The quiet route that leads from Balestier Road to the big hospital on top of the hill at Jalan Tan Tock Seng, traverses a myriad of roads and streets thematically named, since the 1960s, after Burmese cities. This unusual legacy and lattice of evocative names (e.g., Moulmein, Mandalay, Martaban, Irrawaddy, Pegu, Bassein, Shan, Akyab,) lends a pastoral and laid-back feel to the neighbourhood, a stone’s throw from the bustle of Whampoa. Arguably, this latter district itself is pleasant enough, a shady and somewhat sleepy town with familiar shops, kopitiams (in the old style), and the famous market that bears its name. New amenities and services have come into being, as the inner city redevelopment brought new residents and the young into the heart of the estate.
The images of this transition from old neighborhood to a mega health-city … is a sharp one, even if the route is steeped in history and its vignettes. Is this a necessary transition, and does it bring those who serve, further away from those for whom it was built to serve? Only time will tell.
(Lumix GX85; Lumix Vario 14-140mm)