Walking Tour

Byrne Bracken George

Description

Singapore is a cosmopolitan city with towering skyscrapers and state-of-the-art building technology. Nestled within its modern built environment are vestiges of its British colonial past and its cultural history. From its spanking new waterfront to its quaint shophouses and from its temples to its mosques and churches, Singapore is as multifarious architecturally as it is culturally. Architect G. Byrne Bracken captures with his sketches the unique diversity that defines Singapore. Covering favourite places such as Chinatown, the Civic District, Orchard Road, Kampong Glam and the spectacular developments around Marina Bay, this charming sketch-cum-guidebook will enrich your appreciation of Singapore through its distinctive urban landscape. In this 5th edition: 8 new illustrations, including the beautifully restored Capitol Theatre, the new South Beach complex, and the Parkroyal on Pickering Hotel; refined walking routes; and fully updated information on all the latest developments in this fast-changing metropolis.

Sujets

• Mosquée
• Singapour
• Singapore
• Walking

Informations

• Publié par: Marshall Cavendish International
• Date de parution: 20 janvier 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814751469
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

All text and illustrations by Gregory Byrne Bracken
2016 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
First published in 2002 by Times Editions
This fifth edition published 2016 by Marshall Cavendish Editions An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International Times Centre, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]
Other Marshall Cavendish offices: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown NY 10591-9001, USA Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd, 253 Asoke, 12th Floor, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
The author and publisher have used their best efforts in preparing this book and disclaim liability arising directly and indirectly from the use and application of this book. All reasonable efforts have been made to obtain necessary copyright permissions. Any omissions or errors are unintentional and will, if brought to the attention of the publisher, be corrected in future printings.
National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Names: Byrne Bracken, G. (Gregory) Title: Singapore : a walking tour / Gregory Byrne Bracken. Description: Fifth edition. | Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2016 | First published in 2002 by Times Editions. Identifiers: OCN 929954531 | eISBN: 978 981 4751 46 9 Subjects: LCSH: Singapore--Tours. | Walking--Singapore--Guidebooks. Classification: LCC DS608.8 | DDC 915.957--dc23
Printed in Singapore Fabulous Printers Pte Ltd
Dedicated to the memory of my aunt and uncle, Marian and Charles Byrne
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
History
Travel Tips
Key to Icons
Suggested Itineraries
Map of City Centre
Walks
Chinatown (West)
Chinatown (East)
Singapore River
Fort Canning Park
The Padang
Bras Basah
Kampong Glam
Little India
Orchard Road
Further Afield
Architectural Styles
Glossary
Listings
Index
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank everyone who has helped me with this book, particularly Melvin Neo, Justin Lau and Benson Tan at Marshall Cavendish for their wonderful support.
Introduction
Most visitors to Singapore are on their way to somewhere else, either long-haul from Europe to Australia (or vice versa) or travelling around Southeast Asia. As a result the city has gained something of a reputation as a pleasant layover, but not much else. Even those who do decide to stay on in the city for a little longer tend not to stay more than two or three days. This is a mistake. There is so much to see and do in this remarkable city-state that a week can simply fly by. It s pleasant, English-speaking, safe and friendly; it also offers some of Asia s best shopping, as well as superb dining, and all at price ranges and in a bewildering range of regional styles that would make the average Westerner s head spin - as well as mouth water.
Singapore is of course a tropical city; in fact it s equatorial, being about 140 kilometres from the equator. This means that walking could normally be hot and unpleasant. But thanks to the five-foot-ways (covered arcades) that still line most of the streets in the city s historic districts, as well as the beautiful trees that have been planted generously throughout the city and its suburbs, Singapore is a well-shaded and pleasant urban environment to walk in. The city centre is also relatively compact, with a number of colonial-era gems cheek by jowl with modern architectural marvels by some of the world s foremost contemporary architects.
Each chapter in this book suggests a route to follow, each picking up where the one before it left off. These walks tend to cover one particular area of the city, for example Little India or Orchard Road, the exception being Chinatown, which is quite large and has been split into two walks. Apart from the usual temples, mosques, churches and museums, there s also information on other places of interest, like buildings that happen to have particularly unusual restaurants, bars or galleries, especially if they have good views of the city.

