Thursday 18th June 2009

I realise I had caught the sun on my wrists after walking around Orchard Road yesterday (whoops).

Breakfast in the Executive club lounge as usual.
The staff recognise us and automatically bring our usual hot beverages.
We chose our seats in the next alcove room, where 3 Chinese business men were already seated on the opposite side of the room. Groz notices I am looking over his shoulder, and I'm stifling a snigger.

One of the things I can't abide is poor manners, and eating with ones mouth open is one thing but this Chinese dude was making the most horrendous noises whilst eating. I don't know how his colleagues could hold a conversation. Fortunately we didn't see them again. Lah!

And so Grozzie goes off to work and I head off in search of Temples in China Town today.

I get the Purple line on the MRT to China Town, 2 stops 'south' of Dhoby Ghaut.
Only when you arrive in China Town it's not so straight forward finding the best exit, so I headed for the nearest exit at China Town point. (In future use Exit A) ;)

Landed outside right in the middle of road works and no pavements for most of it (Upper Cross street was particularly scary). I worked my way north as fast as possible. I found the rather sorry looking mosque "Melaka" up on Keng Chow Street. Decided to head back and took a shade stop inside the point mall with the amusingly named "Mouth" restaurant. Looked like good dim sum in there.

I made it down south Bridge Road and eventually found Jamae Mosque. The Sri Mariamman Temple famous with it's sacred cows on the walls by Pagoda Street was shrouded in tarps and scaffolding, renovations in progress. So I decided to carry on walking towards The Buddha Tooth relic Temple on Sago street. The red lanterns in the streets beckoning.

The Buddha Tooth relic temple isn't featured on most maps but it is truly magnificent and should be visited, allow yourself about 2 hours should you visit it.

A little further along I find the Maxwell food centre where I'll have my lunch. I used the crossing further up and followed the road back tot he temple. I have a quick look inside the outer door of the temple and decided to come back for a full visit after lunch.

First I made my way through the side streets into the heart of china town lined with stalls and restaurants. Banners, bunting and lanterns hung over every street (luckily most were pedestrianised. I love the Chinese properties with their Peranakan window shutters. I wandered around the colourful streets, down Smith Street, Trenggaanu Street. Lots of things caught my eye. I browsed in most of the clothes stores. But it was the Chinese Lion puppets that really winked at me.

After a while I decided it was time for lunch. I looked up and down inside the Maxwell food centre and ordered the noodles with wonton dumplings all for $S3. I sat at a table with strangers eating fried fish and curry. Then a man asked me where I got my noodles from :) He went and order some. Then another old man sat down and ate what looked like that solid dessert creme caramel, was probably soya stuff covered in syrup, he mashed it all up and slurped it down LOL The bizzare thing was seeing peanut soup, it didn't look very apetizing in a  huge vat. Surprisingly it didn't smell of all the food in here. No five spice, garlic etc like you get in China town London. It sure was noisy in here and warm with just ceiling fans for cooling.

So I enter the Buddha Tooth Temple for an experience I'll never forget.

First the sight of the beauty of the building.

Then the waft of incense from the huge offering prayer pot in the courtyard surrounds you with a comforting smell.

And finally the monks chanting in unison was mesmerizing. It was hypnotic. I soon forgot about how hot it was.

I enter nervously into the main temple hall, taking in the colours on the walls, floors and ceiling, the reds, golds and oranges... and the golds, and more gold. Lots of banners were hanging from the ceiling. There were hundreds of miniature Buddhas on the walls.

There were lots of Monks chanting the Mahaprajna Paramita Sutra 600 volumes. There was a Monk keeping the timing with a special drum. The pace was fast yet soothing. I decided to look round the rest of the Temple taking the lift to the upper floors first. I've never been inside a lift with exquisitely decorated brocade silk on the walls before.

It was with relief that I stepped out into the cool air conditioned shop and library. So many wonderful items were on display. After browsing I spent nearly an hour looking round their museum. It was very informative and the collection was extensive. Unfortunately their cute tea room was closed but I already knew this from my online pre-visit. On the very top floor I rested before going into see a Monk giving special attention to those who sort it and the Buddha tooth. I didn't stay long.

Then I took the lift down to the mezzanine floor and the chanting became louder again. You can walk around the entire floor and peek through special blinds down onto the chanting monks.

