The last time I took pictures of this route I sat on the left hand side of the bus.
This time I sat on the right hand side.
Was the scenery any different?
Yes, and no.
Yes, because one sees different things on the right hand side of the bus.
No, because, I've seen the scenery countless times before.
It's interesting how we don't bother capturing moments of our lives until some radical change happens and then we suddenly realize we don't have memories of what was previously there.
I decided against this habit several years ago.
Hence... random pictures of my day to day surroundings here and there.
The pictures this afternoon began somewhere on Upper Serangoon Road after Serangoon Central and the NEX shopping mall.
First one I took was of the flyover near the Braddell Road junction- and all the thick green foliage right underneath.
This flyover has been around for quite a number of years. When exactly it was built, I don't know. It might have been the late 90s or the early 00s.
I wish buses went up there.
Then again, it doesn't really matter- the route comes down to the same place, near the space that used to be Youngberg Adventist Hospital (and later the Salvation Army) but is now Stamford International School.
Potong Pasir follows close after that with its new (suburban) shopping mall and its condominiums right beside. I didn't manage to take pictures of their iconic housing blocks, and I haven't been to this estate much in recent years, but there still remains a remarkable feel of space, I've heard.
The sense of space continues until the all-important turn down the road.
I've written about this turn before.
It's the one that connects the northeast to the east to the central to the south. I still find it amazing when I think about it. How does this little circle of space bring one from, say, Whitley Road and Mount Pleasant Road to MacPherson Road, Paya Lebar and Airport Road? And yet also lead one from the forests of Punggol and Serangoon River all the way to the shop houses of Jalan Besar, Rochor, and Fort Canning Hill?
Being on the left side this time I didn't get a picture of the connecting roads today- the right side leads to Whitley and Toa Payoh- but they were a distance away on the other side.
What I did get, however, was a glimpse of the red brick building in the middle, the exit of the very long (and considerably new) underpass, and a bunch of trees.
Both places have a heritage of their own. One sits bordering the estate along a tributary of the Kallang River. The other sits right smack the center between the Kallang Industrial Estate, the Lavender area, and the Balestier-Moulmein in front.
Both places too have their own quirks that generally speak to the heartlander inside of us, like the Lai Wah Restaurant under one of the blocks in Bendeemer, which with their history and nostalgic charm keep patrons and customers coming for dinner celebrations year after year.
What's interesting about Bendeemer and Boon Keng however isn't just their heritage or their history but the housing estate itself. Unlike many estates that are built in a circular space sort of way, Bendeemer and Boon Keng seem to be built lateral where the blocks, the coffee shops, the shops and even the hawker center lie entirely along the main road.
It's a piece of prime estate, I hear.
Maybe because it's along the route towards the Marina Bay area and the Downtown Core.
Right after Boon Keng comes the entire stretch of Jalan Besar.
I decided to take as many pictures of the shop houses today- never mind the rain.
But don't ask me what sort of shops they were.
In all honesty, I dont' know.
Jalan Besar is an interesting area where in a single stretch of road you'll find small businesses like paint shops, hardware shops, electrical shops, shops selling bathroom fittings, vehicle repair shops, convenience stores, random shops, eateries, and millennial-style cafes.
They're so random that you never know what it is that comes up next.
This is a stretch where you can find a hostel with a vehicle repair shop side by side, or a cupcake store right next to a TCM therapy place right next to a pub right next to a convenience store right next to a motorcycle helmet store.
The popular Rochor Beancurd used to have a nook and cranny shop here- I think they're still around- the famous Jalan Berseh Food Center is here, a well known cake studio has (had) operations here, and nearer to the Mustafa side on Syed Alwi Road is Swee Choon Dim Sum.
There're a couple of new dim sum places along this stretch these days as well.
We tried one place last year during HAHA where we tapaoed char siew pau, siew mai, beancurd skin rolls, egg tarts, cheong funs, and brought them to the outdoor communal plaza downstairs the blocks of Rowell estate close by.
Perhaps the cuisine is becoming more popular.
Or maybe because of quarantine conditions that guests in the hotels and hostels on this stretch have to face.
Steamed dim sum, fried dim sum, small dishes and porridge make for great comfort when you're stuck 14 days in a room with a door you cannot step out of and windows which you cannot open.
Come to think of it, I didn't have any pictures of the hotels on this day.
Most of the hotels are on the left hand side whilst the shops are on the right.
Still, they're a great series of pictures.
Blur as they are (thanks, no thanks to the windows washed by rain), their timeless architecture, and the colors of their walls beautifully shine.