Childhood Neighbourhood in Singapore revisited

I spent my memorable childhood in this immediate neighbourhood. Much had been demolished to make way for progress. I am glad that at least some parts have been spared and preserved for posterity. For how long, nobody knows because Singapore is a land-scarce nation. It is very tiny that it has become necessary to reclaim land from the sea. What used to be a sea-front bungalow is now hundreds if not thousands of meters from the sea.

As a boy, I had to walk hundreds of meters to my school. Together with my siblings and children from the neighbourhood, I used to roam and play on the roads and lanes throughout the area. The houses along North Bridge Road and Beach Road were and still are shop houses for business and living. Those on the lanes were mainly for living in only.

Close by is Rochore Road which once attracted many tourists with its infamous Bugis Street. Sailors on shore leave and tourists would visit Bugis Street for supper and drinking. The ladies of the night (transvestites) would start to appear around midnight to entertain and to keep the sailors and tourists company.

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