Today we shifted cultures and spent most of the day in the Little India district. Since we had purchased the 72 hour HOHO bus pass, it included a free guided tour of Chinatown and of Little India. We previously had toured Chinatown, so we showed up at the Indian Heritage Centre with around 12 others where our guide, Bernard, a native Singaporean of Chinese descent led us on a two hour wandering tour on Little India. I would highly recommend him.
We have never been to India so it was a really big change for us to suddenly be dropped into sights, sounds, smells, customs, etc. of India. The Indian temple was very crowded with many active worshippers. Afterwards we made our way to the fish market and slogged through the watery floors and smells of fish on ice. Next to it was a produce and dry foods market and next to that was a collection of Hawker stalls selling all manner of food items. Some were Indian, and still others were Chinese or other Asian delicacies. We enjoyed some Indian Prata (a thin crepe with an egg and onions cooked inside of it. It was very yummy!!!
After lunch we wandered the streets exploring lots of little shops. We found the shopkeepers to be cordial and not overly pushy like we have experienced in other parts of the world. Angela found a very pretty skirt, and a birthday present for our grandson, while I found some nice little holders for our laptops or phones. We also explored the garmet area above the fish market and enjoyed watching the men sewing clothes using commercial type sewing machines like what I have at home. The cloth and trim pieces were so colorful!! And there was lots of inexpensive finished clothes, especially for children. Also we noted there was lots of Tiger Balm at 50% of the cost we paid at the Changin Museum or in local grocery stores.
We walked back to our hotel for a brief break (I needed to contact a vendor regarding an upcoming shore excursion (not successful)) before walking back down to the Suntec Center where my wife purchased some cosmetics she saw on a previous visit. Then it was a mile walk back to the hotel where we took care of email. Then it was back out for an ice cream cone and then a wonderful hawker food prawns and noodles dinner at the Albert Hawker Centre. The two of us ate for under $5US! And yes, dessert came first.
Back again at the hotel, we said our goodbyes to Andy and his wife who were flying out at 1AM to their home in England via Dubai. They were on the Around the Island tour on Sunday.
Tomorrow we board the Volendam to continue our 2018 exploration of Asia. I'll report from there. Stay tuned. I'll post when we are in ports where I can get a cell phone signal for my portable internet device.
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