Quaint Chinatown, Singapore, February 13th 2014

China town in the shadows of skyscrapers....

Getting off the MRT at Chinatown then, just about 20 minutes from Newton. Whether it's an authentic preservation effort or just a tourist setup, it's an excuse to spend a couple of hours in Singapore this afternoon. Another new station, gleaming walls, floors and handrails - not a single piece of garbage to be spotted. Exit is onto a covered street lined both sides with tourist tack. Yes, all those souvineer tee-shirts in abundance along with various other made in China paraphernalia - at least the Chinese tourists get to see where their fellow countryman's efforts end up!

Look behind and above all the tack and visitors will see a variety of old style shop houses although it's hard to tell if these are authentic or replicas. A Chinatown heritage centre occupies one of theses buildings and for a fee, about £5, tourists can discover fascinating facts and exciting history! Maybe later but right now let's go and see if this is just a one street wonder!

No, not a one street wonder but a whole area preserved below those towering skyscrapers. A nice 20 minutes of pounding the quaint little streets of Singapore's Chinatown. It's quite easy to blot out the parked cars and replace them with rickshaws. Plenty of colour around here being Chinese New Year with buntings crisscrossing above, somewhat annoyingly since a good photo is tricky. But occasionally there is the opportunity to obtain that one special shot that encompasses all that is Chinatown today - colourful shophouses, authenticity unquestioned and still housing businesses such as herbal a medicine hall, some kind of massage parlour and various other regular type goings on!

We'll this looks to be the last street of Chinatown and a plaque here says it was the original quayside for traders before land reclamation began sometime early 1900s or even before that. On that reclaimed land now stands a plethora of skyscrapers belonging to financial institutions - those that controversially gamble with other peoples money. And it's easy to here conversations of bets, spreading the risk etc, as I sit and sip a coffee inside the German banks megastructure. Yes, unashamedly, a gentleman talks loudly on his phone discussing an investment of millions spanning 3 years! Oh we'll, enough of this, time to head on back into Johor and back to reality. Quite an enjoyable afternoon once the tourist tack is dispensed with - a visit to Chinatown is thoroughly recommended if only just for some peace and quiet. Very little traffic around, quite sleepy actually with just the occasional tourist - marvellous.