This is Singapore

[ombugge]

I said some time ago that I would start a thread called "This is Singapore".
Well here is first installment.

I have found a lot of pictures of Singapore scenery's taken mostly in the 1960s, with some maybe a bit older and some a bit newer.
Yesterday I eventually got around to take my simple "Point n' Click" camera along on a walk to some of the places featured in the old pictures to see if I could capture the somewhat same view as it is today.

To start it off, I went to a place I remember from my first visit to Singapore as a "Green Horn" in 1959 and which I have always remembered as the typical Singapore of that time:

I have had a copy of this picture on my office wall for some time.
This in New Bridge Road on the Left and Eu Tong Sen Street on the right, with the most prominent building being the Great Southern Hotel on the right.

There is a Storm Drain between these two parallel streets, over which various shacks were standing on "stilts", serving as shops. The drain also served as open sewer for these shops. (You could smell Singapore before you could see it in those days)
At night there were Street Performers of all kinds, Indian Snake Charmers and Chinese Snake Oil sellers etc. and thriving food carts selling just about any kind of food you could think of.

Here is the same scene now, taken from the pedestrian bridge between Chinatown Point and People's Park Centre:

Surprisingly many of the original buildings are still there, since this the "preserved" Chinatown is to the left.
The Great Southern Hotel, which is now a China speciality Shop is still there:


As is the Majestic Theater, which is now a Shopping Centre:


What is also still there, but hidden by the large and ugly structure on the right, which is People's Park Complex, is the old Pearl Hill Police Station:

No longer in use but gazetted as a historical building and thus to be preserved.

The old Police Barrack is still in use for something. (I'm not sure what):

These two building can be seen and recognized on the old picture.

The tall building in the distance is part of Singapore general Hospital and still there.

On the other side of the street is a mixture of new and old as it is part of Chinatown, what little is left and preserved:

The old Storm Drain is still there, but partly covered (as seen above)

In the other direction it is still open, but no longer used to throw garbage:

If anybody do they are liable to a fine of up to $1000.

More like this when time permits.

[Seagull]

More like this when time permits.

Oh Ombugge, I so enjoyed that. Not simply seeing photos of Singapore which is so interesting in itself, but the aspect of “then and now” – something that has surfaced within a number of threads in the forum, and is of particular fascination to some of us.
I certainly hope that time will permit further installments.

[ombugge]

Yes I will find time to post some more, but this will have to suffice for the moment:

Official Swine Flu message board along Orchard Road.

[ombugge]

Singapore today

Sea Survival Training Centre near West Coast Pier:

[pakarang]

Sea Survival Training Centre near West Coast Pier:

I can see some of the participants stacked up in the garage.....

[ombugge]

Singapore - Fine City = Clean City

Singapore is widely known as a "Fine City" (Fine for this and fine for that)
It is also known as the cleanest big city in the world, but is that just a product of the first?

Well, that is probably part of it, but more important is that there are dustbins place every few meters along the main pedestrian areas like Orchard Road:


Maybe more to the point is that there are people who empty these dustbins up to several times a day, every day.

These dust bins also has an ash tray on top, so there is no excuse for smokers to throw their cigarette butts on the pavement either:


If there isn't dustbins around, ash trays are strategically placed where smokers congregate, like outside major office buildings:

(Smoking is banned in offices and any enclosed areas)

And here are some of the unfortunate few who still smokes, congregated around an ash tray on the railing outside DBS Building:


Another major problem has been that people treat the rivers and drains as convenient places to dispose of their garbage. In Singapore we have a small brigade of people to collect flotsam, incl. leafs etc. from the rivers and canals:


Drainage canals tends to convey garbage down stream, therefore there are floating barriers placed at strategic places to ease the collection of flotsam:


Here is an example of what gets collected in a day by one single boat at one single location:


That it what it takes to keep a city clean, not big speeches and otherwise inaction, which is the case in most places. (No use putting out dustbins if nobody empty them on a regular basis)

[ombugge]

Singapore is 44!!

Today 09. Aug. is Singapore's National Day, celebrating 44 years since independence.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE!!!!!



Here is Google Singapore banner for the day:

[ombugge]

Singapore sky line

Singapore sky line as it looked at independence in 1964:

(Actually this pics is from 1969, but not much changes yet)

Singapore sky line at 44th anniversary:

(Seen from Eastern Anchorage 2008)

Sky line as seen from the other side:

(Night view from Mt. Faber 2008)

[pakarang]

Happy Birthday Singapore! !

A fantastic city to visit and a must for all that travels to this region. I love Singapore, the markets and the food. The city has so much too offer but the high prices are a bit scary sometimes. My last visit to Singapore was a few years ago on a property/ real estate development congress at a large hotel over 5-6 days, where I got to meet and greet some of Singapore's and SE Asia's most influential property developers. It was many days of EXTREMELY interesting conversations I can promise you.

What kind of restrictions does smokers in Singapore have: are they allowed to walk on a sidewalk smoking, or do they have to stop and smoke only at those designated smoking spots?

We all probably remember that chewing gum was illegal in Singapore when we grew up: is it still illegal or has it just turned into a myth?

[ombugge]

Happy Birthday Singapore! !
What kind of restrictions does smokers in Singapore have: are they allowed to walk on a sidewalk smoking, or do they have to stop and smoke only at those designated smoking spots?

The general rule is; no smoking in enclosed places or where it may inconvenienc others (i.e. in a taxi or bus que etc.) There are voices who wants to ban smoking altogether in Singapore, but it is not likely to be possible to implement.

We all probably remember that chewing gum was illegal in Singapore when we grew up: is it still illegal or has it just turned into a myth?

