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Mike Shinoda guitar Linkin Park concert Singapore F1

Singapore: Day 7 – Little India, F1 Sunday race, Linkin Park concert and Avalon Club

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Feb 09, 2012
/
Singapore, Travel

Date: September 25th, 2011

How time flies. I landed on the 19th and thought “Hmm, I can take it easy, I have lots of time!”. Now it was my last full day in Singapore.

I decided to visit Little India, as last year I had to rush through it. Plus, I wanted to have lunch from a restaurant there.

Little India mrt station Singapore — Took the MRT

Kerbau hotel Little India Singapore — It was noon by the time I got here

Chander road colourful old buildings Little India Singapore — It’s Indian, expect lots of colour 🙂

Sri Veeramakaliamman temple Indian gods design Singapore — Sri Veeramakaliamman temple, on Serangoon Road

Sri Veeramakaliamman temple Indian gods models — It’s a major tourist draw in Little India, but to most Indians — we’ve seen bigger

Shoe rack Sri Veeramakaliamman temple Indian Singapore — It was closed at this time

Mustafa centre Little India Singapore — Went to the famous Mustafa Centre

Mustafa center Little India Singapore — Even though Mustafa Centre is famous for being open 24 hours, I consider it a lousy place for certain goods, especially as far as pricing goes (Read my 2010 experience)

Ananda Bhavan vegetarian restaurant Little India Singapore — You have enough vegetarian food available in this part of Singapore

Serangoon plaza Little India Singapore — I just walked around aimlessly hopping from one shopping centre to another

Flour mill auto supply store Little India Singapore — It was time to find a place to eat

Azmi restaurant Norris road Little India Singapore — After checking out a few restaurants, I sat at this corner shop. You can buy beer from the Chinese vendor on the right and food from two other vendors on the left.

Mutton kheema chapathi Tiger beer Singapore — Had a few phulkas with mutton kheema & peas curry (and a beer). The whole meal cost less than SG$10.

Thye Chong restaurant Norris road Singapore — This is the place

Little India white building windows pattern Singapore — I walked back to the MRT station

Gandhi restaurant Little India Singapore — This place seemed really popular as there was a long queue for takeaways

Shree Lakshminarayan temple Little India Singapore — Shree Lakshminarayan temple

No durian sign MRT Singapore — ‘No Durian’ – popular fruit in Singapore, but not allowed in public transportation! 🙂

Back alley pubs boat quay Singapore — I decided to enter the circuit via Gate 5 as I figured the lines would be smaller than the more easily accessible Gate 4

Gate 5 entrance Singapore F1 circuit — I made it just before 3pm and I was right, the queue wasn’t that long

As soon as the gates opened and the security check was done, I began to run. Because so did many other youngsters! And by youngsters, I mean Linkin Park fans!

Line for Linkin Park Padang Singapore — Because this was the scene just 10 minutes past 3 ‘o’ clock. Two lines had already formed on either side!

F1 concerts Fanzone wristbands Singapore gp — Luckily, I got my Fanzone wristband! Woo-hoo!

Fanzone section Padang concert Linkin Park Singapore gp — Some people were already queuing to get as close to the stage as possible

Linkin Park concert line Singapore F1 — Just shows how popular Linkin Park is!

LG Cinema 3d tv booth Singapore F1 — I didn’t really have anything on my agenda, so I checked out LG’s booth where they were showcasing their 3D Tvs

LG booth babes Chinese model Singapore GP — I checked out the demos and left. (That model is really pretty isn’t she?)

Instead of wasting time, I decided to go all the way up to Avalon Club at Marina Bay Sands to find out when The Chemical Brothers were set to hit the stage for the F1 After Party tonight. The Linkin Park concert was surely going to end past midnight and I didn’t want to miss The Chemical Brothers. After all, I paid good money to see these both these acts!

Walking to Avalon club Singapore — I took the MRT and then walked to the club

Avalon club Chemical Brothers Singapore — I saw two guys who resembled Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons (a.k.a The Chemical Brothers) but I couldn’t go up closer as they were testing the visuals and the sound. I at least felt good knowing I could expect a good set tonight!

I asked around the club when The Chemical Brothers would take the stage for their set but no one could give me a definite answer. They guessed it would be after midnight, and well after the race.

The reason I came all way to Avalon Club is because when I tried calling them earlier, no one answered. I had good reason for concern. When I tried visiting their Facebook fanpage yesterday, it had been deleted. I wanted to know how Friday night’s party (LMFAO and Ludacris) went but there was nothing! (Avalon has a new page now with a different Facebook url)

Marina Bay sailing Singapore — I left Avalon Club with the notion I may be able to catch The Chemical Brothers in time tonight

Marina Bay Sands The Shoppes mall interiors Singapore — Stepped inside The Shoppes for some air conditioning

Marina Bay MRT station Singapore — I took the MRT back to City Hall

St. Andrews cathedral church Singapore — I decided to go inside St. Andrews Cathedral as I passed by it so many times but never went in

Chinese fish St. Andrews cathedral pond Singapore — The Asian touch

St Andrews cathedral prayer hall Singapore — Christianity is the second most widely practiced religion in Singapore after Buddhism

Zone 4 grandstand Singapore F1 circuit — By 5:40pm, I went back in

Earth Collide Thai band Singapore F1 concert — A Thai band called Earth Collide were playing at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre

Marina Bay Sands hotel Artscience panorama — Marina Bay Sands was gleaming in the afternoon sun

Marina Bay Sands skypark Singapore — Took out my 70-200mm lens again

Singapore evening by the bay — The sun was about to set

Concert by the bay next performance Singapore — I waited for the Forbidden Broadway show to begin

Drivers parade on screen Singapore gp — But just then, the F1 drivers parade began

Drivers parade Singapore F1 Sunday race — I rushed back to Esplanade Drive and raised my camera over a barricade to try and get a clear shot

Rubens Barrichello drivers parade Singapore F1 — Rubens Barrichello

Jenson Button drivers parade Singapore F1 raceday — UK’s Jenson Button

Sebastian Vettel drivers parade Singapore F1 raceday — And the obvious guy to win the race — Sebastian Vettel

I went back to the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre where the Forbidden Broadway show had began.

