It's an oft-assumed notion when someone mentions Joo Chiat that the place is just Joo Chiat Road and the heritage shop houses running alongside it.
But it isn't.
Joo Chiat has her own stories, her own history, her own secrets, her own nooks and corners.
She's an area that- even with the inclusion of Joo Chiat Place, Joo Chiat Lane, Joo Chiat Terrace, and Joo Chiat Avenue- is much more.
I don't profess to know the place in her entirety.
But I do profess to want to know more about her, and the roads that surround her.
It is for this reason that on one particular evening (when I had time to kill) I decided it be a good idea to gander around some roads which I'd always been interested in.
Funny thing was I'd actually no idea where to begin.
At first I thought of heading towards the Marshall Lane/Haig Road side, but then I realized I'd biked there not too long ago and I remembered the area well.
After that I thought of the Everitt, North Everitt, Jln Nangka area, but then the idea of walking the entire Koon Seng Road just for those three streets got me a little huffled.
So- after standing for a while at the cross junction of Joo Chiat Road, Koon Seng Road and Dunman Road- I decided I'd make my way towards Tembeling Road instead.
For friends unfamiliar with the area, Tembeling Road is basically this one long road that runs almost parallel to her more famous counterpart- Joo Chiat Road- and it starts from East Coast Road on the southern end, ending at Joo Chiat Place on the northern end.
Intersected by Koon Seng Road, the southern stretch towards East Coast Road is more residential- you get terrace houses and condominium apartments. The northern stretch, however, seems to be where the interesting part is- and so that's where I went.
First thing that greeted me after I made a left from Koon Seng Road onto Tembeling was a stretch of shop houses.
Now, they might be quieter and less conspicuous than those shop houses behind, but on this quiet stretch alone you will find a daycare center, a place offering premium cuts of meats imported from Japan, and a newly opened eating place offering (South?) Indian cuisine. Further on at a corner unit is a store known for its traditional Teochew kuehs.
After the kueh store came an alley, then a cul de sac with quaint three-storeyed buildings of (maybe) 70s design on either side. One thing about these buildings (I think they're cool) is that I often find myself wondering how the apartments look like. What's the layout like? Are they spacious? Are they sunny? How large is the kitchen? What is the bathroom like? Why do some people use the balcony like a storeroom whilst others don't?
The exteriors of the buildings here didn't offer much clues to how the interiors looked like- but I thought the occupants were probably more of the practical type.
Opposite this road was a park. Next to it was the side gate of a primary school.
This side of the road, however, I came upon a Chinese temple. I'm afraid I don't know the name, but I've heard of its popularity, especially on certain dates, and even on this bright, sunny evening there were devotees offering their prayers outside the semi-closed (Covid-restricted) gates.
From here I took a right onto Joo Chiat Place, coming upon more shop houses and more shops.
Here at the junction of Tembeling and Joo Chiat Place was a newly opened fruit shop, after which was a braised duck eating house (haven't been there in a long time), a gym, a pet hotel, an interior design firm, then Kim Choo Kueh Chang.
No surprise- there're a variety of bak zhang hanging tantalizingly above the counter, there're the boxes of colorful nonya kuehs, the jars of cookies on the shelves, and the pre-packed desserts in the chiller. They make for some good conversation, and some hard decisions. :)
Directly across the road from Kim Choo is Smokey's- a casual, cozy place known for its American cuisine, steaks, nachos and chili. They're quite pet-friendly too. Last time we were there we sat alfresco with our nachos, our burger and our chili entertained by two adorable doggos beneath the table beside.
I don't know much else about this commercial stretch of Joo Chiat Place, but ice-cream supplier Chip Guan Heng's here, as well as two coffee shops- one famous for wanton mee, the other famous for its char kuay teow.
The rest of the road seems to be mostly residential.
At least that's what I saw.
On one side there were the beautifully restored heritage-certified shop house homes. On the other side there were the (more modern) terrace houses, each of individual design.
Not that the quaintness disappeared.
Ahead, near the Still Road junction on was an apartment building of (maybe) the 50s and 60s, including one which used to be the residence of Singapore's National Anthem composer Zubir Said.
I don't know which side of the building the apartment is.
So I didn't take a picture.
But I thought I'd take a picture of the lane near where the building stood.
Strangely enough, it was also here- nearing the crossroads- that I found myself having to make the decision between turning back, hopping on a bus, or carrying on.
Tell you the truth- for a while I stood there- not knowing quite what I should do.
On one hand I was feeling a little tired.
On the other hand, the opposite side of the road (still) beckoned.
After turning about in a couple of circles, I decided that since I'd already come this far, I might as well carry on and see how much further my (tired) feet could go.
So across the busy Still Road I went- into the enclave known as Telok Kurau.
I'm not familiar with this enclave- I don't know where the turns are and the only thing I know about this place is that it is mostly residential, and that there are several school buildings- from decades past- about.
It takes a bit of a slow walk to realize that indeed, whilst there is Lorong M, Lorong K, Lorong H and so on- somewhere in the center between Changi Road and East Coast Road is in fact *still* Joo Chiat Place- a continuity from the Joo Chiat Place which I'd previously walked.
I can't visualize how this road would have looked in earlier days.
But today there are semi-Ds, terraced houses and condominium apartments on this road.
There is what used to be a very small hawker center at the junction with Still Road.
There is Parkway East Hospital and a charming little coffee shop at the junction with Telok Kurau Road.
And further on, leading towards Telok Kurau Park and the canal, is an arts place, a pottery studio and a special education school.
This evening I didn't walk the end to the canal side.
There were errands elsewhere awaiting me to do.
So up the bus I hopped- and left.
It's been a while since I did this impromptu walk in the enclave.
I can't say that I know this place like the back of my hand.
Neither can I say that I remember everything that I saw on this two hour stroll.
But the impressions I received from this area I remember.
And I remember them well.
Maybe in life there are impressions you don't forget.
And maybe in life there are impressions you see clearer when you're looking at an expanded Google Map.