DISCOVERING BUGIS

Yesterday, Mommy asked if I'd like to join her for a walk, and I readily agreed.

Our adventure started at Rochor Centre. Mommy wanted to show me a shop which sold offerings for the dead made out of paper. I saw clothing, jewelry, mobile phones, beer cans, etc. made out of paper on sale at the shop. Mommy said these were typically set aflame at Taoist funerals, in the belief that the deceased would receive them and use them in the afterlife.

Across the road from Rochor Centre is a pedestrian mall known as Albert Mall. We arrived at 10.30 am and the whole area was abuzz with activity. This is one of the few places in Singapore where Chinese medicine men would peddle their wares and people could receive treatment for their sprained ankles, sore backs, etc. sitting on a stool in the open. This is also a favourite place for buskers to perform. We saw a man doing Chinese calligraphy backwards. It was quite amazing!

We walked a little further and arrived at the famous Goddess of Mercy Temple along Waterloo Street. It was the 1st day of the lunar month, so hundreds of devotees had come to make their offerings to the Goddess. Women in big straw hats were selling fresh flowers outside the temple, and there was a huge crowd of people praying and waving their joss sticks at the entrance of the temple. We squeezed past the crowd to get inside. Right in the centre of the temple was a red carpet crowded with people on their knees shaking sticks and asking the Goddess questions. It was busy, noisy and chaotic at the temple. Very very different from your regular, peaceful and serene Buddhist temple. I was amazed by the spectacle before me.


After leaving the temple, Mommy showed me the exterior of the Sri Krishnan Hindu Temple right next to the Goddess of Mercy Temple. Mommy said it was the only Hindu Temple she knew where the Buddhists went to pray as well. There was a huge incense holder outside the Sri Krishnan Hindu Temple, and Buddhists were sticking their joss sticks in there.

Under a block of flats opposite the temples was a row of shops selling Chinese herbs, spices and other dry provisions. We walked through that area, taking in the sights and smells, until we got to Bugis Village. Here, you'll find one of the last bastions of bubble tea. This once very fashionable drink which was sold everywhere is now as rare as hen's teeth.

By 11.30 am, my tummy was rumbling with hunger. Mommy took me to the food hall in the basement of Parco Bugis Junction to look for something to eat. We went from stall to stall, but nothing caught my fancy. Mommy, on the other hand, was drooling from all the food on sale there. I only wanted chicken nuggets and french fries. There was a MacDonald's on the ground floor, so Mommy bought me a Happy Meal instead. We sat at a table facing the fountain, so I could eat and watch the kids at play at the fountain. A nice relaxing end to our morning walk.