Singapore: Chinatown,1

Still on our first full day, we joined a two hour+ walking tour of Chinatown conducted by Monster Walking Tours. (It's free; you tip the guide at the end, in accordance with your satisfaction). The tour was superb, best ever for me. In addition to the history, architecture, social/political insights, wit, etc., there were tastings, something unusual for general walking tours. But this is Singapore, and food is the national pastime. I have to do two posts.

En route to Chinatown, a traditional Chinese pharmacy 

Main street decor: it's the year of the rat

Alley scene

Our tour begins with some architectural/social history: in an area of shop-houses
(shop at street level, residence on the upper floors) above is the peep-hole whereby
the proprietor can see who is calling

Our guide, Collin

A street of 19th century shop-houses

Indian temple in Chinatown; the Brits thought this was a
pagoda, hence, Pagoda Street

Big moment: at the durian shop, Collin opens a durian for the tasting

Me, tasting, very bravely; the aroma is not so bad as people say; the flavors...
cheese, garlic, onion...the texture...repulsive...but J'ai ete la bas...Jai fait ca.
another once in a lifetime experience

Street scene with historic colonial building

Chinese New Year tree...pussy willow, symbolizing growth,
prosperity, etc.

Another colonial

Some beautiful murals here and there in the off-alleys

So earlier we had figured these were cardboard New Year costumery; no, they're
to burn in honor/remembrance of deceased loved ones ("he so loved pink shirts")

New Year decor

At the Chinatown Complex food hall, another tasting...this time popiah, a rhubarb
spring roll; she's drinking lemon tea, sugar cane juice for me

From this place

Outside, the skyline, including a big building being enshrouded
in live greenery

Our little tour group

More skyline; most Singaporeans live in flats in complexes like these; incredibly,
85% of Singaporeans own their own homes

In the Buddha tooth relic temple

An amazing, huge silk embroidery; in the main hall, the embroidery was much
larger, but we couldn't get close enough for a decent photo

Singapore: Orchard Road

We were six days and nights in Singapore. Our first day we mostly gawked at Orchard Road, where our hotel was, and the area's many giant super-shopping centers, the presence/abundance of just about every famous designer or retail name you can remember or imagine (including some you thought were dead and gone), the many many-starred restaurants, and so on. All the opulence, extravagance, and ostentation...and then some.

A store window at the Paragon, advertising the strange alliance between Mickey
and Gucci 

Third floor in the Paragon, a floor of (Lunar) New Year gifts

Across the street at Ngee Ann City, where you can design and print your own Polo
shirt (T-shirts starting at S$149; S$.75=1U$D)

Takashimaya (big department store) gourmet/New Year food court (don't worry,
there'll be a separate post on Singapore food)

Street scene

S$10,000 purse, anyone?

At a Lego Store, the glamping set all sold out 

Another street scene

 

View from our 14th floor room, the point of which is to introduce Singapore's
interest in greening everything...to make it not the Garden City, but a City in a
Garden (so the C of C said); we rode over much of the island, and it is truly the most
completely and beautifully landscaped place I've ever been 

Ngee Ann City shopping center (including the towers)

Across the street, the Paragon

You can have all the Chanels and Guccis...I'll take the 7-11s, which are as abundant
and crowded in Singapore as in Bangkok; and the rest of SE Asia

Tang Plaza and Tower, another mega-shopping center

More shopping centers, including Wheelock Place, which houses one of many
fine Marks and Spencers in the area

Thus (also to be found at Cold Storage, the grocery in Takashimaya)

Perhaps best known, the Ion

Part of Ion atrium

Sculpture outside Ion; the Burghers?!

Ever more shopping

Pretty incredible

Krabi Out-Takes

We didn't see "Lady Boys of Bangkok" when we were at the Fringe in Edinburgh
last summer, nor even when we were in Bangkok, so I guess this is as close as I'll get

Maybe they were Lady Girls; not sure

Not something I'd wear in Thailand; sold out anyway

Dollar store; well, Three Dollar store

Jousting lobsters (the movie was better)

DIY ramen at the 7-11; oh thank heaven

Holiday Inn shrines at Ao Nang; the god(s) apparently really like Fanta Red

Krabi Muy Thai (Thai kick-boxing) stadium

As close as we'll get to that

Muy Thai advertising truck, as in Koh Samui; but in Krabi you don't have to "get
there earlier"

Thai dye shoppe; nyuk, nyuk, nyuk

Thai haircut