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National Geographic
6 hours ago
- National Geographic
Discover the hip Singapore neighbourhood where ancient history comes to life
The best way to understand Singapore's cosmopolitan evolution is to visit the Telok Ayer neighbourhood, where Chinese and South Indian immigrants first gathered after landing on its shores in the early 19th century. Once a natural bay — Telok Ayer means 'bay water' in Malay — the area expanded as part of a land reclamation effort that started in the 1880s. Over several decades, Telok Ayer was transformed into a sub-district of Chinatown in the Central Area of Singapore. Just south of the Singapore River, Chinese indentured labourers and merchants lived alongside Indian moneychangers and traders in colourful shophouses, and worshipped side-by-side at ornate Buddhist temples and geometric mosques and shrines. Today, the Telok Ayer district is a testament to both the island's storied history and its modern creative scene. From Michelin-rated restaurants and creative bars to traditional hawker centres and colonial-era architecture, Telok Ayer and the adjacent Chinatown offer an array of experiences that are as diverse as the area's population. Here's how to enjoy a day in the district. Start by diving into the heritage of the region's Cantonese and Hakka immigrants at the Fuk Tak Chi Museum, located within the AMOY Hotel by Far East Hospitality. Initially built in 1824 for a Taoist deity named Tua Pek Kong, the Fuk Tak Chi Temple was restored in 1998 as a museum, which now displays artefacts and dioramas depicting scenes of Singaporean life from the 19th and early 20th centuries. While exploring the area, pick up a freshly baked muffin and coffee at the quaint Plain Vanilla Telok Ayer bakery before heading to Telok Ayer Green, a small garden space offering respite from the busy street. Find a bench and relax under the shady foliage, or take a stroll and read from plaques detailing the rich tapestry of the neighbourhood. In Singapore's Chinatown neighbourhood, historic temples and hawker centres sit alongside trendy shops, cafes and bars. Photograph by Prime Images, Getty Images The area around the park is flanked by two of Singapore's national monuments: Nagore Dargah Indian Muslim Heritage Centre and Yu Huang Gong. The former was previously the Nagore Dargah, a dusty rose–hued limestone shrine honouring the Tamil Sufi preacher-saint Shahul Hamid. The building, with its minarets and crescent-and-star motifs, has since been converted into a heritage centre that tells the story of the Indian-Muslim diaspora in Singapore. Meanwhile, Yu Huang Gong is a Taoist temple worshipping the Heavenly Jade Emperor; look out for the ornate dragons adorning its roof. Next to Yu Huang Gong is another national monument worth admiring: Thian Hock Keng Temple, the country's oldest Hokkien temple, featuring detailed wood and stone carvings. This is where visitors prayed to Mazu, the Goddess of the Seas. Along the same street, the light-cream Al-Abrar Mosque, one of the city's oldest mosques, blends in seamlessly with its neighbouring row of shophouses. (With the exception of Nagore Dargah, the mosques and temples are active places of worship, so visitors are encouraged to be mindful and dress modestly.) After a morning of nourishing the spirit, spend the afternoon satisfying the stomach at Amoy Street Food Centre. At this popular two-storey, open-air food court, diners can choose from more than 130 food stalls selling everything from upscale ramen to charcoal-grilled toast with a sweet coconut-pandan jam. Try the Michelin Bib Gourmand-recommended J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff, a flaky pastry with four flavours of savoury filling to choose from; or Ah Ter Teochew Fish Ball Noodles, which is known for its robust pork bone broth, al dente egg noodles and chewy fish balls. Craving even more variety? Less than a quarter of a mile away is the world-renowned Maxwell Food Centre, made famous by Anthony Bourdain. While there are more than 100 options to choose from here, most people who visit Maxwell will make a beeline for Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice — the gently poached chicken with ginger- and stock-infused rice is the star dish. The colourful Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum features architecture from China's Tang Dynasty and is home to a collection of Buddhist relics. Photograph by PT STOCK, Getty Images To walk off the meal, take a stroll through Ann Siang Hill Park, a green oasis tucked behind a row of pre-colonial shophouses. Visitors can see the last remaining well in