Forbidden Broadway show Singapore F1 — New York’s longest running off-Broadway musical comedy revue parodies popular Broadway shows

New York off-broadway Lion King spoof — Like ‘The Lion King,’ which ironically, was playing right behind them at the Marina Bay Sands theater

Forbidden Broadway Singapore show Lion King spoof — They ripped Walt Disney for its corporatization of Broadway and invading live theatre with their successful film franchises

Lion King spoof Forbidden Broadway Singapore — It was pretty funny

Ariel Little Mermaid Forbidden Broadway Singapore F1 show — Even Ariel, The Little Mermaid, wasn’t spared

Avenue Q Forbidden Broadway Singapore show — Next up was Avenue Q (Poor Elmo, what did they do to him!)

Forbidden Broadway puppets Singapore F1 — Shows using puppets were ridiculed next

Mary Poppins spoof Forbidden Broadway Singapore — Oh god…

Mary Poppins spoof Singapore F1 show — Mary Poppins! Another Disney franchise that was made into a Broadway show.

Les Miserables spoof Forbidden Broadway Singapore — Next up, the long-running Les Miserables

Les Mis spoof Forbidden Broadway Singapore — The actors were funny, but they were great performers and singers too

Phantom of the Opera spoof Forbidden Broadway Singapore F1 — ‘Phantom of the Opera’

Wicked spoof Forbidden Broadway Singapore — ‘Wicked’

Even though I had never seen a Broadway musical live, I still got most of the jokes. After all, if you watch enough Glee or follow popular culture, one would have found this show funny. I enjoyed it, it was good change from the usual concerts.

Floating stage Mambo Jambo Singapore F1 — I caught up with my friend Niranjan who had also flown down from Bangalore for the Singapore F1

Marina Bay Sands hotel ArtScience museum F1 night — We just sat by the bay and took a break from the heat

Marina Bay Sands F1 car lasers Singapore GP — Marina Bay Sands had laser F1 cars going up the towers

Esplanade drive crowd Singapore F1 raceday — We walked back to Esplanade drive

Mithun Divakaran Niranjan Singapore — Me and Niranjan (Photo was taken by his wife)

I parted ways with Niranjan and we agreed to catch up after the race. I decided to watch the race for a bit.

2011 Singapore F1 starting grid — The 2011 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix was a go!

Zone 4 Grandstand Singapore F1 Sunday race — I walked to the overhead staircase near the Zone 4 grandstand to get a better view

Zone 4 seating from staircase Singapore F1 — Also, I wasn’t the only cheapskate tried to get to a better view, there were quite a few

Singapore F1 zone 4 grandstand race day — I didn’t stay on the bridge for long, just took these photos and left

Zone 4 walkabout Singapore F1 circuit — I walked to another vantage point

Singapore Grand Prix circuit turn — I mounted my 70-200mm lens again

Force India F1 car Singapore GP — Bends are probably the best spots to snap these cars, because that’s where they actually ‘slow’ down

Ferrari racing Singapore F1 car — And when I mean ‘slow down’, I mean taking turns at 90-100kmph

Air Asia racing F1 Lotus car Singapore GP — I shot these hand held over the photographers who had placed themselves right in front and set up their tripods

Red Bull racing Singapore grand prix F1 race day — Red Bull Racing has had an amazing 2011 season so far

I got bored and walked back to the concert ground. My opinion about watching an F1 race remains the same. When I watched the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from a grandstand seat in 2010, at first the prospect of it sounded exciting — but it soon got very boring. Be it seated or even with these walkabout tickets, watching cars whizz by at speeds in excess of 100kmph gets boring pretty quick. Given how loud these cars are too, you can’t even hear the on-air commentary through the speakers until the cars fade away.

Crowds watching race Esplanade park Singapore F1 — Watching a race on the big screen is any day better in my opinion. You get to see the cars better, hear the commentary and view multiple angles.

But the Singapore Grand Prix is an experience like no other. First of all, the city is the circuit! That too the impressive central business district, which looks even more impressive at night. They don’t set up most of the grandstands until a few days prior to the race week. It’s an event which really showcases Singapore’s glamour — something the government is really good at marketing.

Watching Singapore F1 race Padang stage — I went back to the concert grounds and watched the race on the screens there

Padang stage crowd watching race Singapore F1 — It wasn’t that exciting a race anyway

Germany flag Singapore F1 crowd — As expected, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won

Linkin Park Padang concert Singapore F1 — With the race over, there was one final moment everyone was waiting for

Linkin Park concert Singapore show — One of my favourite bands, and one of the best bands that debuted in the last decade — Linkin Park!

Linkin Park concert Singapore GP 2011 — Linkin Park hit the stage at around 10:45pm

Linkin Park Chester screaming Singapore F1 concert — Took out the big lens for a few close-ups

Chester Bennington Linkin Park live in Singapore — I don’t know how he does it every night, but Chester Bennington’s heavy vocals are amazing!

Chester Bennington Linkin Park Singapore F1 concert — His screaming especially! Undoubtedly one of the best rock vocalists out there!

Mike Shinoda Chester Mr Hahn Linkin Park live Singapore — From their early days when they mostly wore casual black, these days the members look very ‘grown up’ 🙂

Mike Shinoda Linkin Park concert Singapore — The unofficial leader of Linkin Park, Mike Shinoda, and resident DJ Joesph Hahn on the turntables

Linkin Park clapping hands Singapore concert — It was harder for me to take photos of the other members as they remained ‘in the shadows’

Dave Farrell Phoenix bassist Linkin Park Singapore concert — Bassist Dave “Phoenix” Farrell

Brad Delson guitarist Linkin Park Singapore concert — The rather quiet Brad Delson on lead guitar

Linkin Park white stage lights Singapore concert — Linkin Park were on the Asian leg of their ‘A Thousand Suns’ tour, so they played a lot of their new material along with all their hits from albums past

I didn’t record videos because I did enough of that at the Abu Dhabi concert. I wanted to enjoy the show this time, so I only took one video. Here’s “The Catalyst,” from one of my favorite Linkin Park albums:

Linkin Park live stage lights Singapore concert — It wasn’t easy for me to take photos surrounded by so many people, but I did my best

Chester Bennington on-screen Singapore concert — I had a blast seeing these guys again

Mike Shinoda guitar Singapore concert — Mike Shinoda’s look reminded me of technology editor Joshua Topolsky (Yeah, what a geek am I right?)

