Little India morning.

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Had the Little India walking tour today, well in the morning. Again there is a forecast for rain but again only a few spots eventuated. Consequently it was very humid and very sticky but we saw the sights and had some delights. The meeting place was only 800 m from our hotel so we walked rather than take the MRT for just one station. Fascinating district as we sort of knew and sort of assumed. Absolutely ablaze with colour. The buildings, the saris, the flowers, the fruit and vegetables all pop. Couple of interesting facts and figures but not the greatest presentation we’ve had. Happened to be the Indian ‘god’ Gnash (spelling?) and the Singaporean quasi god Lee Quon Yew (spelling) birthday today. Lee Quon Yew would have been 100 today if he were still alive. He is very well regarded here but then ’time heals all wounds’. The Indian temple was busy, busy, busy probably because of the birthday but also because not everyone works on a Sunday. A few of the photos reflect this although I tried to sort of respect those who were there as ‘non-tourists’. We walked the streets gaining some insights and some glimpses of what is quite a vibrant culture here. The Indian diaspora is no where near the size of the Chinese but their district is ‘more lived in’, in that they actually live and work there unlike the Chinese that were all displaced and now live elsewhere. Once upon a time the area was a racecourse (in the old days of British colonialism) and even a cattle yard, the modern hospital currently on the site still carries the KK initials from the original Indian name for cattle pens. Now there’s a rabbit warren of streets and alleys hiding shops, restaurants, tailors etc. selling just about anything and everything. Most of the streets still bear English names though. We walked back along Clive Street for example.

Now it’s pool time as the heat and humidity sort of beat us. We will wait until late afternoon to venture out again and wait until the day after the Grande Prix to venture down to Marina Bay Sands.

Until then, caio for now.

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