Up to Singapore and a bit of Malaysia - July 18th-August 1st 2008

Top

July 25th 2008: The Colonial Core and Many Museums


Page 1 of 2.
Click on images below to enlarge:
Downtown
St. Andrew's Cathedral, a mere block-and-a-half from my hotel.
A close-up of the steeple from a different angle.
Inside. My guide book describes chunam, an interesting and unusual (to me) building material used for the side walls. I couldn't, however, find another web site to collaborate this description.
Assorted stained glass, though the glass didn't come out well in this picture.
St. Andrew's Cathedral, a mere block-and-a-half from my hotel.
A close-up of the steeple from a different angle.
Inside.
My guide book describes chunam, an interesting and unusual (to me) building material used for the side walls. I couldn't, however, find another web site to collaborate this description.
Assorted stained glass, though the glass didn't come out well in this picture.
A 180-degree panoramic movie taken from the east side of the cathedral. It begins looking south, then east, then north. It shows The Padang (the large field, the center of the government district and the site of some historic events), with the Cricket Club and the Recreation Club at opposite ends. Skyscrapers are in two directions. Notable Singapore attractions such as the Esplanade (the spiky building) and the huge ferris wheel are also visible.
I believe I took this inside Raffles City, one of the city's large shopping malls.
One side of the long, colonial-era, fancy Raffles Hotel.
Its main entrance. The doorman wouldn't let me in because I was wearing shorts.
A 180-degree panoramic movie taken from the east side of the cathedral. It begins looking south, then east, then north. It shows The Padang (the large field, the center of the government district and the site of some historic events), with the Cricket Club and the Recreation Club at opposite ends. Skyscrapers are in two directions. Notable Singapore attractions such as the Esplanade (the spiky building) and the huge ferris wheel are also visible.
I believe I took this inside Raffles City, one of the city's large shopping malls.
One side of the long, colonial-era, fancy Raffles Hotel.
Its main entrance. The doorman wouldn't let me in because I was wearing shorts.
A pretty fountain in one of Raffles's plazas.
This funky building is the Singapore National Library.
The Sri Krishnan Temple. As you can no doubt guess from the smoke, it smelled strongly of incense. I took this picture at a high resolution to see the details.
On the same block, the Kuan Yin Thong Hood Cho Temple. (How's that for showing how Singapore allows mixing of cultures?) Incidentally, there were many flower vendors outside this temple.
A pretty fountain in one of Raffles's plazas.
This funky building is the Singapore National Library.
The Sri Krishnan Temple. As you can no doubt guess from the smoke, it smelled strongly of incense. I took this picture at a high resolution to see the details.
On the same block, the Kuan Yin Thong Hood Cho Temple. (How's that for showing how Singapore allows mixing of cultures?)
Incidentally, there were many flower vendors outside this temple.
A movie of the temple. I recorded this because I heard lots of praying, but the sound didn't come out well in the movie.
The food court I ate in. I'm not sure its name. See that long line that stretches to the right in this picture? That's the stand I decided to eat at. The stand ostensibly served Indian food, though in what looked like Chinese preparations.
My lunch. This is a reasonably-sized meal--it's just an enormous plate. My threes items, something with eggs, an eggplant dish, and tofu with green beans, were all mellow. Incidentally, it's Chinese rice.
A movie of the temple. I recorded this because I heard lots of praying, but the sound didn't come out well in the movie.
The food court I ate in. I'm not sure its name. See that long line that stretches to the right in this picture? That's the stand I decided to eat at. The stand ostensibly served Indian food, though in what looked like Chinese preparations.
My lunch. This is a reasonably-sized meal--it's just an enormous plate. My threes items, something with eggs, an eggplant dish, and tofu with green beans, were all mellow. Incidentally, it's Chinese rice.
Singapore Art Museum
The Singapore Art Museum, originally St. Joseph's Institution.
Some of the massive glass platters hanging in one of the museum's reception areas.
An attempt at photographing the whole reception area to show how many glass plates there are. You can kind of tell that every archway shows a couple.
No Picture Associated With These Comments
The Singapore Art Museum, originally St. Joseph's Institution.
Some of the massive glass platters hanging in one of the museum's reception areas.
An attempt at photographing the whole reception area to show how many glass plates there are. You can kind of tell that every archway shows a couple.
Though there were items worthy of photographing, the museum prohibited taking pictures inside.
More Downtown
The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, yet another colonial-era building reminiscent of specific English buildings.
CHIJMES (Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus), now restored and converted into a retail complex.
The central nave. I'm going to give this an excellent because of the funky things that happened with the reflections. You can also call this a self-portrait.
The large pipe organ (barely visible) in the back of one of its buildings.
The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, yet another colonial-era building reminiscent of specific English buildings.
CHIJMES (Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus), now restored and converted into a retail complex.
The central nave. I'm going to give this an excellent because of the funky things that happened with the reflections. You can also call this a self-portrait.
The large pipe organ (barely visible) in the back of one of its buildings.
A courtyard nearby.
The Stamford House, now a shopping mall.
The (Hill Street) Central Fire Station, the oldest in the city.
The wedding-cake Freemasons' Hall.
A courtyard nearby.
The Stamford House, now a shopping mall.
The (Hill Street) Central Fire Station, the oldest in the city.
The wedding-cake Freemasons' Hall.
Peranakan Museum
The Peranakan Museum.
Traditional Peranakan garb.
The Peranakan Museum.
Traditional Peranakan garb.
National Museum of Singapore
The National Museum of Singapore.
The airy interior space connecting two parts of the National Museum. A really good youth photography display lined these walls.
I'm not sure why I took a picture of this. Maybe just to show the History Gallery has many cool objects on display.
Lots of baskets. They're not really discussed in the museum; they're just there for atmosphere.
The National Museum of Singapore.
The airy interior space connecting two parts of the National Museum. A really good youth photography display lined these walls.
I'm not sure why I took a picture of this. Maybe just to show the History Gallery has many cool objects on display.
Lots of baskets. They're not really discussed in the museum; they're just there for atmosphere.
As the British retreated down the Malaysian peninsula during WWII, the Japanese troops chased them, rather successfully, riding bicycles.
The statue of David in the museum's rotunda.
The entrance to the food gallery. The full-sized image shows the names of famous dishes. The (unreadable in this picture) text describes the history of the dishes. I love the historic bicycle food cart.
One interesting plaque describing the history and audio codes of noodle hawkers.
As the British retreated down the Malaysian peninsula during WWII, the Japanese troops chased them, rather successfully, riding bicycles.
The statue of David in the museum's rotunda.
The entrance to the food gallery. The full-sized image shows the names of famous dishes. The (unreadable in this picture) text describes the history of the dishes.
I love the historic bicycle food cart.
One interesting plaque describing the history and audio codes of noodle hawkers.