Singapore: The Pinnacle Complex

During our Chinatown tour on Friday evening, our guide mentioned that the viewing deck of the Pinnacle Complex on Cantonment Road was open to the public. After killing a few hours in Chinatown in the early hours of Sunday morning, I found the self service machine in block G, swiped my EZ-Link card for the $5.00 fee and took the lift to the Sky Garden on the 50th floor.

The observation deck, which joins each of the seven blocks, provides panoramic views of the island. The sun highlighted the vibrant colours of the containers stacked in the port; the orange roofs in Chinatown lead the eye towards the Buddha Tooth Temple and the cooking smoke which could be seen in the distance puffing from the Sri Mariamman temple where a wedding was in progress. Tanjong Pagar railway station, which closed few days ago, looked sadly inactive. Closer to the complex, most of the buildings were in shadow. It might be an award-winning development, but the residents still hang their pants on the balconies.

Back at the Chinatown Complex market, breakfast was in full swing. One Chinese gentleman, dressed appropriately in a red England football shirt, sat sipping on a large Tiger beer at 10.15 in the morning. A couple of carrier bags of vegetables later, I headed back for a well deserved cup of tea.