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Singapore's ethnic enclaves

Singapore is famous for its multicultural spirit and ethnic diversity, but this has not always been the case... In its early days, almost 200 years ago, the British colonial authorities enforced a policy of ethnic segregation, known as the 'Raffles Plan of Singapore', which resulted in the creation of the city's ethnic enclaves.

The segregation has long been forgotten and the historic enclaves have become some of the city's most popular tourist destinations. This mini-guide will take you to Singapore's ethnic enclaves.

Little India used to be the enclave of Singapore's

Indian community during early colonial times, when ethnic quarters were built under the British policy of ethnic segregation, and although it stopped being an "Indian only" suburb long time ago, it still maintains its unique character, and its streets boast an enormous variety of authentic shops… From colorful sari boutiques, emporiums and heavenly scented spice shops to traditional eateries, inexpensive electronics and computer shops, and video shops, where Bollywood's latest releases can be found… Our trip starts at Little India MRT Station (on the NorthEast Line). Leave the station via exit E to Buffalo Road, where you can visit Tekka Centre: A recently renovated shopping centre, boasting a large wet market and a food court, where you can choose between numerous stalls, serving different Indian foods, as well as vegetarian Malay and Chinese delicacies. There are also quite a few shops here that sell a wide range of stuff... From Indian fashion and inexpensive casual clothes to Taoist and Buddhist paraphernalia, and from tailor shops to henna salons, you name it… Turn right as you leave Tekka Centre, and continue walking along short Buffalo Road to its end, where you cross Serangoon Road, Little India's main thoroughfare, and visit Little India Arcade, on the other side of the street. This traditional shopping centre occupies a cluster of old shophouses and boasts a wide choice of traditional shops that sell everything India has to offer… From Little India Arcade, proceed to Campbell Lane, turn left to Clive Street and right to Dunlop. On the corner of Clive and Dunlop there is a well-known emporium shop, called "Haniffa Textiles", which has been selling a wide range of Indian and international clothes for more than 50 years. They also offer a decent choice of cameras, electronics, handbags and what have you...

Walk back through Dunlop to the corner of Serangoon Road, turn right and right again, to Upper Dickson Road, which runs parallel to Dunlop and boasts some nice shops and cheap eateries... Back to the corner of Serangoon Road, turn right and start walking up the street… Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, on 141 Serangoon Road, was built in the 1880s in honor of Kali, Shiva's wife and destroyer of evil, and features the South Indian Dravidian style, with a distinctive Gopuram "pyramid" rising atop of its main gate, covered with sculptures and figurines of Hindu deities, alongside mystic animals from the Hindu mythology and other ornamental decorations. Continue walking up Serangoon Road and you will reach Mustafa Centre, Singapore's super-store, which sells an enormous range of goods at some of the lowest fixed prices in Singapore and occupies two connected buildings near the corner of Serangoon and Syed Alwi (Serangoon Plaza is on 320 Serangoon Road, while Mustafa Centre is just around the corner, on 145 Syed Alwi).

Nibbling snacks from authentic eateries is one of the most enjoyable sides of strolling through the streets of Little India. Komala Vilas, on Serangoon Road (Between the corner of Dunlop and Upper Dickson) has been serving scrumptious vegetarian fare at reasonable prices for God knows how many years... Kulfi Bar, on No. 15 Upper Dickson, is known for its lovely home-made Indian ice cream (Kulfi), while Sakunthala's Restaurant, on 151 Dunlop, serves a variety of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian specialties and is particularly famous for its Dosa (Thosai): A South-Indian style crispy crêpe, stuffed with various fillings and served with different sauces and deeps...

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Cross Serangoon Road, as you leave Serangoon Plaza, and turn right. Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, on 397 Serangoon Road, is one of Singapore's oldest and most significant Hindu temples. Originally built in 1855 in honor of Krishna, who is one of Vishnu's avatars, it boasts a beautiful 'Gopuram' pyramid above its gate, as well as plenty of nice statues and religious ornaments. This temple is also the starting point of the famous Vel kavadi Parade, which is held during the Hindu festival of Thaipusam. The parade is a spectacular practice where hundreds of devotees walk along the route, carrying large, cage-like steel altars, called Kavadi. Those portable altars are decorated with peacock feathers and other ornaments and attached to the devotees' body by more than a hundred vels (spikes), pierced into the skin on the chest and the back.

