Take you Down to Chinatown

Hello all!

Today, I set off on my first solo adventure, a trip to Chinatown. Let me tell you, it was totally rad.

I am getting increasingly concerned about Spring Break. Everyone (that is, my group of friends) is going to Vietnam. Am I crazy for not wanting to go there? My buddies are all Canadian. Is this an American thing or am I just being weird? I would really like to hear some input from friends. (Yes, this is a shameless plug to get people to comment. Or at least post on my fb wall. I work hard writing for y'all! Would it KILL you to say something once in a while?)

But anyway, I talked to my friend Alysson about it and she says that if I don't want to go to Vietnam, just go to somewhere I want to go and don't worry about travelling alone. She said that SE Asia is a backpacking paradise and I will meet people wherever I go, and if I go alone I don't have to make plans to do what other people want. I can be selfish and travel at my own pace. Which I am not sure that I am socially liberated enough for, but it's a nice thought. So, with that in mind, I set off for an afternoon alone. I wanted to explore Chinatown, and I wanted to do it at my own pace. So, I did.

Stepping off the MRT (their version of the subway/metro/T) it was immediately clear that I was in a different world. There's Asian music (like stereotypical Asian music-think spa relaxation music) piped around the streets, so I had my own soundtrack for my CHINATOWN ADVENTURE! (the alternate title to this blogpost was Big Trouble in Little China, but since I haven't actually seen the movie, nor did I get into trouble, I nixed it.) I just wondered around, guidebook in hand (discreetly, so no one knew I was a tourist. Although given the fact that I was white and EIGHT inches taller than everyone else, I guess the cat was out of the bag) and saw the sights. And there were many, let me tell you! First, the historical stuff. Don't get bored. I will get to the fun stuff at the end.

These THREE temples are all very close to each other. Everyone makes such a big deal about racial/ethnic harmony in Singapore we're all on the it's a small world ride blah blah blah, but seeing Chinatown, I have to conclude that it's at least partly true. You see, Chinatown is what used to be the edge of Singapore. Back in the day (read: when there were PIRATES), Singapore was much smaller. But, due to modern technology and land reclamation, what was once the coast is now in the middle. Very weird. So, where sailors used to make port from all over the world, there were many temples/mosques/shrines constructed so that everyone, regardless of religion, could thank their respective deity for a safe voyage.  #1 is Sri Mariamman temple, a Hindu temple. #2 is the Buddha tooth relic temple, and #3 is the Thian Hock Keng temple, a Taoist\Chinese folk religion temple. (I did some research on Chinese religion. The traditional gods/goddesses worshipped here are loosely classified as "Chinese folk religion". It has something to do with Communism and I didn't absorb the whole thing, but there you go.) #1 and #2 are actually literally right next to each other. My pictures don't do any of them justice. I am a very bad picture taker, even with such a nice camera. Oh well. Here are a few highlights from the interiors of the temples-

Like I said, some grainy-ass photos of gorgeous temples. Sorry. But really, even good pictures can't do them justice. There is something undeniably good about being in a house of worship. You feel peaceful and calm. I find also that it's any one, from Canterbury Cathedral to Sri Mariamman. That could be just me. But WOW these ones were pretty! We Christians tend to go for the whole stone motif, with the occasional stained glass window. These are totally foreign, if you'll pardon the expression. Every inch of every surface is painted a really bright color. It's almost a sensory overload. There's tons of gold and dragons and gods and flowers and...I'm getting overwhelmed just thinking about it. But that's the point, isn't it? To see something greater than ourselves and be forced to stop and wonder? These certainly do that. I saw some old people (Hindu and Chinese) worshipping at both temples, and it was beautiful to watch. Really just a wonderful, awesome experience. I felt bowled over for the first time since coming here. It's like, not only am I living somewhere new, it's somewhere really, really cool! So, that rocked.

And then there was the rest of Chinatown. I should preface this by saying Chinese New Year is coming up and people are going a little crazy. But, I secretly hope that it's that crazy all the time. Here was the Singapore I had dreamed about! There was no sanitized, well-organized, rationally-marked things here. The streets were long and winding, the smells pungent and unfamiliar, the sounds loud and harsh. I kept feeling like I would see Jack (Sparrow, that is) darting into a fortune teller's shop or dining on satay. Aside-it's really not cool of Disney to make POTC4 about the fountain of youth. Because I imagine Jack will find said fountain. Then he will be able to live forever, which only fuels my fantasy that he is hiding somewhere in the Caribbean and will come to our aid when the time is right, like Charlemagne in the mountains of Germany. Sort of a cruel joke, no? But I digress. My, how I digress!

Chinatown has a sort of sinister backstory-as I mentioned, it was the coast in days of yore. There were many, many brothels (which now survive as "sensual massage parlors"), dive bars, and death houses. What's a death house, you ask? Well, Chinese immigrants used to live jammed into tiny apartments. There was not enough room for the living, let alone a dying person. So, when old Grandpa got to his golden years, you just drop him off at the death house, where you can check in, but you can never check out. So like hospice except there's no medical care at all. This was a very common practice, but of course the government put a stop to it. In 1961. All I can say is wow. And not in a good way.

Moving on, there's a ton of non-sensual massage parlors and markets scattered about, especially once you get off the main drag, which is populated almost entirely by "I <3 Singapore" tee shirt shops. I patronized both a massage place (after discerning it was not in fact a house of ill repute) and the market. First, the massage. It was $18 for 30 minutes, which I thought was dirt cheap. At first, I thought, wow, this reminds me of that little Chinese place I used to go to in Arlington VA. Then, my masseuse hops on the table and starts ploughing into my back with her elbows and I thought, okay, not just like Arlington...The music was a real trip. Apparently they had a "Best of USA: 1985-1995" because I felt my tension melt away to the sound of "Take My Breath Away" followed by "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?". And it was a really good massage, also. My shoulder still hurts, but I think it might be permanently messed up. Something to see a doctor about, at any rate. I don't think something that started hurting Christmas eve should still be hurting. But, good massage. They had a sign that said "our massage parlor does not do indecent and disgraceful things", which made me laugh. Sounds like a good motto, if you ask me.

Then, the market. There are ancient Chinese women with baskets of jewelry that you can sort through. You ask how much and they say something ridiculous. Then the bartering begins. Ah, the art of the barter! It's like a choreographed dance, really. I found a string of freshwater black pearls from Burma that I had to have. I got them from $30 down to $20 and I am elated. I will post a picture of them later.

All in all, wonderful, awesome day. Tried new things, saw a new place, was overwhelmed with beauty. I'd like to see tomorrow top that! I hope you all are well and happy. Oh, I almost forgot! Many of you have asked about sending me books.  After some prompting from my Mom, I've decided to accept this generous offer. I would be delighted and grateful. So here's the deal-either send me some of yours that I can return to you when I get back, or some you get at a 2ndhand store that I will donate to a school here after I finish them. I don't want this to be an occasion for giftgiving to me-I'd feel too guilty, but I will pay it forward or return them and that'll be okay for me. So, msg me on facebook if you want my address. You can also post on my wall, just because...(shameless plug again.) In any case, I love you all! Singapore Sue-signing out for another day. (I wish I had a cool catchphrase. Any ideas?)