Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (丹戎巴葛火车总站) - An Impromptu Visit

I was so happy to collect my DSLR baby after its week-long stay at Nikon (Singapore) Service Centre that i made an unexpected visit to this railway station that is about to end its operation this July.

First thing that caught my inattentive eye was that while many car parks in Singapore are using cash cards; the one here is still using a traditional ticketing system that has long disappeared from this small island.

The iconic building that seems really out of place in modernised Singapore. I am not complaining because i have always enjoyed old buildings and known that history a really important heritage for any country.

Statues that stand separately for agriculture, commerce, transport and industry; four traditional backbones for economy in the olden days. By the way, the letters F, M, S, R, stand for Federated Malay States Railways.

Bare and spacious entrance that might seem boring for many of us but for history buffs, it's a piece of valuable architecture that speaks volumes of its historical past.

An old style ticketing counter! KTM is the main railway operator in Malaysia and this terminal is unsurprisingly managed by it. Due to its pending closure, visitors are scrambling to take the final ride through this station!

Train schedules for this station. From my understanding, there are only three timings every day if you decide to travel from Tanjong Pagar to Malaysia. And i figure that tickets will be more and more difficult to get as the days edge nearer to July 2011.

Wall panels showing scenes of the region's economy early last century. Cavin is not an artistic person unfortunately. *shrugs*

A photograph showing the high ceiling of the station. Bet there will be another museum in this place in times to come.

Partially closed departure platform. There was still another 45 minutes to the next departure at 7pm when i took this picture.

Since it's not locked, i took the opportunity to take a picture of the departing platform. Unlike our usual MRT stations, i had the feeling that i might be able to roam around the station freely with no resistance from anyone.

The arrival platform was another story altogether; it was crowded!

Thanks to the canteen that is situated right beside the railway track! Despite the air and noise pollution, patrons love to sit close to the track.

For the uninitiated, the land surrounding the railway station and the railway tracks that stretch all the way from southern to northern Singapore belongs to Malaysia at the moment.

An agreement is in place for Malaysia to return the land to Singapore from 1 July 2011 in exchange for parcels of prime land in Singapore. Judging from the high property prices in this little red dot, it is indeed a very attractive offer.

What's this?? Gave me the impression that it could be a railway cart used by employees to travel to another area to repair railway tracks. Or to go home, if it's nearby.

A sign that this place belongs to Malaysia! Kind of amusing that a narrow strip of land in mainland Singapore doesn't really belong to Singapore.

Photography fanatics, with one towing a huge ass camera, could not resist the temptation of clicking for a place that is going to close down in just a month's time!

Dirty water that is a conducive environment for aedes mosquitoes - the culprits for the horrendous dengue fever! Hm..... i am just wondering, could NEA fine the railway station even though it is officially on Malaysian land?

On my way out, i saw this interesting information on homestays along the railway tracks in Peninsular Malaysia. I should seriously explore this option once i win the million dollar TOTO!

Wide walkway outside the station. In the past, this should be a very busy place. You can just imagine the rickshaw pullers waiting for customers right here.

The ancient and spoilt mounted clock never fails to attract my attention whenever i take bus no 10! Only the double decker bus that is.

Getting ready my old school car park ticket for payment before exiting the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (aka Keppel Road Railway Station or to a lesser extent; Singapore Railway Station).

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Location

30 Keppel Road

Car Park Rates

I remember it was S$1 an hour before 5pm from Monday to Saturday.

A per entry charge was imposed for after 5pm from Monday to Saturday and whole day for Public Holidays. There was no mention for Sunday but i presume it should be treated the same like Public Holidays.

Nasi Uduk @ Banquet Signature (AnchorPoint)

What the hell is Nasi Uduk?

Judging from the above picture, Singaporeans and Malaysians are more likely to identify it as Nasi Lemak instead of Uduk.

According to an elementary search on the World Wide Web, the only difference is the use of different type of leaves; bay leaf for nasi lemak and salam leaf for nasi uduk.

The rice had a green-yellowish tinge to them and gave a nice fragrance (may be a result of this salam leaf?) that evoked cravings for my colleague and myself every few months!

It is precisely this subtle fragrance that distinctly separates Nasi Uduk from Nasi Lemak.

Chicken wing aside (which was at most passable), the combination of having achar with sambal chilli and rice can only be termed as the most invigorating for your taste buds!

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Location

370, Alexandra Road,

AnchorPoint, #B1-44/51

Price

S$4.00 per plate.

Additional Information

Banquet Signature is a Halal certified establishment!

Katong Rojak @ 49 Katong Laksa

I have heard of katong laksa (seriously, who hasn't?) but i am not aware that there's even a katong rojak!

Since we had 30 minutes to spare before the car park coupon expired and dearest mummy would like to try this katong-style "Chinese Salad", we ignored the earnest recommendation for the famous katong laksa and ordered a rojak instead.

