Absolute indulgence!

OK - on second thoughts, I decided to post some pics of Fremantle first, before going back to posting pics of Singapore. 

It was 25 degrees Celsius the other day - unusual for winter - and to make it better, we had really beautiful clear skies! So I decided to head to Fremantle - to escape those horrid assignments (never liked assignments anyway!), and to enjoy my weekend. After all, I just finished one of my assignments and was ready to chill out.

Started off at the Esplanade Reserve - near the fishing boat harbour. I spotted these colourful containers, but didn't know what they were for, until I went closer...and found out that they were for bike repairs. I think some people set up a bike repair shop in the containers. The name's pretty cool too - 'dismantle'. Rhymes perfectly with 'Fremantle'. 

Carriage Cafe - a cafe created from a train carriage, and established in 1912, nestled amongst tall Norfolk pine trees. A really popular spot for people to hang out over the weekend over a cup of coffee - while enjoying the wonderful sunshine. Al fresco dining is really popular here in Australia - especially in Fremantle. And I really enjoy it!

I'm definitely going to try Carriage Cafe one day. I heard it's really good, and has awesome food. Should come up with a list of cafes to visit!

Highlight of the day - the giant Ferris wheel - rising 15 storeys above the ground (aka the Skyview Wheel), built in 2007. This Ferris wheel is a major attraction in the Esplanade reserve as well. It's situated right opposite the Little Creatures Brewery and other major restaurants along the harbour.

Being really curious - and wanting to find out if I could get good views of Fremantle from the Ferris wheel - I spontaneously went to grab a ticket for myself. Best part - I managed to get a whole gondola to myself! The gondola was spacious and really comfortable...

I reckon the ride lasted about 10-15 minutes, but it was definitely more than enough for me. If I'm not wrong, the wheel turned 3 or 4 times. Anyway I was too engrossed in taking pics to notice!

Well well well - check out the view!! This ride was definitely worth it! When the wheel paused for a moment, I turned...and was pleasantly surprised. Such an excellent vantage point for me to take pics! When I was right at the top, I literally had a 360-degree view of the surroundings, including the Fishing Boat Harbour (and its major restaurants), the Customs House area (O'Connor Landing), and other landmarks! I even had wonderful views of the Esplanade Reserve down below!

Although the ride wasn't very long, I still enjoyed myself thoroughly. I intend to go up the Ferris wheel during sunset - now that would be a really magical experience!

Mandatory hot chocolate from Theobroma. I'm officially a Theobroma (and hot chocolate) addict. I go there almost every week for a dose of rich dark hot chocolate. And sometimes I even get extra chocolate flakes sprinkled in!

Al fresco dining along the famous Cappuccino Strip. Well - al fresco dining is superb when the weather is good! Check out the lovely blue skies! No polarising filter, I swear!

Settled for mushroom pasta at La Porchetta before heading off for some more adventures. I decided to head to the Western Australian Shipwreck Museum for a visit (also spontaneous!). More to that soon!

And after my visit to the museum, I walked around Cliff Street - a major landmark in Fremantle. Cargo from the sea used to be loaded and transported along Cliff Street, when the harbour was first established. Many old buildings still remain, and they've since been restored and converted for various purposes. Some of these buildings form part of the Notre Dame University campus.

Lionel and Samson Company Pty Ltd building. Only the front facade remains - the back has been rebuilt.

Trying out new things at the glass door of the former Fremantle Hotel, built in 1899. Now this building is part of Notre Dame University.

Looking down High Street - pretty quiet for a Saturday afternoon! The building on the right used to be called P & O Hotel - originally the Victoria Hotel in the 1870s, but renamed P & O Hotel in 1901. It used to be really popular amongst ship captains. Now it's part of the Notre Dame University campus.

Right next to the former P & O Hotel is the Orient Hotel - built in 1902. It's still used as a bar/hotel now, and is really popular amongst partygoers. And people can sit outside and drink...and enjoy the atmosphere.

Some of the other beautiful heritage buildings which have been converted to faculties and schools (all part of Notre Dame University of course).

The blue and yellow building was the former Sadliers Warehouse/Customs Agency - built in the 1880s. It's now a residential building.

The former Fowler's Warehouse, built between 1899 and 1900. Its also currently part of the University of Notre Dame campus. If I'm not wrong the medical library is in here.

Check out the lovely details on the building!

Yet another beautiful old building next to the former Fowler's Warehouse. And this is a reason why I love Fremantle - so many heritage buildings!

A week before I visited the Ferris wheel, I actually went to visit the Western Australian Maritime Museum. And I bought a cute little bag of treasures - containing pyrite! I've always been pretty interested in rocks and minerals - and was so delighted when I managed to get a whole bag of pyrite!

Bought some semi-precious stones from the WA Shipwreck Museum too. This cute little bag contains tumbled semi-precious stones like turquoise, rock crystal, amethyst, and so on!

And I guess that ends today's post. Back to posting Singapore pics in the next one!

Heritage Buildings

More pics from my recent Singapore trip! This time - I'll be focusing on the National Museum of Singapore, Fuk Tak Chi Temple and Thian Hock Keng Temple.

