Singapore Indian
Today was all about India.
The Indians came to Singapore with Raffles, but really came in numbers first as convicts (the new settlement wasn’t growing until the free labour arrived) and then as specialists as part of the colonial structure. Now people identifying as Indian make up ten percent of the population.
We started the day with a visit to a Hindu temple just down the road from our hotel. It was very atmospheric with incense wafting amongst the intricate statues. It, like all the other temples we visited today, felt very real – it was bustling with worshipers and monks.
Getting to Little India involved a metro ride of fifteen minutes. But the other end of the ride felt like a different country. Much more than Chinatown, Little India feels like a different place. The streets are lined with shops selling things to locals and tourists alike. Fruit shops rub shoulders with tailors and cheap phones. Spices waft on the breeze and the markets do a confronting show of fresh meat chopping.

The Indian Cultural Centre was a good starting point and gave us an overview of Indian involvement in Singapore. A couple of more temples demonstrated a thriving community – and we could have gone to more, but, like with churches, we have a temple limit.
Lunch was at Banana Leaf Apolo, named for the moon mission and the fact the food is served on, well, a banana leaf.

This evening it was very nice cocktails by the water then a stroll around to see the light show on the super trees in the garden by the bay. Last time we were here it was free to watch, this time the was only ticketed access. But a chat with a security guard led to a quiet spot with a view.

The lights were pretty and the show was Christmas themed. It has been noticeable that Singapore seems to have an approved Christmas playlist in malls, shops, bars and open areas that stops in the early 1960s. Dean Martin’s grandkids are probably living high off the royalties from a Singapore Christmas.