Enroute to Singapore, but still in Chinese Airspace. There's really no shortage of low cloud in these parts...
An impressive skyline, but not so different from Auckland and Melbourne
Outings in Singapore (days 8 & 9) were mostly in and around the city. I wandered a bit around Chinatown, and then headed across the river to check out a couple of art galleries and a museum. The museum (who shall remain nameless) succeeded brilliantly in charging me $5.50 for a Pepsi (I asked for a Coke). Huh! Still, it was the only rip-off moment in Singapore.
A diabolical character if ever there was one
Naturally, Chinatown featured a profusion of temples and markets and things. I was tempted to try my luck with the camera to get some market scenes and the like, but I decided that discretion was the better option. Besides, I've never been particularly comfortable with the idea of exploiting locals for portraiture.
The gate to Fort Channing is one part of an old fortress that is still standing
The British used the fort as a command post during World War II. Unfortunately, they didn't do a good job of defending the place, and the Japanese captured the island without too much trouble. Singapore wasn't liberated until after the war ended. The 'Battle Box' has been opened as a museum (photography prohibited) complete with animated wax dummies and authentic soundtrack.
The park is well worth a walk around
Hard to miss the importance of Mr Raffles to the whole Singapore concept
I didn't see any graffiti in Singapore (makes a change from South Auckland), apart from this urban art style decorating this art gallery. The art contained within was a little underwhelming, mostly reflecting urban motifs (hardly surprising) with a few rather political statements about the US's doings and goings. One piece that I liked was a painting of a series of humans with silly grins on their faces, being tortured by various aspects of our capitalist condition. Okay, it was better than it sounds!
