Nothing and Everything All At Once

 Hi! Hello! I'm here! I'm just lazy. 

 Let's talk Singapore.

Singapore was only on my radar because of the airport. That and it is an entire country and a city at once. So I didn't know what to expect. 

I only ended up in Singapore because I was ghosted by a travel colleague who was helping me plan a cruise. I needed to go somewhere and Singapore is somewhere!

I had a few concerns. What if I don't speak the language? What is the language? Is it really as expensive as everyone says? What if I inadvertently run afoul of the law and end up getting caned?

 So I went to Singapore. They speak many languages there but everyone speaks English. It's only expensive if you want it to be. I left my gum at home so I wasn't caned.

 I walked. A lot. Four days of a lot of walking. And it was hot. And humid.

 After dropping off my bags at the hotel, I set out to find something I've never been in before: a Buddhist temple. No real reason I haven't been in one other than not having the opportunity.

I went to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. When you first get in, if you're not appropriately covered - no shorts - they will give you a sarong to cover your legs, regardless of gender.

 

 On the day I went, I was only able to access the first level of this building and that is enough. It is an active place of worship. There were monks in there doing monk things! 

Along the walls of this temple are literally thousands of Buddha statues of various sizes. There are eight main ones which are all part of the Buddhist zodiac.

 Each of these smaller idols has a number. On the counters below, there are guides to find the numbers. People and families can purchase the statues for varying from $500 for a smaller idol to the millions for a larger idol. According to the nice man who worked there answering questions, the more you pay the more devout you are.

 At the front of the temple is an alter to Buddha Maitryea, with two bodhisattvas on each side. 

 The place is very quiet. American tourists are quickly shushed. Occasionally you can hear the tingling of bells. It smells like incense. There are vending machines at the doors where you can buy these jelly food things that look like other food. Apparently these are offerings and are edible; in the past, people would bring in real food, but that would attract bugs and rodents. 

 There are many alters and idols with different purposes and meanings. People were praying or gesturing at most of them so I did not want to disturb them with my questions or camera. 

 

As you exit out of this temple, there is one last alter. There are candles available for purchase to devotees. I was struck by how Catholic this looked.

 Next on the "why not more places of worship?" walk was the Thian Hock Keng temple, a Taoist temple. I've been in one or two Taoist temples before but I'm always interested to see more. Besides, this translates to "The Temple of Heavenly Happiness" and who can't use more of that in their lives?

I mentioned above that Singapore is hot and humid. This affects building design. Thian Hock Keng is open air, meaning that it has no meaningful roof over most of it's space.

Once you are through the doors, you enter into a main courtyard area that they kindly ask you not to take pictures of. In my effort not to get caned, I only took pictures in places I was allowed.

Mostly in the covered walkways between spaces. Which were breathtaking.

As you make your way through this temple, there is a clear and distinct path you are to follow. This path teaches you about different aspects of Taoism. At the end of this path there are wishing bells you are allowed to ring. The bells represent health, success, and prosperity. You're allowed to ring one or all of them.

 

 

                                                   Lotus lanterns that were gently swaying in the light breeze.
     

I made my way along to the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore's oldest Hindu temple. Again, I've never been in a Hindu temple so this was an interesting experience.

Along the outside, there are colourful and detailed carvings of many Hindu deities, cultural figures, and exotic beasts, culminating in a five floored gopuram.

This is also an open air space and an active place of worship. Once you enter, it is required to take off your shoes and don a sarong. I went from wearing zero skirts for 20 plus years to two in one day. Very strange and had to do some quick reconciliation with my feelings; wearing a skirt is not natural for me and it does not look good. It did not make me feel good but I was willing to get past it for the experience.

The temple was still set up for Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, though it had ended a day or two before. There were still beautiful flower arrangements everywhere.

I'm told this is Sri Mariamman, the main Tamil goddess. She is a protector from disease and a bringer of rain and prosperity.

 Next up: things you think of when you hear Singapore.