Thaipusam in Singapore - Photographs

Thaipusam has been and gone for another year. The photo walk was a great success and enjoyed by all, including me! As usual, the atmosphere was heady with the sights and smells of Little India melting in to a pot of photographer's delight.

If you think you would enjoy a photo tour when you come to Singapore, take a look a Noodle Photography's Stopover Photo Tours. Learn a bit about your camera and Singapore at the same time, it's great fun!

Here are a few of the photos I took of this year's Thaipusam celebrations....

Kids parties in Singapore

As some of you know, I have started business in Singapore as a photographer now. At the moment my Children's New Year party package is on special offer and it's available to book until 31 January. Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone!

Take a look at Noodle's website for all the information.

Thaipusam photography walk in Singapore - Noodle Photography

Come and join me and Noodle Photography to shoot Thaipusam this year. It's going to be great! Click the link for more.... Thaipusam photography walk in Singapore - Noodle Photography

Thaipusam Singapore - 2012 - Blood, Sweat and Tears

Well, would you believe it's a year since the last time this was happening on the streets of Singapore? Yet another blue skied, hot, sunny day.
Perfect for the viewing public and photographers but alas, I fear, less so for those devotees demonstrating their faith in such an extraordinary way. Dehydration must be extreme (I drank in excess of 1.5 litres just trailing these guys around), especially for those with their tongues pierced making consuming water almost impossible without choking. Indeed, this year the devotees seemed to be suffering somewhat more than last year with a couple I saw passing out. They were up on their feet (with help), in no time but it just shows the extent they go to to demonstrate their faith. I feel I spent more time taking the spectacle in this year as opposed to last year when I took photos like it was going out of fashion. I also felt much more at home on the streets of Little India and Tank Road as the year in between has served to teach me more about the people here and become more in tune with the way they live. I felt much comfortable and less intrusive whilst taking photos and generally chatting to people about the experience that is Thaipusam.
It's amazing that such a large festival (around 36 hours and thousands of devotees walking the streets. Not to mention the friends and family, helpers, hangers-on, volunteers handing out water and cooking food and of course the massive numbers of those coming to view the spectacle), barely spills outside the confines of the temporary fencing put up to contain it. Indeed, a street or two back from Serangoon Road (the main road through Little India), you wouldn't know it was going on and the locals are sitting back having a kopi and cigarette just like any other day. The usual infusion of incense, flower garlands and spices emanating from the shopfronts gives the place it's usual, comfortable feel. Inside the temples the Hindu worshippers enter into a much more personal, yet no less meaningful, form of adulation. Prayers are said, some silent, some not so silent. Candles, made at dazzling speed on site, are lit and the Gods are idolised in among the men, women and families clammering to pay their respects. Each person clothed in their finest attire lest they be accused of falling short of the level of reverence expected of such occasion. The atmosphere in the temples felt truly a family affair, very relaxed with a lot of smiling faces. Yet, in the background, an underlying tempo being struck up by the drumming followers of the devotees leads you back into the throng. As you negotiate your way to the front of the crowds you start to see the real meaning of blood, sweat and tears. The immense amount of apparent physical effort being put suddenly in doubt as the kadavi-barers break into a dance and twist and twirl down the street, their kadavis suddenly coming to life and bending and bowing under their owner's efforts. The followers continuing to keep up the tempo to encourage the trance-like state that these men and women get in to to complete the challenge.
This year as well as treading the streets during the heat of the day I also ventured out in the evening after dark. It feels and looks different at that time. Many more people spilling out of their work places to line the streets, part in support and part in wonder and awe. Some watching family and friends come past, some in it (myself included) for the photo opportunities. Some of the kadavis are lit and some appear to tower over the offerings seen earlier in the day. Maybe it was the lighting or maybe they really were bigger, but to carry them looked almost unfeasible. The cool breeze of the night was definitely a help to those walking and the streets were packed, much more so than during the day. It was also evident that the general population of Little India (and Indians in general) were out to pay homage in the evening meaning the kadavi carriers were even more obstructed from walking than during the day. Indeed, I felt having to wait at each set of traffic lights (and trust me, there are a lot of them in Singapore), was a little harsh. But if that what it takes, then these guys are up for the challenge.

For a view on what I saw and felt last year about Thaipusam have a look here.

Fort Canning Park - Singapore

The ‘Forbidden Hill’ or Fort Canning, as it now known, is one of Singapore’s most centrally situated parks. Set on a small hill, it overlooks Orchard Road on one side and Clarke Quay on the other, two of the busiest areas in town. Although with it’s central location you may expect it to be a noisy affair it actually is a serene get away from the hustle and bustle of the main shopping area and can be walked to from Orchard Road without needing to get a taxi. As with many places in Singapore, there is plenty of history, places to find and of course eat in close attendance.

