United Kingdom: England, Scotland and Wales

The United Kingdom has four component countries. And I visited three of them a few weeks ago, namely England, Scotland and Wales. My two week journey across the island of Great Britain began in London, England, through the university town of Oxford and the historic city of York, finally arriving in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.

From there, we proceeded further north to the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye, then back south to Glasgow. We then returned to England through the picturesque Lake District, visiting Liverpool and Manchester, Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, Chipping Norton in the Cotsworlds, Bath and Stonehenge, then back to London. After touring London, we made a day trip to Cardiff, Wales. Here are photos from that really great trip!

March 28 - London, England
March 29 - Oxford, England
March 30 - York, England
March 31 - Edinburgh, Scotland
April 1 - Highland Region, Scotland
April 2 - Isle of Skye, Scotland
April 3 - Highland, Glasgow and Gretna Green, Scotland
April 4 - Lake District, England
April 5 - Liverpool, England and Manchester, England
April 6 - Stratford-upon-Avon and Cotswolds, England
April 7 - Bath and Stonehenge, England
April 8-9 - London, England
April 10 - Cardiff, Wales

Scotland
Part 1: Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Harry Potter and more from the Scottish capital
Part 2: Eilean Donan Castle and Loch Ness
Part 3: Exploring the Isle of Skye
Part 4: Glencoe, Glenfinnan, spectacular scenery of the Scottish Highlands
Part 5: Glasgow's George Square at night

Singapore: Little India is Singapore's Tamil neighborhood

One reason I love visiting Singapore is because they have preserved significant cultural quarters within the modern city. These include Chinatown, Arab Street and Haji Lane, and Little India which was quite close to the hostel I was staying at along Lavender Street. So from the Little Red Dot, I walked along Jalan Besar (which also has some creative examples of adaptive reuse of old shop houses) to the Tamil ethnic neighborhood of Little India.

It's was quite an interesting walk around Little India which the local Tamils call Tekka. You get to see, smell, taste, hear and feel Tamil culture as you explore the preserved shop houses that line its streets.

Little India Arcade offers visitors a convenient concentration of crafts and souvenir shops. Of course, Little India is also a place where you can get really good Tamil food.

Just like in Singapore's culturally rich neighborhoods, there is a mix of cultures in Little India. It's major places of worship (and attractions) includes the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple and the Abdul Gaffoor Mosque.

The main deity of the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is the Hindu goddess Kali who is associated with empowerment. Bengali workers built the temple in 1881 which might explain why the temple was dedicated to Kali, with devotion to goddess being popular in Bengal. While the Abdul Gafoor Mosque, built in 1859, features Arabian and Renaissance-style architecture.

How to get to Little India
Take the MRT to Little India or Farrer Park

Check out more photos of Little India in the Ivan About Town Facebook page.

Singapore: Santa Grand Hotel Lai Chun Yuen in Chinatown

There are a lot of fine examples of adaptive reuse in Singapore. The hotel I stayed at in Chinatown was no exception. In fact, most branches of Santa Grand Hotels are heritage buildings that have been converted into boutique hotels. They have two branches in Chinatown right beside each other, Santa Grand Hotel Chinatown and Santa Grand Hotel Lai Chun Yuen where I stayed.

According to the marker in front of the hotel, "Lai Chun Yuen was by far the most popular Chinese opera theatre in Singapore in the late 19th century. Built in 1887 and originally designed in the style of a Chinese teahouse, its overwhelming popularity made it a prominent landmark. Patrons would sit around small tables, nibbling tidbits and sipping tea while famous opera singers performed on stage. Wealthier patrons had private cubicles where they enjoyed more personal services, rendered by the girls from the brothels on Smith Street. All these took place in high-ceilinged rooms with wooden balconies, decorated with ornaments and dimly lit lanterns."

The lobby of the hotel is actually the main hall of the old opera house. The Singapore Government required Santa Grand Hotels to preserve many elements of the opera house, including the stage which you can see right above the reception desk. Chinese lanterns adorn the hallways of the hotel.

And my room on the third floor leads to a common wooden balcony that affords guests a view of the street below. The room's furniture and fixtures are modern. But you can see that they've preserved the old wooden floor.

It's nice to see structures like these that survive generations because they are made relevant in changing times through adaptive reuse. The Chinese opera culture declined in the 1930s with the advent of cinema. In fact Lai Chun Yuen was converted into a cinema in 1941. But that did not survive the Japanese Occupation. Today, it is a charming boutique hotel. But you can still feel the spirit of the place as you enter its portals.

Santa Grand Hotel Lai Chun Yuen
25 Trengganu Street, Chinatown
http://www.santagrandhotels.com/laichunyuen.asp

Santa Grand Hotels Central Reservation
E-mail: reservation@santa.com.sg
Tel. No. +65 6298 8889; Fax No. +65 6396 8356

Thank you to the Singapore Tourism Board and Agatep Associates for arranging this visit!