#22 - C.TOWN VISUALS

05102013
It has been many years since I'd last been to C.Town so when mum invited, I agreed. After getting my gear ready, we took a train down and when we alighted I was greeted with myriads of people. There were SO MANY PEOPLE! From tourists to locals, there wasn't much space to walk around but I guess that added to the atmosphere :)

Good Morning Nanyang Cafe

75 Pagoda Street, 059234

Opening hours : 9AM - 7PM

1630 : We stopped to have a quick meal before embarking on our walk. Although service was rather slow which is understandable due to the lack of staff but food was good enough for tea. I recommend the yam cake and the soon kueh :)

Upon exiting the MRT Station, I was again greeted by people and shops that sold many trinkets as well as decor which would only be bought during CNY. (It felt like new year all over again!)

Thank God for the wonderful weather where the sun brought great lighting for my shots and how it wasn't very warm that I had to hide indoors most of the time! Looking up, I noticed that it wasn't always blue skies but there were lanterns hung from building to building that decorated not only the streets but the skies and that created contrast. Therefore, you would notice that most of the shots involved lanterns.

Many stalls sold the same things and all of which little trinkets and pretty vintage stuff. For instance, glass perfume bottles with a traditional Chinese painting inside. 

They also sold lighters that were made of marble and had the merlion engraved on it. You can definitely find T-shirts, sunglasses, bracelets etc. So, if you're thinking of getting a present and want to stay away from the shopping malls, then Chinatown is a good place to visit! Of course you've to bear in mind that the prices are set more for the tourists so fake an accent if you have to to get a discount haha!

While we were making our way to a pastry shop, we walked past a hotel called Rucksack. It caught my attention because of the outstanding red Chinese umbrellas that were hanging down from the ceiling as well as the the nicely vandalized wall.

I think that having the guests to write their comments/reviews on the walls made this backpacking hotel outstanding. It is so clever too because its a form of advertisement and shows how many people actually have stayed at the hotel. "A time stamp" is how I would describe this!

Our next stop was to visit a shop that sells commercial items for those in the F&B business because mum wanted to. According to her, this was a parent stall to TOTT ? While on the way there, we stopped at this old medical hall and you would think that it'll be quiet. Apparently not. There were busy packing all the herbs into papers for their orders. It didn't stop there because people started coming into the shop to buy medicine and some were waiting for their medicine.

(there were like dried bees in the stack of herbs! au natural)

When I first entered, I was put off by the strong smell of Chinese herbs but staying in there long enough, I got accustomed. In that moment, I thought that I should learn to appreciate it because it's not everyday do I get to experience this. 

The architecture was also beautiful. It gives off an Asian feel mixed with European architecture. Also, a great place to have a photoshoot or filming because of the old and timeless sites like the alley ways. 

After walking a bit more, we made our way back to the MRT station and headed home! It was a good experience for me while I was walking around because it felt like a whole new world with the many sights and sounds. 

That concludes my entry! For more photos, go to - http://foxusphotos.tumblr.com/ ! :) :) :)

Thanks for reading, x.