Linkin Park Singapore F1 concert — The show lasted nearly one and half hours

Chester Bennington end of concert Singapore — Chester finally got to rest his vocal chords

Linkin Park end of concert Singapore — The band gave out guitar picks as usual

Rob Bourdon handing out drumsticks Linkin Park concert — Drummer Rob Bourdon finally came to the front of the stage

If you want to see the entire concert, this guy filmed it — but don’t assume the crowd was lousy based on that video. The crowd was much better on my side! It was a better crowd than at the Abu Dhabi concert, all thanks to the Zone 4 ticket prices which made it affordable for real fans of Linkin Park to come see them. Something the mostly younger fanbase couldn’t afford in Abu Dhabi.

For a band that has yet to perform in Bangalore, I feel quite privileged to have seen them twice. The setlist was slightly different (at least the order of songs) from the Abu Dhabi show late last year. Of course, in Abu Dhabi, I actually met Mike Shinoda in person! That luck didn’t repeat itself here in Singapore.

My 2011 Singapore F1 experience was finally over. I truly got my money’s worth! For SG$138 (Rs. 5000/$110/€83) I got to see Linkin Park, Shakira, a bit of Shaggy, 3/5th of K-pop supergroup BIG BANG, Charice, Rick Astley, an off-broadway show, samba dancers, etc. — and cars racing. Beat that for value! Had I not stepped out of the circuit to go around town with Aimee, I would have seen much more. The organizers definitely did a better job this year as far entertainment went. In 2010, they had a pregnant Mariah Carey headline on Sunday. Yeah, don’t ask. My friend Ramesh attended the race last year and he told me how bad it was!

I have my bets placed on Coldplay headlining the concert series in 2012 and even though I would love to go back to Singapore, the same Zone 4 Walkabaout ticket is now SG$178! :-/Update (10/02/2011): A day after this was pushed live, Maroon 5 has been announced as the headliners for Saturday. Now that a band is headlining one day, will it be a female artist like Rihanna or Madonna (or Katy Perry) headlining Sunday? (Please, no Britney!)

As I exited the concert grounds, I bumped into another friend from Bangalore who told me he attended the Friday party with LMFAO and Ludacris at the Avalon Club. He told me the experience wasn’t great. That… didn’t sound to good to me. None the less, I exited the circuit after catching up with Niranjan and his wife.

I said my goodbyes to them and took the MRT to Marina Bay, which was on its last journey for the night.

Marina Bay Sands light signals Singapore — I walked to the Avalon Club

Marina Bay Sands hotel shoppes night Singapore — The excitement I initially had for seeing The Chemical Brothers had wore off a bit. I was quite tired and I wondered if it was too much to attend this party as well.

As I entered the club, there was a sign outside stating an apology for Saturday night’s Sander van Doorn party — which was cancelled. This was yet another sign implying something wasn’t right about Avalon. It was too late for me to bail out though, I had no choice but to go in.

Once inside, I wasn’t too impressed. One, despite its exterior, the dance floor didn’t look that big for a big-name club. Two, what the hell is this?

Avalon Club smoke fog inside Singapore — I haven’t been to hundreds of clubs, but where have you seen this much smoke/fog?

It really irritated me. It’s as though the management didn’t want us to see if the DJ was even there! I made my way through the smoke and to the DJ stand, where there was no one playing a live set at the moment. I went upstairs because the smoke got nauseating after a while, plus it was really hard to see.

Avalon club Singapore F1 after race party — I still couldn’t see the stage from here, but at least I could breathe better

I ended up chatting with a few youth who had come down from Indonesia just to see The Chemical Brothers. We were excited and danced away when any Chemical Brothers track came on. An hour passed and after the popular tracks like “Star Guitar,” “Do It Again” and the epic “Hey Boy, Hey Girl,” I stopped dancing. The smoke machine was still on and I began to wonder if The Chemical Brothers were even performing live!

I bought my tickets for this gig with certain expectations. I wasn’t expecting Glastonbury-level of epicness inside a club, but the visuals are very much a part of The Chemical Brothers experience. When I visited the club earlier in the afternoon, they were running some visuals on the screen. As long as I was in the club, that screen didn’t even come on once! I felt so ripped off.

Avalon club fog machine Singapore — All I got was smoke & mirrors – quite literally

The Indonesians left after a while and I felt like leaving too. That is until I looked outside…

Heavy rain Singapore night Marina Bay — It was raining so heavily! For the past three days, it was sunny! It’s like the deal F1 organizers had struck with the rain gods ended as soon as the race was over.

Avalon Club inside VIP lounge Singapore — I was stuck inside the club. I had to wait until the rain subsided as I wasn’t carrying an umbrella — and the roads were a bit of a walk away.

Long chandelier Avalon club Singapore — Looked like they floors going a few level below the entrance

For something that was branded an ‘F1 After Party,’ I didn’t see many who even remotely looked like they were part of the major F1 teams. No drivers, nothing. Just a bunch of fat men who were ordering pricey vodka bottles and had Asian girls much younger to them on either arm. It wasn’t the crowd I was expecting for a Chemical Brothers gig.

Boy George DJ Avalon club Singapore — The smoke only subsided during Boy George’s set. His set was pretty good actually, but I was quite angry reaffirming myself all that smoke from earlier was to hide the fact The Chemical Brothers set wasn’t live!

It was nearing 3am, and I wanted to leave so badly. I didn’t care about the SG$83 I paid for this ‘party’ because I needed to get some sleep . I still had things to do before I left Singapore later in the evening of the 26th (which it already was). After Boy George ended his set and before the next DJ began his, I left. It was still drizzling, but I placed my handkerchief to cover my head. I was told by the staff at Avalon I could get taxis in front of the convention centre at Marina Bay Sands. I went through the Shoppes to the bus stop in front and waited.I showed my hand to many taxis that passed by, none of them stopped. Some were full, some were not — and there were quite a few of us in need of a ride home.

Fed up, I then walked to dropping point at the casino, to try my luck there. All the taxis that stopped here were already booked or weren’t taking any passengers. A bunch of Indians from Mumbai were frustrated and said if it were back in their city, they would have already gotten a rickshaw or a taxi in a matter of minutes. It’s true.

