At Home In Balestier... Part I

When we were planning this trip to Singapore, it was merely by luck that I chanced upon this hotel in Balestier. 

I did not want to stay in Little India, as most people from India do, I wanted to experience the local way of life, local food and more importantly, I wanted a peaceful place, yet accessible from the airport and Downtown...

Hotels in Downtown were way, way beyond my reach in terms of budget.

It was on Expedia and couple of other travel sites that I figured out that Balestier suited me perfectly in terms of accessibility and budget. My old friend Kapil validated my decision. Even Neeti loved the location...

But scratching beneath the liveliness of the area, the hustle and bustle, the veneer of modernity that the glitzy malls, the hotels and high-rise condos of Balestier exude, there is a massive amount of history that the place has, an untold story, which Singapore is zealously preserving all over the nation. 

I found this aspect of Singapore very appreciable - there is a conscious effort to preserve the old, yet modernise. There is a big focus of putting people, locals, in touch with the heritage of the area, lest they forget. 

This was evident in Balestier. The story behind Balestier's modernity was documented on the heritage trails that the National Heritage Board has created and so prominently displayed, that it became a virtual treat for a history buff like me...

Balestier Road was named after an American, Joseph Balestier, who an agriculturist, trader and shipping agent. (Balestier was married to Maria Revere, the daughter of Paul Revere, a hero of the American war of independence). He was also the United States's first consul to the region, from 1849 to 1852. This was the time when American ships were given equal trading rights to trade in the region alongwith the East India Company. 

In Singapore, Balestier built a large house on a 1,000 acre sugar-cane and cotton plantation, with a sugar mill and rum distillery. This area is now known as Balestier Road.

Balestier was a keen horticulturist and was among the founders of the Singapore Agricultural & Horticultural Society. He grew fruit and exotic and rare plants in his estate here. Those days, this area was home to tigers and Balestier's labour - Indian and Chinese often had to fight off these wild cats in the plantation 

In 1848, Balestier had to sell off his estate here to pay off his debts as British import duties on Singaporean sugar and rum made exports unviable...

The estate was acquired by the local authorities and handed over to Chinese farmers. A part of Belestier was converted into a burial ground for the destitute and another was converted into a leper colony - that site today is where the Tock Seng Hospital is located...

As migrants came into Singapore, settlers started populating Balestier. Villages sprung around the area. The Chinese caled it Wu-Hap Thong or Taro Pond. People set up cottage industries here - these can be seen, today, as shophouses that line up along Balestier Road.

In the early 1900s, wealthy Singaporeans moved out of the Downtown, Kampong Glam and Chinatown areas to Balestier for a an idyllic lifestyle here. The rich and the famous who inhabited this area were the Aljunieds (an Arab trading family that claims to have descended from the Prophet Mohamed), the Sultan of Sulu (Sulu is in modern Philippines), the Sultan of Siak (Sumatra, Indonesia), a wealthy Chinese merchant Boey Chuan Poh and many others...

I found the Zhongshan Park, which is in between Ah Hood Road and Balestier Road an oasis of calm, tranquility and relaxation. The park is centered around two magnificent banyan trees, with walkways and ponds giving the park a relaxing feel. No wonder, people come here to read a book or two, walk their pets or just sit and and enjoy the sounds of silence!

A view of the Maha Sasana Ramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple from Zhongshan Park...

Illumination of Zhongshan Park at night...

Zhongshan Park is abutted by two hotels, the Days-Inn and the Ramada, besides the Zhongshan mall on either side. Across the road is the Ibis Hotel...

One can't resist the tranquility of Zhongshan Park...

This is a historic area. Balestier was home to Dr. Sun Yat Sen, who founded the Repblic of China in 1911. More on that in the next edition of At Home In Balestier...!