Dished on a disappointingly small plate, this had the outlook of a normal rojak with rough peanut bits, usual ingredients and a dark sauce that could only be described as sufficient.

From the above, it's obvious we were not expecting much.

Expectedly, there was a sweet-sour taste to this rojak which made it quite palatable.

What caught us by surprise were actually the fresh ingredients used; chilled cucumbers, juicy pineapples, crunchy turnips, fat bean sprouts and cullers that were crispy externally yet moist and soft internally!

This is not the best rojak i had but it is one of the most memorable.

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Location

49 East Coast Road

(Corner Shop Between East Coast Road and Ceylon Road)

Price

S$3 was ordered.

Stopover @ Kranji Commonwealth War Cemetery (克兰芝阵亡战士公坟) aka Kranji War Memorial

Looking at the steaming hot sunlight that filtered through my car window, i knew this would not be a good time to explore Lim Chu Kang cemetery.

The area is too bloody big and i will be suffering from heat stroke in less than 30 minutes!

That's when i decided to drive along the quieter roads of Lim Chu Kang and bypass the boring expressways! As i took on the leisure ride, my mind drifted to a war cemetery in nearby Kranji.

Without any second thought, i spontaneously designated it as the finishing point.

Located on a gentle hill in the middle of nowhere, i have been talking of coming here for ages. It was listed as an attraction by Singapore Tourism Board and it's embarrassing not to have visited it as a true blue Singaporean!

Singapore's state cemetery is also located within this war memorial. However, only ex Presidents Yusuf Ishak and Benjamin Sheares are buried in the compound. Kind of funny that the remains of only two out of five past presidents were laid to rest here (4th president Wee Kim Wee had asked for his ashes to be placed at Mandai Columbarium like many ordinary citizens).

Managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this is a place of utter peacefulness. It was devoid of any human noises and i respectfully began my exploration as the one and only visitor.

A plaque fronted the cemetery's entrance. Old English is used and it should be obvious that it means the names of those who died in the world wars live forever.

One of the sheltered enclosures has this metal plate that i thought to be of pure decorative purpose.

Knowing me, my itchy hand had to touch and turn the 3D metal knob to reveal a secret compartment! Gosh, curiously is a really helpful behaviour for exploration! I am only glad i didn't find snakes inside.

As casted correctly on the metal plate, i found two cemetery and memorial registers and a visitor's book. They were not secured tightly and i can just imagine how many books have been lost and replaced continually.

Main compound - i was surprised to find no walkway nor pathway available to continue my journey. For that slight moment, i was even afraid to step on the manicured grass. If not for the wetness, i was actually considering the option of removing my shoes!

Many tombstones dotted the area - place strategically and neatly. Contrary to its name, this is not a pure war cemetery and the area is divided into plots for easy identification.

Silence is always associated with cemeteries and it was equally true when i was there except for the frequent chirps by birds. The other moving creature, besides myself, was this slow moving garden snail.

The Christian Cross is evident here but if you take a closer look, a sword like structure is stuck to it. There could be some symbolic meaning to it that i am unaware of. I am afraid i am no Dan Brown.

A bigger plaque fronted the main building that has no doors and nil windows. "They died for all free men" - a short sentence that speaks length for the war period.

The names of allied servicemen whose bodies were never found were engraved on the numerous walls of this main structure.

Just in case you innocently thought that there are only 2 or 3 walls, please find above the attached picture that shows half the memorial walls.

Located at the top of the hill, you get a pretty good view of its surrounding. This is definitely a great place to be if you want to have some peace and quiet. Or maybe to read a book. True Singapore Ghost Stories for example.

Johor Bahru is directly across. The skyline will look much better if not for the slightly hazy weather condition.

More tombstones at the back! At the end of this post, i shall post a picture of the cemetery's layout so that you can have a better idea of the number of tombstones there could be.

War in the olden days (note: not ancient wars) comprised of land soldiers (Army), seamen (Navy) and airforce personnel (Airforce). These three groups are actually represented in the design of this building. Could you guess where?

The wall columns stand for the army as soldiers march in columns; the flat roof supported by the columns stands for the wings of an airplane while the towering odd shape on top of the roof interestingly stands for the navy; periscope of a submarine!

Sacrifices made during the world wars have lesser of an impact on the generation after the 1950s. That's why such memorials must remain to serve as a reminder to the younger generation. Sadly, history is often deemed to be irrelevant for most of them.

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Location

9 Woodlands Road

(Nearest MRT Station; Kranji)

Opening Hours

8am to 6.30pm (Daily)

Additional Information

Please preserve the dignity and respect those men who perished in the wars. Kindly refrain (as noted from the picture above) from having a picnic, treasure hunt, picking flowers, making noises and dancing in the premises of this place.

The layout for the cemetery as downloaded from the website of Commonwealth War Graves Commission.