Week 7b: Little India

To complete my adventures for this week, I explored Singapore's Little India.  Even in the middle of the week, the streets were hustling and bustling with activity.  It was sensory overload - the sights, the smells, the sounds - were quite unique and pretty amazing.  Personally, I liked Chinatown better - it was cleaner and had a wider variety of temples and restaurants - but I really liked the kinds of items sold in the shops in Little India.  The intricately embroidered fabrics, the beautifully hand woven rugs, expertly hand carved statues, and other colorful artistic pieces.

Upon exiting the Little India MRT (Subway station), I walked by these pop-up temples (at least that's what they looked like) underneath tents.  They were so colorful.  But nothing compared to the real things!  Oh my goodness... just wait.

Next, I went to the infamous Tekka Center, which is a large market.  On the ground floor is a "wet market", where they sell fish, meat, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit imported from many countries.  It's so fascinating to look around and learn of new produce that I've never even seen or heard of before.  At this market, you can also find a vast array of Indian food hawker stalls selling delicious "fast food".  On the top floors were retail stores selling clothing like saris, hand tailored suits, etc.

Tekka Market

 Who knew you could have your choice of eggs?

 One row of many hawker stalls - an infinite amount of curry to be had.

 I don't know what kind of fruit this was, but the way it was arranged was so cute!

 Other colorful shop houses

 Many many floral garlands to buy and to serve as offering in the temples.  The jasmine smelled so wonderful!

 The colorful painted clay used on peoples' faces, I think.

Next, I walked across Sarangoon Street to the Little India Arcade.  I liked the shops here better than in Tekka Center.  These shops are 1920's shophouses that have been restored.  They were filled with saris, hand bags, table decorations, fabrics, tailors, souvenirs, henna tattooists, art, Bollywood CD's and DVD's, etc.

 Cashmere scarves, table runners, table cloths, hand bags

 Jewelry for the face, hands and feet

 Had to try it.

 Bangles, bangles, bangles

 Cute little girls' sari

 Look at all these flower garlands!

 This historical area used to be a buffalo pen and slaughterhouse.

 I have never seen so many shops selling so much gold in my life.

 

 This house was built in 1900 by a wealthy Chinese man and was later restored in 1990 by the government.  It's an example of the kind of houses wealthy Chinese people owned back then.

 Now, it serves as a large medicinal shop.  Like those in Chinatown, you can walk in and tell the Pharmacist what ails you and he/she (not sure if women work here?) will prescribe something for you.

 I didn't go into the above temple, but this is the Shree Lakshmanarayan Temple - a hindu temple worshipping Lakshmi, the incarnation of the goddess Kali.

Above is a picture of the ornate Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple.  This is not my picture, as the front is currently being renovated.  I just got if off the Internet to show you what it looks like.  This temple was built in the 1880's to worship the goddess Kali.  Inside are pairings and statues of thousands of Hindu gods and goddesses.  I made sure before I went to Little India to wear pants and sleeves so I could go inside.  And as in all temples, everyone had to remove their shoes and wash their feet before entering.

 Not only was the temple quite ornate...it was also a bit gaudy in my opinion - there were so many neon lights everywhere!

 People were here worshipping, offering flowers and incense.  They were worshipping kneeling on the ground, laying on the ground, having prayers said/read to them, and walking around certain shrines a specific number of times while praying.

 After visiting the temple, I walked to the famous Banana Leaf Apolo.  Several months before coming to Singapore, Mark and I saw a television show on the Travel Channel with Andrew Zimmern.  This was one of the featured restaurants and it looked SO yummy.  It was so interesting, too, as they eat on banana leafs.  This is a very common sight here in Little India, as with eating only with the fingers on your right hand (the left is considered "unclean"), and no utensils.

 

 I got here early to miss the lunch crowd, but by the time I left, there was a line out the door.

Vegetables, Nan, Rice and Chicken Masala.

 Hair "Saloon" AND Internet? Sign me up!

 Above is a picture (not my own) of the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple.  I didn't have time to go inside (this time) because I had to get home to pick up the kids from school.  But, this is the temple where Hindu begin their hugely famous Thaipusam procession to another temple about two miles away.  Faithful Hindu will erect heavy steel frames decorated with flowers and feathers anchored into their skin with hooks and spears.  This festival takes place in January and is to give thanks for good luck and to pay penance for your sins from the past year.  I must go see it next year because I've been told there is nothing like it!!

 Finally, walking toward the next MRT station at Ferrer Road is the grand Mustafa's Center.  (We went here one weekend - NEVER go on a weekend.  You'll barely be able to walk through!)  This is the largest superstore I've ever seen in my life and it goes on for blocks.  Open 24 hrs, you can find everything you could ever ask for and anything you'd never want in here.  It's truly a shopping mecca.  Food, spices, electronics, travel agency, cosmetics, clothing.  Super Wal-Mart on speed.  Fascinating.

And that ends my journey - this time - of Little India!