It has always been a myth. It is prohibited to import or manufacture chewing gum for sale, not to use it. Chewing gum ban begun sometime in late 1980s. So far nobody has ever been prosecuted for the offence, mainly because there is no market.

This is more an issue with western journalists and politicians, not with Singaporeans. The Americans even made it an issue in the negotiations over the Free Trade Agreement, forcing Singapore into some ridiculous compromise whereby it is now legal to import and sell chewing gum for "medical purposes", but only in Pharmacies and with the names recorded.
Is that going to solve the US trade deficit? Rubbish.

Since you have been here many times you have probably tried the highly efficient MRT system? The reason for the chewing gum ban was NOT that one of the Minister got fed up with chewing gum stuck under cinema seats -as is the popular explanation in the western press - but because some young punks found out that if they stuck a big wad of chewing gum on the door seals of the MRT Trains the indicator would show that a door was not properly closed. Therefore the train could not move until the driver and station staff had found the source and removed it.
There are 24 doors per train and another 24doors at the underground stations, for a total of 48 doors to be checked. With a train every 3-4 min. during rush hour it did not take long before the line was backed up by stalled trains.

Now, how do you solve this problem?
By adjusting the sensors to accept a bigger gap between the door seals? No, the blockage could be the hand of a small child or something like that.

Give up and don't construct an efficient MRT system? Not this government.

The options left would then be to have a security guard in each wagon and in the underground MRT stations, or ban juveniles from traveling by MRT, or to ban chewing gum altogether.

Any reasonably informed person would put the good of the community ahead of the "Human right" to chew gum. But this argument against the Singapore Government is repeated ad nauseum by people who thinks that the whole world has to comply with their way of doing thing.

My advise to those who cannot take it is simple; we have one of the best Airports in the world here, and there is a plane leaving for just about anywhere in the world every day, just be on one and good riddance.

[ombugge]

Singapore Port

Quoted from an earlier post in a wrong thread (Where is Hurtigruten #117):

Singapore Port is the world's busiest port, with 131,700 ships arriving in 2008 and between 700 and 800 ships within port limits at any given time. In addition about 120-150 ships are passing through Singapore Strait without stopping every day. Right now we also have something like 2-300 ships of all sizes anchored just outside port limits, waiting on order.

Abt. 1/3 of the world's Container trade is handled here, (nearly 30 Mill. TEUs in 2008) as well as being the the third biggest refining and tanking centre in the world. (handling 167 Mill. tonnes of oil in bulk last year)
It is the worlds biggest bunkering port and among the biggest ship repair centers, with some 20-30 major shipyards operating.
It is also the biggest rig building and FPSO conversion centre, with three major yard in each category.

To Pilotdane's question in Tugboats of the World thread: (It is difficult to stay IT (a.k.a not going OT):

There are four main Container Terminals in Singapore. Three are run by Port of Singapore Authorities (PSA) and one is privately operated. Here is Google pics of the main terminals;

Here is the oldest; Tg Pagar Terminal, which is close to Dow Town S'pore:


Next, Pualu Brani Container Terminal:

Keppel Harbour also in this pic.

Keppel Harbour, Pu. Brani and Tg. Pager in the 1970s:


The newest; Pasir Panjang Container Terminal:


Jurong Port; Privately held Container Terminal and Bulk port:


There are also a number of other Port/Terminals within Singapore Port Limits.
Here are some of them. all on the west side of the island.

Pasir Panjang Wharfs; Break Bulk and RoRo Terminal:


Jurong Island Refinery & Tanker Terminals:


Pulau Bukom & Pulau Brasing Refineries & Tanker Terminals:


Pulau Sebarok Tanker Terminal & Pulau Sekeng Land Fill:


This is Tuas Reclamation Area and Jurong West Anchorage, but already obsolete as this is "Work in Progress", now using sand imported mainly from Vietnam and Cambodia, since both Malaysia and Indonesia refuse to allow dredgers to bring in sand from the near area:

[pakarang]

When I sit down and think about it, it's quite incredible how enormously Singapore has developed and how fast it has turned into an extremely important port in Asia.

I would love to have had the chance to live in Singapore and have some kind of job/work in the port authority.... I bet there would be millions of things I could learn and find interesting there in such a job....

[ombugge]

I would love to have had the chance to live in Singapore and have some kind of job/work in the port authority.... I bet there would be millions of things I could learn and find interesting there in such a job....

Here is a link to MPA. They are recruiting from all over the world:http://www.mpa.gov.sg/sites/global_n...a_careers.page

And here is link to PSA. They run ports and terminals in many other locations than Singapore as well: http://www.singaporepsa.com/careers/...rtunities.html

You are welcome to Singapore, if you find a suitable position.

Maybe more in line with your background and experience: http://www.singaporecruise.com/index2.aspx

[pakarang]

Thanks so much... that would be a dream come true, even for a year or two.

I'll have a look at those links, absolutely. Especially since I'll be unemployed again in a week or two...

[ombugge]

Singapore Port & Shipyards

When I sit down and think about it, it's quite incredible how enormously Singapore has developed and how fast it has turned into an extremely important port in Asia.

Well here is some proof of that development.

Keppel Harbour in the 1890s:


Keppel Harbour, 1949:


Keppel Harbour & Tg. Pagar, 1960s:


Keppel Harbour /Tg. Pagar and Eastern Anchorage today:


Telok Ayer Basin, 1940s:


Telok Ayer Basin, 1960s:


There is no Telok Ayer Basin any more. It is now part of the new Down Town being built.

Clifford Pier & Inner Anchorage, 1950s:


Clifford Pier & Inner Anchorage, 1960s:

Down Town Singapore, Inner Roads & Eastern Anchorage., late 1960s:


Same today:

(Actually a few years ago. I will come with more up to date pics from this area later)