Text and photos by + Dolores Parker
This is such a rich area of Singapore that our main problem was deciding what to leave out of our tour. Last Spring’s exploration of Tanjong Pagar focussed on different highlights and there are still at least two more tours worth of interesting sights...
Our first stop this time was the little known Seng Wong Beo Taoist Temple on Peck Seah St. This is where some traditional Taoists still perform “ghost marriages”. Paper effigies of deceased family members are married to ensure higher status and the ability to receive offerings in the afterlife. We watched quietly as an old lady and a priest chanted before an alter with offerings and effigies.
Next, we walked past some lovely shophouses with their spiraling fire escapes. We also stopped to look at the Samui women sculptures on our way to the Singapore City Gallery in the URA building. There was an informative display of the plans for the railway corridor lands on the main floor. The scale models of Singapore were fascinating to look at and we enjoyed the sound and light show. The recent renovation of the gallery added quite a lot of interactive displays as well.
We ended with a quick look at the Maxwell hawker centre as well as the Jinricksha station. We were glad we didn’t try to pack any more into this tour because about two minutes after settling down for lunch the skies opened up and the Singapore rain poured down.
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