Sunday Funday

Perhaps not Sunday Funday in the common sense of the phrase, but I had another great day in Singapore. After Skyping with Brian this morning (post on Skype coming later - love it!), I headed out for another day of adventure and exploration. On today's agenda: Chinatown, Little India, the pool and a few things in between.


As I was taking the short walk from the CBD to Chinatown, I just happened upon this temple. I don't know the name of it, and the bottom part was under construction but I thought it was striking.

Here I am. Love the symmetry of the lanterns and the columns. Believe it or not, I bought several gifts in Chinatown today - that's something you aren't likely to hear me say in San Francisco!

This pagoda is on top of what I believe is called the Garden Bridge. It runs over a busy road and connects two sides of Chinatown.

This man is letting little fish eat the dead skin off his feet. Seriously. I kind of want to try it, but I'm not sure how sanitary it is since other people put their feet in there too. As I'm writing, I realize it's probably strange to be more freaked out by other people's feet than the fact that I'd be willing to let carnivorous fish nibble on mine. Hmm...

I can't remember what this green and yellow building is called. In addition to residences up top, it has a mall at the bottom (shocker). I can see it prominently from the gym in my building.

Doesn't exactly seem cuddly, does he?

Singapore's Chinatown doesn't have pink bags...it has orangey-red bags! Here's mine filled with dried kiwi.

For Hindus, the sacred cow represents the symbol of life, which is why Hindus do not eat beef. These sacred cows overlook the Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown.

These carved wooden doors were on the Sri Mariamman Multi-Purpose Center next to the temple.

After Chinatown, I took the MRT up to Little India. The atmosphere there was very different. Not nearly as touristy, though I noticed an increased percentage of merchants actively inviting Westerners into their stores or restaurants. The Little India Arcade shown here is not a place to play games. It's a redone shophouse with stores, a food court, and yet another 7-Eleven.

This is the beautiful and ornate Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali, the manifestation of anger in the face of evil. The Temple is often open to the public in the mornings and late afternoons, but unfortunately it was closed off while I was there.

I had lunch at a place called Banana Leaf that came highly recommended in my travel book (despite the fact that it's empty inside. And sorry, Josh, I looked for Samy's Curry but couldn't find it in person or on my BB). The lamb biryani was delicious, but the cucumber salad had too many onions. If I look hot, it's because I was. It was sweltering today and there weren't as many indoor malls in Little India. Now I'm starting to realize why they seem to be on every corner in Singapore.

Despite how hot I was, I wasn't so hot that I couldn't raise my arms up on the MRT like the girls in the deodorant ad (check out the reflection carefully). There weren't many people on the train so I thought I'd have a little fun. If the MRT didn't have "air con," it might have been a different story.

Once I got home, I went to the pool for a couple of hours. Two things happened at the pool. First, I realized why people tend to get out there in the late morning: the afternoon sun only shines on one portion of the deck so people are packed in there really tightly by 3:30 apparently. I scored a chair though, don't worry. Also, I met another American named Ali. Her fiance is going to be in the U.S. this coming weekend so we may go travel somewhere together. I hope it works out! We're meeting for dinner later this week.

After the pool I decided to go for a run. Call me crazy - and perhaps I am, no one else was running - but it seemed like fitting way to wrap up my first weekend. It's not as humid in the late afternoon, and there was a breeze along the marina. On my run, I saw the Merlion statue up close for the first time. (I can't take credit for this photo though as I didn't run with my camera.) The Merlion is basically the tourism mascot for Singapore, the Lion City, and there were lots of people in the area.

Don't judge, but I had a Subway turkey sandwich (hot Asian food was NOT appetizing after the run) and some fresh fruit from the nearby stand for dinner. The pineapple is from Malaysia, the pears from China and the rambutan is from Thailand. In many languages, rambutan fittingly means "hairy." You just peel it and eat around the pit. The rambutan tastes similar to a lychee or a longan. Yum!