First up - the National Museum of Singapore. Since I left for Australia, I have not gone back to the National Museum of Singapore. This time - I decided to have a good look of the place...and also to take pics of course! The museum was opened in 1849 - initially known as the Raffles Library and Museum. It has since gone through a number of extensions to accommodate the growing collection. It has also been restored a couple of times - mainly to maintain the condition of the materials used.

Anyway - here's a couple of pics of the main facade - facing the road. There's actually a dome behind - except that it isn't obvious here...

Singapore's National Day was coming up - so the museum was decorated with red and white flags - the colours on the original Singapore flag.

When I walked in through the main entrance, I ended up in the rotunda - and this is where the dome is! The rotunda is an open space supported by Corinthian pillars...and it's very well lit, thanks to the gorgeous stained glass on the dome, and the white walls! White really works wonders.

Headed to the Concourse - a recent extension of the Museum. The Concourse design was inspired by famous interior designer I.M. Pei's previous works. The original part of the museum was designed by Henry McCallum and J.F. McNair.

Our first stop - the Singapore History Gallery. We had to walk down this spiral glass walkway - which was really cool! This was at the new part of the museum.

The Singapore History Gallery houses artefacts dated all the way back to the 1400s, till Independence Day. There's even the Singapore Stone - possibly one of the oldest stones ever discovered in Singapore. The Stone itself has some carvings, but I couldn't figure out what was on there.

The history of Singapore was described really vividly through exhibits, artefacts and interactive displays. We even had a tablet to carry around - and that gave us lots of information too!

We also visited some of the Living Galleries. The Living Galleries were situated in this glass tunnel area - where the original dome can clearly be seen. The Living Galleries include the "Film and Wayang", the "Food" and the "Fashion" galleries. I particularly liked the "Food" one - as there were famous local dishes on display! These included laksa, char kway teow, bak kut teh and chicken rice. I even bought some bak kut teh here in Australia...just to be reminded of Singapore!

After visiting the living galleries, I decided to hang around and take more pics of the dome. Seriously this is a wonderful work of art! I just can't get tired of this wonderful creation.

Oh yes - there was an exhibition on the treasures of Lichtenstein (titled Princely Treasures), in the museum, but we didn't get to check it out. Ah wells! Next time!

More detailed views of the stained glass on the dome. The lighting was definitely in my favour.

And my favourite view of all - a pic of the dome from the ground floor, looking straight up.

My friend and I then decided to call it a day, and we left the museum. Had a really good time there!

Our next destination - the Fuk Tak Chi temple. But first, here're some pics of the city - the old and the new. In one part of the city, there're lots of skyscrapers and modern-looking office buildings...

But as I wandered through the smaller streets, I noticed lots of old shophouses - many of which have been converted to restaurants and cafes. The shophouses were painted in vivid colours...and I wonder if they were actually this colourful in the past. It's really impossible to tell through black-and-white photographs.

Many different clans exist in Singapore - mostly established by the Chinese immigrants - where people of the same surname would group together and form an association. Some of them are still active today - and they usually organise activities and gatherings for members. If I'm not wrong, this is one of the headquarters for one of the clans. There're quite a few clan headquarters around the older parts of Singapore.

Finally reached the Fuk Tak Chi temple. It's not conspicuous as it's a really small building. But it was a really important shrine to the Chinese immigrants in the past. Many Chinese immigrants came to Singapore in the 1800s and early 1900s. My grandparents (apart from my maternal grandma) were all Chinese immigrants.

When Chinese immigrants came to Singapore, they came by old Chinese junks...like this. And it was a very difficult journey for them.  

The Fuk Tak Chi temple is actually the oldest temple in Singapore - built in 1824. It served as a shrine for the Chinese immigrants, and was eventually converted into a museum in 1998. 

There were lots of artefacts kept in glass cabinets in the temple itself - but I didn't have much time to explore. Ah well - will revisit the temple again in December!

My next destination - the Thian Hock Keng temple - one of the oldest temples in Singapore too. The temple was built entirely without nails...and it was completed in 1842.

The main entrance of the temple. It's such a masterpiece. Check out the intricate carvings on the beams. 

Detailed dragon carvings were seen everywhere...

The tiles along the walls of the temple. Really beautiful! And well-maintained.

This was the first thing I saw after stepping over the door beam. Old Chinese temples have a beam which visitors have to step over. In some sense it blocks crawling animals from coming in, but some believe that the beam prevents ghosts from entering as they cannot jump over it (i.e. ghosts can only travel straight).

The Thian Hock Keng temple was originally built by the Chinese immigrants to offer thanks to the goddess Mazu - when they successfully reached Singapore after rocky conditions at sea. The Thian Hock Keng temple also houses different Taoist deities, and a Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) statue. I'm a worshipper of the Goddess of Mercy, as part of my religion.

Most of the deities were at the sides of the temple, and we had to pass through these doorways to get to them. Some people would also offer respects to the deities - depending on who they worship.

We weren't allowed to take pics of the main prayer hall. But I managed to take some pics of the beautiful carvings on the ceiling. Absolutely gorgeous! I'm amazed how there isn't a single nail in this structure. They're really innovative!

Took a couple of pics of the main entrance before I left.

And that's it for today's post! Will post more Singapore pics soon! :)