April 3
Singapore
Breakfast at the Sidewalk, including kopi and melon. It may or may not have been healthy. The forecast was for rain by lunchtime but, at the moment, it was hot and sunny.
I left the café, walked up Hill Street and then along Stamford Road, photographing interesting buildings and statues as I went. The road comes to a halt at the Fort Canning Tunnel, so I took a detour through a butterfly garden.
I did see a couple of little yellow ones and tried to get a photo. If only they remained still for more than a second at a time!
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An escalator took me onto Fort Canning Hill, on top of the tunnel, I suppose. There were lots of lovely trees, some planted in support of religious harmony. If it hadn't been for the noise from the neighbouring building site - hard at work on a Sunday morning - it would have been a beautifully tranquil place. The spice garden was fun. It was a copy of the garden originally established by Raffles as part of his botanic gardens. There were several that I grow at home, such as Thai basil, chilli and lemongrass. There were others that I only buy in a shop, such as nutmeg, turmeric and black pepper. |
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The peace was still shattered by the construction noise and also by a horde of marauding cyclists.
My opening foray into the National Museum, past some wonderful sculptures and through the back entrance came to a grinding halt in an inactive lift.
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Luckily, the "door open" button worked so that I was able to escape. I then found a flight of stairs to take me down to the main concourse. I last visited about ten years ago, since when the museum has been dramatically extended.
I started in a small visual exhibition "A moment of unity", which sought to capture the grief which overtook the nation when Lee Kwan Yue died a year ago. I was in Hong Kong at the time and wondered what it would have been like over here. I doubt that Lee Kwan Yue was 100% good. No one is. I suspect, however, that Singapore was a much better place because of him. I doubt that any British politicians could make the same claim. It was a simple but powerful exhibition, which did capture a nation at grief.
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A home made iced lemon tea in the café enabled me to sit down and write my notes. At $4 it cost as much as my breakfast!
As soon as I tried to visit the main exhibition, a nice man asked to see my entrance pass. By sneaking in through the back door, I had avoided this. I exited by the spectacular front entrance and re-entered through the ticket office. I got a big reduction - from $25 to $15 - for having an HSBC credit card.
The Singapore history gallery was my main target and it didn't disappoint. Full of "stuff" and with excellent audio-visual material. It covered the pre-history of the area, was surprisingly nice about the British colonials and pretty damning about the Japanese. The move towards independence wasn't covered in huge detail but there was a fascinating TV clip of Lee Kwan Yue discussing the break from Malaysia in 1965. He really was an amazingly charismatic performer.
Downstairs, in another huge area of unused space, was a special exhibition of stuff borrowed from the British Museum. Out of a sense of duty, I entered. It was mainly archaeological, not my scene, with a few modernist artworks. Ditto.
Back upstairs, I visit two more exhibitions. The first documented the early years of Singapore's independence following the 1965 break from Malaysia. There was a lot about Lee Kwan Yue, including much furniture from his house. In his will he asked that it be demolished after his death unless his daughter wished to live in it. If she did, it was to be demolished when she no longer needed it.
The Japanese Occupation was the subject of an exhibition in its own right. Needless to say, it wasn't complimentary.
Lastly, there was an exhibition of posh life from 1925 to 1935. The rich locals knew how to live in style, just as much as the Brits.
After not far short of three hours there, I went outside the discover that the forecast rain hadn't appeared but it was cloudy and humid.
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I investigated a food court near to the hotel, felt a few drops of rain and returned to the Sidewalk for lunch. There are seven food stalls and I have patronised four of them - plus the drinks stall, of course. Today it was to be belly pork with green beans, rice and soup. Very good flavours and a whole $6. The place was pretty full and I shared my table on a couple of occasions. In such a crowded place, that is normal.
On one of the other tables, a couple from another of the stalls were sitting making dumplings. I watched, as ever being unable to follow the speed of their hands. They were using factory made won ton wrappers, which does make the task easier. Even I can make a reasonable dumpling with them. They gave me permission to take photographs and I determined to have some of the finished product for dinner.
The National Gallery of Singapore is huge, being a combination of two government buildings, the City Hall and the Supreme Court. I got in cheap, this time because I am a geriatric.
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For a while, I wondered why I had bothered. There was precious little on display, what there was I didn't like, and the most artistic things around were the buns in the café and a row of tee shirts in the shop. The architecture, however, was wonderful.
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I finally found the Singapore Gallery 1, which had lots of early botanical and topographical paintings and which covered local art up to about World War II. The first half of Gallery 2 was good but then things deteriorated and there was nothing more that I liked. I did locate a very smart looking cocktail bar and a café. Like so much in Singapore, I could never afford either.
I eventually found my way back to the entrance and discovered that the promised downpour had started. My plan to walk over the road to watch the cricket match on the Padang, which I had been able to see from the gallery windows, had fallen apart.
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The thunder and lightning only lasted briefly but I decided to wear my waterproof whatever the heat and to find the driest route possible back to the hotel. There, I discovered that my computer wasn't playing nicely and needed quite a bit of coaxing before it would. This prompted me to do a backup, a very lengthy process. I took the opportunity to pack one of my bags and to have a shower. By the time I had finished, the rain seemed to have stopped, so I ventured outside again.
There were still a few drops of rain falling so I feared that the five minute walk to the Padang would be in vain. It was. Bigger covers were going onto the pitch and the players were heading home.
I thought about the posh craft beer bar by the theatre but the prices were still outrageous and they still sold no local beer from nearer than Hong Kong. As I would be there in 24 hours, there seemed little point.
The whole area was very busy. This is the centre of the local Burmese community and it would appear that they congregate on Sunday evenings.
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As I returned to the Sidewalk, I spotted one of the local, very elderly rickshaw drivers. He was sporting a Manchester United banner on the back of his vehicle. The English Premier League gets everywhere.
At the Sidewalk I had a beer and some of the dumplings that I had watched being made earlier. They were excellent. The café was packed and I wondered about having a second course in an hour or so. Things might have quietened down by then.
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About five minutes walk down the road is the Singapore River, home to lots of trendy bars and cafes. It is a fascinating stretch of water with the old bridges contrasting with the new offices and hotels.
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I took photos of the boats and even of a strategically placed flower. My walk back took me past the Old Hill Street Police Station, possessor of the grandest louvre shutters in Christendom. I also spotted some statues at the Fire Station for the first time. How long have they been there?
The Sidewalk was still busy but I ordered a mix of rice, vegetables and seafood - nice and healthy. I walked the short distance back to the hotel and finished packing.