Singapore: July 26: Little India and Kampong Glam (Arab Quarter)

These pictures describe the day's sightseeing much more than this entry does.

The day began with an exploration of Little India, then a break for lunch at the Tekka Temporary Market. You wouldn't believe how many butchers, fishmongers, and produce vendors and even clothing retailers are there. After lunch, I spent more time exploring Little India and its religious buildings. Given how Indian Little India feels, it a bit funny to see scattered Chinese characters around.

I also stuck my head in Albert Center, which looked like another good market. Though not hungry, I was pleased to spot a number of rojak booths; this was another dish on my should-eat list for Singapore, but most of the places famous for it weren't downtown. I was worried because I hadn't been seeing many rojak booths anywhere.

While in Little India, I was also pleased to see regional Indian/Pakistani restaurants that one doesn't normally find in the states (e.g., Gujarati and Kashmiri).

I walked to Kampong Glam (the Arab Quarter). The quarter is small, perhaps five blocks and five blocks, and it's clear many Chinese and other non-muslim/non-malay restaurants and markets are encroaching. I stopped by the quarter's famous mosque, then proceeded onto the Malay Heritage Centre. There, I came across a festival of the type I often attend in the bay area. I learned later that it was sponsored as part of the Singapore Food Festival.

I explored the small museum within the centre. It took only thirty minutes. My guidebook has an interesting story about how the museum came to be:

There's a bit of irony here. The museum is housed in the Istana Kampong Gelam, the former royal palace that housed the descendants of the original sultan that oversaw Singapore. In 1819, Sultan Hussein signed away his rights over the island in exchange for the land at Kampong Gelam plus an annual stipend for his family. After the Sultan's death, the family fortunes began to dwindle and disputes broke out among his descendants. In the late 1890s, they went to court, where it was decided that because no one in the family had the rights as the successor to the sultanate, the land should be reverted to the state. The family was allowed to remain in the house, but because they didn't own the property they lost the authority to improve the buildings. Over the years the compound fell into a very sad state of dilapidation. Eventually, Sultan Hussein's family was given the boot by the government to make way for this museum heralding the value of the Malay, and the Sultan's, cultural contribution to Singapore. Hmm.

- Frommer's

After the centre, I explored the Arab Quarter further, returned to Little India to visit another temple, and then had dinner.

For dinner, I headed to Banana Leaf Apollo. It's famous for one of the (many) must-try dishes I had on my list: fish head curry. Quite an experience! (See the pictures.)