Chinatown

Across the street from the MRT entrance/exit

Every morning I clambered out of the Telok Ayer underground station without realizing that Telok Ayer (the street) is the 'heart' of Chinatown.  It isn't exactly the heart geographically, but there is a big plaque along that street that records this is where they drew up their Sampans way way back. 

I do need to explore further, my short Friday evening excursion down Telok Ayer into Chinatown suggested that being  'downtown' had applied a lot of pressure regarding the development of real estate.  High-rise towers loom over the 2 and 3 storied 'shop houses' with the terracotta tiled roofs.

The pagoda-like tower of one of the celebrated Chinese temples (Thian Hock Keng), was all of the building that I was able to get a picture of.  The rest was shrouded in some kind of large marquee that seemed to house stands selling suitable offerings, incense, etc.  It had the effect of making the place look and feel a bit exclusionary.  I try to be really respectful of customs and beliefs so don't poke my head into such places unless a local has clued me up on stuff like shoes and head coverings, taking pictures, making sounds, being a non-believer standing in what is to others a sacred place.  The tent made sticky-beaking even more difficult than I make it for myself.

Most of the street is lined with well patronized bars and restaurants.  There are bars both sides of the temple and Singapore's oldest 'mosque' (note below) is a mere two bars away on the same street. 

Singapore is certainly a wonderful place for religious tolerance - both personal and institutional tolerance of other religions and belief systems, and tolerance for no 'faith' at all.  It's all there.  All here.

Another trip to Chinatown Tuesday evening to do some fact checking and expand my range...

First, possibly the oldest religious monument is a shrine, not a mosque, because it doesn't face Mecca. This is the Nagore Dargah:

Second: the marquee over the..... temple had been 'struck' (as in strike camp - weird concept),  but the stalls of incense and and offerings were still there.  Photos were duly taken of carvings, wood, stone, painted, coated in gold leaf, on the roof, under the eaves, across the doors...

Then I dived into an alley following signposts to An Siang Hill. At one stage in the last couple of 100 years it had been called Mt Scott - clearly by someone with a sense of humour. Let's be under no illusions here, there are larger barrows in England. 

There used to be 3 such mounds but two were carved away to fill in the Telok Ayer bay.  That was probably an end-of-the-line development for the Malay fishing village on stilts that had originally stood where Telok Ayer street is now.

Mr Scott had a plantation of nutmeg and cloves on his eponymous hill until some plant disease wiped it out. Now it is a tiny oasis of jungle surrounded by Chinatown. 

Nice ladies feed cats up here. 

This is the only outdoor cat I have yet seen in Singapore. (I've seen more otters.)