The Singapore River a century ago

Until the 1970s-1980s, the river was the commercial heart of Singapore, where coolies loaded and unloaded goods between the warehouses lining the banks (known as 'godowns') and lighters, small boats acting as a link to the larger ships anchored in the harbour beyond the river mouth.

This image is taken from a tiny snapshot no more than a couple of inches across, and dates from around 1910, from the look of it. The buildings on the left were government offices, and now house the Asian Civilisations Museum. Many of the those facing us in the centre of the picture have been replaced by high-rise blocks (mainly banks), although a line of godown buildings to the right of this shot (outside the frame) has been preserved. A promenade runs along the bank, lined with restaurants and bars. All the boats disappeared in the late 1980s, as part of a clean-up exercise.

The Singapore River in the early 1900s

The blog awakens: a book published in November

Well, the previous post was in May 2015 and now it's the beginning of January 2016 - just the sort of gap that I promised myself to avoid. So what has happened in the interim?

On the work front, November saw the publication of my latest book, Transformation of a River: The Singapore River and Marina Bay. It was commissioned by Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority, and the design and production were handled by the company I worked for until 2008, publisher Editions Didier Millet.

The book cover, with an aerial photo of the barrage by Richard Koh. Seen from this angle, the channel to the Singapore River is the left-hand branch of the water body; the right fork leads to the Kallang River basin. Virtually all the land you see here is reclaimed.

When first conceptualised, the book was to focus on the history of the Singapore River; as it developed the emphasis shifted, giving equal prominence to Marina Bay, an artificial, freshwater reservoir  created by reclamation and the installation of a barrage, keeping the reservoir water separate from the seawater beyond it. The reservoir is fed not only by the Singapore River but also the Kallang River further east.

Two pages from the book. This is the story of Singapore's first civil airport, built on reclaimed land at the mouth of the Kallang River. The site of the airfield (in green on the map) is now a modern sports stadium.

The whole bay project is a massively ambitious planning exercise. It has taken some 40 years to complete. From the book's point of view, this broadening of perspective meant that we covered not only the commercial and social history of the rivers, but also the water supply and sewerage system, pollution control, and the development of all the waterfronts as a place for people to visit and enjoy.

It's quite a big book, full of information and interesting photos (old and new), and graphics.

The book's on sale at the URA office. I am not sure at this point when or how they intend to distribute it to the public at large. Lets hope. It's ideal reading for anybody coming to live in Singapore, or doing business here, wanting to know how and why the city and its waterfronts look as they do today.

The buildings around Marina Bay, under construction in 2008 (top) and today. The upper shot was taken with a Pentax DSLR with Sigma 17-70 lens; the lower one with a Panasonic GX7, with 12-32  lens. Both consist of multiple images stitched together with Autopano Pro.

The second half of 2015 wasn't all work and no travel. In fact I made two visits to London, one to Bali, and three to Thailand. Can't complain. More on all of this shortly.

Cuba Part 8: What camera to take?

Of course, the only really important decision was what camera to take.

I decided not to lug a DSLR around on this trip. My back is getting more and more weight-sensitive. That’s why I moved into the micro four-thirds (M4/3), mirrorless format late last year, starting with a trip to Myanmar in December (worth a blog entry,  if I ever get round to it).

So I took a Panasonic Lumix GX7 body to Cuba. It handles and performs well, despite the complexities of the menus and button options.

GX7 with Panasonic 20mm (source: ephotozine)

The lenses were:  Panasonic 12-32mm and 14-42mm zooms (both bought secondhand); Panasonic 20mm prime and 45-150mm zoom, both of which came as a package with the camera. And the Sigma 60mm f/2.8 DN. The two wide zooms largely overlap in range – I used the 12-32 more of the two, probably too much: that extreme wide angle (12mm M4/3 is equivalent to 24mm in old-style 35mm or ‘full-frame’), and can start to look a bit tedious, even gimmicky, if overused, and you have to spend a lot of time correcting verticals on the computer. I find them both very good performers: indeed, for cheapo plastic kit lenses they are amazing. No complaints there.

