Singapore’s Tiong Bahru neighborhood is off the tourist maps but not far from our Chinatown starting point, so I figured it would be a pretty easy walk. However, I found myself in the clutches of my companion’s app that neglected to take into account such things as topography. So after scaling a mini-mountain by stairs then down again by road, then more stairs to cross an expressway by scary pedestrian overpass, we were finally in the vicinity of our target attraction, the Tiong Bahru Market.
The neighborhood was immediately interesting, unlike any I’d yet seen in Singapore, a mix of trendy new businesses and attractively landscaped deco apartment blocks, among them Singapore’s first public housing. Originally an area of farms and cemeteries, the housing estate began on 70 acres in the late 1920s. The history of the market itself began in 1945 as a small wet market and grew over the years until 2004 when it was closed for a 2 year rebuild, reopening in a new concrete structure in 2006. The market is in what is described as 1930s Streamline Moderne style with a curved, open entry. It offers a variety of goods but is most popular for the wet market, selling seafood, meats and produce and for the local specialties served in it’s second-floor hawker centre.
A center courtyard adds a breezy element to the building design.
The Hawker Center
After a thorough inspection of both floors of the market we ventured into the area of the original low-rise flats, where Tiong Bahru began, along the wide leafy paths between the buildings. I can understand why families are known to keep apartments for generations and why the area is gentrifying, a lively and convenient place to live, a quiet enclave tucked into a major city.
We agreed, it was time to go. My turn, no apps, raise a hand, taxi stops, Temple Street, please.
Next time, Singapore’s Katong District.
All episodes of PortMoresby's Farewell to Asia Tour can be found here.
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