The Quaint Yet Lively Telok Ayer Street
From serving as a landing spot for immigrants to housing modern restaurants, Telok Ayer has come a long way. The Telok Ayer street once faced the sea and served as Singapore’s original waterfront. Initially, the neighborhood housed several Chinese Hokkien and South Indians. However, many immigrant communities built altars of worship on the street to thank their deities for granting them a safe passage to Singapore. The area’s diverse places of worship include a Chinese Methodist Church, Thian Hock Keng (A Chinese temple), Al Abrar Mosque and Nagore Dargah. Even though these places represented different religions and sects, I was really struck by their close proximity to each other. Today, this area houses several chic eating joints. Many of them serve Korean and Japanese food. So, if you are in the mood for some Korean BBQ or want to explore Singaporean diversity, Telok Ayer is the place to be!
Cho Chu Kang Chinese cemetery and Farms in Lim Chu Kang
Cho Chu Kang and Lim Chu Kang initially housed traditional villages called Kampongs, various farms and Chinese cemeteries. The new land development plans in Singapore have only allocated around 1% of Singaporean land to agriculture, which is why the farms of Lim Chu Kang are so unique. Additionally, space constraints have caused the Singaporean government to exhume old graveyards in order to make way for new buildings, housing complexes etc. So, when I first saw the open space around the Chinese cemetery of Cho Chu Kang and its old graves, I felt I had been transported to another era altogether. The farms and the cemetery gave me a great insight into how Singapore has changed in the last 6 decades. Update: The expansion of an airbase close by is forcing the Singaporean government to exhume several graves of the Cho Chu Kang cemetery and cut down its size by one-third.
Lorong Halus Wetlands
If you happen to find yourself on the eastern side of Singapore, try to take a stroll through the Lorong Halus Wetlands. This area is located close to many residential blocks and is easily accessible by MRT (Although the journey from NUS itself will take you a long time). I loved watching the sunset on the Halus Bridge, and would recommend it any day! The wetlands are close to the Punggol container market, which has some really nice restaurants. P.S. it is also pretty close to Coney Island.
Katong and the Peranakan Museum
Peranakan immigrants were influential members of the Singaporean community, who developed their own unique culture over the years. Peranakan culture draws upon Chinese, Malay, and other southeast Asian cultures. It is said to have originated and developed after Chinese traders began to marry local women in 15th CE Malacca. Several aspects of Peranakan culture are tied to the words “Baba” and “Nyonya”, which is a common way to address Peranakan males and females respectively. For example, the Peranakan cuisine is also called Nyonya cuisine and in some parts of Malaysia, the Peranakans spoke “Baba Malay”. Today, the Peranakan culture is dying out. However, the neighborhood of Katong still has several beautiful old Peranakan homes, a museum about Peranakan Culture (which is also a shop), and several eating joints selling Peranakan cuisine. I visited a Peranakan boutique in Katong called, Rumah Kim Choo. The boutique was designed as a Peranakan house, however, it was a private museum. Other options include the government endorsed Peranakan museum, which is supposed to house a lot of interesting artefacts relating to the Peranakan culture.
Haw Par Villa
Haw Par Villa is perhaps one of the most unconventional theme parks I have visited. Built by the creators of the renowned ‘Tiger balm’, Haw Par Villa has survived Japanese occupation of Singapore during World War II, Singapore’s independence and subsequent rapid economic development. Today, Haw Par Villa is famous for housing many statues depicting Chinese mythology and folktales. I tried to look for characters from “Journey to the West”! The most famous attraction of this theme park is the installation that depicts the "Ten Courts of Hell". The statues in this installation are pretty graphic and violent. However, these gruesome statues are a staple part of a Singaporean’s childhood memories and many Singaporeans fondly reminisce about their trips to see the "scary statues"!! Admission to Haw Par Villa is free and this attraction is easily accessible by the MRT and buses.
