Moving on from the occasionally outlandish architectural and design choices made in Melbourne, it was a surprise to find that the otherwise staid mix of traditional and corporate buildings in Singapore have been joined by a boat.
A big boat. Hoist to the top of three curved tower blocks (indicating a wave) and planted up with palm trees. As roof gardens go it's certainly different. Still looks as if a container ship has run aground 50 floors up though.
The balconies and awnings which still line Boat Quay are easier on the eye, not least because, when sitting under an awning, you can't see the generic skyscrapers. Mostly generic. Those built by Chinese companies do sometimes incorporate gaps through the upper floors or are angled to accommodate the principles of Feng Shui or folklore.
My photo of the boat building didn't quite work out, so I'll share this one of the symbol of Singapore: the Merlion. This fantastical animal is half lion, half fish. In the tradition of offices the world over I brought back biscuits for my colleagues which claimed to be Merlion flavoured. Worried by this, a vegetarian scanned the ingredients list. Turns out that Merlion flavour is mostly vanilla with a hint of custard powder.
2 comments:
At least Merlion wasn't vanilla and curry powder. Custard powder sounds so much more appealing.
It wasn't a nasty flavour; but noone's in a hurry to get more Merlion biscuits.
Post a Comment