Living in Singapore has truly been an adventure. This weekend Corey came over from Phuket to hang out with me. We rode the MRT to a local attraction we've been wanting to explore- Haw Par Villa.
This interesting (and slightly weird) place was originally known as the Tiger Balm Gardens as it was the brainchild of Aw Boon Haw, the creator of the medicinal salve Tiger Balm.
Aw Boon Haw originally built a villa on the property overlooking the sea for his brother and business partner. Over time the brothers developed the Gardens, a Chinese mythology theme park. It is a wonderful parcel of land landscaped very attractively, but also packed full of well over 1000 statues and dioramas that depict a variety of Chinese myths, primarily with a focus on the merits of Chinese values. This is by far one of the strangest things I've seen in my travels. The entire place was fascinating!
This interesting (and slightly weird) place was originally known as the Tiger Balm Gardens as it was the brainchild of Aw Boon Haw, the creator of the medicinal salve Tiger Balm.
Aw Boon Haw originally built a villa on the property overlooking the sea for his brother and business partner. Over time the brothers developed the Gardens, a Chinese mythology theme park. It is a wonderful parcel of land landscaped very attractively, but also packed full of well over 1000 statues and dioramas that depict a variety of Chinese myths, primarily with a focus on the merits of Chinese values. This is by far one of the strangest things I've seen in my travels. The entire place was fascinating!
Although the actual villa that was built in 1937 is no longer standing, the old garage that housed the brother's cars remains. By the Chinese horoscope I am a tiger and this car is my idea of a sweet ride.
One of the most intense sections of this quirky park is the Ten Courts of Hell. It is a walk through, built like a cave filled with dioramas depicting the punishments awaiting sinners when they land in hell. Quite sobering!
The last scene reveals that hope should prevail as when you are completed with your torture and punishment you do get to come out the other side and be reborn. A spin of the wheel and your past life determines if you come back as an animal or human and in what circumstance. Here is a slide show of some of the dioramas and more.
One of the most intense sections of this quirky park is the Ten Courts of Hell. It is a walk through, built like a cave filled with dioramas depicting the punishments awaiting sinners when they land in hell. Quite sobering!
The last scene reveals that hope should prevail as when you are completed with your torture and punishment you do get to come out the other side and be reborn. A spin of the wheel and your past life determines if you come back as an animal or human and in what circumstance. Here is a slide show of some of the dioramas and more.
On our way home from the Gardens we stopped by Chinatown and visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. The monks were doing prayers at one of the external doorways and we stayed to listen for a few minutes as the sounds are always enchanting.
We also ended up the day with some chow at the Maxwell Hawker Centre.
Corey had not yet been to this famous locale. For those of you unfamiliar with eating in Singapore, the best places to eat are often in a place called a Hawker Centre. These are huge covered buildings with open sides, filled with booths that are basically mini take-away restaurants. There are groups of tables in between rows and rows of booths. These places are ideal for trying new things as you can buy individual dishes from a variety of stalls. A dish usually runs between $3-6 dollars! One of my favorite things to drink in Singapore is the fresh lime juice that is sold at these stalls but often a beer just hits the spot.
Corey has just taken off back to Phuket, I will be seeing him again in a few days as I fly his direction again soon. Stay tuned for more adventures. I head back to the Philippines soon and then off to mainland China.
We also ended up the day with some chow at the Maxwell Hawker Centre.
Corey had not yet been to this famous locale. For those of you unfamiliar with eating in Singapore, the best places to eat are often in a place called a Hawker Centre. These are huge covered buildings with open sides, filled with booths that are basically mini take-away restaurants. There are groups of tables in between rows and rows of booths. These places are ideal for trying new things as you can buy individual dishes from a variety of stalls. A dish usually runs between $3-6 dollars! One of my favorite things to drink in Singapore is the fresh lime juice that is sold at these stalls but often a beer just hits the spot.
Corey has just taken off back to Phuket, I will be seeing him again in a few days as I fly his direction again soon. Stay tuned for more adventures. I head back to the Philippines soon and then off to mainland China.
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