I woke up at a sensible time and with the sun shining in the sky I already had a good plan for the day which was to see both China Town as well as stroll around Orchard road before I once again met up with my friends D' and T'.
My earlier roommates had all packed up and left early, so I asumed that I would be having more when I returned, so I left the room as tidy as I could and headed on out to the MRT which is not only cheap but goes to almost all parts of the city, albeit with only three lines so sometimes you might need to travel for ages on one line just to switch and then travel ages again along another.
I decided that I would have breakfast in Chinatown this morning, so I headed on right over ot the MRT station and did not stop to eat in the nearby food court, which was a shame as had I done that I would have heard the drummers of the Chinese Dragon dancers prepare for a practice dance and would have been very close at hand to taking some great photos.
The MRT was not very packed as it was not that early in the morning, so although I did not have a seat the standing room only was spacious and the changeover equally so.
I was not sure what to expect when I arrived at China Town but the mass of market stalls, flags, banners and chinese red lanterns hit me like a wave and also brought back a few memories of my last visit here many years ago.
When I travelled then I was much younger and my camera was a standard cheap film camera, so now it was good to retake the shots I remembered and still have, only now in much greater detail and more of them as of course I am no longer limited to only 24 or 36 shots.
The entrance of the MRT station opens out onto a narrow street where every shop is either a massage parlour, a restaurant or a souveneir shop, with each stall having a hooded marquet area out front to shelter their customers, and their goods, from the occasional rain flury at this time of year.
With my walking guide in hand I stopped at a corner restaurant and ordered a basic noodle curry while I soaked up the sights and sounds of the area. Of the four main cultural influences in the city China Town may be the most authentic Chinese of experiences but there is no doubt that there are still plenty of Indian and Malay's walking about dressed in their flowing and colourful skirts.
Despite it being Chinatown one of the cities most impressive Hindu Temples is just around the corner from the MRT station entry and I midly curse myself for not having enough time to visit Little India and seing if the opposite is true.
After breakfast I take to the guide one more time as I walk around and I find myself at a large newly constructed temple called the Buddha's Tooth temple, a impressively tall and ornate building where monks can be seen tending offering blessings to tourists while the walls are filled with donation statues, marked and engraved with names of benefactrs who for a few thousand SIN $ can become a part of the glory and magnificents that is the inside.
Gold leaf and red paint is very much a theme in Chinese decorations and here no expense was spared on either as the entire place from ceiling to floor was just a sight to behold and I only held off from taking many photos at the start out of respect. The upper floors had signs saying that you must not use a camera so I asked a guard who said that photos were permitted on the lower levels, which was good news for me on the way back down.
I am not sure of the significance of why they built a whole temple to honor a tooth, but it seemed to be very imporant to them judging by the amount of donations it had received and by the number of tourists and locals walking though it even now.
Outside once more I heard the familiar sound of drums and following my ears I headed over to see a crowd around another dragon dancing troupe, this time inside a shop store, blessing it and eating a cabbage tied to the doorframe, most impressive and it is only a shame that they were in the confined of a shop as it meant I could not find a spare to get close enough for a good look.
I took a few shots but none that are too clear and then continued on my way to see what other mysteries China Town offered. Besides the food and massage parlours it also houses a few quiet spots where you can sit and drink surrounded in an oasis of green, sheltered away from the rest of the busy city.
As it was just a few days after new year there are still plenty of decorations and night time street performances, if you can find them and be there at the right time, and also is evidence of their tradition to give satsumas as gifts to friends and loved ones. A huge balloon float of a giant satsuma tree was inflated and on proud display along on of the cities busiest roads.
Short on time I decided that I had spend enough time here and headed on back to the MRT station to go to Orchard Street, the centre for commerce. On the way back to the station I spotted the Indian temple again and as it was so close I took a look and spotted that just around the corner you could get much better views of the inside complex that from the front, something I did not notice my first time here.
I also spotted the Chinatown Heritage Centre, which my friend D' had told me about and so I went in to take a look but all I could see was it roped off and a sign saying that a guided tour would be almost SIN $60, far too much for a brief tour of a museum when I had little time to enjoy it.
Sadly I skipped past it and headed on over to Orchard Street which was more modern and metropolitan that the authentic style of Chinatown. Huge multi storied tower blocks stretched up high into the sky in all directions and expensive and chic stores like Gucci were all around. There were still a few smaller shops on the basement and ground floor levels of the huge tower blocks but what captures your eye and ears is definetly the big brand names and hotel complexes.
As I strolled along I suddenly spotted a huge flat plasma screen on the front of a building, high up on maybe the third or forth story, advertising things from current movies to universities. I stood there and waited for the film clip to come by before I decided that I had to see a great modern chinese war movie here, in Singapore, and see what reaction the audience had.
Opposite was a multi storied cinema complex, with 9 levels of cinemas, and so I went in and booked a ticket for the next showing of the film, luckily it was only in half an hours time on the 9th floor. The film had been out for almost a month but still every seat was taken and not only by men, but by families, pair of girls, women and even the elderly, all turned out to see thei favourite stars in a modern recreation of China's bloody but magnificent history.
The film was great, a classic in the making and the audience were polite and quiet not only through the entire film but also on their way out again. Myself, I was one of the first out the door as I was already running late to meet my friends and I still had a twenty minute MRT ride to take.
Much of Singapore is tall apartment blocks, stylish, clean and well managed, able to fit in hundred of families into an area that is short of space and yet graffiti and litter is neither a problem nor a nuisance. My friends met me at the MRT station and we headed on over to their apartement where I met D's brother and together we all sat down, shared dinner and talking for hours.
Much later I had to return to my hostel as they all had work and I had to prepare myself and be out in the morning for my flight to Jakarta, Indonesia.
No comments:
Post a Comment