Panasonic 12-32 (top)
and Sigma 60mm f/2.8 DN

I used the 20mm a bit in low-light circumstances. It’s a good lens for when you really need it. Yes, it's slow-focusing – you jut have to take that into account. The 45-150 comes out well in reviews, but I find it disappointing, even for an inexpensive lens. It’s not a fast lens and I may be relying too much on the in-lens stabilization, but I don’t think I will take it on the next megatrip. The Sigma 60mm, however, is excellent, a fast lens that’s sharp from wide open. A great buy, in my opinion.

My bank account is flinching at the prospect of the GX8 rumoured to be due for announcement later in the year. But then, there are some other juicy mirrorless options coming up …

The electronic viewfinder of the GX7 is OK, but not up to the best that’s now available. I hope the GX8 improves on that, with a higher eyepoint.  And finally, the GX7 battery performance is crap. Totally. You’ll get through two batteries in a day of intensive tourism, maybe more. For confidence on a trip like this you need to take three spares.

For backup I took my Fujifilm X20. It’s a nice little camera within its limitations, but I didn’t have to use it much.

My Pentax DSLRs (K30 and K5) produce better results than any of the above, but so they should with their larger sensors. For a trip that involves a lot of walking around, their extra weight and bulk is an issue, for me anyway. Another of life’s trade-offs ….  Or should it be trades-off? Perhaps so, but without a hyphen.

I've just remembered. I was going to do an entry on cars. I will, but not today.  But here's a contrasting pair anyway, to be going on with.

Top: Cadillac Eldorado, around 1952, I would guess. Pretty gross, but preferable to what Detroit was doing ten years later. Below that is an Austin A35, anything from 1956 to 1959.  A friend of mine at university in the 1960s had one of these,  known as Gruntington Bollockheap. Well, what you saw is what you got.  Some people raced them. Yes, really.

There are quite a lot of European cars in Cuba. There are not many countries where you don't still see an occasional Morris Minor tottering around, and Cuba's no exception.

Cuba Part 7: A trip to the coast, Havana and home

The Plaza Marti and the church of the Virgen del Buen Viaje, Remedios

Santa Clara was the last major stop on the way back to Havana, but we were in for a nice surprise: a short trip north via Remedios to Caibarien on the coast.

Remedios is a small town dating back to the 16th century. Like all Cuban towns it has its main square, the Plaza Marti, and is an ideal place to spend an hour or two just walking around. The Iglesia Parroquia Mayor de San Juan Bautista de Remedios (the parish church, to you) has an amazing carved cedarwood altarpiece covering the entire east wall – the most spectacular piece of interior decoration we saw in any church we visited in Cuba. And we found another church, the church of the Virgen del Buen Viaje, in the throes of restoration. The inside looked like complete chaos, but the place was alive with builders and craftsmen who – presumably – knew what they were doing.

The cedarwood altarpiece (if that's the correct term) of the Iglesia Parroquia Mayor de San Juan Bautista de Remedios

Remedios: the church of the Virgen del Buen Viaje undergoing restoration

And then to Caibarien, once a busy little port, and now fallen on hard times. In fact, semi-abandoned, with great stretches of grand old buildings in various stages of decay, some no more than shells. It was like a film set, the sort of place that attracts photographers with a weakness for ruin porn.  – hard to believe that in the 1920s, National City Bank (today’s Citi) felt the need to set up a branch there. With the aid of an old sepia photo, I was able to track down the building, now occupied by a local bank. I doubt if anyone’s doing much business there. The seafront is derelict, with just a few foundations and other traces of the old quaysides.

The former premises of National Citiy Bank (now Citi or Citibank) in Caibarien

Going to the movies in Caibarien

Talking of industrial relics, there’s an old sugar mill on the road to Caibarien, now the Museo Azucarero Marcelo Salado. It’s hard to resist that vast old machinery, heavy engineering, literally: and there was a steam locomotive museum next to it. There was actually an engine all steamed up ready to run, but with a taxi driver chafing at the bit, anxious to get back to Santa Clara, there was not chance to take a ride.

So that was it. Back to Havana for a day, in preparation for the marathon trip back to London: Air Canada to Toronto; a five-hour wait, and then another Air Canada flight across the North Atlantic. Feedback note: the Toronto–Havana leg seems to be treated as a domestic flight. Be that as it may, you have to pay for everything, the aircraft interior was on the tired side, and the service was – lets say – grudging. Or cursory. Or indifferent. The leg to London was fine, and the food was actually quite good. Air Canada are not as liberal with the drinks and snacks as BA though, it has to be said.