Realising I'd spent the best part of 2 hours in here, and had forgotten the other temples I needed to find. I dashed off for some much needed water and made my next adventure up Erskine Road and Ann Siang Road.

Darn, dead end, which became Ann Siang Hill Park.

I followed the path gingerly through the back streets and Park, a shaded walkway with benches and emerged right beside where I needed to be, what fortune.

Luckily I had done my homework, I had printed my own maps and circled places of interest as some local maps don't list things. I had found  Siang Cho Keong Temple on Amoy Street. :) It was tiny and was just as packed with buddhas and trinkets on the walls as the last Temple, and the scent of incense burning was just as soothing.

  I love the roof on this temple.

A quick look around and I was onto finding the next place of interest, only the sign post was telling me to go down a parallel road, which went against my intuition. But I followed their sign anyway. Yup I ended up behind the where I needed to be however it took me through a tiny park with water features which i would have missed had I gone straight there.

My heart sunk a little as I saw yet more tarps over the buildings and boards up saying under construction/renovations.

Fortunately most of Thian Hock Keng Temple on Telok Ayer Street was open for viewing. It was stunning, from the pavement, floors, to the walls and ceilings. Tiles, dragons, lanterns, roof line, alters and buddhas all so traditional of the region. The massive drum was perched high up in the roof.

Roof detail with sun behind.

Thian Hock Keng Temple front entrance. 

It was so very hot and I was wilting but I pressed on and saw most of it. (pictures to follow in the main gallery soon). I knew I had to come back and show Grozzie both this and the Buddha Tooth temple!

I found Al-Abrar mosque a little further along the street and further still was the Nagore Durgha Shrine.

Then I stumbled across more roadworks and dashed across to Ying Fo Fui Kun temple, but didn't go inside. I was running late. I went back to main China town the way I came. Looked at the chinese kites on the stalls briefly and the guy painting the masks. I bought Grozzie a Singapore Dragon t-shirt. Then entered the MRT station at Entrance/Exit A (where I should have come out).

I texted Grozzie to say I was on my way back and would be at Starbucks if he was back in time to join me.

I arrived back at Dhoby Ghaut 5.15pm and a brisk walk up towards the hotel, and there was Grozzie in the queue at Starbucks cafe :) It was bliss to sit in the cooled air and sip iced coffee lattes. Iced coffee not only tastes great but it really does cool you down too.

I ordered 2 cheesecakes, deserved it with all that walking around all day ;)

One was a delicious fluffy light oreo the other was sticky heavy cappuccino. We shared them and enjoyed them both, chattering away about our day. :)

[alas it seems that the wonderful oreo cheesecake is only available in Singapore, well you don't get any choice in UK, I know I went in search for some this week, what a  disappointment]

We decided to visit the "Fountain of Disappointment" (as Grozzie calls it) that evening for the laser and light show. So we get in a taxi, and get dropped at Sun Tech.

Tempted fate... we were in for a bigger disappointment, as the fountain of Wealth as it is formally known as was shrouded in tarp and staging. More festivities were due to take place but why put a stage right underneath the fountain ?!

There is usually a laser show which is displayed on the falling fountain. Part of the show contains messages loved ones can send requests in... sweet or sickly ? LOL

This is what we should have seen.

So that was a wasted journey. Didn't fancy eating in the food mall so we jumped in another taxi and got out at Clarke Quay. No matter we had a fantastic evening in Clarke Quay.

Clarke Quay's funky map system.

We take a wander through the colourful and bizzare architectural restaurant alleys and over the bridge to Brewerkz for dinner. Clarke Quay is absolutely heaving with people enjoying themselves alfresco dining by the river. We chose to sit inside hoping it would be cooler. Luckily we geta  table at a cancellation.

Tuck into a huge, no make that massive starter of nachos, with our mini beer taster selection.

salsa, cheese and gucamole too

All rather yummy, but too filling... need more room for the gorgeous succulent ribs and chicken to follow!
The meat was falling off the bone like I've never tasted before! Totally recommend this place.

We find the huge vats of beer made on the premises :)

Then take our full tum tums for a stroll along the river. A guy is playing some music and flying a remote controlled thing... is it a plane...? is it a kite with lights on ?

Brewerks @ Clarke Quay

..... more photos will be added to the main photo gallery soon.

Totally adore funky Clarke Quay at night so vibrant.

[total number of images taken today: 425]