Everything is so interesting when you’re seeing it for the first time. Like, you just go “ooh it’s a point of interest”, and it encompasses anything. Like the sky, which even though is the same sky, somehow has some kind of new magical charm to it. Or the clouds, which don’t look the way they do back home. The grass, the trees (or lack thereof), the pavements…anything you can name. The buildings. The cars. The scenery. The everything.
It was just a passing thought when I passed by a group of tourists a couple days ago, on my way to work. This was in Chinatown, where there are a number of conserved shophouses that continue to be in use today. So, these tourists had stopped in the middle of the road to take a photo of one such row of shophouses.
Based on where they were roughly angling this camera, this is what they were taking.
It really is wonderful to be a tourist. Even scaffolding surrounding the building can look interesting. It’s not just any scaffolding, it’s scaffolding used in Singapore.
I mean, I kind of can understand, since I find myself taking photos of buildings that look nice when I’m overseas as well. Like a library in Melbourne. Or a church in Vietnam. (making a mental note to add the images later)
I don’t think many locals would share the same level of fascination for something they see everyday. And on the other end of the spectrum, some of them pick up jobs as tour guides and I do find it interesting how invested, at times emotionally, they can get. A tour guide in Vietnam shared with us the origins of his family line; I would say he was quite enamoured with preserving his traditional roots. He also had some pretty choice words for a group of ladies that were apparently not wearing the ao dai (a form of traditional wear) correctly. If I recall, they had swapped out the pants for a pair of shorts instead.
My memory is hazier on this front with a particular tour that I had to go for, long ago at home (Singapore). I remember the guide was directing expressions of displeasure while sharing about a historical event he lived through, but I cannot remember to whom it was directed at. My personal guess is that he was talking about a couple of riots that took place here in the 60s. “Guess”, because I cannot say with 100% certainty.
Man, I really want to travel. Maybe not a guided tour though. I prefer to just walk around aimlessly and sort of soak up what it feels like day-to-day in a different place, rather that tick off a list of “curated” and “good” places; some which don’t live up to their expectations (looking at you 12 Apostles in Victoria). It’s too bad that my finances aren’t really allowing for it at the moment, since I’m not drawing a large sum. It’s just enough for me to live day to day. However, it might change soon – it seems I have a new job offer, which I’m just waiting for the paperwork for.
I do worry a bit about what might happen if I allowed the pay to get to my head. One day at a time, I suppose. No point thinking about the paycheck when it’s not even before you.
Alright, that’s all from me. I have to go eat breakfast and then meet a friend. We are going to Artcade. I’ll post any loot that I get at a later date; hopefully sooner rather than later. Have a good Saturday.
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