I would like to go back to Cuba. Whether I will is another matter. Maybe to Havana for a less frenetic visit. But there’s no doubt that this was one of the most enjoyable trips I’ve done, and I’m pretty well travelled. But to repeat the earlier message, if you’re thinking of going, go soon.

Band in rehearsal outside the music school in the Plaza Marti, Remedios

Cuba Part 6: The last big stop, Santa Clara

Local government offices at the Parque Vidal, Santa Clara

We could have got a bus from Camaguey to Santa Clara, but I wanted to hunt down a particular bank building in Ciego de Avilar on the way, so we did this leg by taxi. I found the bank – and one or other interesting bank buildings, including the former Royal Bank of Canada (now a local bank), with the royal coat of arms still splendid above the entrance. 

Santa Clara was the last major stop on the road back to Havana. Most people go there to see the monuments to Che Quevara. One of them is the Tren Blindado, a monument centred on an armoured train that Che attacked and took over in 1958, in the early stages of the revolution. By this stage, I had had enough of Che, and so maybe I was less receptive than I should have been.

Getting around Santa Clara

As usual, the main political sight was a bit out of town. The Plaza de la Revolucion Che Guevara is overlooked by a great monument with a statue and the mausoleum of this iconic (literally) figure, who had the great fortune, in career terms, to die young. The tourists were more interesting than the monument, with a fair sprinkling of awe-struck, idealistic, middle-class revolutionaries of various nations, with expensive cameras.

The Che Monument, Santa Clara

The star attraction of the town proper is the Parque Vidal, a big, formal square with the municipal office on one side – imposing by any measure. A blot on the townscape is the Hotel Santa Clara Libre, an insensitive 1950s building (now painted in lurid shades of green) only notable for the shrapnel damage sustained in the revolution. And its ugliness. The square really comes alive in the evening, with concerts and two little carts pulled by small goats, giving rides to kids. Children, that is, not small goats.

For me, the best thing in Santa Clara was completely unexpected, the 1880s Teatro La Caridad. There was a rehearsal going on, and we were able to go in and wander around. The building would be regarded as a treasure in any city.

The 19th-century Teatro La Caridad, Santa Clara

And – there was the theatre bar, where le tout Santa Clara goes for a drink at sundown, including some undoubtedly friendly local ladies. Hilarious, particularly after a few mohitos all round.

Talking of the mohito: white rum, sugar cane juice, lime juice, soda water and mint. Every one we had was different. I think the key is the mint. I got a taste for mohitos … just the thing after hard day’s tourism.

Our Man in Havana …  oops sorry, Santa Clara

Cuba Part 5: The road to Camaquey

After Santiago, our next stop was Camaguey. The day before leaving, we slogged up to the bus terminal and tried to book tickets on the Viazul bus. The man at the desk had obviously had a hot, difficult day, and said flatly there were no tickets available and there was not going to be be any, so tough. Bugger off (or the Cuban-Spanish equivalent). The people at the Casa were more positive and said we should go to the bus station in the morning an hour or so before departure (another early one), and indeed the husband accompanied us to act as interpreter if required – this was typical of the friendliness we found pretty much everywhere. Anyway, there were tickets, and we made it on to the bus. So began our gradual return across the island towards Havana.

Camaguey, looking towards the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Soledad

But this does raise a point. Given the current state of infrastructure and transport, travelling around the island does require effort and resilience, unless you’re prepared to pay serious money for taxis and drivers at every stage. Internet access and functioning ATMs are virtually non-existent in most places. It’s hot, and getting any form of service, whether buying a ticket, changing money, or finding accommodation, is a test of character. You wouldn’t want to do it with a heart condition. And, we were told, this is true even if you speak Spanish. So I wouldn’t recommend Cuba if you just want to relax – unless you go on an organised tour (and see nothing really) or just slump on to a beach at Varadero (in which case you might just as well go to Ibiza). There were moments when I said to myself that at 67 I’m getting a bit old for this sort of thing. But that mood always passed. It’s the price you pay for going to somewhere unspoiled – for now – by mass tourism.