It was known as Bukit Larangan ('Forbidden Hill' in Malay) before Stamford Raffles’ arrival in 1819 and was renamed Government Hill to reflect it’s position as a seat of power. Indeed, so taken was Raffles with the area that he set up residence here. It gained its current name in 1860 when a fort was built and named after Viscount Charles John Canning, the Governor-General at that time.

Set as it is on a small hill, in times past the lighthouse towards the top of the hill was a focal point of mariners needing a point of reference at sea. Today, this seems quite unlikely as the park is set a considerable way from navigable water (the pleasure cruisers along the river being the only mariners close by these days). Land reclamation has set the park back from the coast by a considerable margin and the lush vegetation and buildings surrounding it now conceal the lighthouse.

Another notable point of historical interest is a little fresher in our memories. The Battle Box, buried deep beneath Fort Canning, was used for command and communications across Malaya throughout the Second World War. It is also the site for the infamous surrender by Britain to the Japanese in February 1942. The former ‘Underground Far East Command Centre’ is now a museum, which costs around S$5 to visit. It is well worth a look if only to see the size of the place, which at one point accommodated around 500 military personnel. Although relatively simply done, the experience is quite evocative with a dark, dank slightly perturbing feeling as you walk around it and serves as a reminder of how un-glamorous war really is. It leaves quite an eerie impression on the soul.

Just up the hill from the Battle Box is Fort Canning Centre, a magnificently grand building that served as a barracks for the British Army and stands at the top of the slope of Fort Canning Green. Singapore Dance Theatre, who gives performances throughout the year, uses the building as a dance centre. Fort Canning Green, its grassy slopes dropping away from the Centre’s terrace, is the site of many of the concerts, carnivals and performances held in Fort Canning. The levity of the entertainment here belies its history of being a cemetery and tombstones can be seen set in to the boundary walls of the Green.

As you continue to wander the myriad emerald pathways that bisect the park, you find all manner of historic artifacts confronting you and nearly every turn; 9- pounder cannons, an excavation site containing 14^th Century relics, the Old Lighthouse, Fort Canning Gate, Keramat Iskandar Shah (a sacred place dedicated to the last ruler of 14th century Singapore) and the James Brooke Napier Memorial. You may even come across the occasional wedding held in the lush, serene area by Raffles’ House.

On the fringes of the park are plenty of eateries (as one finds all over Singapore) with many places to sit and picnic or read at your leisure. 

I ate in Flutes at the Fort with friends the last time I ventured there. A very nice, intimate and secluded venue for brunch (which is what we were there for) with a wooden verandah or inside space so you can choose to eat au naturel or air-cooled. However, slightly disappointingly (but not surprisingly) the usual Singapore build-it-up, knock-it-down works were going on nearby.  Sufficed to say we ate inside and that was fine. The noise quiet enough not to be intrusive, especially once we'd started talking. Service was very good as the pricing might suggest it should be (although I would say in Singapore, as a rule, don't make a judgement on what the service is likely to be like based on the pricing!). The food was excellent (although they were a little shy about the amount of strawberries on my wife's waffle) and I had a little trouble deciding what I was going eat. Find the 'brunch menu' here if you'd like to look. A very nice way to spend a lazy late breakfast though.

When the party's over.....

Over the last couple of weeks the River Hongbao has been on at Marina Bay. This is to celebrate Chinese New Year and people come from all over Singapore to see it. Beside it is the fairground and Sunday was it's last day (for this year). I thought I'd take the opportunity to take some photos of the aftermath and the ensuing clean-up operation. Something rather melancholy about seeing all the fantastic lanterns and decorations being set aside.

But there's always next year.....

Haw Par Villa

I'd never expected or desired to go to Haw Par Villa. It really didn't look like my kind of thing. But, as we have the in-laws here, all bets are off and my mother-in-law took a fancy to having a look-see. So on Monday morning we went. From all the reports/blog accounts I had read it looked pretty strange, utterly gaudy and totally bizarre. And rest-assured it is! On arrival you are greeted by two life-size Sumo wrestlers who stand guard on the edge of the 'park' (I say park because it's a bit of a struggle to know how to refer to it!). Behind them are some evil looking seals with crazy eyes.