Turn left as you leave the temple and continue walking along Serangoon Rd, pass the Shell petrol-station, then turn left to a narrow alley, and left again, to Race Course Road. A few meters after the corner, on your left side, you will see the Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple(also known as the Temple of 1,000 Lights), guarded by two statues of tigers, on both sides of the entrance. Built in 1927, the main draw of this Thai-style temple is a huge, 15 meter high statue of a seated Buddha, weighing almost 300 tons. The statue is surrounded by an "aura" of numerous light bulbs, which gave the temple its popular name: Temple of 1,000 Lights Alongside the central statue, there are quite a few smaller images of Buddha around the temple (the lying Buddha in the small room, beneath the altar, is worth seeing). Leong San See Temple, across the street, opposite the temple, is a beautifully decorated Chinese Buddhist temple, worth visiting. It is dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Chinese Bodhisattva of Compassion. That is it… A short stroll along Race Cource Road will bring you to Farrer Park MRT Station, from where you can proceed elsewhere…

Chinatown: A small Chinese community already

existed in the area of Singapore hundreds of years ago, but it never developed until Sir Raffles founded modern Singapore, at the beginning of the 19th century, and labor migrants started to flock in droves from Fujian and other region in southern China. Chinatown, south of the Singapore River, was meant to be Singapore's Chinese enclave when ethnic quarters were built under the British policy of ethnic segregation, but had also been the first stop for other migrants who arrived at the city, and their fingerprints can be seen there even today…

Lunch, anyone ? if you are hungry by now, there are some very nice restaurants and eateries in the vicinity of Mustafa Centre, that are well worth knowing about… Delhi restaurant, in Broadway Hotel (195 Serangoon Road), has long become a Little India institution, is serving lovely North Indian fare in a nice environment and at very reasonable prices... Ananda Bhavan Restaurant prides itself for being "Singapore's oldest existing vegetarian restaurant"... Their outlet at 95 Syed Alwi Road (near Mustafa's) is open 24 hours a day / 7 days a week Anjappar Authentic Chettinaad Restaurant, on Syed Alwi Road (not far from "Mustafa") serves the best Chettinaad food in Singapore, from the state of Tamil Nadu in south India, while Sankranti, right next to it, serves fantastic north-Indian cuisine, with a good variety of vegetarian dishes and French stall, on 544 Serangoon Road, serves fabulous French cuisine in a simple, unpretentious environment and at a very good price...

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We will start our Chinatown day-trip from Raffles Place MRT Station: Take exit-F to Cecil Street, turn back as soon as you walk out of the station and walk a few steps to the corner, where you turn right to Robinson Road. After a few minutes' walk you will see the imposing cast-iron structure of Telok Ayer Market on your left. Originally built in 1894 as a fish market, Telok Ayer Market currently houses one of the best Hawker centres around this side of Chinatown. The impressive Victorian structure in which the market operates was prefabbed in Glasgow, Scotland, more than a century ago and shipped to Singapore in pieces, before being erected on site. The market is open daily, morning till late in the evening (most hawkers do not open before 12 noon)

Walk out of the Market to Robinson Road, turn right to Boon Tat Street and after two-three minutes' walk you will reach the corner of Telok Ayer St. (the third street on your left). The peaceful street runs along what was once the coastline and visiting it gives you an idea just how much did reclamation push the sea away… Grateful newcomers, who disembark from their boats right here, built the mosques and the temple along Telok Ayer Street to show gratitude to their lord after surviving a long and dangerous sea voyage: Nagore Durgha Shrine (Mosque), right on the corner of Boon Tat and Telok Ayer, was built in the late 1820s by South Indian Tamil Muslims and features both South Indian motifs and Muslim elements. Next in line, just a few steps away, Thian Hock Keng Temple is Singapore's oldest and most important Hokkien (Fujian) temple and the street's focal point. Originally built in the 1820s in honor of Matsu, the Taoist goddess of the sea, it features the typical temple architectural style of southern China and boasts lavish decorations and sculpture work. Keep on walking down the street, passing by Masjid (mosque) Al Abrar: Originally built as a rather modest thatched hut in 1827, by South Indian Tamil Muslims, this small and hardly noticed mosque reflects an Indian-Islamic style.

