Singapore Day 10: Singapore Architecture, Sultan Mosque/Arab Street, Pottery Jungle

Thursday, June 14th

**Not all the pictures from today's trip have been able to upload.  Check back tomorrow and I will have them all up!! :)


Today, Jenna and I got up and went exploring in Singapore.  When we first arrived, Patrice gave us a map of the "attractions" in Singapore. We decided to take the map and pick out a few places within a few blocks of each other to visit.

We took the MRT from Marsiling (kinda down the street from where Patrice lives) to City Hall which took about 45 minutes. We saw some interesting people on there this morning....it's just interesting to see how the people here live by seeing them on the trains. I wish Houston had better (and safer) public transportation.  I have really enjoyed riding the MRT and experiencing that part of the city.

When we got off the MRT, we walked down to St. Andrew's cathedral.  It was beautiful!!  We took some pictures and walked down the street to City Hall.  Unfortunately, there was a lot of construction on city hall and we did not get to see it up close....or see it really at all.  :)

Around the corner was the Parliament House and there was a little museum that Jenna and I walked through.  The country's government is definitely impacted by the British....which makes sense since it was a British territory.

We walked down the street in search of more great architecture.  We walked by more shops....its becoming comical at this point....and found a McDonalds.  We debated whether or not we should stop.  We thought it would be funny to eat something "American" in a foreign country.  We said no, but thought we might revisit the option if we got hungry on our walking tour.

The weather was really hot today.  We caught a breeze every once in a while, which made the stints in the sun bare able.

We found a cue little fire station on our way to the Armenian church.  It was really cute to see a fire house in the middle of the city. Across the street was the Armenian church.  It was very small.  This church is the oldest church in Singapore.  There was a guestbook there and I signed it!! :)  Next to the church was a "Black and White House".  These houses can be found all over the island and were originally made for British settlers and traders. They are very pretty and a historic landmark on the island.

Around the corner and up the hill from the Armenian church was the Philatelic Museum.  This is basically a museum of stamps.  Jenna and I did not want to pay to see a bunch of stamps. I will say that the museum had an amazing air conditioner.  We hung around a bit to plan our next move.

We decided to head down the street to the Singapore National Archives building that was next door. We got to see how the causeway was built and they history behind that.  The causeway is a bridge that connects Malaysia to Singapore.  There is a checkpoint near the Woodlands where Patrice and Ernie live.  It was interesting to see how the causeway was built and the impact it had in World War 2.  The bridge was destroyed to  prevent the Japanese from invading the island in 1942.

As we walked from the archives to the Peranakan Museum, Jenna and I stopped in a Bible Store and looked around.  It was neat to see bibles in so many different languages.

We walked a couple blocks to visit the Peranakan Museum.  This was a very neat place.  The museum itself was bright and airy and very colorful.  It had a lot of exhibits that dealt with the cultures of this group of people.  We saw wedding items, religious items, food and housewares, and much more.

Nonya Ware that the Peranakans used.

Peranankans are a group of people in Singapore who come from a mixed ancestry.  Hundreds of years ago, traders would spend some time in Singapore.  Most would leave, but some stayed behind and married local women.  The children of these people were considered Peranakans.  (The word comes from the Malay word meaning "locally born".)  There are different types of Peranakans....Chinese, Arab, Indian.....

When we left the Peranakan museum, we walked to the McDonalds and snacked on a Happy Meal.  It was yummy and tasted almost like home.  (Here they serve corn as a side and chicken legs.....weird.)

We walked down the street more and stumbled across the Good Shepard Catholic Church.  There was a mass going on so we got to hear the priest talk about marriage...which was really interesting.

Across the street, was the Chijmes area.  This was an old church venue that has since been turned into shops and restaurants.  It seems like a very neat place to eat....when it's not so hot outside!!

We also stopped by the War Memorial which was made for all the lives lost in the struggle against Japan in World War 2.  It was fun to walk around the city and explore some of these sites!!

Tired after waling around the city all day!!!

Area of the map we covered in the morning/afternoon.

Jenna and I met Patrice and Elliott for lunch at Din Tai Fung and we enjoyed a last big meal before getting on the plane.  We left lunch and took the MRT to Arab Street where we saw the Sultan Mosque.  I have never been in a mosque before so this was a new experience for me.  We met this guy, Jason, who was a converted Muslim from the states who talked to us about the mosque and his religion.  It was very interesting to hear him talk....he was kinda funny too!!

We hopped back on the MRT to Redhill where we got off and hailed down a cab.  (Elliott was kind enough to buy us Slurpees at the 7-11 in the MRT station.  I haven't had a slushy is forever!!!)

We took a cab to the east end of the island to go to Pottery Jungle.  This was a really cool place that makes all kinds of pottery.  We were specifically looking for Nonya Ware.  Nonya Ware is plates and such found in the Peranankan culture.  We hit the jackpot and found a lot to choose from.  I also got a few other things there which were really unique to Singapore.

Ernie came and picked us up on his way home from work.  We drove past the Chinese cemetery and stopped off to take some pictures.  I have never seen a cemetery area like this in my life.  It was neat to see how such differences in cultures create such differences in burying the dead.  There gravestones are large structures that have pictures, statues, writings, and flowers.  The family's of the dead leave food at the grave site.  This is to feed the ghost of their dead relative...but really the stray dogs come by and eat all the food.  I also learned that they bur their dead standing up and that each of the grave stones you see are rented for 30 years.  That means that if space is needed and your 30 years is up, they can tear down the grave and use it for someone else.  How that works I am not sure!!

We left the cemetery and drove back to Ernie and Patrice's to pack up.  It is now 11:30 pm here and we are ready to leave for the airport.  It has been such an incredible trip and I can actually say I will miss this place.

Prayers for safe travel, please!