Geylang Road

 Geylang Road is one place in Singapore that I would not go unless someone asks me to. It is an area that is infamous for its red-light district and looks nothing like the rest of Singapore where buildings are neat and orderly and conform to similar patterns throughout the island. Geylang is a hotchpotch and mish-mash of buildings, people and things. One thing though, it has many small temples here and there and as my friend and I wandered amongst the rows of shophouses, residential houses and apartments and small condominium developments, some old, some brand-new and some yet to be built, I just had this feeling that I had travelled back in time to Singapore in the 50s and 60s. We also stumbled upon two private museums that unfortunately were not open on that day. We walked in the searing heat of the afternoon and stopped at a coffeeshop for fruit-juice which we regretted because it was made without common-sense and appreciation of hygiene. At the end of our exploration of the area, we found the coffee-shop that was once famous for its 'tzi char' dishes. It was not as crowded and popular as it once was because the prices for the dishes were rather exhorbitant. So at the end of the meal, they have lost two more customers for we are never going back again.

From Geylang to Kallang and back

Once I said to my son that I would have liked to live during the fifties and the sixties and my son asked why. I really could not pin down any particular reason. Perhaps life would have been simpler as there would be less emphasis on making money and  focus on material signs of success. 

On a Saturday morning, we took a drive to Geylang Road where we took note of a coffee shop known for its superb mee siam and before driving on to the Kallang Riverside Park for a morning stroll.  After taking photos of the surroundings and stalking some migratory birds along the river, we headed back to Geylang for our mee siam lunch. Oh, and I also have to mention the very expensive tea and coffee and scrambled egg breakfast at a refurbished warehouse at the entrance of Kallang Riverside Park.

Geylang Road

Walking along Geylang Road and looking at the interesting facades of the rows of shophouses on either side, you might think you have travelled back in time or else you might think you are in another Asian country. I found the forms of the buildings intriguing but the substance of the area rather unsavoury.

Curious tourists have asked taxi drivers to take them to this place to see a seedy side of Singapore; we went there in search of a particular porridge stall. So we walked the length of Geylang Road up to the point where it became Geylang Serai and then took a bus back for we had walked a long way from where we had parked our car. We never located that elusive porridge stall and settled for claypot rice which was a great choice because the claypot rice was cooked over charcoal fire and the chicken meat was so tender and tasty that the long wait for it to be prepared was worth every second that ticked by so slowly.

This set of slides tracks the beginning of our walk at Lorong 11 up till Paya Lebar. You see the change in lighting from daylight to night, numerous food stalls, shops selling groceries run by Chinese on one side of the road and Indians on the other side. Interspersed amongst them you will see Tibetan prayer houses, a Buddhist association and a mosque. I did not like the crowd and there would be no reason for me to return to this area. The buildings are old but judging by the preservation efforts that have taken place so far, more renewal work might be in store. In future, parts of this place could well look like the refurbished shophouses in Chinatown. My favourite shots are those taken of the mosque in the twilight.