Cultures Collide!

We are continually amazed at the beauty of Singapore. This is a picture we took of a Singapore sunset, and it took our breath away!





There are three main ethnic groups in Singapore: the Chinese, Indian, and Malay. And while Chinatown is the most notable, there are actually three different areas where each of these ethnicities are represented. Now days anyone can live anywhere, but two hundred years ago these three ethnicities were separated into three different settling areas. For the Indians, there area is now called Little India. Like Chinatown they have many shops and food places where you can experience a little taste of India. We visited Little India, and while it was very old and dirty, it was interesting at the same time. We stopped at a Hindu temple and were able to go inside.

Hindu Temple in Little India



We had to take our shoes off, and when we went inside there were many murals and little statues that I’m guessing represent their gods. There were people in there worshiping, and for a while we just watched the people, in awe at their religious practices. Some would bring food to an altar, and some would take cartons of milk and pour them into large metal buckets – what strange rituals! I was fascinated by their practices, but I knew I couldn’t judge too much because I’m sure if they walked into my church they would think some of our traditions were strange too!



Decoration at the temple



People dressed up by the altar



Bucket of milk (I don't know what it's for!)



We ended up doing some shopping around Little India, and like Chinatown they really pushed you to buy things. I’m starting to be afraid to walk into a store, for fear of the sales tactics that will be used on me!

Anyway, we also stopped at the Malay part of town, or commonly called Arab Street. What was so cool is that in the middle of this area there is a huge mosque that looks just like the palace in the movie Aladdin! I learned later that the building was a mosque, but it was still cool to compare it to Aladdin’s palace! Again had the opportunity to go inside the mosque, but they required you to take off your shoes and that you were dressed modestly. If you weren’t dressed modestly enough you had to wear a huge blue robe. Funny story: Kristen was wearing a short sleeve shirt and a skirt and they told her she had to wear a robe! We thought it was so funny that back home we dress more modestly than the majority of the population, but I guess going into a Muslim mosque Kristen was too immodest (Mormon’s aren’t the only ones with strict dress guidelines!).



Muslim Mosque

 We really enjoyed learning about the different cultures of Singapore. It just gives you a taste of what the rest of the world is like!

Wednesday we toured the Art and Science Museum over by Marina Bay (the boat hotel), and it was fascinating. They had exhibits on Vincent Van Gogh, Dali, and a shipwreck discovery. Each was very unique, but we all came out loving the Van Gogh exhibit the best! The museum itself was amazing to visit, as its architecture is so unique. It is the white flower-looking building in the picture.



Art and Science Museum in the Center



An exciting opportunity arose for us, as we found out that The Lion King was playing here in Singapore. We were able to find good deals on tickets, and so Wednesday night we saw the live performance! It was absolutely amazing! I’ve heard how fantastic it is, but you never really believe it until you see it! What is so incredible is how they put it all together. Having people play the roles of animals, and the way they recreated all the scenes on a stage was mind-boggling! We feel so fortunate for the opportunity to see the performance!

Picture Status: Still five, but we continue to turn heads wherever we go!

Brooke