It comes as a surprise to me just how many pictures of this one bus ride I have.
It wasn't an exceptional ride.
It wasn't a ride that I hadn't taken before.
But, I guess, new journey, new sights, and today's ride, together with the light, brought me a bunch of pictures that were somewhat familiar, yet new, all at the same time.
The bus journey of Bus 31 began from Toa Payoh Bus Interchange where it first made a left onto Toa Payoh Lorong 6, passing by the area oft recognized as the open space in front of Courts. The public housing blocks of five-room flats passed by right after.
These days we don't think of it much, but they served as Games Village accommodation for athletes back in September 1973 during the 7th Edition of what we now call the SEA Games. I wonder how the town of Toa Payoh Central looked like back then.
Past the HDB blocks, the bus crossed the junction of Lorong 4, went past what is now a big field but used to be the site of a (now demolished) one-room HDB block turned onto Kim Keat Link.
Sometimes it is easy to forget that there are flats here, but they have been here a long time, actually, and they border the entrance between the island-long expressway to the Toa Payoh estate.
I'm glad I managed to capture a picture of the pagoda inside Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery. It would have been great to capture the name of the monastery engraved on a stone plaque kind of wall facing the expressway, but it is very near the turn, and normally the bus goes so fast here that it is impossible to take a picture.
The bus went past what I think is Blk 195 Kim Keat Link here, and then after the Whampoa Flyover came up the school buildings of St. Andrew's Village. Which building is what, I don't know, but I like the fact that they have kept the tall, gentle coconut tree.
Reminds one of the days when this whole area was a kampong with farms and all.
The junction of Upper Serangoon Road came up after.
Then the bus did its roundabout before turning right onto Bendeemer Road.
Here the bus went past the bridge crossing the Kallang River, then the block housing restaurant Lai Wah, then Whampoa River. It's interesting to see how the blocks stand so sturdy and neat along the banks of the river.
I didn't get to see the signboard of the Lai Wah Restaurant.
Would have been nice, honestly.
Written in traditional, vintage lettering, it reminds people how there are cuisines and restaurants in this country that still stay where they are, not going away, not going anywhere.
After the bridge of Whampoa River came the building of the former Texas Instruments, Micron Semiconductor today.
Here the bus turned left onto Boon Keng Road, going past a couple of flatted factory buildings, then the noticeable blue Four Star Mattress Building, before crossing the Kallang River once again.
This afternoon I managed to capture sight of (what I think is) the Chwee Kang Beo temple sitting at the little riverine of the Kallang River.
Several decades old, she is now lit up beautifully at night, the bright red and gold outline of her roofs glowing like a beacon against the dark surface of the waters. I know very little about this temple, save for the fact that she has a decades-old history, she has sat anchored here in the Kallang River district all through the years of river clean-up, urbanization and re-development.
I'm not sure if this is the original site of the temple though.
Online sources tell me that the trustees had secured a small parcel of site land in the early nineties, began construction of a new building in 1993, and had its official opening in 1999.
After crossing the river, the bus now entered the vicinity of Upper Boon Keng Road here, with the flats on the left side, and Lorong 1 Geylang on the right.
There's something about this area that I have noticed for a while now.
Might as well talk about it.
You know, it's not often mentioned, but this zone of Boon Keng, Upper Boon Keng, and Geylang Bahru is more significant than we usually think. The estate is not one of those that pops immediately up in the head when we think about public housing, but from one end to the other, the zone sits snugly between MacPherson on one side, and Kallang-Lavender on the other. It also connects the neighborhoods of Central Singapore (Toa Payoh and Balestier that side) to that of Geylang, Mountbatten and the East Coast.
I always find myself marveling at the change in scenery, and energy when Bus 31 moves down from the PIE to Bendeemer and into Boon Keng.
All of a sudden you feel like you're transported away from the forest-dense, large-tree atmosphere of the Central Catchment to the spacious coastal vibes of Kallang and the East Coast.
I don't really know how to describe it.
It's just there.
A change of atmosphere.
A change of energy.
Suddenly the bus moves away from the flats to the factories to the waters to the junction where Kallang MRT meets Sims Avenue and Mountbatten Road up ahead.
Maybe it's the waters.
Maybe it's how the waters bring the atmosphere and energy from the hills down the urban all the way to the wide open spaces close to the sea.
We don't think about it, but looking at Google Maps now, on the longitude from North to South, they're like sections placed one behind the other all along the rivers.
That's fascinating.
What's equally fascinating is how the atmosphere changes, quite literally, once you go past Upper Boon Keng Road.
You're literally in the east once you cross that juncture.
From the bus stop on Lorong 1 Geylang, the bus now turned left onto Sims Avenue, trundled down a short stretch, then made a right onto Sims Way.
This afternoon, the bus stopped at the traffic light next to the Shell petrol station on Geylang Road, went straight ahead passing by the homes and indie shops of Lorong 4 Geylang (which you know are there but don't pay that much attention without you realizing why), then went onto Mountbatten Road.
Here she went past the former Haig Boys' School- the structure still stands well- then made a left onto Old Airport Road.
From here on, there were the flats of Pine Close- there is also a feel of nostalgia and heritage amongst them, followed by the renowned Old Airport Road Food Center with its offerings of all-day meals covering breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper, then the distinctive block of flats that hold the address of Jalan Dua.
After this the bus continued its way on Old Airport Road a little, then made a right, turning past Dunman Road onto Tanjong Katong Road, where after the well-known chicken rice coffee shop, Chonkycam finally decided she would go back to her case, and sleep.
