER thought to exist.  Geraldene Tours are definately unique and one of a kind and she has so many stories and memories to share that I will jump at another chance to go on her guided tour when the opportunity arises. 

You can contact Geraldene through the following means if you are interested to find out more of her tours: 
email: geraldenestorus@hotmail.com 
Tel: (65) 81551390/  (65) 67375250
address: 27 Oxley Road, #06-08 Orchard Court, Singapore 238621

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond! 

Accidental Tourist - Vesak Day 2012

To mark my 3rd year holding onto my DSLR, I continue with my yearly tradition of covering the Vesak Day festivities at various temples in Singapore - my blog entries of visits made in 2010 and 2011. 

For this year, I decided to head down to 3 temples i.e. 
(1) Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Temple (aka Bright Hill Temple to me) is the largest Buddhist temple in Singapore and also holds has the largest '3 steps 1 bow' ceremony in the evening before Vesak Day. 

I continue to express my utmost respect for all participants of this ceremony - to me, undertaking a ceremony that requires one to walk 3 steps before fully prostrating yourself on the hard tarmac floor for 2 whole hours is worthy of respect. How grueling? Well, I only took the photos and my thighs and body was aching all over for 2 whole days after the evening shoot. My collection of 3 photos marking the ceremony. 

Head Abbott together with his Monks at the start of the Ceremony

(2) Thekchen Choling Tibetan Temple which has a special ceremony that involved the unveiling of a 14foot/ 3 meter long Thangka only on Vesak Day. The purpose of a Thangka is intended to serve as a record of, and guide for contemplative experience. They are intended to convey iconographic information in a pictorial manner. One can donate prayer flags and wishing ribbons - my "to-do" list for next year is to attend the fire puja ceremony that will be conducted in the evening. 

Butter Lamps

Bathing the Buddha Ceremony

(2) Lian Shan Shuang Lin Temple was also on my "to visit" list this year as it's Singapore's oldest Buddhist temple and second largest in Asia. Built between the years 1902 to 1908, the temple literally translates to the Twin Grove of the Lotus Mountain Buddhist Temple. The grounds are HUGE - a mental note was to venture into the grounds of this magnificent place  early next year. 

Till the next time, onto the world & beyond!!!

Accidental Tourist - Closure of Victoria Street Wholesale Centre & Rochor Centre Flats

Change is a constant...at least in Singapore. 


Today, I passed by an area that will be experiencing significant changes to its landscape in the coming months. In fact, the VICTORIA STREET WHOLESALE CENTRE has already closed and the ROCHOR CENTRE FLATS are well on its way down memory lane with its imminent closure in 2016 
(more information provided in these news reports: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/leaving-rochor-centre-a-heartbreak-for-residents.html and http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1179012/1/.html).  


I reviewed the photos that I took of the 2 locations in an earlier photowalk with Singapore Photowalkers and decided that it'll be a nice journey back to remember these 2 locations using the photos taken in January 2012: 

Accidental Tourist - March 2012 Walking Tour "Stained Glass Stories"

I am a sucker for stories so I went on the "Stained Glass Stories" Walking Tour that was organised by the Preservation of Monuments Board. We walked around the central area covering 3 national monuments i.e. St. Joseph's Church, Church of St. Peter and Paul and the previous CHIJ Chapel. All 3 monuments are representative of Gothic architecture which features the pointed arch, the ribbed vault, and the flying buttress. The Gothic style, when applied to an ecclesiastical building, emphasizes verticality and light (info from Wikipedia). 


Briefly, stained glass is used in churches as it represents the idea of reaching God, both in height and light. Stained glass requires skilled workers and those shown during the walk were either made in Belgium or France. Stained glass also served as visual aids of teaching the religion when English was not widely used in the early days.

