China Town Tour

First let me say, yesterday was not a good day as most of you could tell.  When you have a bad day, friends and family in the states cannot give you a hug when you need it and if there is a misunderstanding, by the time it is realized, everyone at home is sleeping and you cannot call to tell them what you really meant to say.  Yesterday, I had made a statement to someone on Facebook 'teasing' and it was read is critical - not at all meant to be that way.  We joke between us all the time and I just assumed that she would realize it was a joke, but of course she could not read my tone of  voice and said something that hurt my feelers.  

Anyway, I am ok today and probably yesterday was just an emotional roller coaster day, so it was best not to post more than I did.  However, let me say that as an expat, we stick together here as an extended family away from home - and I had many come to my rescue with big group hugs.  I thank God every day for those people that help us get through the difficulties of being an expat.  I love you all!

Today, however, is a new day and I am bright and shiny again... so let me tell you about the China Town tour.  What a fabulous time I had!  

Our guide was Geraldene Lowe – a Western looking lady,, born and raised Singaporean, though she spent part of her life after WWII in Australia.  She’s been a tour guide (especially walking tours) for over 40 years . She’s really knowledgeable, has lots of stories and interesting trivia about the Singapore area.

First we went to the Thian Hock Keng Temple:  Thian Hock Keng, the "Temple of Heavenly Bliss," is one of the oldest Chinese temples in Singapore, built in 1841 . Before land reclamation, when the shoreline came right up to Telok Ayer Road, the first Chinese sailors landed here and immediately built a shrine, a small wood-and-thatch structure, to pray to the goddess Ma Po Cho for allowing their voyage to be safely completed. For each subsequent boatload of Chinese sailors, the shrine was always the first stop upon landing. Today it stands in the middle of reclaimed land in the heart of China Town.

We found another gem of Chinatown – a roadside barber. This barber, one of the few left from the old China Town barber's row, will give you a full service cut, shave, and ear cleaning for only $5!  Of course, you don't get the fancy luxuries other hair dressers offer, but I think the experience would certainly take its place  :-)

Another vanishing trade – this time a shop that specializes in making Chinese sculptures. It is another one of Chinese dying arts, but this man has been in business for many, many years and is very dedicated to his work:  

 

We found a Chinese Calligraphy shop that offers a wide variety of goods, including these three Chinese figures.  Fuk,Luk and Sau (pronounced Foo, Loo and Sow) are the gods of Wealth, Health and Longevity.  They are often represented as statues in homes of Chinese families. The God of Fortune stands with a gold ingot; the God of Happiness is carrying a child; and the God of Longevity bears a staff and peach. When placed in your dining or living room they should attract good fortune into your home.

Next we went to a Chinese Medicine shop (if only I could send the smell to you) which had many different types of plants, seeds and bulbs to cure your every ailment.  Geraldine shared a bit about the old Chinese remedies and told us that we could go in at any time and give them our symptoms and they would make a brew for us to balance our body.  Now there is a thought - do you think it would cure my aching side?

We went to a Chinese hell money store and learned a bit about the superstitions - and that in China, the word hell doesn't carry the same negative meaning as western hell. The popular story has it that Christian missionaries warned all non-Christian Chinese they'd "go to hell" upon death. True or not, it sounds plausible.

In a classic case of language misinterpretation, the Chinese believed hell was the English term for the afterlife. The word was incorporated and printed on the traditional Chinese afterlife monetary offerings, otherwise known as hell bank notes. Some refer to the notes as 'spirit money'.

Next we went to a huge and beautiful Buddhist Temple.  The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, built in 2004-2007, is a Singapore Chinatown landmark and is the largest Buddhist temple in Singapore.  It houses hundreds of Buddhas and is absolutely breathtaking to wander through.  It houses a museum for those interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese religion of Buddhism.

Next was my favorite part of the entire tour, a tea appreciation course.  Mr Vincent Low, Master of tea, explained the entire tea process; the processing of the tea leaves, the differences between the tea, and the proper process of making and drinking the tea.  To the Chinese, tea drinking is savored over good conversation and often served with Dim Sum (more on that in a bit).  Tea is made in tiny pots and served in a relaxed setting which is designed to be drawn out and relaxing.  The small pots are deliberately sized to slow you down and encourage you to relax.  Because the pots are so small, it also assures that the tea is always at the perfect temperature as it is made each time you drink a 'cup'.  The cups were very tiny, only a few tablespoons each, but amazingly enough, very fulfilling when drank slowly as we were instructed.  

And finally, we were treated to Dim Sum (also spelled Tim Sum) which consists of a range of traditional cantonese dumplings, pork, chicken feet, paos (buns) and other pastries served hot in small bamboo baskets and traditionally served with tea.  Thankfully we didn't have the chickens feet - only chicken, pork and prawn (shrimp).  It was a delightful meal and for the first time, I found Dim Sum that I actually liked.  

The entire adventure of the China Town Singapore tour was incredible.  I learn more and more about this culture that makes me want to embrace it.  It does not make me want to live here forever, nor does it make me want to conform to Buddhism, but it truly shows me how deep and rich the Asians are.  They are truly a unique people with a wonderful sense of self, dedication and respect.  

What a wonderful way to live life  :-)