Continue pass the mosque, turn right to Amoy Street and right again (still on Amoy). Right on the corner, there's a tiny Chinese temple, called Siang Cho Keong Temple and next to it there is a pedestrian-only pathway (with quite a few stairs...) that leads through Ann Siang Hill Park to Club Street... Ignore it and just continue walking along Amoy Street for a few more minutes, till you reach the corner of Cross Street, where Far East Square can be found (on the other side of Cross Street). Far East Square occupies a cluster of beautifully restored shophouses that has been converted to a small dining precinct, with some good restaurants and eateries. The main draw here, however, is the Fuk Tak Ch'i Museum: An old Chinese temple that was built back in 1824 and became a small museum, where you can see exhibits from Chinatown's early days, including a nice 3-D model of early 19th century Chinatown Far East Square is open daily, morning till late evening (The museum is open 10am – 10pm and entry is free)

As you leave Far East Square, cross Cross St., turn right and after a few minutes left, to Club Street. Club Street and its quaint offshoots are lined with some of the most beautiful houses in Chinatown, many of which have been restored and turned to romantic restaurants and boutique hotels. Take your time strolling through these lovely streets and climb to Ann Siang Hill Park (via Ann Siang Road), from where you can catch a view of Chinatown's old heart. From Club Street, turn right to tiny Ann Siang Hill, which will take you to the corner of South Bridge Road, where you turn right again and arrive at Eu Yan Sang Medical Hall. This interesting shop specializes in Chinese herbal medicines which are prepared on spot, right before your eyes, and even if you don't feel like trying any of their 'exotic' products, it is still worth visiting. The shop is on 267 South Bridge Road

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As you leave the shop, cross South Bridge Road to visit Sri Mariamman Temple, one of Singapore's earliest and most significant Hindu temples, which was built originally in 1827, as a simple wood and palm structure, dedicated to Mariamman, the main South Indian mother goddess and a protector from diseases. The existing brick building started its life in 1843 and has since been expended and modified a few times. You can then proceed to visit neighboring Masjid Jamae Mosque, which was built in the 1820s and features an eclectic architectural style. The entrance to Pagoda Street is right next to the Hindu temple. The narrow street, where Chinatown has started its life from almost 200 years ago, was restored and the old houses where poor families of Chinese migrants had to cram in tiny flats are now housing shops and cafés. One of these heritage buildings has become a museum, called Chinatown Heritage Centre, where you can learn about day-to-day life in Chinatown and the hardships those newcomers had to deal with. Chinatown Heritage Centre is open 9am - 8pm daily and there is an entry fee (website) Take a pleasant stroll through Chinatown's historic streets, including Trengganu, Temple Street and Smith Street before proceeding to Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, on 288 South Bridge Road. This impressive Tang-style building is where the relic of the tooth of the Buddha is kept, in a gold stupa. Other than the holy remnant, there is a lavishly decorated temple here, and a Buddhist Culture Museum, where hundreds of beautiful Buddhist artifacts are on display. Daily, 7am – 7pm (The holy chamber can be seen 9am – 12noon and 3 – 6pm), Free entry. Website Turn right to South Bridge Road as you walk out of the temple and walk along it for a few minutes. On your left hand side, across the street, is the entrance to Maxwell Road Food Court, where you can find some great food stalls, including one of Singapore's most popular chicken-rice joints…

Right next to the food court is the modern building of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA Centre), where Singapore City Gallery is located. Here you can see one of the largest architectural models in the world, namely The Central Area Model, alongside some other large models of various urban developments across the city-state. City Gallery is open from Monday - Saturday, 9am - 5pm and the entrance is free (Website)

Do you feel like having something to eat?

