The wedding party continued deep into bar closing time. When we left The Fullerton Hotel the clock was ringing three times, welcoming the new day. I’ve already been told that it was the lethal combination of jetlag and wedding cocktails but I want to think it was my itching desire to find out whether or not oceanic lions sleep at night: I was wide awake at five in the morning and ready to go on the next photographic adventure to see the famous symbol of Singapore. I gathered my camera equipment in the dark hotel room leaving others asleep in their plush, rented linens and headed down to the lobby to hitch a taxi.
The Merlion Park that I discovered was serene – an empty, floating marble monument, jutting out into Marina Bay. This early morning discovery, in it’s solitude, brought me to the question of the purpose and scale of its fame. By getting to the park before dawn, I had most certainly beaten the crowd and had total control and freedom to capture the perfect angles of the glorious Merlion. This kind of freedom truly brings contentment to the heart of any photographer. In addition, the sunrise at the Merlion Park with the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in the backdrop was quite an impressive sight to behold. If you find jetlag keeping you awake at night the next time you find yourself in Singapore, I cannot recommend more highly making your way over to Merlion Park for a sunrise photo.
When I got to Merlion Park, it was about 30 minutes before sunrise and there were maybe 10 other people at the park. I saw a group of skateboarders sitting and listening to music through earbuds, staring at the brilliant reflection of Marina Bay Sands floating on the calm river waves. I also saw several travelers who I assumed had made their way down from the airport during a long layover to take selfies and a few stern looking photographers anchoring heavy tripods to frame that perfect sunrise photo. Merlion Park was still under the blanket of a romantic evening, and I quite enjoyed watching the silhouettes of people and imagining the stories of each of their evening’s endings in front of this gorgeous view of the Singaporean skyline.
Dawn arrived suddenly. I was admiring the red glow of sun peeling away the shadows from a dark sky and revealing the somber surface of the river. The city lights that had sparkled like diamonds, quickly faded into the pastel colors of the morning sky. I walked around the Merlion and tried my best to document this subtle yet fast transition of light. The change of color was beautifully intangible, and struck me with a sense of joy in witnessing the beginning of a new day.
Once the sun fully went above my head and the park started to become lively with tourists and early morning joggers, I left the area and explored around the esplanade.
The early morning walk in a sunny Singapore was refreshing and lifted my mood for another day in the foreign country. I revisited The Fullerton Hotel in the daylight and tread the riverwalk to Theatres on the Bay, a building better known as The Durian Fruit.
After returning to the hotel and finding my companions just waking to see the new day, I spent most of the day relaxing and taking full advantage of the hotel swimming pools. Yes, I was a relaxing vacationer for once!
In the late afternoon, I made my way to the Tiong Bahru neighborhood and walked around the streets full of local goodness to indulge in my street photography. Here’s some of my favorite snaps from that excursion:
It was closed when I walked by, so I can only use my imagination to think about the giant monkey breathing behind the shutters…
From Tiong Bahru towards Clarke Quay:
Thank you for reading my post. Next up, I will post photos from our wonderful day at Garden by the Bay and the illuminated zoo at Night Safari. Please stay tuned!
Shiok la bro!
Written by: Kosuke Haga
Edited by: Rebecca Hoover