a city close to the equator

on a weekend with nothing to do, i took an island-hopper to a place i had never before travelled to - a magical place where every order of hainanese chicken comes with the most outrageously tasty chicken soup, garlic gailan, and a complimentary lonely planet city guide


an island city with a pretty downtown and a monstrosity of a new casino under construction


there are miles of waterfront by the financial district teeming with restaurant life


and wonderful displays of clouds, rain and the occasional patches of sunshine

a ferris wheel of enormous proportions fills out my camera's frame of view

a glittering downtown skyline at dusk

same view a few hours later

a view back over the river of the esplanade and concert hall

along the waterfront, a rock band played into the muggy friday night - cheered on by a large crowd

the restaurants along the river serves food and drinks of all nations late into the night

some might say that cross breeding a lion and a goldfish is perhaps unnatural but if not for that we would not have scenes such as this - of a merlion statue spewing a jet of water into the bay - to the delight of all the visiting tourists

a beer-promotion lady and costumed salesman entertain tourists behind glass walls that keep the dry cool air in and the humid hot air out

a street corner in kampong glam - an ethnic somewhat arabic section of town

vast expanses of concrete and steel in the heart of the city

another ethnic section of town - this one is known as little india - not sure why

in china town tourists and residents prepare for the upcoming new years activities

if there were such a contest, this apartment would win one for the nicest window dressing above a sign for live bullfrog porridge

a minister tends to a couple of his flock on the well attended grounds in front of his church

in every city there is a scene just like this - perhaps exhibiting various degrees of midriff display - of effervescent brides-to-be beaming with joy

something spooky about statues heads without bodies - for this entryway to a fusion restaurant one just wasnt enough

an old tourist peddler sleeps away the midday hours in an underground pedestrian pass

large stickers on small cars - car owners begging for attention

river-side dining - razor clams that are well worth the pretty penny that are charged for them

a young woman scooting around one of the larger mall food courts on a segway selling cold drinks

another hotel room to call home for a few days in another city

another island in the south china seas

while the skyline may have completely changed over the decades, this view still brings back memories of my childhood

this is a view from the new central piers perhaps a couple of hundred meters north of the previous ferry pier

the infamous reclamation continues at a furious clip

there is joy in some of the simple parts of a day - like watching a chef prepare your lunch of barbeque pork over a plate of rice

or window shopping in one of the mega malls in this city - shown here, a YSL cubular store

traffic on a windy saturday night

a day trip north across the harbor

took a train and a bus to a sleepy fishing village where boats bob lazily on a green-blue sea and fishing birds circle overhead

for one such bird lunch is just a split second away

a fishing boat commandeered by two pirate sea dogs

leisure craft moored and resting on the glassy water of the village marina

a signature event in this town - fishermen selling their catch from their boats to dry-landers on the waterfront walkway

a buffet of fresh live seafood delicacies on display at an outdoor restaurant along the main promenade - the paneopea abrupta looks absolutely mouthwatering as does the siliqua patula ...

my first visit to this island destination

my day starts off with a meal of soup

in a modern cafe with pictures of days past

one of the numerous hotels that cater to visitors to this island

window shopping along the main road

yet another large hotel on this island

expressions of modern city life has crept into historic sections of this city center - graffiti of questionable aesthetic content

a tray of snack food being prepared for sale along the roadside

a merchant handing out free samples of candies and cured meats in front of his store in a well-travelled alleyway

recent pics from my trips

sometimes i enjoy eating a simple bowl of noodles - preferably one with a pound of beef

a high-ceiling'ed office building lobby in an industrial part of town

truth be yold, i actually dont remember what this was, but i do remember that it was very good

a wall of glass hearts forms a display showcase in a museum of contemporary art

a costumed department store employee in a trendy region handing out samples

a clothing shop storefront late into a weeknight

a ferocious lion preying on shoppers in the middle of the city

the usual hotel room with a view high above the city

i guess i came too early - or more likely it was too hot for lunching in the open and muggy air

cantonese restaurant entrance with a retro chic entrance way

a subway line runs through a small department store plaza on a sunday afternoon

a familiar view of a city skyline with surrounding southeastern mountains to the right

signs advertising all the usual trappings of modern city life