The central part of Chinatown, near Pagoda Street, is home to some great eating places... From hawker food-stalls and authentic eateries to fancy restaurants... Maxwell Road Food Centre, right across the street from the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, prides itself for housing one of the city's best Chicken Rice stalls : Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice (#10)

Chinatown Complex Food Centre on 335 Smith Street (a couple of minutes from Pagoda St), boasts an excellent selection of Chinese food-stalls and eateries, including China La Mian Steamed Buns (#02-135), where you can enjoy fabulous steamed buns Recommended restaurants and eateries in the centre of Chinatown include: Qun Zhong Eating House, on 21 Neil Road (simple Chinese eatery, specializing in dumplings), Spring Court, on 52 Upper Cross Street (an 80 years old family run restaurant that specializes in Singapore-influenced Cantonese fare), Yum Cha Restaurant, on 20 Trengganu Street (Great variety of scrumptious dim-sums and dumplings, alongside a wide choice of delicious Cantonese favorites), Togi, on 11 Mosque Street (Backpacker hotel), where you can enjoy delicious Korean home cooking in nice surroundings, and at relatively good prices, and Bei Fang Feng Wei, on 191 New Bridge Road, is small eatery that serves nice Singaporean-influenced Chinese cuisine.

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The long and bright-red colonial building which once housed Singapore's traffic Police Headquarters, just across the street from the Singapore City Gallery, is currently accommodating one of the world's only two "red dot design museums", where winners of the lucrative red dot design award display their masterpieces… If product design is your thing, you will surely love it. 11am - 6 pm on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, and 11am - 8pm on Saturday and Sunday (closed on Wednesday and Thursday). Website

Walk back along Maxwell Road to the junction of Neil Road and Tanjong Pagar Road, where the neo-classical building of Jinrikisha Station stands. Noticeable for its red bricks, this beautiful colonial building was inaugurated at 1904 and served as a base for most of Singapore's rickshaw pullers. Turn left to Tanjong Pagar Road and after a minute or two right, to Duxton Hill: The historic district of Tanjong Pagar, south of Chinatown, can be described as "Singapore's Soho", with plenty of vivaciously painted shophouses, where lovely cafés and galleries can be found… Take a pleasant stroll through the area's quaint streets, like Duxton, Duxton Hill, Craig and Neil Road and simply enjoy the ambience… Walk down Duxton Road to the end, turn right to Craig and immediately left to Yan Kit Road. At the end of Yan Kit, turn right to Cantonment Road and after a minute or two, on No. 235, you will see the historic building of Nei Xue Tang Museum: A privately owned museum that displays one of the world's most impressive collections of Buddhist arts and crafts, including hundreds of precious statues, figurines and other pieces of art from China, Tibet, Thailand, Cambodia and other Asian countries. 10am - 5pm daily. Children below 8 years old are not permitted (Website)

As you leave Nei Xue Tang Museum, turn left and walk for a few minutes along Cantonment Road, turn left to Hoe Chiang Road and continue walking along it, crossing Tanjong Pagar Road, then turn left to Tras Street and right to Gopeng Street and left again, to Peck Seah Street… There, on the corner, you will see Seng Wong Beo Temple: A small and colorful temple, dedicated to Cheng Huang, who is the city-guard in Taoist tradition. This is one of the only places in

Singapore where "ghost marriages" are conducted: According to Taoist belief, the spirits of the unmarried (including children) cannot receive offerings made on family altars. In order to solve the problem, a "ghost marriage" has to be conducted, where the departed living relatives try to find them a match. A couple of minutes' walk from the temple, on the corner of Peck Seah Street and Choon Guan, you will see the entrance to Tanjong Pagar MRT Station, where our day trip comes to its end.

Kampong Glam, which is better known by the

name of its main thoroughfare Arab Street, was the area where Singapore's Arab traders settled in the cony's early days, but when real-estate prices started to go insane, sometimes around the 1920s, most of the original inhabitants moved away, and nowadays the hub of Singapore's Muslim community can be found in Geylang Serai, on the East Coast. Arab Street and its small offshoots are packed with old-style shops where you can get a whole lot of exotic and oriental stuff: Great variety of textiles and fabrics at reasonable prices seems to be the area's main drawing point but then there are also basketry and other products of rattan, cane and straw, as well as carpets, spices, and a wide range of authentic ornaments and bric-a-brac... Our day trip starts from Bugis MRT Station: Leave via exit-B, turn right to Victoria Street and after a few minutes right again, to Arab Street, where plenty of 'exotic' shops can be found, selling fabrics, carpets, basketry and bric-a-brac… Turn left to Muscat Street to visit Masjid Sultan, Singapore's largest and most significant mosque. Built in 1928, this impressive mosque features both Muslim-Indian architecture and Neo-classic motifs, and its golden onion domes can be seen from quite far. In Bussorah Street, the pedestrian mall in front of Masjid Sultan, there are quite a few handicraft and curio shops, as well as one or two cafés.

