Adventures in Singapore: Chapter 14: The Wet Market

Many Ex-Patriot’s are intimidated by the wet market shopping experience.  This is where the locals go to get their fresh goods like fruits, vegetables and meats.  Much better prices than the regular grocery store, there’s also the link to local culture – sellers tell you which fruits are ripe – describe an unusual fruit or vegetable and tell you how they prepare it.  Beautiful Market, sights, sounds,the bustle of shoppers, and smells – fruity floral with wafts of durian, and dead fish and meat – sometimes a little pungent.     People going about their business, and me- the tourist, photographing the experience!   Jen and Jeff hadn’t taken photos of the wet market yet – I guess that would be like me taking photos in an American market – but then I realized, I do just that at home too – I love the look of fruits and vegetables piled on top of each other – raw beauty.  My market purchase: a bag of green tomatoes… I was so excited - yum! I had fried green tomatoes in March, in Singapore! Mmmm!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

                             Ginger                                                                         Eggplant

 

 

 

 

 

    

Asian Cucumber (I think)                                   Beans (Soy, I think)

 

 

 

 

 

                                                           Peanuts a.k.a ground nuts

   

 

 

 

 

 

                   Quail Eggs                              Star Fruit, Pineapples, and Golden Mangos – mmm.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon Fruit – Ehtne loves these!      Mangos, Asian Pear, Fragrant Pears, Melons

 

 

 

 

 

 

and wouldn’t want to miss durian fruit

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Vegetable Seller – posing for my picture!

 

We also picked out a potted Orchid plant for the Balcony – beautiful flower market

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jen buying fresh pork loin for Sunday’s Dinner  and Jeff and Emma bought some treats.

Adventures in Singapore: Chapter 13: Sri Mariamman Temple

Still in Chinatown we rounded the corner and saw the magnificent, ornate Sri Mariamman Temple.  It was amazingly intricate and unique, I had never seen anything like this before.  I had to go in, we were in time for visiting hours, and could hear the music beyond the walls where the main shrine was.  Ethne (3) and I took our shoes off, as was required for entrance (huge pile of shoes at the door) and walked around, enjoyed the interesting sights, sounds and smells – burning incense and offerings at the shrines.  There as a fee for bringing in a camera so we just walked around.  Emma, Jen & Jeff waited for us outside.  Beautiful, and a little creepy – some of the statues were not ones you’d want to meet up with in a dark alley.   I did take a few photos of the entrance, perimeter and through the wall openings of the compound.

Description from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Mariamman_Temple,_Singapore

The Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple. It is an agamid temple, built in South Indian Dravidian style.  The Sri Mariamman Temple was founded in 1827 by Naraina Pillai, eight years after the British East India Company established a trading settlement in Singapore. The most outstanding feature of the temple is its impressive gopuram (entrance tower). The gopuram rises above the main entrance along South Bridge Road. It is richly embellished with six tiers of sculptures of Hindu deities, other figures and ornamental decorations. The tower tapers up towards to a moulded ornamental ridge. The scale of each tier and its sculptures is slightly smaller than that of the tier immediately below it. This helps to create the illusion of height, and adds to the symbolic importance of the building. Flanking the gopuram are a sculpture of Murugan on the right and Krishna on the left (as you enter). The sculptures are all of plaster, which allows for fine detailing. They are painted in a variety of bright colours, which adds to the visually spectacular quality of the gopuram.

The floor plan of the gopuram base block is rectangular, and is bisected by an entrance passageway. The entrance contains a pair of very large double leaf timber doors. The scale of these doors is intended to induce humility in the visitor and emphasize the diminutive human scale in relation to the divine. The doors are studded with a small gold bells arranged in a grid pattern. Devotees are supposed to ring as they move through. Footwear is also stored around the entrance area, as this is not allowed within Hindu temples, as a sign of respect.

The main entrance gopuram is only one of the entrances into the temple compound, which is surrounded by a perimeter wall. Side openings also exist, which open onto the flanking Pagoda and Temple Streets. However, these are mainly used as service entrances, with all devotees and visitors entering through the gopuram doors. The compound wall is also decorated with ornamental mouldings, as well as figures placed on top of the wall at various points, including several prominent seated cow sculptures.

Within the walled compound, the temple comprises a combination of covered halls, shrines and service areas as well as open to sky spaces. Leading directly from the gopuram entrance via a covered hall is a main prayer area, with richly ornamented columns and ceilings with frescoes. The ceiling paintings include a large mandala diagram.

See a 360 degree tour of the Interior Main Prayer Hall: http://www.singaporevr.com/vrs/SriMariammanTemple/SriMariammanTemple.html

Interesting history, purpose, and festivals – including fire walking… get the real scoop at the Hindu Endowments Board Website: http://www.heb.gov.sg/smt/main-smt.html

Adjacent building, part of the temple, facility from the street outside.  Decorated with beautiful Indian design elements, I am always a designer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Buddhist temple, a Hindu Temple, Chinatown… busy first part of a day... next stop lunch!

Adventures in Singapore: Chapter 12: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

Outside the Chinatown Complex was the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum. We heard the drums and ventured over, we happened to be visiting during this Buddha’s birthday celebration.  Special services, gifts and offerings were made, and very abundantly.  Buddhist monks shared chants and drums as part of the ceremonies, a large congregation of practicing Buddhists were leaving the temple as we were entering, we had come in at the tail end of the service.  Visitors and photos were welcome and even encouraged, everyone was very kind as we were admiring the fine workmanship and intricacy of the details in the temple and statuary.  Enjoy the photos below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lotus flowers on the wall below are silk embroidery.

And of course donations are always accepted.

Adventures in Singapore: Chapter 11: Chinatown

It is odd to note that Singapore has a ethnic district called Chinatown when it’s largest population is Chinese, this stems from back in the 1800’s while under British rule the Chinese were a minority.   

Chinatown is a fun market place to visit.  We found some great deals on stuff – especially souvenir-y stuff.  Deals like six key chains for $2 – unlike the one key chain I bought at Jurong bird park for $7 (although mine is quite nice and really I only needed one).   And good prices for stickers and trinkets – must have items for my nieces!

We started our visit in the Chinatown complex, the main indoor market place and food stands (food court like), I had my first whiff of Durian in the air – It was early – most shops were just opening - we stopped off  at a juice stand – fruit juiced – so many options – honey dew, dragon fruit, pineapple, watermelon, pear, apple, orange, passion fruit, even durian, and many more – some fruits I have never seen – great deal - $1 a drink – large too! we also had some delicious fried dough  - puffs and sticks. 

We did a lot of  looking, a little shopping, then out to the streets. 

Beautiful red lanterns fill the sky, running across the street from building to building.   The Baroque Italianate Victorian buildings were beautiful, brightly colored traditional details were like the  US’s painted ladies, at the street level there is shop after shop, encompassing a number of streets, intersecting one another, a maze of eateries, produce and dry goods,  massage parlors, tailors, and a myriad of items to buy.   The streets were filled with amazing sights, sounds of a busy market place and smells both delightful and others less appealing.