My Escapes Singapore Return to "Lion City" Daytime in the Singapore Chinatown

Daytime in the Singapore Chinatown

Singapore's vast Chinatown is like an open-air museum and it's among the biggest Chinatowns in the entire World.
I felt like I couldn't get enough of this architectural splendour, so I returned again to explore, dig deeper...

Here I found myself again, in the middle of Singapore's Chinatown.

A scenic ethnic district which has fascinated me ever since my first visit to Singapore. So, I felt the need to explore it more thoroughly.

It was one of the first places I've visited in Singapore and, also one of the last ones.

The first time I was there was during the night (see this post about it).

It was a totally different picture seeing it during the day. But it felt too quiet in a weird way...
But it was just as quiet, seemingly deserted as the last time...

I won't go into the details of its history, the cultural heritage, which have already been posted in the (mentioned) previous article.

This daytime exploration was awe-inspiring. The weather was perfect for the stroll. Luckily, the tropical heat had diminished.

I was still a hot day, though... let's not forget - Singapore is in the equatorial area.

I returned to some of my favourite places, including the scenic Ann Siang Hill area.

Besides the buildings and the overall views, what I particularly like about Chinatown are the small shops, the company name plaques, banners and the bars, restaurants.

Chinatown is stylish and in many parts it has that Western feel with Irish pubs and French cafes, small restaurants...

But as said - even during daytime it was mute quiet, the area felt almost deserted.

I mentioned in other articles that the Singapore Chinatown felt a bit like a ghost town.
Not much movement is going on in this area...

I've visited it subsequently, expecting more buzz, dynamism, but nothing surprised me.

The traveler drops in from far away and almost all he/she can see is a "bite size open air museum". Indeed, it's perfectly well-restored, well-maintained, but almost lifeless.

Traffic was so light with scarcely a few cars passing by - it didn't feel at all like the rest of Singapore.

Some citizens engaged into jaywalking - one thing I'd never do.

High fines will drain 2,500 dollars out of your wallet (yeah, Singaporean), but you can even land in jail for a few days(!).

Never risk jaywalking in Singapore!

Now let's move on to the scenic Ann Siang Hill area...
From there, you can still see the high-rises of the Central Business District, it's quiet and as I said - it's a wonderful place for drinking or eating out.

It's a cozy little hilly area, a great place to hang around with friends or other travelers.

You may want to see this site's suggestions on bars, shops, restaurants.
So that you don't go in there blindly... know what to expect, pick a place to eat/drink/shop if you want to hang out there...

Actually, there are two important streets here: Club Street and Ann Siang Hill Street.

Ideal for intimate dinners, drinking with friends, having a cafe, even tasting wines.

Ann Siang Hill is also famous for small specialty shops, local social clubs and associations.

Honestly, to me it felt like a place where Asian and Western cultures overlap.

The buildings there has a strong Asian feel, but most of the bars, cafes and restaurants were undoubtedly following a Western recipe by style, even by menu and atmosphere.

The entire Chinatown is sparkling colourful.
I'm not sure whether they added more colour to it or, this is how it looked in the old days.

As said, there isn't much trade going on nowadays, (no crowds, just a few businesses open), but I saw plenty of specialized firms' office spaces (wedding organizers, SEO companies etc.).

Enjoy the photos down below - they speak more than a thousand words!

Comments

comments powered by Disqus