Sweating it out in Singapore, part deux

From the Singapore River 

Saturday, the second of May and our third day in Singapore. We had spent the previous evening strolling about Chinatown; this morning it would be Little India's turn to be explored. My guidebook describes the atmospheric old quarter as having "retained far more of its cultural integrity than Chinatown", and it's an assessment I completely agree with. We started off in the Tekka Market (established in 1915), a genuine wet market with water covering large parts of the floor. Stalls had it all - meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables. And while there were plenty of tourists like us having a look around, there were also many locals doing their grocery shopping there: 

Upstairs were shops selling clothing and household items. It was relatively quiet up there, but did provide good views over the market below:

Ironically the first building of note we came across in Little India after leaving the market was the Former House of Tan Teng Niah, a two-story villa built in 1900 for a prominent Chinese businessman who owned some factories in the area: 

Little India appeared to be much less gentrified than Chinatown, and on weekends the neighborhood is busy with Bengali and Tamil migrant laborers (the workforce behind Singapore's shopping malls, subway stations and upscale condo complexes):  

The Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple was my first time to experience a Hindu shrine. While my wife waited outside in the shade, I donned a shawl to cover my bare, varicose-veined legs (no doubt to the relief of all those around me) and joined the throngs inside. I wasn't familiar with any of the deities, but the atmosphere within was energetic and lively. Hindu and Buddhist temples share some similarities in the way the gods are depicted and worshipped, which isn't surprising as Hinduism was very influential in the development of Buddhist architecture, art and philosophy: 

Thanks to my Rough Guide I now know the temple is dedicated to Kali, the Hindu goddess of time, death and destruction. Flanking her in front of the main prayer hall are her sons, the deities Ganesh (on her left) and Murugan (to her right): 

This multi-armed deity subduing a demon of ignorance is Shiva: 

The day before we had visited the Chinatown Heritage Centre. This time we would escape the heat at the Indian Heritage Centre, one of Singapore's several showpieces dedicated to the local ethnic cultures:

We started at the top floor, which provided a general overview of Indian traditions. You can read all about the, um, interesting object below:

A polychromed 19th-century Burmese depiction of a forest ogre, made of lacquered and gilded wood:

I spent time examining this 19th-century Chettinad doorway and its 5000 minute carvings:

Ornamental items:

A wooden gable from a house (20th century):

On a lower floor I came face-to-face with the Indian nationalist Subhas Chandra Bose, who spent time in Japanese-occupied Singapore during the Second World War: 

Bose led the Indian National Army (INA), created by the Japanese after the fall of Singapore in early 1942:

Other exhibits covered the stereotypical jobs done by Indians in colonial-era Singapore: 

Back outside, where Shu-E was amused to see laundry hanging on poles outside a high-rise apartment building. I was reminded of my first visit to Hong Kong in the early 1990s when I encountered similar scenes:

 

Lunch was had at Kumar Mess, where I ordered the Melur Chicken Curry. The dish proved to be a bit spicier than what I'm used to, but the iced milk tea helped to soothe the burn. My wife, who likes to eat food to go with her spices, had no issues with her meal:

Our final stop in Little India would be at the Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple:

On the left as we entered the temple was a large Buddha's footprint:

The temple housed a kitschy-looking 15 meter (49 feet)-high Buddha ringed by a thousand electric lights, with dioramas depicting the Buddha's life adorning the pedestal. It was built by a Thai monk, which explained its appearance:

It was possible to go inside the figure, where there was a statue of a reclining Buddha (photographs of the interior were not permitted). Speaking of which, while I at the temple I learned that in Thailand there was a Buddha for each day of the week:

At this point my wife, citing the oppressive hot weather, decided to head back to the hotel. Truth be hold, unlike her spouse, Shu-E doesn't have much interest in the peoples and cultures of Southeast and Southwest Asia. I don't know what the effect on her would've been had I been successful in previous bids on jobs in Chennai, India. Instead, we seem to keep ending up in China, so she at least has been content with my career progression. I, on the other hand, decided to press on to the Sultan Mosque, located in Singapore's Arab Street neighborhood: 

The mosque looked very impressive from the outside...:

...but the interior was a bit underwhelming compared to the exterior. The staff were very welcoming, however, especially the woman who helped this old man who was struggling to wear the robe he needed to put on before going inside:

Similar to Chinatown, the surrounding neighborhood was more tourist-oriented than Little India, with many Middle Eastern restaurants open for business: 

I eventually made my way back to our accommodations and took a dip in the outdoor pool on the second floor. Here is the view overlooking Clarke Quay:

For dinner that evening the two of us made the short walk from the hotel to Brewerkz:

I had the 4AM Double IPA:

Shu-E reacts to the size of the chicken wings "appetizer" she ordered as her dinner:

I had the fish and chips:

At my wife's sugggestion, following dinner we took a boat ride on the Singapore River:

Passing by the Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino: 

Shu-E was sitting closer to the Merlion so this photo was taken by her. Created in 1972, the Merlion is an ugly half-lion, half-fish that has inexplicably become the Singaporean national symbol:  

A glimpse of the Merlion on the far left as the boat makes it way back to Clarke Quay:

Singapore's nightscape was quite striking, especially in comparison to the ostentataious after-dark displays found in many Chinese cities, including the one where we currently live:

Singapore's former General Post Office is now the luxurious Fullerton Hotel: 

Shu-E and I were both taken with the appearance of the 1934 Old Hill Street Police Station, with its 900 rainbow-colored louvered windows. It now houses the Ministries of Communication and Information, and Culture, Community and Youth: 

