Haven't seen clear skies like this in such a long time!
Every so often, when I'm out taking pictures, the blue skies + white clouds suddenly become dark clouds + more dark clouds, and the next thing I know - POURING RAIN!!! Yes - I'm referring to the monsoon season at the end of the year. It's tapering off now, but I'd just share 2 instances of being caught in the rain (hence the title of this post!).
Well - this was one of the latest trips I did so far. Instead of going to Marina Bay like I usually do, I de-toured and ended up on the other side! These pics were done mostly in black-and-white. It has been a while since I last took black-and-white pics! I think the last few times I did so was in Ipoh, at the Fremantle Arts Centre and in the Fremantle Prison.
The Arts House was my first destination. The Arts House has been functioning since 2004 and used to be the old Parliament House in Singapore. The old Parliament House itself is one of the oldest buildings in Singapore and was built in 1827. Scottish merchant John Maxwell owned the building, and the building itself was designed by George Coleman. These people are significant figures in Singapore's history, and have roads/public places named after them.
Some construction work was going on behind me, and they had set up barriers painted with cartoons and some fruit diagrams. Here's one of the cartoons!
The Arts House has gone through a number of extensions to increase its size, and ever since those, it didn't comply to the original design set out by G. Coleman, though bits and pieces of the original design remained. Nevertheless, it was still a magnificent building rich in history. I hope to go in there someday for a look.
The Arts House reminds me of the Fremantle Arts Centre, except that it is obviously different in terms of architecture and function. The Freo Arts Centre was initially a lunatic asylum, while the Arts House used to be Singapore's Parliament House.
Timbre - a popular restaurant/bar facing the river. I was there in the morning, hence it was so quiet and empty. At night, Timbre becomes much, much more vibrant.
The statue of Sir Stamford Raffles - founder of Singapore - against the backdrop of Singapore's CBD. Singapore was founded in 1819 and became a British colony shortly after, but gained independence in 1965. Here he is - standing like a boss in front of the city-state he founded.
It started to drizzle a bit then (check out the dark clouds in the previous 2 pictures!). So I had to rush to the nearest shelter. Fortunately the drizzle was really short, and I could continue my journey. I decided to de-tour to the Asian Civilisations Museum.
Fallen frangipanni flowers on the ground. So I tried something different - and it kinda worked!
The Asian Civilisation Museum of Singapore (ACM) occupies the former Empress Place Building - and is situated on Empress Place, overlooking the river. Initially established in 1997, the ACM moved to this current building in 2003. The building itself was designed in the mid-1860s and was used as a government office during the British colonial times (mainly for the legislative council, for the office of the Colonial Secretary and also for cartography to be done).
When I was outside the ACM, I noticed two exhibitions on display - the Islamic Arts exhibition and the Enlightened Ways exhibition. Might see if I can catch them someday!
IndoChine - a high-end restaurant situated facing the river, on the ground floor of the ACM. There's another IndoChine restaurant situated in Gardens by the Bay.
Cavenagh Bridge - one of the bridges spanning the Singapore River. I actually took these pics while sipping some refreshing lychee drink from a roadside stall. Other bridges spanning the Singapore River include the Anderson Bridge, the Ord Bridge, the Robertson Bridge and many more.
The Cavenagh Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge in Singapore and is one of the only bridges that actually kept its original form. It's situated next to the famous Fullerton Hotel and is a pedestrian bridge. It was open in 1870 and used to be for rickshaws and ox-carts, before traffic got too heavy, prompting the rickshaws and ox-carts to be moved to the nearby Anderson Bridge. Anderson Bridge is about 5 to 10 minutes away from Cavenagh Bridge.
Material for the Cavenagh Bridge consisted mainly of steel, which was imported from Glasgow. Interestingly, the bridge was assembled in Glasgow and then dismantled to be shipped to Singapore. P&W Maclellan was the engineering company in charge of the construction, but the bridge itself was designed by John Turnbull Thomson.
The famous Fullerton Hotel from Cavenagh Bridge. Fullerton Hotel was named after Robert Fullerton, the first Governor of the Straits Settlements. The Fullerton hotel was initially used as an office building, and at one point, the General Post Office (GPO) was situated in this building. Restoration works were done to convert the building into today's Fullerton Hotel, and there's even a bar named after the old GPO. This bar is called Post Bar. The hotel itself has quite a number of high-end restaurants.
Right now the Fullerton Hotel is a five-star hotel and it offers great views of the Singapore River and the CBD.
The atrium of the hotel, lit naturally from the ceiling. On the ground floor is The Courtyard, mainly used for afternoon high tea, dinner and of course, the famous Chocolate Buffet. I should really check out the Chocolate Buffet someday! The atrium and its surroundings were really grand and elegant!
Spotted a couple taking wedding pics along this staircase, so I went for a closer look. Wow...the staircase is just...GRAND. In fact, the whole hotel was so grand and pompous.
Left after enjoying the aircon and going through the revolving doors countless times to attempt to get an abstract shot. Ended up failing but ah well! Can always go back again!
Instance 2: Flower Dome Conservatory
Gardens by the Bay has become one of my favourite hangout places because of its size and also because of the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest structures. In my Waterfront Walk post - which documented one of my first trips to the Gardens, I was in awe of the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest structures as they were just so marvellous. Works of art!
The day started off nice and sunny with clouds here and there. Just as I reached, I noticed some fighter planes flying above the Gardens, presumably as practice rounds. I thought those clouds were no biggie - after all they were just fluffy, not dark and ominous.
Took a walk down my usual path and ended up at the Flower Dome conservatory. Although this was my second (or was it third) time here, I was still in awe. Oh and it was starting to get cloudy. But there was still quite a fair bit of blue sky.
Spotted some hibiscus flowers growing in the Flower Dome. They came in all shapes, sizes and colours!
As the clouds shifted around, back and forth, I hung around the Flower Dome. I still couldn't bear to leave. Everytime I come here, I feel as if I don't have enough pictures of it.
At one point, I thought, "OK, it's gonna be really nice and sunny. I can carry on taking pictures and walking around the Gardens."
Was proven wrong pretty fast...when I turned and saw the dark clouds hovering behind the Singapore Flyer! Uh oh...time to take cover! Just as it started to pour, I sprinted and managed to reach a sheltered area. It happened so quickly. An originally sunny day becoming a damp, rainy day.
The rain didn't last long, and that gave me enough time to run to another shelter and catch the bus home.
Rainy days are gloomy...but sometimes rainy days can be pretty helpful, especially with my trip to Fullerton Hotel. So I guess it isn't that bad after all.
Hope the weather's good for the next few days so that I can continue exploring my beloved diamond-shaped island! :)