Chinatown, along with spice trees like nutmeg and cinnamon, which first drew Europeans to Southeast Asia centuries ago. Continue on to Amoy Street to reach the back wall of Thian Hock Keng Temple, where art aficionados can admire a 130ft-long mural that features vignettes of immigrant life in Singapore — it shows everything from water buffalos pulling carts to street vendors hawking food from baskets. At the nearby Chinatown Street Market, travellers can see more murals by the same local artist, Yip Yew Chong, and shop for budget-friendly souvenirs and snacks. Modern skyscrapers and stylish hotels, including The Clan Hotel Singapore, tower above the historic streets of Chinatown. Photograph by The Clan Hotel Singapore While Telok Ayer is relatively relaxed in the daytime, the streets — especially Club Street and Ann Siang Hill — come alive after dark. The after-work crowd congregates at lively spots like the halal Brazilian steakhouse Picanhas' or one of the many authentic French restaurants in the precinct, such as Merci Marcel, and drink the night away at creative cocktail bars like Brooklyn Bar. For those looking to enjoy dinner with a view, Qīn Restaurant & Bar is a chic restaurant within The Clan Hotel Singapore on Cross Street. Take in views of the glittering cityscape while savouring the artful East-meets-West menu. The hotel also offers guests complimentary tours of the local area's historic and cultural sites, making it an ideal base for those eager to explore Chinatown. There are direct flights available from London to Singapore Changi Airport. Taxis are readily available from the airport and take around 30 minutes to reach Chinatown. Buses and the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system are also practical and inexpensive ways to travel around Singapore. The Clan Hotel Singapore by Far East Hospitality enjoys direct access to the Telok Ayer MRT station (Exit D). The hotel's The Clan Uncovers: The Art of Balance package, available to book until 27 December 2025, offers guests a transformative stay featuring a 45-minute yin yoga session, a mindful tea experience paired with guided meditation and a curated dinner at Qīn Restaurant & Bar. For more information, visit This paid content article was created for The Clan Hotel Singapore. It does not necessarily reflect the views of National Geographic, National Geographic Traveller (UK) or their editorial staffs. To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
West Australian
25-05-2025
- West Australian
Spilling tears for Penang's southern coast
I have been living in Penang, the famous UNESCO-inscribed island on the north-western coast of Malaysia, since 2009, but as I travel a lot, sometimes it takes me a while before I can return to familiar places. Last weekend, I decided to revisit one of what I consider among the island's best hiking spots: Permatang Damar Laut, a lovely stretch of palm-fringed coast backed by three contiguous hills peppered with World War II defensive bunkers. With a sea-facing Chinese shrine dedicated to Tua Pek Kong and possibly the best beach left on ever-developing Penang, the area of Pantai Esen (Esen Beach) was amazing because, notwithstanding its beauty, it always stayed well off tourists' radars. I hadn't been there in a while because of too many guidebook assignments to far-flung destinations in Europe and the Americas. But when I arrived at the trailhead on an early Saturday morning, the first thing I wanted to do was cry. A newborn, in-the-making sand monster, topped by ever-moving cranes and lorries, has taken the place of what once was one of north-west Malaysia's most crucial fishing seaboards. This Frankenstein of 'progress' is nothing new, but I had never seen it live before. Some of you may be familiar with the controversial Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project. First approved in 2015, it was conceived to fund the larger Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) aimed at developing new highways, a cross-channel motor tunnel (even when there are already two of Asia's longest bridges connecting Penang island to the mainland, where the remaining two thirds of the state, named Seberang Perai, are), and light rail transportation systems to solve the island's traffic congestion problem. After much debate, it finally went on in mid-2024. The PSR's initial and gargantuan idea (which would have taken something between 30 and 50 years to complete) was to recover 1821 hectares of land to build three man-made islands separated by a 250 metre-wide sea channel from the south of Penang island. The rationale was that the PSR would create some 300,000 jobs over the