There was a full moon that evening that my iPhone could not capture:

We ended the evening with a stroll through the Boat Quay, a district of waterfront shophouses that has been regenerated into a thriving area of bars and restaurants:

Heading back to the Paradox:

Sunday, the last day. Our return flight to Guangzhou wasn't due to depart until late in the afternoon, and check-out at our hotel wasn't until noon. Shu-E preferred to relax in air-conditioned comfort until then, but I decided to tackle the morning heat and explore a bit of Singapore's Civic District:

Parliament House:

The National Gallery is housed in two old buildings - the former Supreme Court on the left (the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery was closed for renovations on this Sunday)...: 

...and the old City Hall on the right. The DBS Singapore Gallery was open, so I went inside to have a look: 

The general admission ticket I purchased (with a senior discount!) provided entrance to three galleries on two different floors. The higher exhibit was devoted to works by He Xiangning, who appeared to have had quite the artistic and political career. And, no, I had never heard of her either. Lion (1914), ink and color on silk:

Tiger (1910), ink and color on silk:

Pine and Chrysanthemums (1931), ink and color on paper:

Green Plum Blossoms (1943), ink and color on paper:

Appreciating the Snow (1962), ink and color on paper, in collaboration with Fu Baoshi:

The interior of the gallery:

Before heading down to see the other two galleries, I detoured up to the roof to take in the view:

The Marina Bay Sands in the background, with the Padang in the foreground. A cricket match was being held - it doesn't get more colonial than that: 

The Old Parliament House, built in 1827, making it the oldest extant building in Singapore. It now houses a contemporary arts center: 

Visitors can ring the bells of the rooftop installation Temple, by Vietnamese-American artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen:

Looming behind the rooftop is the Norman Foster-designed New Supreme Court, looking like a flying saucer from a 1950s sci-fi flick: 

The remaining two galleries I could enter were both located on the second floor. One was devoted to Singaporean artist Tchang Ju Chi, while the other focused on more than 350 artworks telling "a layered ever-changing story of Singapore's art history" (according to the pamphlet I was given along with my entrance ticket). What follows are a few representative works from the collections, including My Ah Kong's Big House (1999) by Chua Chye Teck: 

Tchang's Self-Portrait (1939), oil on canvas: 

Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery by Tchang, an oil on canvas painting he did in 1927:

Cartoons by Tchang. He was executed by the Japanese in 1942, so it was probably a good thing that I had worn my Japanese national soccer team jersey the previous day instead of this morning: 

An untitled still life by Tchang done sometime in the 1930s:

Rooster (oil on canvas, 1989) by Vincent Leow: 

Working at the Brick Factory (oil on canvas, 1954) by Liu Kang: 

Storyteller (oil on canvas, 1962), by Wee Kong Chai:

Civilisation (polyurethane paint on board, c. 1970s), by Vincent M. Hoisington: 

[Title Unknown] by Jaafar Latiff, batik and acryllic on canvas (c. 1976):

Grey Shadows (quilted stitching on cotton ticking, c. 1970s), by Eng Tow:

Outside again, meaning I was back in the stifling heat of the day:

The Cenotaph, commemorating those who were killed in the First World War:

Looking back at the National Gallery on the opposite side of the Padang:

On the way back to the hotel I came across a hawker selling ice cream from a pushcart. I bought a slab of chocolate. Yes, a slab, because in the traditional Singaporean way the ice cream came in bricks, and the seller would use a cleaver to cut off a large piece. I also went traditional by having the ice cream rolled up in a slice of milk bread: 

For our final lunch in Singapore Shu-E and I went to a Japanese tendon 天丼 restaurant called Kohaku 琥珀, meaning "amber" in Japanese. IYKYK:

And with that we took the metro to Changi Airport to check in and await our flight. Changi is consistently ranked as one of the best airports in the world, and in particular is noted for the large Jewel Changi shopping mall next to Terminal 1. The mall is home to the Rain Vortex, the world's biggest indoor waterfall, and I had considered arriving at the airport earlier so we would have time to go over and see it. However, there didn't appear to be enough time to do so once we reached Changi, so we checked in, went through immigration and made our way over to the lounge to wait for our flight. 

Except that we would've had time after all, for our flight back to Guangzhou 广州 had been delayed by two hours. I seem to have poor timing at Changi - way back in 1997 I had a seven-hour layover there on a trip going from Tōkyō 東京 to Vienna. After landing late in the evening I ran to catch the final free bus tour of Singapore of the day provided for in-transit travelers, only to miss the bus by mere seconds. As nice as Changi was even back then, seven hours was still a lot of time to kill. As for the present day, thanks to the delayed flight, and then a long wait at Chinese immigration after arriving at Baiyun Airport 广州白云国际机场 (thanks to a Korean man in front of us who didn't appear to have the correct visa, and was claiming not to understand either English or Chinese), it wasn't until 0200 on a Monday morning that we finally arrived back at our apartment. Fortunately Monday was a Chinese public holiday, otherwise I would have had to call in sick at work that day.

I really enjoyed our all-too-brief time in Singapore, though I'm sure if you asked my wife she would just complain about the hot weather and the cost of eating out (restaurants in Singapore are somewhat dear when it comes to the bill). Our trip really made me wish that I could have done at least one tour in what the Chinese call 新马泰, meaning "Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand", respectively. Unfortunately, though I put in bids on positions in Chiang Mai and Kuala Lumpur in the past, I didn't succeed. Instead of the diversity in assignments I've striven for, I always seem instead to end up in China. My ultimate retirement photo on LinkedIn will be a middle finger extended in the direction of the Consular Affairs assignments section.