Courtesy of http://www.loneleeplanet.com/

Let's just say it sets the scene for a walk through the fantasy world of the brothers Tiger Balm, Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par (and if you haven't tried their products then you really should!). The park follows the accounts of the Ten Courts of Hell in Chinese mythology involving (amongst many other things) the famous story of "The Journey to the West", also know as the legend of the Monkey King. Now, this particularly caught my attention because, as a child, I spent hours (well, it felt like it) watching the Japanese series, "Monkey Magic," on kids TV. At the time I didn't even realise it was badly dubbed from Japanese to English, much less that it was Chinese mythology based on a true life pilgrimage and the adventures of Triptaka, one of the stars of the TV series. Sufficed to say, the characters portrayed at Haw Par Villa are not quite as friendly looking as their televisual counterparts. For example, this is Pigsy. Scary huh?

See the other photos on Flickr

Anyway, you can go away and read about this show for yourselves as probably 99% of the readers of this post will never have heard of it! But I loved it and this brought fresh colour to it in no uncertain terms.

Another surprising thing to come out of the visit was that once I had posted my photos of this weird and wonderful place on Flickr, I found that one of Huffington Post's blogs had picked up on a photo I took and had made it photo of the day on Gadling.com (a travel blog)! It's a photo of a series of giant masks that adorn a wall right at the back of the park.
This is the image in question. I must admit, I do quite like it as it seems a pretty good visual representation of everything I saw that morning.....

Marina Bay Sands - a photo set

Finally.

I got round to seeing a sunset from the top of Marina Bay Sands. There were, I guess, a couple reasons for this. One - the excuse. My in-laws are here and they 'needed' to get up top to see what all the fuss is about. Two - the sun. It's been in short supply over the last month or so leaving the opportunities for sunset spotting pretty slim. It is, in fact, only the second time I've been up there since living here. The first time was for free (which involved a generous bit of BS to get them to let us up to Ku Da Ta without charge). This time we paid the $20(!) fee, although the oldies got away with $17 each. At that price it could be a while until I venture up there again. But it's worth it once in a blue moon (and if one of those occurs I'll definitely be there). Anyway, that aside, the sunset was pretty good with minimal smog so the camera came out and then later the tripod. The other excuse, if one was needed, is that my father-in-law is photo mad which gave me the perfect reason to have to stay up there for a few hours while the 'girls' went to watch 'Wicked' (which seems to have taken Singapore by storm) at the theatre. Very definitely not my cup of tea so the option of photos from the top of MBS was certainly a winner!
The results were variable, but here are some of the more acceptable photos that transpired (in my opinion).

Marina Bay, a set on Flickr.

Singapore Botanical Gardens

Lush, hot and tropical. That is what strikes you when you walk off Holland Road into the oasis that is the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Straight from the beating heart of busy Singapore into a quiet, green haven of tranquility. You are greeted by a large lake and small streams shielded from the road by the mass of overhanging rattan trees. It seems most unlikely, but as you learn in Singapore, nothing is to be unexpected. Opening from 5a.m. to midnight, 365 days a year, the Botanical Garden doesn’t charge an entrance fee and yet for what is has to offer you would gladly pay.

A short walk along the grass fringed pathways brings you to a genuine rainforest, deep in the city of Singapore. Covering six hectares it is one of only a few remnants of rainforest left on the island, a window into a primeval era preserved by the Botanical Gardens. Towering above you is the canopy, sometimes forty metres in height, with trees that have been here since long before Mr. Raffles stood on these shores. A walk through this forest provides you with an inkling of what it must have been like in the distant past before man’s encroachment took its toll. For those with a thirst for knowledge there are guided tours undertaken by volunteers every second Saturday of the month.

For those with a thirst of a different type, fear not, for on exiting the rainforest you will come across a kiosk serving ice cold drinks and ice creams (perfect timing).  Opposite the kiosk is the famous National Orchid Garden. Whilst the Botanical Gardens are free to enter, there is a fee for experiencing the Orchids (S$5 adults, free for children under 12). But once you are in you won’t begrudge a cent. With over 1000 species housed here and 600 of them on display even the least green fingered of us can appreciate the splendor of their beauty, not to mention the incredible fragrance which greets you.

Exiting the Orchid Garden brings you to the top of a hill looking down onto Symphony Lake headed by the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage. The stage, surrounded by the lake, is known for its hosting of music from around the world. Often held on the weekends, concerts are free for everyone to come and listen to, so unroll your picnic blanket and enjoy. The last one I went to was on a Sunday evening, it was good fun, well organised and a very chilled and relaxed way to end my weekend. They are fairly few and far between so make sure you keep in touch with the Garden's website for details

A little way on from the stage and up a hill you come to the visitor centre, flanked by water attractions and often locals silently perfecting their Thai-Chi of a morning. The visitor services offer another chance for refreshments as well as being the educational and recreational hub of the gardens. You will also find parking, restrooms, and an information desk amongst the newly landscaped area that is linked by walkways, a landscaped plaza and water cascades.

