Okay, so it's kind of funny, but I hadn't realized that there were that many pictures of this (rather short) bus ride until I pulled them out from Chonkycam and had them placed in the computer.
It might have been that I had been working the shutter button a little mindlessly that day and so didn't know that I had in fact taken more than four or five, but yep, here we are, with a lovely set of pictures of unexpected, and (new) sights along Jalan Eunos and Geylang Road.
Actually, pictures of Geylang Road I have.
It's Jalan Eunos that I don't have so much.
That is, of course, until today.
Our bus this afternoon took us from the bus stop around Jalan Awang, where, right after that we passed by a building that would have been non descript, and ignored, if not for the presence of VeganBurg- a vegan and vegetarian burger cafe known for their soy patties and pea protein patties this side of town.
(I haven't been there- one day I will)
It's a little fascinating, I now realize, that not too far after VeganBurg comes the Mangala Vihara Buddhist Temple at the junction of Sims Avenue East, and, right opposite it, the Thye Hua Kwan Home for Disabled.
From here the bus made a right turn into Geylang Road, but not before granting me a quick glimpse of the new polyclinic and the Senior Care Center of the Methodist Welfare Services over here in Eunos.
To be honest, I had not thought of Geylang Road as that long a road, but now that I'm looking at Google Maps, it really is.
Because it's the kind of road where on one end you have the junction of Still Road, which (in our minds) is literally the east coast, and on the other you have the banks of Kallang River, which I'd say is somewhere on the southeast.
It's a good long stretch down there.
What's interesting though is how the vibe changes as one goes along.
It's like how on this end of the Still Road junction side you have a couple of office buildings, one of which housed an Insurance company, then in the area there were those with stores here and there on the first floor, with offices above.
Everything passed me by so quickly that I didn't know what I was looking at, or looking for.
Somewhere after the office buildings (or was it in between) there was a row of shop houses that would have been familiar with their neighbors and the locals in the area, but were completely new to me.
I didn't know there was a Hazmat Training place around here.
Neither did I know that there was a place that sold bike accessories, or that there was a branch of the famous MacKenzie REX restaurant here.
I know somewhere along this stretch there used to be a Maybank but I'm not sure if it's still there.
This area has certainly evolved.
Where there once used to be a mix of retail along this stretch, now, leading up to Joo Chiat Complex, there were coffee shops, there was a pawnshop, there was a dental clinic, then there was Toko Warisan, a supplier offering what I think is frozen halal meat, and several small scale restaurants.
One of the most iconic signs to look out for when you're here is the 7-11.
Because that's the stop you have to alight if you want to go to the Haig Road Market, that's the stop you have to alight if you're going to the shops in Joo Chiat Complex, and that's the stop you have to alight if you want to take a stroll along Joo Chiat Road.
There used to be a shop selling carpets and bags and everything cloth-related around here.
I'm not sure if it's still there.
But now right behind the bus stop, there's a coffee shop where, if you get hungry, you'll have the choice of nasi kandar, as well as Thai seafood, Indian-Muslim food, and all the fried fritters that make for snacks ubiquitous this side of the world.
I'm a great fan of goreng pisang and goreng chempedak.
And I don't give a hoot about the oil.
Right after this bus stop came a row of HDB shops, the Haig Road Market and Hawker Center, then KINEX mall known for her large supermarket and Starbucks and Burger King and DAISO.
City Plaza followed immediately after that, where, with all their snacks and clothes and food imports, caters much to the Indonesian (domestic helper) crowd, is also a place where you can get very affordable streetwear and styles that range from the white blouse and long skirt to the very short schoolgirl skirt and ruffles and bling.
I've never really explored this shopping center.
I mean, I have, but not in depth as much as I should.
Maybe because most of the time I'm here only for Ayam Goreng at Arnold's, which, by the way, in my opinion, serves one of the best fried chickens on this island.
At another time I might get down at this stop and head in for a meal, but today we stayed on the bus as it passed the canal next to the shopping center before trundling down into the district we call Geylang.
For some reason I didn't take a lot of pictures here this time.
Guess I'd seen these shop houses and these buildings once too often, so I decided I'd take those that I hadn't manage to take before.
Like the No Signboard Seafood restaurant, which I had thought of visiting at one time, but didn't- the prices were on the high side and I was on a budget at that time.
Like the junction of Aljunied Road and Geylang Road which I always associate with vegetable produce in their huge carton-sized baskets because of a particular shop that spreads out all the produce that they have there.
And a pawnshop right behind the bus stop- for no special reason other than the fact that it was there.