I was getting really angry at this point. It was still drizzling, I was wet and sleepy. Past 4am at this point, I then walked to the Marina Bay Sands hotel lobby hoping the reception could call me a taxi no matter what the cost. At the lobby, I was then shown to the dropping point where an snake-line had already formed, and where many like me were waiting an awful long time to get a taxi. An Italian woman who looked like model was frustrated at the notion of waiting this long to get a taxi at an “$8 billion hotel”! Couldn’t help but agree with her to an extent.

Many in line were fuming. Some tried the old ‘slip some money in the hands’ of staff to get an advantage, but the staff declined. But it didn’t matter. Some people saw that and started shouting at the staff over preferential treatment — even though the hotel employee didn’t show any. One taxi that did stop by demanded SG$500 from some Westerners who needed to go the airport. The taxi driver got a “Fuck off!” instead.

I stood there quietly, but very, very frustrated. Eventually I got fed up as the line wasn’t moving as fast as I hoped. I asked the staff when the MRT would open and he told me 5am. Fuming, I walked in the drizzle to the MRT station as it was only few minutes until 5am.

Got the first train, and finally reached Central mall. I didn’t take the overbridge, I just hopped over the divider and crossed the road. Yeah, I jaywalked, I didn’t care! I was so frustrated with how my night turned out after what until Avalon, was such a good day! Never going to make this mistake again. Another lesson learnt? Carry an umbrella at all time when in Singapore.

As soon as I got to my room, I took off my socks and slept. There was little else I was in the mood for.

Next Post:

Leaving Singapore, and discovering certain truths about this famous city state

Previous posts in the series:

Singapore 2011: Day 6 – F1 Saturday (Rick Astley, Shakira and Shaggy concerts)

Singapore 2011: Day 5 – Chinatown, F1 Friday (Charice, Seungri and GD&TOP concerts)

Singapore 2011: Day 4 – Marina Bay Sands Casino and views from the SkyPark observation deck

Singapore 2011: Day 3 – Bukit Timah and Singapore Botanic Gardens

Singapore 2011: Day 2 – Jurong Bird Park and… *ouch!*

Singapore 2011: Day 1 – Landing a second time; walking around CBD

Gurdwara entrance sikhs Bangkok Thailand

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Jul 23, 2011
/
Bangkok, Thailand, Travel

Date: 28th November 2010

I began today with a taxi ride to Phahurat Raod.

House Lumpini building Silom Bangkok Thailand — Drove towards Silom first

Silom HSBC building Bangkok Thailand — A lot of financial firms have offices in Silom

DTAC telecom headquarters Bangkok Thailand — DTAC is Thailand’s second largest mobile service provider

China town daytime Bangkok Thailand — Drove through China Town again

Thanon Chakphet road Bangkok slums — Got down at Chakphet road

Fried fruit street hawker Bangkok Thailand — Batter-fried fruit

Thanon Phahurat road Bangkok Thailand — Reached Pahurat road

Gurudwara Sikh point sign Pahurat road Bangkok — I could see a sign stating Gurudwara Sikh, but all it pointed to was a wall of shops on the side of the road I was on

Pahurat market shops Bangkok — I still waded through Pahurat market

Figuring the gurdwara was behind the shops, I found a gap and walked into an alley. There, an old Thai man saw me and just raised his arm to point to where I needed to go. I guessed I wasn’t the first Indian he may have come across in search of the elusive gurdwara.

Pahurat Bangkok alley way to gurdwara — Kept wondering how much more I had to walk to find it…

Bangkok gurdwara Indian temple Thailand — …but there it was (finally!)

Way to gurdwara Bangkok alley — The ‘desis’ were in sight 🙂

Gurdwara Sir Guru Singh Sabha Bangkok Thailand — Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha

You can read about the history of the gurdwara at their official site, but apparently Sikhs have been in Thailand since the early 1900s. All non-Sikhs have to cover their heads with a scarf, which they provide by the stairs in the main hall.

Gurdwara scarfs Bangkok Thailand — Pick one

You also have to take off your shoes if you want to go upstairs. They have a big shoe rack in the main hall and you get a token.

Gurdwara main hall Sikhs blood donation Bangkok — The Sikhs were being their charitable self today with a blood donation camp

Gurdwara main hall fans Bangkok — The 6-storey gurdwara is one of the largest outside India

Gurdwara Langar hall Bangkok Thailand — The first floor is a Langar hall, where visitors and devotees had sat down for the free meals

Gurdwara wedding hall Bangkok sikhs — The floor above it looked like it was hall used for weddings and other events

Gurdwara prayer hall Bangkok Thailand — Above that was the main prayer hall

Gurdwara prayer hall Bangkok Sikh kid photobomb — This kid was waiting for his chance to ‘photobomb’ this shot

Gurdwara Sikh classrooms Bangkok Thailand — The fourth floor is a school

Gurdwara old Sikh lady Bangkok Thailand — The fifth floor was a hall with rooms…

Gurdwara Bahi Dharam Singh Bangkok Thailand — … with priests (I assume?)

Gurdwara Sikh guru rooms Bangkok Thailand — Not sure what this signifies or what they preach

Gurdwara entry Pahurat road Bangkok — That looked like a more accessible entry

Gurdwara top floor Bangkok Thailand — I had reached the top

Gurdwara prayer hall carpet Bangkok Thailand — So naturally, I went back down

Gurdwara Punjabi women praying Bangkok Thailand — The sexes are segregated in order to maintain ‘concentration’ it seems

Gurdwara Indian food hall Bangkok — Decided to eat

As much as I love Thai cuisine, after nearly two weeks, eating simple dal curry, sabzi (vegetables) and chapathis felt soooo good.

Feeling full, I went all the way back down, collected my shoes and left the gurdwara.

