With just a couple of hours break from our 'official' itinerary, a fellow traveler and I decided to check out Chinatown. We had our sights on the 3 temples of 'different religions' that's supposed to be adjacent to one another, and of course pick up a few knick knacks on the side.
Getting there was a breeze via MRT . We were in Clarke Quay and just a few minutes away: got off the Chinatown stop, went up the stairs, and viola, we are in Chinatown. And we are lost.
I turned on my phone's GPS, did a map search and while I was trying to get my bearing, a gentleman approached us and asked if we are going somewhere. We asked about the Buddhist temple and he point us to the general direction right so. Talked about helpful locals! [Try doing that in HK]
same same, but different
We followed the gentleman's direction and found our way into Pagoda St. My initial impression was that the place has all the trappings of a typical Chinatown.
There are vendors and stalls selling souvenirs and all sorts of trinkets, just what we are looking for. Oh wait, yes we are looking for the temples, but a few little side trips wouldn't hurt.
And whats different about this Chinatown? Its spotlessly clean! Now that may be an exaggeration but if you have seen Chinatowns in other places, you'll probably agree with me.
on to the temples knick-knacks
We went inside a few stores, by 'few' I mean a good number of 'hey, let's go inside and check if its cheaper'.
the tintin shop!
Why here in Chinatown? I have absolutely no idea! But its a hidden gem and good break from the '3 for 10 dollars' shops
finally: one street, 3 religions
We did manage to reach South Bridge road where the temples are. Do you want to know what cultural diversity looks like?
That's 3 adjacent places of worship along one street: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (Buddhist temple), Sri Mariamman Temple (Hindu temple), and Masjid Jamae Chulia (Mosque)
We probably spent more than half of our time here in Chinatown appreciating these three [will post more photos soon].
die die, must try!
I heard that the food is one of the 'draws' in Chinatown [it always is!] but we did not have the luxury of time. We did manage to stumble into Tong Heng.
I did not realize the significance of this pastry shop until later when I did some googling. Unbeknownst to me Tong Heng is an institution and known for its egg tarts.
I got a couple of egg tarts [the absolute die, die, must try item here] and some mini mooncake with lotus paste. And the verdict with the egg tarts? Hmmm, well they are soft .... and different ... and eggy. [And that, folks, is why I don't do food blogs] I also read that they put nothing but the nicest stuff in their pastries, and that should be good enough for me :)
Die, die, must try - Checked! [one of these days someone has to tell me how this Singlish term came about]
Time flies so fast when you are having egg tarts, and soon it was time to say good bye to Chinatown. I would have love to shoot some more but we were already
3 comments:
Every word in this piece of work is very clear and your passion for this topic shines. Please continue your work in this area and I hope to see more from you in the future.
Thank you! :)
Lovely and breathtaking photograph's thank's for sharing
From Orphanage Volunteer India
Post a Comment