Andy's Cambodia: Wandering

Renovated heritage buildings along East Coast Road

A lazy day today, for me anyway. Up at 7am for breakfast - the only time I eat breakfast is when I stay in a hotel - then back to my room until player registration at 11.30. While the team had a group chat around the swimming pool, I attended the manager's meeting, which is the usual pre-match formalities and instructions, like 'respect the referee' and stuff like that. After lunch I went for a wander around the area known as the Joo Chiat neighbourhood of Katong. There are many quaint two story pre-war architectural gems with ornate facades, plaster bas reliefs and vibrant colours, as well as the Hindu temple of Sri Senpaga Vinayagar and regular residential properties. There are food shops everywhere you look serving Peranakan cuisine. The area used to be on the east coast itself until reclaimed land took the seafront further away. With its unique mix of Chinese, Peranakan and English colonial styles, it was designated a national heritage conservation area by the Singapore government in 1993. A pleasant enough stroll interrupted by the rain, which is forecast to hit us harder tomorrow night. There's training tonight for the the team between 7-9pm at the match stadium under floodlights.