Pahurat market outside gurdwara Bangkok — Stepped out to a world where samosas and spring rolls are sold side-by-side

Pahurat textile market clothes Bangkok Thailand — Now to get back out…

Pahurat textile market prices Bangkok Thailand — I walked through the Pahurat textile market

Pahurat textile market Bangkok Thailand — I finally came out through here

Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin Poh Chang campus — Rajamangala University of Technology was across the road

Here’s a map to give you a better idea:

Gurdwara Pahurat map Bangkok — (Image source: Google Maps)

Nightingale Olympic Company building Pahurat Bangkok — I moved on

Triphet road traffic crowds Bangkok — I was on the hunt for Sampeng Market next

Triphet road junction traffic Bangkok — The traffic scene here is *quite* different from the Sukhumvit side

After a bit of asking around, I was directed to Sampeng Market.

Sampeng market entry lane Bangkok — This wasn’t the main entrance or anything. Just one of many lanes in.

Sampeng Chinese market Bangkok Thailand — Sampeng market is known to be an integral part of China Town

Sampeng Chinese market bags Bangkok — The lanes eventually all meet at one main straight path…

Sampeng market clothes CDs Bangkok Thailand — …which extends a long way

Sampeng market is a massive space with stores selling, well, just about everything: clothes, Chinese medicines, other Chinese specialties, toys, households items, pirated CDs and anything else China mass produces.

Sampeng market Sunday Thais Bangkok — Today being a Sunday, it was very crowded!

Sampeng textile market crowded Bangkok Thailand — Thus, very stuffy… and quite suffocating at times

Sampeng market crowds traders Bangkok Thailand — It’s through one narrow lane visitors, traders and porters all the pass through

Sampeng isn’t for everyone. It’s quite congested inside (or I assume it’s like this every weekend) and it can get very hot. Also, I didn’t find much of the merchandise to my liking, so unless you want loads of stationary for your kids, cheap, then Sampeng is the place… if you feel it’s worth the effort. I only stopped to buy one of those inflatable travel pillows/neck rests (cost ฿50).

Sampeng market open road Bangkok Thailand — I finally got out and I had the option to move to the next section

Sampeng market Chinatown Bangkok Thailand — Instead, I wasn’t confident I’d find anything more worth buying and therefore, decided to end my Sampeng trek

Ratchawong road Bangkok Thailand — If you want to get a good starting point at Sampeng market, this is the road to get to first

Chinatown Bangkok morning Thailand — The main China Town area was just a few steps away

I still felt like ‘buying something,’ so decided to head back to my favourite ‘market’ in Thailand.

Silom way to Sathon Bangkok — Took a taxi to the nearest BTS station

Victory Monument from BTS Bangkok Thailand — Victory Monument, as seen from inside the train

Nichkhun Thai ad BTS skytrain commercial — “Thai Prince” Nichkhun was selling something (one of the many products he shills for in Thailand)

Chatuchak market roof Clock Tower Bangkok — Yup, back to Chatuchak market

Chatuchak market from above Bangkok Thailand — That’s what it looks like from up above

Chatuchak Park stage Bangkok — Walked past the park again

Chatuchak weekend market gate us Bangkok Thailand — I plunged in

Chatuchak market rock band t-shirts Bangkok Thailand — I was eying some more good t-shirts, among other things

Though most clothes shops sell more or less the same merchandise, there are a few (relatively speaking) independent studios selling something creative that sets them apart from the rest.

Paracetamol Studio t-shirts Chatuchak market Bangkok Thailand — This was one such shop

Called Paracetamol Studio, the guy in the photo above says he does all the drawings and art himself, and then prints them on t-shirts and bags. I really liked his art and ended up buying three t-shirts at ฿300 each. He wouldn’t allow for bargaining but if you bought more, the price per t-shirt comes down.

Ladies fashion boutique stores Jatujak market Bangkok Thailand — There are more such ’boutique’ stores

JJ market art studios paintings home furnishings Bangkok Thailand — You also have studios selling paintings and other works of art too

I just can’t recommend Jatujak market enough! There’s a reason why I like coming here. The variety of things you find is simply amazing. A lot of it is inexpensive and the rest, still rather affordable.

Jatujak Sunday market Bangkok Thailand — But do get here early in the morning if you plan to cover as much of this place as possible

Because despite coming here for a third time, I still can’t tell you how much of Chatuchak Weekend Market I have covered!

Chatuchak weekend market map Bangkok Thailand — If you asked me where Paracetamol Studio is located on this map, I couldn’t possibly tell you

So if you wish to return to a store you once shopped from, take my advice, note down the store number.

Chatuchak market Clock Tower Bangkok — This clock tower is one of the most important landmarks at Jatuchak. Important, because it stands high above the shops and can be used a point of reference in case you get lost (which will happen!)

Chatuchak market clock tower porters Bangkok Thailand — The clock tower is also where you can find porters in case you buy more than you can carry

Jatujak weekend market shops Bangkok — It was lunch time and I reached the phase where one wonders if they are walking around in circles

Beeberry Mangosteen juice Chatuchak Bangkok — Tried this on the way out

Chatuchak market tattooed Thai famous crocodile skin Bangkok — This guy is a bit of a celebrity here at JJ market

Just as I was rushing out, I stopped by a store that sells genuine rock band t-shirts, many of which are seconds, but in very good condition and well washed. I finally managed to score a Def Leppard (my favourite band) Hysteria t-shirt and got it bargained down to ฿300 with the excuse it was my last night in Thailand. I was quite happy 🙂

Siam Paragon Krispy Kreme line doughnuts Bangkok — Back at Siam Paragon, there was still a big line for Krispy Kreme

I called up my friend Sawmteii as we had agreed to meet for lunch, but she was still busy with family.

Siam BTS interchange station Bangkok Thailand — Siam BTS interchange. One train plys the Siam line, the other, the Silom line

I therefore headed back to my room, freshened up and got my ticket printed for tonight’s Jay Park fan meet at Siam Paragon.

I have already written about the Jay Park fan meet in another post, which you can read here.

After the fan meet, I went to a supermarket to pick up snacks and other items to pack in now itself as I was leaving Thailand tomorrow.

2pm Nichkhun prawn crackers chips Thailand — Bought some prawn chips, and this one had Nichkhun and his fellow 2PM members on the packet

As I was packing and trashing unwanted covers, I ended up having a right laugh reading the instructions on the Chinese travel pillow I had bought from Sampeng earlier in the day.