Camaguey, church of San Juan de Dios

So, on to Camaguey – another bus journey through an uninteresting landscape. According to the guidebooks the narrow streets of Camaguey are laid out so that they intersect at unpredictable angles, so as to confuse intruders. It’s true that there’s no discernible grid, and it’s easy to get lost. We were staying on the south side of town, close to the Plaza San Juan de Dios, which was one of most atmospheric and unspoiled of all the squares we saw in Cuba.  (Great restaurant.) Beside the main square, the Parque Ignacio Agramonte, is the cathedral.

Camaguey, sculpture by Martha Jimenez

Apart from all the picturesque side streets, the main highlights of Camaguey were the churches. Two stick in my mind, for very contrasting reasons. Close to the church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen is the studio of Martha Jimenez, who specialises in fat ladies. One of the sculptures displayed in a garden behind the studio is unusual – see above. I suppose it's the original of that little boy in Brussels.

The church of Santo Cristo del Viaje has a cemetery with some over-the-top funerary monuments. I quite like cemeteries – there’s nothing depressing about them, unless they’re designed and maintained in a depressing way.

All over Cuba, you see colonial architecture with elaborate arcades at street level. Many of the columns are cast iron, with elaborate classical ornamentation. The main road leading north out of central Camaquey has a particularly good array of these. Some of the buildings are run down, their glory days behind them, but the effect is still there. I think that’s how urban architecture in a hot climate should look.

Columns (and lunch) in Camaguey

Shopping in Camaaguey

Cuba Part 4: Santiago de Cuba

Town centre at night, Santiago de Cuba

Trinidad–Santiago was the first of our two legs on the Viazul buses. It was fine, apart from starting too early, and lasting 15 hours. The buses are a bit worn, but comfortable and quiet, and they have toilets. There’s not much reason to stay awake – the Cuban landscape is pretty uninteresting. I read that once it consisted mainly of sugar plantations (coffee and tobacco are also traditional crops in some areas). But the sugar industry’s in decline, and a lot of the land seemed under-populated or unexploited. There are some ranges of hills or low mountains, but most of it’s flat, as far as the horizon. We went through small towns and villages, obviously poor, and past derelict industrial plants and small farms where horses are still important. All a bit depressing. There’s one major highway, a dual carriageway running east-west along much of the island. The traffic on it moves fast, but the surface is terrible, and drivers perform chicanes at speed around the potholes. You overtake on either side, according to your whim. Fortunately, the traffic’s sparse.

Santiago was the most easterly point on the trip. When we arrived at the Casa Particular, we got chatting to a couple. One of them was a German architect interested in heritage. I asked him which place in Cuba got his vote as a ‘must visit’ – and he said ‘Santiago’. So I had high hopes.

View from the roof of the Casa Particular,  Santiago de Cuba

We were staying 15 minutes’ or so walk to the north of the historic centre. As in many Cuban towns most of the streets are built on a grid pattern, and walking to the central square, the Plaza de Marte, was straightforward, although the streets are much narrower and less grandiose than what we saw in Havana. And of course, among the buildings that have been maintained, there are others on the verge of ruin or in urgent need of attention. Quite a lot of the town is quite hilly, which is visually interesting.

Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion, Santiago de Cuba

Refugees in the basement, during restoration of the Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion

The Plaza de Marte’s impressive, dominated by the Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion. The cathedral’s being restored. Peeking through a dirty window at street level I could see all the moveable statuary, moved there for safe keeping, an eerie, inanimate community. A number of the public buildings around the town centre have been done up and look very impressive. The 16^th-century Casa de Velasquez, named after a colonial governor, is said to be the oldest house in Cuba. It looked to my (uneducated) eyes about as Spanish as you can get, which means there’s a dose of Moorish influence in the architecture.

During the day several groups of street musicians were keeping things lively, and after dark there was a band concert in the square. Vibrant, as the Singapore Tourism Board say.

The Monumento Maceo, in the Plaza de la Revolution, Santiago de Cuba

The more ‘political’ part of town was a little way out. The Plaza de la Revolucion (there always has to be one) is close to the bus station. The modern equestrian statue of Antonio Maceo says it all – understated it’s not, although it’s arguably less gross than the political statuary at intersections all over the more touristy bits of Bali, say.

Santiago wasn’t the highlight of my trip, but it was worth making the (considerable) effort to get there. I wish we had had time to check out Guantanamo (yes, the US base is not far away), and Manzanillo, both of which were important commercial centres in past years.

Street scene, Santiago de Cuba

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