Singapore Redux: Chinatown

We met up with our friend Tonet at Singapore's Chinatown. Along the way, we bumped into, Art, a former student of mine UP Diliman who is now working as an engineer in the city-state. Art decided to join us to meet up with Tonet and have dinner later on. He was familiar with the area having worked there in one of their projects. I was happy to hear from him that he was involved in transport infrastructure projects, particularly the SMRT line that is currently under construction. 

Following are a few photos we took during our stroll around Chinatown. The place was very interesting because of the shops and I was very impressed not just by the cleanliness but also by the well-preserved buildings. It also helped that many were colorful and allowed for one to imagine being taken back to the past when the area must have looked practically the same as the present time.

View of Pagoda Street when one emerges from the SMRT station

View of Pagoda Street towards the SMRT station

Restaurants and shops line up the side streets. Note, too, the red lanterns that add to the ambiance of the district.

The shops include those selling souvenirs and collectibles

There are many clothes shops featuring RTWs, children's clothes and even traditional clothing like cheongsams and fabrics

Parked vehicles line up along Temple Street where motor vehicles are allowed. Note in the other photos that the main parts of the area are pedestrianized.

Another view of Temple Street with a sign indicating loading/unloading regulations

We took photos of the facades of the buildings

The facades reminded me of similar architecture in the Little India district

There are also similarities to the colorful buildings of Jonker Walk in Melaka

It would be interesting and certainly nice if Philippine cities would have programs where the old city centers are preserved. Iloilo supposedly had one a decade ago but last time I checked that went nowhere.

More colorful buildings in Singapore's Chinatown, all taken with my trusty BlackBerry Bold

I was a bit surprised to see this marker for Japanese Street, which was part of Chinatown. The marker provides visitors with information about the area, particularly its history.

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