Chinese travel pillow Sampeng Bangkok — 😀

My Thai Airways flight was at night, so I still had tomorrow morning to do something. Which means, there’s one more post before I conclude this trip! 🙂

Final post in this series:

Thailand 2010: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tour, Cobra show… and leaving Bangkok

Previous posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

Thailand 2010: Last day of Loi Krathong; Sunday Grand Parade (Day 4, Part 2)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai cooking class; Loi Krathong celebrations in Mae Jo, Sansai

Thailand 2010: First day in Chiang Mai for Loi Krathong; driving up Doi Suthep

Thailand 2010: Arriving in Bangkok and preparing for Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

Lunch at Funan Mall Singapore food court

Singapore 2010: Day 1 – Little India, CBD, Clarke Quay, China Town… and a lot of walking

By Mithun Divakaran
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Oct 20, 2010
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Singapore, Travel

Date: 25th September 2010

Since our flight was at 11:35pm (24/09/2010), we decided to leave directly from office and being a Friday evening, we had plans to leave earlier than usual. We checked the timings for the Vaayu Vajra airport shuttle buses & planned on taking bus number 8 or 8A in front of our offices on Sarjapur Road.

After just missing BIAL 8, we got BIAL 8A at around 5:35pm and made our way to Devanahalli. The ticket cost Rs. 180 (per person) and the journey took 2 hours. Once we reached Bangalore International Airport, it began to drizzle. We made our way in and then sat waiting for the Tiger Airways terminal to open.

Once the terminal did open, we were kind of surprised to see our boarding passes to be ones from Air India! Puzzled whether we were on the right flight or not, we did joke about how cheap an airline Tiger Airways was that they used leftover Air India boarding passes. 🙂

Since we were early, we had plenty of time to kill at the airport. We checked out the duty free, had a snack from the expensive options at BIAL and then tried going online using the free wi-fi… which didn’t work. Thankfully, I had my TATA Indicom Photon thumb drive and so I went online to do some more research on places we planned on seeing in Singapore, where to eat and what not.

It was also raining heavily outside but our flight wasn’t delayed by much nor was it cancelled, which was good news. By 11:35pm, we were in our seats. Now, we knew Tiger Airways was a budget carrier and wasn’t expecting much.

And it wasn’t much.

Seats were quite old and looked untidy, some push-back buttons wouldn’t work but hey… we reminded ourselves that we only paid around Rs. 4,500 ($100/€74) for this one way direct flight to Singapore. So we smiled to ourselves and sat back.

We were also quite hungry by this time and waited for the (paid) meals to be served. Though they had a menu with a few notable hot meal options, by the time the air hostesses arrived at our row we were only left with 2 options. In vegetarian – chana (chick peas) curry and rice and in non-veg – beef stew and bun. Since we were quite famished, we asked for both.

Tiger Airways chana rice in-flight hot meal — Ramesh, the vegetarian in our group, said it wasn’t very good; costs SGD6 (Rs. 200)

Tiger Airways beef stew bun in-flight meal — The beef stew was quite good. But it came with only 1 bun which was a little too less for so much stew; costs SGD8 or SGD10 (Rs. 350) with a drink

Tiger Airways Heaven and Earth Jasmine tea — In my quest to try things I’ve never tasted before, I chose this drink. It was okay.

We avoided eating a complete meal at the Kingfisher Lounge at the airport because of how expensive it is but after having shelled out Rs. 500+ for the above food, it made better sense to eat from the airport itself before boarding the flight.

Anyway, our flight would land in 2 hours time and we thought about grabbing a bite at Changi Airport.

Yeah, about that.

When we landed, we did land at ‘Changi,’ but just like being told you would arrive at the pearly gates of heaven — and then take a swift left turn into hell, we actually disembarked at the budget terminal of Changi Airport. Okay it wasn’t hell or anything but it wasn’t much to write about either.

Basically a big warehouse turned airport terminal, the budget terminal at Changi had just about enough counters to cater to us “cheap” travellers. I was disappointed I couldn’t see one of the best airports in Asia but once again: Rs. 4,500… direct… we reached Singapore, safe and on-time.

We made our way out of the budget terminal and headed for the free shuttle bus to the main terminal to avail the MRT into the city.

Singapore budget airport coming out — Just past 7am, it was still dark at 6am

We boarded the bus and got down at Terminal 2…

… which obviously didn’t look like a warehouse.

We bought our MRT cards which cost SGD12 (Rs. 400/US$9) — SGD5 for the card and the remaining is credit — which is SGD7 (if you are that bad at math).

Singapore MRT Expo station — The Singapore Expo convention and exhibition center

We knew we had to switch trains at Tanah Merah station which is an interchange (we studied the MRT map during our research).

Singapore MRT station warning prohibited — If you were wondering why Singapore is so clean (SGD1000 = Rs. 35000)

Singapore MRT view Geylang — (Taken on the Nokia E72)

We got down at Victoria station and walked straight towards the Bugis station (our hostel was in between the two). After asking a few passersby for directions, we walked past a blue mosque (which was a given landmark) and arrived at Jalan Kubor (‘jalan’ means ‘road’).

Victoria Street Jalan Kubor Singapore — The main road is Victoria Street

We were staying at ABC Backpackers Hostel, a conveniently located and affordable hostel serving the essentials as far as we were concerned – great location, breakfast, internet, clean beds and clean bathrooms.

ABC Backpackers Hostel Jalan Kubor building — The hostel is on the extreme left

How much did it cost us? We booked in May, and for the F1 weekend it cost us Rs. 5200 ($116/€84). That’s for 3 people in a private room for 3 days and 2 nights in the heart of the city (pretty much) — around Rs. 1700 ($38/€27) per person for 2 nights at ABC Hostel.

We couldn’t check in to our room as it wasn’t available yet. So we kept our bags on the shelf rack, freshened up, had breakfast and then stepped out so as not to waste any time.

We first thought of heading to Sim Lim Square and then Little India, so after getting some directions, made our way down Victoria Street.

Singapore Raffles Hospital fish pond — This was a fish pond at the Raffles Hospital

We took a right and stepped in to a convenience store to try and take a local SIM.

The black building is La Salle College of Arts Singapore

After getting our prepaid SIMs, we tried finding Sim Lim Square — Singapore’s famous electronics mall.

We did find it but given it was still 10am, most shops were yet to open. So we made our way to Little India instead.