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Continue along tiny Muscat Street, cross Kandahar Street, and enter Istana Kampong Glam: The royal compound of the Sultan of Johor. This imposing manor was the palace of Ali Iskandar Shah, Sultan of Johor and the son of Hussein Shah, who authorized Raffles to build Singapore. It was built in 1835 by George Coleman, one of early Singapore's most famous architects, and combines Palladian style with local Malay motifs. Nowadays, there is a Malay Heritage Centre here (which is closed for renovations at the time of writing), which boasts a nice museum where you can learn about the history and culture of Singapore's Malay community.

Leave the compound of Istana Kampong Glam from its other entrance and walk down Sultan Gate to its end, where you turn left to Beach Road and walk along it for a few minutes, crossing Aliwal Sreet and Jalan Sultan, before getting to Masjid Hajjah Fatimah. This unique mosque was built in 1846 by Hajjah Fatimah, a wealthy Malay businesswoman who lived on this compound and decided to turn her home to a mosque after escaping a tragic incident. Designed by John Turnbull Thomson, an early 19th century architect who created some of the nicest structures in Singapore and New Zealand, its uniqueness lies in the combination of Southeast-Asian Muslim architecture on one hand, and European motifs on the other. As soon as you leave the mosque, turn left to Beach Road and after a minute or two you will get to Golden Mile Food Centre (near the pedestrians bridge), one of the best hawker centres around this side of Singapore, where you can find many stalls that specialize in Muslim delicacies from South India, Malaysia and Indonesia… Walk back along Beach Road, turn right to Sultan Jalan and after five – ten minutes right again, to Victoria Street, which will lead you to Lavender MRT Station (Victoria Street changes to Kallang Road). Geylang and Katong: Geylang, which is also

known as Geylang Serai, is the home of Singapore's mostly-Muslim Malay community: The only ethnic minority that was present on the island before the arrival of Sir Raffles and his fellow Brits. Located in the eastern side of Singapore, pretty much away from the center, this relatively large area was not influenced heavily by large urban redevelopment projects and managed to maintain some of its "old world charm"... Katong, on the other side of Geylang, is where Singapore's Peranakan community flourished in the old days.

Before you visit Muscat Street and the mosque…

Keep walking down Arab Street for a minute or two, to the corner of Baghdad Street, where you turn right to a narrow alley and visit Bali Lane and Hajji Lane: Two parallel alleys where some hip shops and cafés are located…

Do you feel like having something to eat?

Arab Street and the neighboring alleys of Kampong Glam are naturally packed with Middle Eastern and Muslim restaurants and cafés, where you can seat alfresco, smoke your shisha (Hubble Bubble) and forget you are just a short walk from Marina Bay Sands and Orchard Road... Recommend restaurants include M.A. Dean – Biasa, on 95 Jalan Sultan (Humble eatery that serves a variety of delicious Hokkien and Southeast-Asian dishes.), Beirut Grill, on Bussorah Street (Middle Eastern restaurant and lounge-bar), B Bakery, also on Bussorah St (western style cafe'), Vintage Delicafe, on 66 Bussorah Street (a small and cozy street-side cafe, serving European and Italian specialties), Café le Caire, on 39 Arab Street (Great Middle Eastern food and ambience), Deli Moroccan, on 30 Bussorah Street (This unpretentious café serves some lovely Middle Eastern and European food in a nice environment.) and El Sheikh, on 18 Pahang Street (corner of Aliwal), which serves lovely Lebanese & Middle Eastern food.

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Our visit to Geylang and Katong starts from Paya Lebar MRT Station, (served by both EastWest Line and Circular Line). As soon as you leave the station turn right to Eunos Road and almost immediately left to Sims Avenue (after you have crossed it). Walk along Sims Avenue for a couple of minutes, passing an open carpark and then turn right, to Engku Aman Road, where you will see the entrance to the "Malay Village" on your left. Purporting to replicate a traditional Malay "Kampong" (village), the Malay Village is a bit of a kitschy cliché but is worth a visit all the same, especially if you pass through the area anyway… Other than a cluster of traditional Malay houses, you can see the day-to-day paraphernalia of the villagers, a life sized scene of a traditional Malay wedding, arts and crafts and so on... There is also a small museum and some shops and restaurants within the complex.

