My second time onboard: Secrets of the Red Lantern

Many years ago, I have attended the Secrets of the Red Lantern tour by one of my favourite local tour-providers, Journeys. When I learnt that this tour of the same title now includes a bus ride to the red light districts in Geylang, and a walk through the streets and alleys of Geylang, it was simply a matter of finding the time to fit this tour into my schedule.

The content of this tour, Secrets of the Red Lantern, may not be appropriate for those below 18 years of age. Therefore, only people ages 18 years and above are allowed on this tour.

My motivation to attend this tour is to get a sneak peek into the world of vices that had and could happen right in Singapore and to get a glimpse of one of the sides of humanity.

It was a bit challenging to find local friends who could find the time to check this tour out with me on a Friday evening at 6 p.m. Thankfully, I have a friend who is a resident here who took precious time out of her busy schedule to join the tour with me.

The meeting point of this tour is at Chinatown MRT station, outside Exit A, at the side of the escalator facing Pagoda Street. As I was attending the Secrets of the Red Lantern tour in the month of Jan 2015 and it was nearing the Chinese New Year period, I was greeting by lots of festive decorations that were preparing to usher in the Chinese New Year.

What were the secrets of the red lantern?

Admittedly, I was possibly too engrossed with all the anecdotes and tales that our dearest tour-guide was sharing that I lost count of the total numbers of secrets of the red lantern that had been revealed to me. There were about eight secrets, I recalled. If you wish to be find out what the secrets were, how about join one of the Secrets of the Red Lantern tours?

Anyway, the tour began while everyone in the tour group was preoccupied with finding our bearings about the busy streets of Chinatown. We were very excited about what the tour would entail, at least I was.

A sculpture that we saw along the way that paid tribute to the Samsui Women.

The tour is a rather experiential tour that may not fit your usual idea of walking along the clean streets of Singapore. The tour brought me to the back alleys of Chinatown. I realized that thanks to advancements in our society's sanitary facilities, we no longer have to use the night-soil bucket system that used to be pretty common in the early days of Singapore. Out of sheer curiosity of a past that I have no recollection of, simply because I did not experience it, way after the tour, I did some search on Google and found an online article by Uncle 'Thimbuktu' titled Memories of Smell - Sewerage. My friend and I wondered why the honey-carts were designed in that particular manner with 32 doors?

Back alley of Chinatown.

Now the truth is, if I write too much about my experiences onboard this tour, you may lose the element of surprise when you go for this tour. If I write too little about what makes this tour so fascinating and worth going for even though it costs a considerable amount of $55 per adult (because it includes rides on a chartered bus to-and-fro Chinatown and Geylang), it will be challenging to convince you that this is a tour that I would recommend. So I shall err on writing too little because I think this tour is so interesting that it shall speak for itself?

Whatever it is, any adult who is open-minded enough to find out more about a time in history when vices were common in Chinatown, or just learn something new about Singapore, will find this tour interesting. In the meantime, I shall keep the secrets of the red lantern as secrets then.

Red Lanterns in Chinatown to usher in the Chinese New Year.

Chinatown Food Street.

After an interesting time learning about the days in the past when Chinatown was also referred to as "Bu Ye Tian" (The place of night-less days), a comfortable air-conditioned bus took us to Geylang.

If you know the kind of sightings that we could encounter while walking through the streets and alleys of the red light district in Geylang, you would probably be understanding enough not to expect any photograph taken in Geylang. I was busy paying attention to what went on in real life to bother about taking photographs. Anyway, our tour guide has specifically asked us not to take photographs while we were in Geylang.

Be prepared for some surprise, and remember to stay close together as a group. My friend and I were rather amused when a middle-age gentleman came forward to us to introduce himself. We knew he just meant to be hospitable and friendly.

Friday evening is quite a good time to be out for the Secrets of the Red Lantern tour. If you think you are an open-minded adult with a healthy sense of curiosity, this will be a tour that you will find interesting enough not to be missed.

South Bridge Road.

Secrets of the Red Lantern:
A Chinatown and Geylang Night Tour
Every Friday, 6.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.
Meeting point: Chinatown MRT station, outside Exit A (Side of the escalator facing Pagoda Street)

Reservation is recommended for this tour. Please phone Tel: 6325 1631/6 214 2451) or email by 5 p.m. on the day before the tour. Otherwise, places to the tour will be on a first come first served basis.
For more details, please visit:
http://www.journeys.com.sg/singaporewalks/tours_redlantern.asp

An interesting tour: Cultured Leopard, Rising Tiger: Finding Your Tao in Haw Par Villa

I have always enjoyed attending tours under The Original Singapore Walks series by one of my favourite local tour providers, Journeys. When I could find some time out from my work schedule in the month of Jan 2015, I decided it would be a wonderful idea to attend one of the new tours, i.e. Cultured Leopard, Rising Tiger: Finding Your Tao in Haw Par Villa. I have had a good time at the tour and was pleased with it.