Singapore Little India Happy Diwali decoration — Prepping up for Diwali celebrations

Singapore Little India Sree Veeramakaliamman temple — Sri Veeramakaliamman temple in Little India

Singapore Little India ABC cheap store Rowell Road — We didn’t have the time to take up their challenge

We stopped by the famous Mustafa Centre shopping complex (which is open 24 hours) to see what they had on offer. Mustafa sells just about everything, from electronics to clothing and also houses a supermarket and a pharmacy. But we did find quite a lot of fake goods — mostly shoes — being sold at exorbitantly high prices. The Nikes were all wrapped in plastic and sorted based on size, and one look at them gave away their faux pas. Appalling how this “famous” store was getting away with fooling their customers.

After half-an-hour or so, and after checking from basement to the top floors, we left without buying anything.

And with that, Little India was done.

I wasn’t very happy with the photos I took. Granted the skies were grey but I never really had a chance to wait and click, it was all hurried. A lot of times I had to play catch-up as my friends would be ahead of me.

But we had to move on. Ramesh had to go pick up his F1 pass and we still had things to buy.

So we headed to the Farrer Park MRT station which is one of the two MRT stations that connect Little India.

Singapore MRT underground station — My friend Loi feeling the need to cool his eyes in an underground station

We got down at City Hall MRT, and walked to Raffles City Complex.

The ticket collection point was the Swissotel The Stamford hotel which is attached to the mall.

Ramesh Singapore Formula1 ticket — My friend Ramesh with his ‘ticket’

Ramesh bought the Premier Walkabout ticket which cost him around Rs. 10,000. The ‘ticket’ is actually three badges (one for each day) and comes in a nice framed box, just so you can remind yourself how expensive it is to witness a Formula 1 event live.

Raffles City Swissotel The Stamford Hotel Cafe Swiss — Cafe Swiss at the Swissotel The Stamford

After collecting the ticket, we stepped out.

Raffles City Grand Prix shop Singapore official merchandise F1 — It began to rain at this point

We checked out the official merchandise store, which had apparel from all the major racing teams — all of which was very, very expensive. Like Rs. 3000-plus for a Ferrari t-shirt and such.

We also noticed Funan IT Mall, the other major electronics shopping destination, right ahead of us. So we went there next.

St. Andrews cathedral Singapore rainy day — We passed by St. Andrews cathedral

Unlike Sim Lim Square, Funan is newer and lot more posh. That is not to say everything is a lot more expensive here, look around and you’re sure to find a lot good deals.

We had noted down a few good stores in Funan IT Mall, so we first went to TK Photo. I was in the market for a good tripod, an intervelometer and Ramesh wanted to pick up a Kata camera bag. Ramesh found what he wanted but I was spoilt by choice and realized I needed to do a bit more research before I could decide which model to go in for.

After TK Photo, we checked out a few more stores before heading up to the food court for lunch.

Funan IT mall food court Singapore — The food court had mostly Chinese and local favourites

When we were done with our lunch, ‘the vegetarian’ had to go down to Subway to have his. This gave me some time to check out some more shops on the higher floors.

The first thing that caught my eye was a window full of Totoro plush toys!

The store had many more inside.

Japanese import toy store Funan mall Singapore — The grey-haired guy on the extreme right is the owner

I spoke to the owner who told me he has his sources in Japan for the goods and makes the pilgrimage to nerd-heaven quite often.

Final Fantasy cans potions figurines Singapore — From Final Fantasy potions and collectibles to Metal Gear Solid figurines, this store had it all

If you love anime and video games, you’ll find a lot of stores catering to your geekdom on the top most floors of Funan IT mall.

Gamescore Funan IT mall Singapore — This store was drawing a lot of people

Gamescore Street Fighter Funan IT mall Singapore — Then again, Street Fighter matches never fail to pull in a crowd

I then went down to John 3:16 Photo Supplies, a photography store I heard was one of the best in Singapore. It was quite busy and the guy running the place seemed like a really cool guy to talk to. He had a lot of the things I was planning on buying. But, my friends call and said they were done.

So I left, disappointed I couldn’t spend more time there. Actually, I was disappointed I could spend lot more time in Funan which seemed a lot better than Sim Lim Square.

Yes, Funan DigitalLife mall is a newer compared to Sim Lim Square but don’t assume it’s more expensive. It’s also managed by Capital Land, the Singapore-based real estate major that owns pretty much all the biggest malls in Singapore and other venues like Clarke Quay. So you’re not going to find a whole lot of grey market dealers like you would in Sim Lim Square.

After I caught up with my friends, we made our way back. We had yet to check in to our rooms.

Singapore rainy F1 day gate 4 — It was still raining

Once we got back to ABC Hostel, we checked in to our private room which was cosy and clean enough for us to crash and trash with our luggage.

While we rested, Ramesh got ready to begin his F1 experience. Me & Loi didn’t have a lot of day left so we made our way out again.

This time, I suggested we just walk and check out our surroundings.

Singapore Kampong Glam Arab area — We were staying in the Kampong Glam neighbourhood

Singapore Kampong Glam Minang restaurant — You’ll find a lot of Arab, Indian and Persian eateries here

Malay Heritage centre Istana Kampong Glam Singapore — We walked through the Malay Heritage Centre

Singapore Kampong Glam Maserati — Made our way towards the main road

Singapore Parkroyal hotel — The Parkroyal Hotel on Beach Road

We took a left off the main road after we asked a traffic policeman how to get to the marina, and walked across the bridge just to see where it would take us.

Ultimately we hit a dead end… and the whole section was blocked off for F1 events. So we walked back.

After walking by some impressive office buildings (which we were later asked not to photograph by the security personnel) we headed towards Suntec City.

Suntec City International Convention and Exhibition Centre — You could see the races happening in the distance from up here

We basically got into Suntec City to get to the City Hall MRT station but since we were there, we had to check it out.

Though not new, Suntec City is a major real estate venture comprising of one of Singapore’s biggest malls (even today), several high-rise office towers and a huge convention and exhibition centre.

Suntec city R/C car racing challenge — The only ‘race’ us mortals had a proper glimpse of

Suntec city Fountain of Wealth — Suntec City also houses the ‘Fountain of Wealth’

Suntec City Fountain of Wealth Singapore — Which comes on and lights up once completely dark

We walked out of Suntec City by this point still in search of the MRT station.

