February 2009 Archives

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Little India is virtually the only part of urban Singapore that hasn't been totally modernized. It's crowded, colorful, vigorously commercial, and fun to wander in.

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According to Wikipedia, Emerald Hill is "Former home to many members of the city-state's wealthy Peranakan community, it is located near Orchard Road. Many of its homes feature Chinese Baroque architecture. " It's picturesque and rather pretty.

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A final pair of photos from the vivid Takashimaya Department Store at Chinese New Year.

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The Takashimaya Food Court was especially colorful and lively because it was Chinese New Year. Many tasty samples were being handed out.

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The great Tokyo department store Takashimaya has a branch on Orchard Road in Singapore. The Food Court occupies the full second floor of the basement. Fresh produce, special goodies in boxes, and fresh-cooked meals are on offer, and the cooks are in full view.

Outside the Singapore Art Museum. (click to enlarge)

On Orchard Road, Singapore's premier shopping street. (click to enlarge)

Buildings near Rochor Road and Victoria (click to enlarge)

Sim Lim Square (click to enlarge)

Singapore has a lot of modern buildings, many of them not very attractive, which were built on the ground cleared by tearing down historic districts. (Little India, which will be coming up soon, is an exception.) Sim Lim Square is a six-story technology shopping center, called "the IT hub of Singapore".

Hallway, Raffles Hotel (click to enlarge)

Cashier's desk, Raffles Hotel (click to enlarge)

Sir Stamford Raffles founded the city of Singapore in 1819. The Raffles Hotel is one of the grand locations in Singapore. The Singapore Sling was invented at its Long Bar. Although the hotel is too expensive for ordinary mortals, it's fun to wander its grounds and public areas. It breathes a coolness and old-fashioned elegance that more modern hotels can't duplicate.

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Singapore is a remarkably diverse city-state, and it has an excellent Museum of Asian Civilizations that showcases the cultural and artistic background of that diversity. Here are two examples.

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Albert Center has an extensive flower market, which was especially colorful in preparation for the Chinese New Year. A central aisle divides it into real flowers on one side, and artificial on the other. These scenes are from the artificial side.

We've just returned from a 3 1/2-week trip to Singapore, Cambodia, and Vietnam. These are three lively and very photogenic countries, and this blog for the next several weeks will feature scenes from our trip.

We spent the first three days in Singapore, and an additional day on the way home. The Albert Center, a bustling market area in the Civic District near our hotel, has an interdenominational temple and a vivid flower and produce market.

(click to enlarge) Incense-burning worshipers at the Shri Krishnan Temple

(click to enlarge) Rubbing the Buddha to bring good luck.