Sunday, December 27, 2009

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is located in Chinatown and dedicated to the "The Compassionate One" (Maitreya Buddha). We only had the chance to walk through the first floor, but there was plenty things to see.






A woman putting incense in a holder before entering the temple.

The first room we visited is called the Hundred Dragons Hall or Maitreya Hall.






The Hundred Dragons Hall led into the Universal Wisdom Hall - Avalokitesvara Hall.




Ready to present my offering.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Next Stop: Chinatown

While making our cultural rounds, our next stop is Chinatown. Somewhat unformally, most of Singapore may be considered Chinatown to some people as the majority of Singaporeans speak Mandarin Chinese. Many residents also speak English and Malay. Chinatown is considered the traditional older quarters of Singapore.

Juxtaposition of modern amenities in a traditional old quarter of town.


A typical Chinatown street.

A street with traditional Chinese shop houses.

7 Eleven is a common sight in SE Asia.




A Chinese bakery that practiced Halah food guidelines, like no pork substances.

Egg Tart (S$0.90=US$0.63).

More pastries from another bakery.

Dragon Fruit from a street vendor.

A man enjoying herbal tea on the street.

Malls in Singapore are no different than malls in the States.

They have stalls and demonstrations, like this mop one above.

However, sometimes it's hard to tell why Singaporeans need to winterize their wardrobe when they consistently have tropical temperatures. Perhaps many Singaporeans travel to China, Russia or Mongolia.
Here, the patron in white is getting a tattoo on his leg.

Why Singaporeans need a humidifier is beyond me, but look at this cute Hello Kitty version.

Prata in Little India

We visited Singapore's prominent Little Indian during their Deepavali (sounds like DEEP-A-VALLEY) festival, also known as festival of lights.


Sri Veeramakaliamman Hindu Temple

Roti Prata with a curry sauce on the side.

Diet Coke is popularly known as Coke Light.

Scenes from the food court.

More scenes from the food court.

A Chocolate Prata is very similar to a French Crepe.

Iced Coffee.

Mango Smoothie. Not as refreshing as I thought it would be.