MAY 2023 · ESCAPE
Singapore city walking
Kampong Glam / Little India, Singapore
The Sultan Mosque dome is visible from several streets in Kampong Glam, appearing at the end of alleys or above shophouse rooflines. On Bussorah Street the palm trees and colourful shopfronts lead directly toward it, the crowds afternoon-thick. An alley elsewhere in the district has a SLOW warning sign on the ground and graffiti on the metal shutters, the mosque dome visible at the far end.
The shophouse facades here are in good condition compared to Hanoi — the paint recent, the colours deliberate, yellow and turquoise and burgundy. But one building has air conditioning units cascading down weathered grey and dark blue walls, an accumulation of infrastructure that overrides the heritage surface. Narrow shophouse lanes with white paint peeling, AC units, a bicycle. The lived-in version.
The city produces these adjacencies — the sacred, the commercial, the wild, the domestic, all within the same walk.
Kampong Glam / Little India — May 2023
In Little India the register shifts. The wet pavement after rain, a vendor stall with an umbrella, neon signs in the afternoon light. Street art on a wall with vintage posters. A narrow passage between white walls with exposed pipes, plants, steps leading up. The intricately carved temple facade with gilded detailing and blue pillars — you can stand in front of it and look directly at a glass skyscraper behind.
Shoes left at a mosque entrance on tiled floor, storage shelves visible. Inside a hawker centre: blue and white tiles, customers eating, fans overhead. At night, one hawker stall with neon lights and a vendor behind the counter, the customer ordering. A man eating street food alone at an outdoor stall, people behind him.
Somewhere along the waterfront, otters are resting on the pavement. Several of them, in daylight, indifferent. A spreading tree over water nearby, morning light. The city produces these adjacencies — the sacred, the commercial, the wild, the domestic, all within the same walk.
Interior of a hawker stall with white and blue signage, beer bottles on display, customers inside
Ornate Hindu temple entrance with colourful statues and decorative red awning, shoppers passing
Art installation floor with coloured tiles and children's footprint design on green artificial grass
Shoes left at mosque entrance, displayed on tiled floor beneath storage shelves
Intricately carved temple facade with ornate statues, blue pillars, gilded detailing and arches
Busy night market with neon Mizuki sign, street stalls, crowds beneath covered walkway in red light
Narrow shophouse lane with weathered facades, white paint peeling, air conditioning units, bicycle
Dimly lit shop arcade interior with phone covers and accessories display, metal grilles and gates
Pedestrianised Arab Street with colourful shopfronts, awnings, lamps, tall buildings in background
Looking up at ornate shophouse facade with vibrant street art murals and modern high-rise behind
Decorative Hindu temple structures with intricate designs against modern glass skyscraper backdrop
Crowded pedestrian street with vibrant shopfronts, yellow decorative wheels, people shopping
Storefront with yellow and purple decorative details, EXIT sign, ornamental Asian shophouse facade
Narrow alley with turquoise walls, scaffolding, plants, graffiti, people walking between buildings
Row of shophouses with contrasting yellow, turquoise and white facades, traditional architecture
Sultan Mosque and Kampong Glam street with crowds, palm trees, golden dome visible, afternoon light
Shophouse facade with air conditioning units cascading down weathered grey and dark blue walls
Alley with street art, SLOW warning sign, graffiti on metal shutters, golden mosque dome visible
Little India street scene looking toward mosque dome, people walking, coloured shopfronts lined up
Narrow passage between white and weathered walls with exposed pipes, plants, steps leading up
Street art installation with white statues, one posing with camera, on grass against black wall
Colorful Little India shophouses in red, blue and white, ground-floor commercial, people gathering
Traditional shophouse with ornate pastel doors and shutters, people sitting below at street level
Wet Little India alley with umbrella, vendor stalls, wet pavement, neon signs, afternoon light
Street mural and storefront with vintage posters and signage on wet pavement, damp urban setting
Open-fronted hawker stall at night with neon lights, vendor behind counter, customer ordering food
Man eating street food at outdoor market stall, casual dining, people in background at hawker centre
Narrow passage at night with laundry drying on clothesline, lit doorway, urban neighborhood scene
Red archway entrance of traditional building with weathered walls, bicycle parked at threshold
Otters resting on pavement, wildlife in urban Singapore, endangered creatures in daylight
Spreading tree canopy with drooping branches over water, lush green foliage in morning light
Blue and white tiled hawker centre interior with customers eating at tables, fans overhead
Empty tables at hawker centre with perspective view, yellow support pillars, fluorescent lighting
Closed hawker stall interior with shutters and signage, red walls, empty seating area at closing time
Marina Bay Sands hotel with distinctive curved top above trees, iconic Singapore architecture
Overhead view of dining atrium with seated patrons, architectural ceiling detail, bustling restaurant
Dimly lit underground passage with overhead lights and red glow, industrial station atmosphere
Red weathered facade of traditional building with arched entryway, bicycle leaning outside, aged walls