Marina Mandarin Hotel Singapore passing through F1 track — The F1 track passes through this stretch… so if you want to be this close to the track, stay at Marina Mandarin Hotel

Marina Square Formula 1 track Singapore — The path was blocked for pedestrians

Realizing we were nowhere near the MRT, we headed back into Suntec City Mall.

We sat down for evening tea at this awesome-looking food court.

Coffee shop Suntec city mall food republic — Felt very Hogwarts-ish (Oh, those are not real books by the way)

Guan Chee restaurant Suntec City Food Republic — Tempted… but had to wait until dinner time

Once we did find City Hall MRT, we got down at Clarke Quay station to head to Singapore river where we planned to take the river cruise by boat.

Singapore political rally park — Some rally being held at a park

After a bit of walking and asking around, we reached Singapore river.

Clarke Quay Singapore river F1 night panorama — Panorama comprised of 8 shots

The race was happening in the distance and one could hear the deafening sound of the engines. They were so loud (and so good) that I had to call up my friend back in India to give him the experience! (video coming soon)

We walked towards the bridge where lots of people were trying to catch a glimpse of the cars zipping past.

We got to the other side to get to the ticket counter for the River Cruise.

Singapore Marina financial district at night — Panorama comprised of 6 shots

Singapore River cruise ticket counter Clarke Quay — Tickets for the boat ride cost SGD15 (Rs. 500/US$11/€8)

Singapore river cruise boat reflections — Our ride

Singapore marina skyscrapers at night — The ride would take us down the river and up into the marina

Singapore Riverside Point Clarke Quay at night — We’d pass a lot of of eateries, bars and clubs

It’s only after getting on this boat did I realize how much there was to Clarke Quay. I know the photos may not show much (video coming later) but the number of restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs are just too many to mention. It’s no wonder Clarke Quay area is the night hotspot in Singapore.

The boat then took a turn and made its way back towards the marina.

Singapore river cruise Marina Bay Sands sky lights — The stunning Marina Bay Sands Casino and Hotel in the background

Singapore Marina Merlion statue park night — Singapore’s famous Merlion statue

Singapore marina at night from boat — We were finally out in the marina

Singapore marina The Esplanade halls F1 night — The Esplanade concert halls

Singapore marina The Esplanade golden F1 night — Pretty sure the guys behind Yas Hotel saw this and went: “We want that, but better!”

Singapore Flyer marina F1 night — Singapore Flyer — the tallest one in the world

Singapore Marina Bay Sands Casino & hotel at night — And finally, the $5 billion Marina Bay Sands Casino & Hotel

I had the look of sheer disappointment at this point. Not that the building was ugly or anything. Just 2 nights ago, my favourite trance outfit Above & Beyond performed here, more specifically at the Avalon club — on top of those three towers — and I missed it because I only heard about it that prior weekend. I seriously considered preponing my flight to arrive in Singapore earlier just to see them at such an awesome venue! But the pains of cancelling and re-scheduling a flight at such short notice, that too with Tiger Airways’ non-existent customer support in India made me drop it. It wasn’t just Above & Beyond. Flo Rida, Steve Aoki, The Chemical Brothers, with many more and the ticket for one night was just Rs. 3k.

Sigh 🙁

Anyway, back to the photos…

Singapore marina financial district office buildings F1 night wide — It was time to head back

Singapore skyscrapers night sky — Clouds above Singapore were lit thanks to all the skyscrapers

Singapore river Raffles hotel — The boat dropped us back to same pick-up point

There are three pick-up points (& ticket counters) for the river cruise along Singapore river and you can take mine and Loi’s word for it — taking the cruise at night is a must-do when in Singapore!

Back on land, it was time to head to Chinatown for dinner.

Chinatown wasn’t far from Clarke Quay.

Singapore night Chinatown entrance — The entrance to Chinatown

Singapore Chinatown road decoration — Singapore Lantern Festival 2010 was on at this time

We straightaway headed to the ‘food street’ as we were hungry and thirsty!

Scores of hawkers & restaurants on either side, we finally sat down and first, ordered some chilled beers.

We placed our orders from multiple vendors.

Singapore Chinatown dinner — Pork noodle soup & barbecued tiger prawns; finished off with some beef fried rice

It was around 11pm by the time we were done. We could have explored more of Chinatown but we were tired as hell, so we decided to head back ‘home’.

Singapore Chinatown lanterns display — This was on display near one of the pedestrian over bridges

Singapore Chinatown lantern festival photographers — And I wasn’t the only amateur photographer there

We took the MRT from Chinatown and got back to Kampong Glam.

Singapore Kampong Glam Arab street nightlife — The nightlife was still buzzing in our area

Singapore kampong glam Sultan Mosque — Sultan Mosque, the largest mosque in Singapore

Once back in the room and a quick hot shower later, I hit the sack. Recalling how much we covered on just our first day, it was a good, albeit a very tiring start to our trip.

I wasn’t thoroughly pleased with all the photos I took today. A lot of them came out blurry which made me want to pick up a good tripod all the more a bigger priority.

Regardless, this was day 1. 155 images (used out of 360 taken), slightly over 3000 words and more than a week to finish. Trying to complete this was as tiring as the day itself.

Now only 9 more days and 3600 more photos to go through.

I’ll upload the videos later.

I’m too tired…

P.S: If anyone is interested in what Ramesh saw at the F1 track on day 1, check out this post.

Other posts in this series:

Singapore & Malaysia 2010: Planning and preparing for the trip

Singapore 2010: Day 2 – Orchard Road, mall-hopping… and already shopping

Singapore 2010: Day 3 – Singapore Zoo, Marina Bay Sands; leaving Singapore for Penang

Malaysia 2010: Day 4 — One day in Penang (Around Georgetown, Gurney Drive, Penang Hill)

Malaysia 2010: Day 5 — Langkawi (Ferry ride from Penang, Cable car & Sky Bridge)

Malaysia 2010: Day 6 — Langkawi (Island hopping tour, Pantai Tengah beach, Night market)

Malaysia 2010: Day 7 — Kuala Lumpur (Low Yat Plaza, Petronas Towers, Jalan Alor)