Tiong Bahru, Singapore: Adventures in Film

During my recent trip to Singapore on the Singapore Airlines #squadSQ trip, on my last full day, having taken thousands of photos already and seen many of the major sights of the city-state already, I felt it time to lift my game. I headed out of Downtown Singapore and left my DSLR in the hotel room.

What? Travel blogger leaving a professional camera behind while visiting a different country? Are you crazy?! Fear not, gentle reader, in my possession, I took my beloved 1975 Olympus OM-2 film camera with my granddad’s 35mm prime lens. Technically still an SLR, just without the D. While a bit grainy at times, the quality is remarkably good for a camera that is 43 years old.

It would be weeks before I knew if the photos were any good and that’s part of the challenge. The generation above me probably doesn’t see the significance of this as this was simply how you travelled 20+ years ago. But without the safety net of my ability to take 1000 backup photos of everything in sight, I was forced to think about every photo. Composition, exposure, everything. I had one roll of film so I could only take 24 photos.

I caught the MRT from the Swissotel to Tiong Bahru Station and the impact was immediate. Only 10 minutes away, Tiong Bahru feels like a completely different decade. Art Deco highrise apartments rose up either side of me as I made my way along Tiong Bahru Road to the Market.

Highrise apartments in Tiong Bahru Singapore — Highrise apartments in Tiong Bahru, Singapore

The markets had everything: fresh fruit and vegetable stalls, fresh seafood, meats, florists, crappy plastic toys, and an abundance of clothes stalls. And no market would be complete without the obligatory hawker centre and buskers.

Fresh fish stall at Tiong Bahru Market Singapore — Fresh fish at Tiong Bahru Market

Just as I went to leave, the heavens opened and the heaviest rain I’d seen all trip poured down. After about 15 minutes of waiting, I gave up and decided to brave the rain. I bolted from awning to awning, taking in what I could from the art deco apartment blocks surrounding me. I managed to snap this photo from under an awning while the ground continued to be pounded from the sky.

Apartments in Tiong Bahru Singapore — Apartments in Tiong Bahru, Singapore

I stopped at the first cafe I found, called PS Cafe Petit and I had a coffee while I waited out the storm. It was pleasant and very quiet. It looked more like a wine bar but it was still pretty early and I was in desperate need of caffeine. Unfortunately, the guy requested no photos inside.

I finished up and walked to the other side of the block to the cafe that I was actually aiming for, called Forty Hands. In complete contrast, this place was pumping and I was surprised I could actually get a table. A very cool joint if you’re in the area and they even had cold brew coffee on hand – great for those hot days.

Cold Brew coffee at Forty Hands, Tiong Bahru Singapore — Cold Brew coffee at Forty Hands, Tiong Bahru

By now the rain had dried up and I snaked my way around the apartment blocks in search of the many murals painted on the white walls. This is one of the draw cards of Tiong Bahru, there are five murals painted on the sides of various apartment blocks. These murals were painted by a young local artist who grew up in the area and wanted to give something back to represent the history of the Thing Bahru area. It was a fun game and I think I found 3 of the 5.

Pasar Mural in Tiong Bahru Singapore — The Pasar Mural

Home Mural in Tiong Bahru Singapore — “Home” Mural

Singing Bird Corner Mural in Tiong Bahru Singapore — Singing Bird Corner, homage to a Tiong Bahru institution

In my meandering — and when searching for murals, the only way to eplore is to meander — I had actually walked a fair distance from the MRT station at which I had arrived. I realised that from Bird Corner, which is where my walking tour had led me, was not actually that far from Chinatown — maybe a 15 minute walk. It was a nice day for a walk and I wanted to get a few more photos of Chinatown so off I took.

Qi Tian Gong Temple in Tiong Bahru Singapore — Qi Tian Gong Temple in Tiong Bahru

I was headed toward the Sacred Tooth Relic temple and Sri Mariamman temple but happened upon rows upon rows of beautiful Victorian townhouses (right near Potato Head). I honestly could have explored this area for a few hours, walking up and down just to take in the architecture, but I was due to meet the rest of the #squadSQ shortly.

Buddha Sacred Tooth Relic Temple Singapore — Buddha Sacred Tooth Relic Temple

Sri Mariamman Temple Chinatown Singapore — Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown

Potato Head and art deco townhouses in Chinatown Singapore — Potato Head and art deco townhouses near Chinatown

Beautiful townhouses around Chinatown Singapore — Close up of the townhouses

Chinatown Singapore — Chinatown, Singapore

And that’s where my walking tour ended. I closed out the roll of film back at the Swissotel because that view is worth preserving on every device you have.