Be careful when following some of the routes as not all the city s roads have continuous pavement. Stop often; make sure you don t overdo it in the humid weather. Remember to drink plenty of liquids - you will find plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants en route. One thing to remember is that if you want to go into certain places, like mosques, temples, churches, etc., you should be appropriately dressed: you won t be allowed in if you re wearing shorts or t-shirts.
The city is easy to get around. The public transport network is excellent, with the added advantage that buses and the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) are cheap and efficient. Taxis, too, are inexpensive and make for a handy way of getting from place to place, especially if you decide to wander off the more usual tourist trails.
History
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles planned the original town of Singapore along racial lines, with specific areas zoned for the different races. This plan is still in evidence today in areas like Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam (for the Malays). Chinatown rapidly became the largest area due to its rapidly expanding immigrant population, most of whom came from China s southeastern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong.
Singapore s growth exploded after the Suez Canal opened in 1869 - the Chinese population trebled between 1860 and 1900. By this time Chinatown was becoming increasingly overpopulated, run-down and squalid, and this pattern was to continue unabated until the newly independent government of the 1960s instigated massive housing development programmes, demolishing huge tracts of the city centre.
The demolition of Raffles Institution (Singapore s top boys school) in the 1980s marked a turning point in the preservation of Singapore s older and more significantly historic buildings. Old buildings are now refurbished and reused instead of being left to ruin or torn down, and this has not only retained much of Singapore s architectural charm, but has also created something of an urban renaissance for the city.
Travel Tips
Singapore is located one degree north of the equator and has an equatorial monsoon climate characterised by uniformly high humidity and high temperatures (22-32 C). Rain falls throughout the year, but especially during the northeast monsoon period, which lasts from November to February. Heavy rainfall is also expected during frequent thunderstorms, which may occur at any time during the year.
You should dress lightly and comfortably for a tropical city like Singapore, but remember that modest and conservative attire is best for visits to places of worship. Shoes should be removed before entering certain buildings such as mosques.
Singaporeans are a cosmopolitan lot and generally comfortable when dealing with foreigners, but there are some things that you should bear in mind. Asians tend to appreciate a neat appearance, considering it a mark of respect for the people one meets, not simply a question of hygiene. While Indian and Chinese social behaviour differs little from what a Westerner might be used to, Muslims have some special etiquette that might be useful to know in order not to offend anyone inadvertently. If you are being introduced to a Muslim lady, do not offer to shake her by the hand, unless she does so first; a smile or nod will be sufficient. When shaking hands with Muslims, you may notice that they then move their hand to their heart afterwards - a charming gesture to show that their feelings are heartfelt.
Key to Icons

Must See

National Monument

Good View

See At Night

Drinking

Eating

Shopping
Suggested Itineraries
History
Singapore River
Fort Canning Park
The Padang
Culture
Fort Canning Park
The Padang
Bras Basah
Shopping
Orchard Road
Markets
Chinatown (West)
Chinatown (East)
Kampong Glam
Little India
Colonial City
Fort Canning Park
The Padang
Bras Basah
For Children
Further Afield
Map of City Centre
The city of Singapore was not built up gradually, the way most cities are, by a natural deposit of commerce on the banks of some river or at a traditional confluence of trade routes. It was simply invented one morning early in the 19th century by a man looking at a map. - J.G. Farrell, The Singapore Grip
Chinatown (West)
Singapore s Chinatown covers a large area and is divided into four smaller sub-zones: Bukit Pasoh, Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer and Tanjong Pagar. This first walk covers Bukit Pasoh and Kreta Ayer, which were developed in the 1830s and have long been the hub of Singapore s Chinese community. The Chinese refer to this area as Niu Che Shui , which means bullock cart water , in reference to the ox-drawn carts that used to supply water to the area. Kreta Ayer means the same thing - in Malay. Home to some of the city s oldest and most important temples, Chinatown also provides shrines of a more modern nature devoted to shopping, from the traditional wet market to quaint stalls selling tourist trinkets. There are also plenty of restaurants (not just Chinese) at which to sample the delights of the island s many cuisines as well as caf s where you can catch your breath as you sit back and watch the ceaseless activity in one of the busiest parts of the city.

KEY
Bukit Pasoh Road
Keong Saik Road
Smith Street
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
Sri Mariamman Temple
Jamae Mosque
Pagoda Street