A short walk from here is the Evolution Garden. This 1.5 hectare site is dedicated to telling us how plants have evolved through the millennia and how plants have helped and shaped the human race along the way. You take a fascinating passage through time with the real stars of the show existing and living in front of you.

Moving on to the far north of the Gardens you encounter the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden. Although part of the Garden’s the Children’s Gardens exist almost as a separate entity. Indeed, you could easily spend half a day exploring. The catch? All adults must be accompanied by a child. This is a great way to encourage the whole family into the Gardens. They are specifically designed for a child’s inquisitive mind and as such need to children to get the best out of them. Opening from 7am to 8pm the gardens encourage children to touch, smell and climb on the exhibits. After free entry there is a simple (yet popular) wet play area. Once you have managed to drag the kids past this they will encounter exhibits some of which, on the face of it, have quite grown up themes. These include the exhibit on photosynthesis. A  grown up theme, and yet the design allows kids to get involved by turning handles to bring out the sun, another one produces rain (generally their favourite) and so on, thus gradually introducing them to idea that science can be fun. Other exhibits include a tree house, rope bridge and pond life which are accessible even to the smallest of offspring. The trees allow plenty of shade and refreshments can be bought in the reception area outside. There is car parking available and a drop off point for taxis right outside the entrance.

The Gardens are a fantastic place to enjoy on any day of the week. There’s always something new to see and they are remarkably quiet considering the location and how famous they are.

People and Faces of Chennai

As a fellow lover of the art of photography, I could hardly resist putting up a link to Mark's latest post. Partially out of jealousy, I'll admit, as the opportunity to shoot these kind of personalties doesn't come around too often! Sit back and enjoy the faces of Chennai up close, as is Mark's people portrait style....

People and Faces of Chennai - 2 - mark remarked

Piccys

I keep meaning to post some photos but always seem to blog on my phone. So, here we are.......

Mum and D

Boy on his b irthday bike

Getting the hang of it!

Z watching D

Enjoying the day

That's my drink

Chinese chequers in Chinatown.

Not much action at the table.

Hand-painted name plaques in Chinatown

T enjoying watching the world go by in Chintown

My biggest fans

Backstreet Chinatown

Night time with Pinnacle@Duxton in the background

Click on any of the photos to see the larger versions......

Time flies when you're having fun!

Where to start. It's been over a week since my last update (way over a week!). Our new home-help, nanny, cook, cleaner and general all-round housekeeper started with us nearly two weeks ago. From the Philippines, Mary's been in Singapore for twenty years and her experience shows! It's felt a little strange getting used to someone else living with us but its starting to feel a little more normal now. The kids have taken to her really well and she's very good with them. She's taken our lead on how to treat and although she appeared a little quiet to start with she's starting to open up a bit now. Her cooking is outstanding and I'm being spoilt rotten with two cooked meals a day. Fish for lunch today followed by beef rendang tonight. You can't argue with that can you? I've a sneaking suspicion that T is a bit jealous (maybe more than a bit!). For the first time today she took Z to the wet market to do the weekly shop. She reckons she can get the whole weekly shop in for around $50, about 50gbp. That is for all the fruit, veg and meat. Not bad. We just pay extra for the beer! Which contrary to popular belief is not that expensive. In the shops. In the bars it's extortionate! Anything from $15-$20 a pint (well 500ml). Not a had a glass of wine yet so I couldn't comment!
So, as Mary is our babysitter too (of course!), we've had a first bit of time to ourselves. A Saturday night out to Chijmes in the City which was very nice. We were invited out by a Kiwi we met at the pool. He asked if I liked rugby to which of course the answer was yes, so we met up with other friends to watch a match and drink a couple of beers. Topped off by some Thai food and it was all good.
I went out the following Thursday to take some night photos of the lanterns on Clarke Quay. It went OK but I still need to fathom out my new camera a bit and remember how to take decent shots (you can see some of them here). The night was topped off with some (an understatement as it turned out), beers with another expat from Glasgow. He's been here 4 months but has lived in various SE Asian countries along the way. And has a big entrepreneurial spirit about him (as well as a big interest in photography). Be interesting to meet up with him again now that the haze has disappeared from the morning after.
Anyway, off to buy the boy a little bike for his third birthday. Then I'm going to try and order a cake from our local Chinese bakery. Should be fun. Hope he likes it. First though, I have to pick up our tickets for the F1 this weekend. Should be a great experience!