So Long Singapore

Our last few days in Singapore were crammed with all the things we wanted to be sure to do before we lost our opportunity.

National Museum Of Singapore

I visited the museum by myself while Troy was at work. I felt pretty proud of myself solo-exploring the city and really enjoyed learning about the history of Singapore through a guided tour and the startling artifacts, images, film and audio recordings.

The children say a pledge everyday at the beginning of school just like my kids say the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge of Singapore seems to sum up the resilient spirit that has inspired their survival through the long tragic journey their country has taken.

We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society based on justice and equality so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.

Singapore is an amazing country. They rose from a swamp decimated by war and an attempted genocide to form one of the most prosperous nations in the world in only 40 years. They have a lot of strict laws (if you bring more than the weight of a 50 cent piece of drugs into the country you will be killed) and a lot of crazy fines ($500 if you don't flush the potty) but Christians, Buddhists, Hindi and Muslims; ethnic Chinese, Thai, Malay, Indian, European, Japanese and Americans all live, work, play, worship and fight for their country side by side.


Little India

Little India wasn't the same kind of tourist trap Chinatown or the Merlion were. It was the place Indians from all over the city could come to buy local cuisine, find Hindu temples and purchase goods imported directly from India. We visited the Mustafa department store and were overwhelmed by the amount of 'stuff' crammed into the building. The aisles were one American across which meant, of course, that there was 2 way traffic.

We found an amazing Indian restaurant and have resolved ourselves to finding the ultimate Pilak Paneer recipe so we can replicate our experience. YUMMM!




Chinatown

People, people, everywhere. You couldn't walk a step without running into someone or being accosted by shop owners trying desperately to get you to buy a "fine tailor suit or sexy blouse. Very cheap. Very nice."

At first I thought Troy was so RUDE just walking by these nice people who just wanted to say hi. By the end I realized that a no-eye-contact policy was essential if you wanted to survive. It was interesting, colorful, chaotic and beautiful.




Harbor Front

In the 1960s the Singapore Tourism Board decided they needed a good hook to draw in more tourists. They hired a guy who invented the Merlion. It's a half lion, half fish monstrosity that has no basis in myth, local history or folklore. The locals see the 70 ton waterspout as a joke and refer to vomiting as "doing a Merlion." Naturally, Troy and I had to go see it. It was as grotesque and surrounded by tourists as we had hoped.

The rest of the harbor front held restaurants, museums, shops, businesses and odd statues.




Hungry Ghost Festival

August 1st marked the beginning of the 7th lunar month which in Chinese culture is the first day of the Hungry Ghost Festival. This is the time of year when ghosts from the lower realm come out for a holiday and visit the corporeal world.

People burn incense, books, money, pictures and food as an offering to these hungry ghosts. They also leave plates of food out on the sidewalk and set extra places at the table at home for the ghosts to enjoy. Public concerts will leave the front row empty for the ghosts to sit and enjoy the show.




Fireworks

In preparation for National Singapore Day on the 9th, the city put on a fireworks display every night starting on the first. We were sitting in our hotel room when we heard a bunch of explosions followed by some strange singing. We went out on our balcony and could see a barge shooting off so many fireworks that the smoke started to obscure any sign of the lights. They would take a break, sing some songs and then start it up again. It was a loud, hazy, glorious show of national spirit.






Chilicrab

Singapore is a mish-mash of cultures and doesn't have very many truly "Singaporean" things (ergo the Merlion invention). One of the exceptions is the Chilicrab. It's a Singaporean dish that everyone had their own version of. The one we tried was down at the harbor front.

I thought it tasted great. Troy thought it tasted ok. We both thought it was messy and overpriced.