The tour started at 3p.m. on a hot Saturday afternoon with the grounds of St. Joseph's Church @ Victoria Street (short deviation: the streets Queen Street and Victoria Street are both named after Queen Victoria).    Entering St. Joseph's Church always brings back lovely memories of my younger schooling days attending mass as I was attending school at St. Anthony's Convent (more info at Wikipedia & the 100th Anniversary book available in PDF here). 
Anyway, back to St. Joseph's Church, the building was built in the Gothic style by the Portuguese Mission - the original church was constructed from 1906 to 1912 with its foundation-stone laid two years earlier.The present Saint Joseph's Church, completed in 1912, was built on the same site by the notable firm Swan & MacLaren (same company responsible many notable monuments of Singapore like Raffles Hotel, Cenotaph, and Tanjong Pagar Railway). The stained glass of St. Joseph's is mainly blue and red and all made in Belgium (signed at the bottom of the stained glass) (info from Wikipedia). Besides its lovely stained glass, St. Joseph's also has lovely blue and white tiles depicting the religious scenes on the outside walls of the church. 






Moving onto our next stop i.e. Church of St. Peter and Paul one of the oldest church built in 1869-1870. The stained glass of this Church is manufactured in France with the names of the saints featured in the stained glass in French. This church is also a familiar one to me personally as I often visit this church for mass in my younger days. 

The last stop is at the former Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus chapel; now known as CHIJMES Hall This complex of convent buildings has a Gothic-style chapel. It was used as a Catholic convent for 131 years, with Caldwell House constructed in 1840–1841 and the chapel in 1904. The chapel, now a multi-purpose hall, is known as CHIJMES Hall (赞美礼堂), and Caldwell House, now an art gallery, have both been gazetted as national monuments (info from Wikipedia). The stained glass here were produced in Belgium. One of the interesting story here relates to the Gate of Hope, where at this small gate, many babies were abandoned in baskets to be picked by the Sisters of the Convent. 

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!  

Accidental Tourist - Mixed Feelings walks around Bukit Brown

Walking around a cemetery is unheard of in Asia - especially one that has been around since 1830s (over 180 years old!) but it was with mixed feelings that I undertook both walks (once with Nature Society & another with Heritage Singapore) held at Bukit Brown Cemetery. This is because the local Singapore government has decided to cut a 8-lane road across the cemetery. A lot of news, both local and international, (Economist & Wall Street Journal amongst others) have been reported regarding this episode (much like the one involving the KTM Tanjong Pagar Railway that was closed in 2011). 


Someone mentioned that we Singaporeans only throng to an old place when the government wants to do something to it - I agree with this statement but would also want to state that in a modern city, we can only count the number of old places that are being left alone. For me, I strongly believe that if I don't record or experience the place as it was before redevelopment, there will NEVER be another chance and as such, I continue with my quest to visit these old places. Someone else chimed that the long necks of the construction cranes is Singapore's national bird - a fact that my city country develops at an incredible (sometimes alarming) speed. 



I have only spent a short amount of time at Bukit Brown - however, the tranquility and the peace that only a place filled with tombstones can  provide will be missed. The trips actually brought me back to my younger days when I would go with my grandmother to visit my grandfather's grave when it was still at Paya Lebar area. 


For those with better knowledge, the imminent loss of those graves in Bukit Brown equals a loss to future generations as with the exhumation of graves, the clues to the past concerning funeral rites, material usage, architecture and last but not least the impact on flora and fauna will be lost and irrecoverable.  I believe there is a Chinese saying that goes something along this line...."if you take care of your ancestors, your future will be protected" which for those making way for the highway, is a foregone conclusion. 



A sad song is playing in my head as I write this entry & I think it will continue playing in my mind for some time.....

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond! 

Accidental Tourist - i Light Marina Bay 2012

The 2nd edition of i Light @ Marina Bay is now happening until 1 April 2012. I went to the inaugural 2010 iLight as well (blog entry here). 


This year's light installations span a wide area starting from Merlion Park with a loop down to The Promontory @ Marina Bay and down to The Marina Bay Sands before ending the journey at the Float @ Marina Bay.  


I went down with a group of photo enthusiasts I met online from SPIN (aka Singapore Photography Interest Network) https://www.facebook.com/groups/Singapore.SPIN/. 


Fortunately, contrary to normal Singapore weather, that night was quite cool (albeit still the normal humidity levels) and it was an overall pleasant walk that ended at 11p.m. - perfect timing as the light installations switch off at that time.  


Here's a few photos to mark this little excursion: 

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond! 

[my other entry at JPG.mag http://jpgmag.com/stories/18663]