Saturday, July 14, 2007

Photo Blog - Bras Basah

Strolling at Bras Basah one night, retracing my first steps in Singapore.. Took shots of the famous Raffles Hotel, possibly the most expensive hotel in Singapore.

From wikipedia:

"Raffles Hotel (Chinese: 莱佛士酒店) is a colonial-style hotel in Singapore, dating from 1887, and named after Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles. Managed by Raffles International, it is known for its luxurious accommodation and superb restaurants. The hotel houses a tropical garden courtyard, museum, and Victorian-style theatre.

Raffles is where the Singapore Sling was invented. The cocktail was invented by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon around 1910."


"The Hotel has a shopping Arcade which houses branded boutiques such as Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co.. Most of the Hotel's restaurants are housed in the arcade. It also has shops such as Singapore's treasured and famous custom tailor, CYC, which makes shirts for Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The Raffles Hotel Museum and Jubilee Hall are located on the third floor of the Arcade."


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A few steps away is the Singapore oasis a.ka. Chijmes (pronounced Chimes).


From wikipedia:

"CHIJMES (pronounced "chimes", Chinese: 赞美广场) is a historic building complex in Singapore, which began life as a Catholic convent known as the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) (圣婴女修院) and convent quarters known as Caldwell House (古德威尔屋). The complex is located at Victoria Street in the Downtown Core, within the Central Area, Singapore's central business district.

This complex of convent buildings has a Gothic-style chapel. It was used as a Catholic convent for 131 years, with Caldwell House constructed in 1840–1841 and the chapel in 1904. The chapel, now a multi-purpose hall, is known as CHIJMES Hall (赞美礼堂), and Caldwell House, now an art gallery, have both been gazetted as national monuments. The complex has been restored for commercial purposes as a dining, shopping and entertainment centre with ethnic restaurants, shops and a function hall, providing a backdrop for musicals, recitals, theatrical performances and weddings."



"The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus is distinctive for being an architecturally self-contained city block in Singapore. It contains groups of buildings of different styles and periods in order to maintain a diversity in aesthetics. They are formed around courtyards and other expansive spaces, landscaped and enclosed with walls which scale with its urban surroundings."


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