Chinatown continued...

Still wandering around Singapore's Chinatown area. I think what really grabbed me was the mass of people, whether tourists or locals.



I'd always wanted to take a shot like this, well 'always' meaning as long as I've actually been thinking about photography in any kind of serious way. Which is about 7 years.

The gentlemen in the shot were busy playing draughts in an area adjacent to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Chinatown Complex.

Chinatown

Singapore's Chinatown, a bustling busy area full of tourist stalls, interesting food shops and a few temples. I loved it.



I really liked the mix of colours, lots of red lanterns but mixed into a backdrop of light coloured buildings and in this case a huge yellow & green towerblock.



There were food stalls in amongst those catering for tacky tourist gifts, and also a wet-market (although by the time we got there it had pretty much closed up for the day). Lots to see & do!

Emerald Hill Road

Just off busy Orchard Road in Singapore is Emerald Hill road, an historic area which is now a conservation area. This area has many fine examples of Chinese Baroque architecture and provides a quiet contrast to the bustling shopping area just a few blocks away:



The lower end of the neighbourhood has some bars and restaurants (although I'm told that there's not as many as before). Further along Emearld Hill road it becomes quieter and considerably more residential. The architecture is really impressive, not just the design of the houses but also the little details, like this lampshade:



Traditonally this area was home to some of Singapore's Peranakan community.

More Neon

Working on without my regular lens I found the 50mm f/1.8 was more than capable at night, and let's face it, it's a lot lighter than the 17-85!

First up was the familiar sight of the Hard Rock Cafe. It's a little tradition I have, and I've been in quite a few of them over the years.



Later on we took a walk around Boat Quay which is home to many restuarants, a lot of which specialise in sea food:

Singapore Night

So with the SLR giving me trouble I turned to my trusty sidekick - a well used Canon Powershot! Actually it's a great little camera that I've had for about four years.



The view above is taken from the Elgin Bridge looking back towards the Central Business District and the Singapore River (Boat Quay is on the right hand side).



While my SLR was working with a 50mm lens it wasn't a lot of help when attempting to get a wide shot in the city. Always have a backup!!

Figures

Figures
Originally uploaded by petergriffin_1892.

Taken in the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Hindu temple in Singapore's Little India district (Serangoon road).

At this point I was happily snapping away when something went wrong. I checked the camera and saw an 'error 99' message. In 3 years and 25,000+ shots I had never seen this issue. Changing the battery only gave me a few more shots before the camera locked up again. Luckily, a change of lens fixed things, but now I have a lens that's in need of repair...oh well...

Lizard

Lizard
Originally uploaded by petergriffin_1892.

On to Singapore. After a 5 hour drive from KL we made it to this island republic. I had my passport stamped by possibly the prettiest border guard I've ever seen (she was young, friendly & beautiful but I thought it prudent not to take her photo!).

My first port of call on the tourist trail was Singapore Zoo, it was certainly impressive and has a large array of animals in a pleasant setting. This specimen was not part of the exhibition, instead it seemed to be roaming wild on a path in the zoo.

Sunset

Sunset
Originally uploaded by petergriffin_1892.

So after a week in Malaysia it was time to move on.

This sunset shot was taken from the KL Tower a communications tower Kuala Lumpur with an observation deck which is about 275 metres above ground level (the tower itself is 421 metres high).

Brahminy Kite

Brahminy Kite
Originally uploaded by petergriffin_1892.

Taken in Kuala Lumpur's Bird Park - we were lucky enough to arrive at the Kite enclosure just as the keepers were seeting up to feed the birds.

The Brahminy Kite is a bird of prey and is fed a diet of meat and in this case a dead mouse!

Pagoda

Pagoda
Originally uploaded by petergriffin_1892.

Continuing the journey...

So after a night in Genting (Malaysia's very own Las Vegas) we headed back down towards KL but stopped off at the Chin Swee Caves Temple. It's a peacful place compared to the busy casino and entertainment complex above it at the top of the mountain.