Daily, 10am – 10pm, no entrance fees (Unless you want to enter the small museum), Website

Geylang Serai Market, just across the street from the "Malay Village", is one of Singapore's most popular and authentic markets… Being the main market for the city's Muslim-Malay community, it boasts many spice shops, as well as small boutiques where traditional clothes are sold, alongside stalls that sell cheap jewelleries and a wide choice of scrumptious street foods and snacks… From the market, cross Changi Road and start walking down Joo Chiat Road, one of Singapore's most characterful streets. The street is lined with many pre-war Peranakan shophouses, some of which were beautifully restored and are occupied by authentic eateries and old style shops… Turn left to Joo Chiat Lane near Hotel 81 Sakura and after a few steps, on the corner of Tembeling Road, you will see a colorful Chinese temple on your left hand side, dedicated to Guan Yin - The Chinese goddess of mercy and compassion.

As soon as you walk out of the temple, turn right and walk down along Tembeling to the corner of Koon Seng Road, where you turn right and pass by a row of some beautiful old shophouses. Left to Joo Chiat Road and right to Fowlie Road (next to 406 Joo Chiat Road). After a short stroll along the quiet street, turn left to Ceylon Road and soon you will see Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple on your right. This Hindu temple started 150 years ago as a thatched hut and developed during the 20th century, when Singapore's community of Sri Lankan Tamils became more sizeable and financially sound. Although it is not nearly as known as some of its counterparts in Chinatown and Little India, this temple is architecturally rich and boasts lots of beautiful decorations and statues. Keep on walking down Ceylon Road to the corner of East Coast Road and you find yourself right in old Katong. This historic suburb is where Singapore's wealthy Peranakan community thrived more than a century ago and other than many atmospheric shophouses, there are still some lovely galleries here, where you can familiarize yourself with the Peranakan art, as well as some fantastic eateries and small restaurants. 328 Katong Laksa, on the corner of Ceylon Road and "The Original Katong Spoon Laksa" across the road (in Roxy Square) serve the best Laksa in Katong. Katong's old police station currently accommodates some cafés and shops, including the popular Old Hong Kong Teahouse, where you can enjoy Hong Kong style dim sum 24 hours a day.

Good food on Joo Chiat Rd and Joo Chiat Place…

Hajah Maimunah Restaurant, on 20 Joo Chiat Road, is a homey restaurant, serving Southeast Asian delicacies. Madame Low Eating House, on 192 Joo Chiat, specializes in Chinese and Thai style stir-fried dishes, Just Greens Vegetarian Food, on 49-51 Joo Chiat Place, boasts a wide variety of light and healthy Chinese & Southeast Asian vegetarian delicacies... Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant, 38/40 Joo Chiat Place, is serving authentic Peranakan cuisine, as well as Hainanese fare, for well over 50 years, and Emperor's Soup, 348 Joo Chiat Road, serves 'Haute Cantonese cuisine' at a relatively reasonable price...

Although Singapore has one of the best public-transport systems in the world, taking the Singapore City Hop-on Hop-off Tour is highly recommended, as it takes you directly to the various attractions and saves you the time and hassle of waiting for a bus or walking…

Rumah Bebe, on 113 East Coast Road, is an exquisite Peranakan arts and antiques gallery, housed in a historic shophouse, and is worth visiting, even if you will end up not buying anything. A particularly beautiful Peranakan shophouse can be seen on 150 East Coast Road… Few more steps and you are at Chin Mee Chin Confectionery, on 204 East Coast Road – A charming 'old times' coffee shop, which has been serving some of the most authentic breakfasts in Singapore for who knows how many years…

Two doors from there, on 208 East Coast Road, is Katong Antique House: A gallery that showcases one of the best collections of Peranakan antiques and artifacts (to visit it, you will have to call the owner, Mr. Peter Wee, in advance, on 6345 8544 and tell him you are coming over). From here, you can board any of the following bus routes to get back to the city centre: 14 or 16 will take you to the area of Orchard, while 10 and 10-e travels to the Singapore River (near the Merlion Statue) and route No. 12 to Chinatown, via Clarke Quay.

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