Friday, December 31, 2010

Singapore 3 - street sights

The  city centre is mostly modern but the Little India and Chinatown quarters feature an interesting  mixture of colonial and contemporary architecture



 Educational sign in a market complex: 

"The way to Pronounce Tuition is  too-ish-uhn"










Street sign advertising unusual product at the extensive Mustafa's Department Store:

 and nearby a warning about inappropriate public behaviour:

Singapore 2 - Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

There was a ceremony taking place when I came across the temple as I was exploring the Chinatown quarter. Clicking gives a larger version of the photo.


 Temple roof garden with prayer wheel

Singapore 1 - 57 story hotel

In Singapore for the  ASEE GLOBAL COLLOQUIUM ON ENGINEERING EDUCATION  at the Marina Bay Sands hotel gave the opportunity to check out what some consider an important example of modern hotel construction. The 3 towers of the hotel are joined at the top of their 57 story structure by a Skypark with swimming pool. Although undoubtedly impressive, the casino, luxury shopping mall and general hubris of the undertaking left me with a certain ambivalence. 
That being said, my pre-breakfast and moonlight swims in the vanishing-edge pool at the start and end of each day  were unforgettable. Pictures below show the pool during a tropical storm and on a normal day. The city was under a noticeable haze at the time due to the atmospheric effects of forest fires in Sumatra.