next 30 years, reducing brain drain and guaranteeing a better future for Penang's next generations. And somehow (which was never explained) also help to solve Penang's ever-increasing traffic problems. For a decade, this project has been a very controversial one, with local fishermen and several NGOs campaigning against it on one hand, and many local folks who are pro-development and 'Singaporeisation' of Penang, including the then ruling Democratic Action Party, on the other. The main concern raised by local NGOs and fishermen was that these three islands — almost ironically named BiodiverCity — would bury the state's richest fishery and most biodiverse sea under the equivalent of 76,000 Olympic-size swimming pools of sand. Penang State Government has kept claiming that there is no more land left to develop on the island — as most of it is Penang Hill, a cordon of central and northwestern hills that were bestowed a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve title in 2021, without said government's proper plan to promote it to attract a diverse type of nature-focused tourism. But also remember that the largely flat Seberang Perai on the Malaysian mainland, which is slightly bigger than the whole of Singapore and roughly two and a half times the size of the hilly Penang island, is pretty much all undeveloped paddy fields. The fisher folks and NGOs managed to halt the PSR several times until last year. Under the approval of the Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, a man from Penang state, the project was again given the final green light, albeit with a 50 per cent scaling down in scope from a dreary three to only one horrible Penang Silicon Island — a nod to the Californian tech success story and a tremendous lack of imagination. In July 2024, the Penang High Court dismissed one last application by the opposing NGOs for judicial review, with which they sought to lawfully challenge the planning permission granted to the Penang State Government by the State Town and Country Planning Department. And now, almost a year later, the damage done to a certain present for the sake of a very uncertain future — consider how the region is increasingly becoming prone to flood damage — cannot be reversed. Maybe it could be abandoned, like the infamous Melaka Gateway Project, of which 33km of unfinished land reclamation is an under-utilised eyesore off the coast of the Malaysian southern state of Melaka. But in South-East Asia, like in many other parts of the world, what counts is not natural balance and preserving culture and tradition — only greed and development. No matter what any supporter of the PSR may tell me, it doesn't take a scientist to see that the problems have just started. With no direct access to real waves any longer, I saw how the once beautiful Pantai Esen and Permatang Damar Laut's coast have turned brackish. The sandy beach has become more muddy and eroded than ever before. Fishermen can no longer find the mussels they used to scour from the shore. For this reason, even tourism has been spoiled: the many people who, since the COVID-19 lockdowns — when Pantai Esen was first 'discovered' — used to come here in droves for hiking and relaxing on the beach have gone, and the hiking trails are in a state of disrepair. Of the three historical World War II bungalows set atop the steep Sea Mountain, an advanced hiking trail accessible from the area's south-easternmost corner, the first is now completely covered by fallen trees and undergrowth, and may soon disappear. Something to ponder and remember of an island whose heritage conservation and tourism bodies make the most of their branding selling 'heritage' experiences. It may not even be casual that around the same time as the beginning of the reclamation, even the beautiful cascading roots of an ancient fig tree found halfway to the Tua Pek Tong temple fell off after being struck by lightning. Was it some sort of warning from above? The example of Permatang Damar Laut is, unfortunately, one that's found in many areas of the developing world — how much of it do we really need, when half of the real estate that's built on it remains unsold because its constantly overpriced? How much will the children of today and tomorrow be better off because of the greed of today? Will they ever miss experiencing clean, pristine environments, or will they even care because that type of 'old world' will be one that's entirely alien to their own? I hope that someone, someday, may make better decisions while the scars of human greed remain as examples of what we should not do. The Melaka Gateway Project apparently was not enough for Penang.