Back in March 2014, thanks to the invitation of Singapore Tourism Board, I have had the pleasure to attend the Reliving Haw Par Villa event. Reliving Haw Par Villa included a free guided tour of the Haw Par Villa which was intended to be special preview to one of the latest tours in The Original Singapore Walks series, i.e. Cultured Leopard, Rising Tiger: Finding Your Tao in Haw Par Villa.

I will strongly recommend Cultured Leopard, Rising Tiger: Finding Your Tao in Haw Par Villa to anyone, especially non-Chinese, who would like to have a well-researched guided tour of Haw Par Villa to make their visit more enriching and entertaining.

Diorama of the story of Mdm White Snake.

As for the Chinese, I think it would have been more apt to attend a guided tour that was conducted preferably in Mandarin because many of the anecdotes from Chinese folklore would simply sound so much closer to heart if they were presented in Mandarin as the language medium. I suppose I am biased? I prefer to hear the story of Mdm White Snake and many others being related to me in Mandarin. Not that there was anything essential that was lost in translation, I simply prefer to listen to Chinese folklore being told to me in Mandarin medium.

The tour's meeting point was at Haw Par Villa MRT station, outside Exit A. The opening of the Circle Line has made it so much easier to travel to Haw Par Villa!

At the start of the tour, all of us visitors were pleasantly greeting welcomed by a structure that reminded us of a glimpse of the history of Haw Par Villa. Aw Boon Par had built this mansion - Haw Par Villa - as a gift to his brother, Aw Boon Par. The villa was demolished in 1946, I learnt.

The legend of Su Qin. It teaches one 'never to give up hope despite failures'.

Having said earlier, that I prefer listen to Chinese folklore and mythologies in Mandarin, during the tour, I was particularly more interested in the history of Haw Par Villa and how the Aw brothers built their business empire with the household ointment, Tiger Balm.

One of the Archways. The Yi Cui Archway.

The Haw Par Villa can be considered a rather fascinating dream-like place. As I stepped into Haw Par Villa, I was greeting with sculptures of tigers, leopards and many other large-than-life creatures. Then, there were familiar and not-so-familiar characters from Chinese legends and folk tales that awaited me as I toured the Haw Par Villa with the rest of the tour-group.

The Eight Immortals.

A tour about the Haw Par Villa reminded me of the virtues that were considered desirable to the Chinese.  The sculptures in Haw Par Villa seemed to be vehicles to educate the masses of virtues such as filial piety, diligence, generosity, humility and more.

In the background, the signature pond.

I was particularly intrigued by the signature pond and the remains of the foundations of the mansion that had once stood within Haw Par Villa. Do go for this tour under The Original Singapore Walks series to find out more.

During the tour, I realized that there are a few peaceful spots in Haw Par Villa where one can enjoy a quiet reading time or a peaceful moment of reflection. The cost of the tour aside, admission to Haw Par Villa is free at least for now.

There were many interesting sights and dioramas awaiting us all at the Haw Par Villa. No wonder there are visitors who can visit Haw Par Villa for countless number of times and still love returning to Haw Par Villa. Each visit, one could enjoy a different perspective and experience.

A reminder of a time when Haw Par Villa was reopened as a theme park
called 'Dragon World' by International Theme Parks.

The tour ended at the Ten Courts of Hell section of the Haw Par Villa. This section speaks about the Chinese concepts of purgatory and reincarnation. Probably the message that was embedded for all visitors was to do the right thing and the reward is to stay out of Hell?

For anyone new to Haw Par Villa, or simply wants to have a guided tour about the Haw Par Villa, this tour, i.e. Cultured Leopard, Rising Tiger: Finding Your Tao in Haw Par Villa, is a tour that I would recommend.

Cultured Leopard, Rising Tiger:
Finding Your Tao in Haw Par Villa
Every Friday, 9.30 a.m. - 12.00 noon
Meeting point: Haw Par Villa MRT station, outside Exit A (262 Pasir Panjang Road)
For more details, please visit:
http://www.journeys.com.sg/singaporewalks/tours_hawparvilla.asp

Yet another Changi Museum War Trail: End of Empire

Kranji Memorials. Designed by Colin St. Clair Oakes.

This year happens to be the 70th anniversary of the fall of Singapore. I was so enticed with the idea of commemorating this special anniversary that I went for a tour by The Original Singapore Walks on 12 Sep 2012. My visit turned out to fall on the 67th anniversary of the Japanese surrender ceremony that was held at the Municipal Building of Singapore (now known as the City Hall).

Read more about my visit here please:
Yet another Changi Museum War Trail: End of Empire

The Original Singapore Walk: A Chinatown Walk

Sculpture at Telok Ayer Green

If you have only one day to go for a tour and you are wondering where to go, instead of looking at options overseas, why not look within and tour a part of Singapore?

If the thought of understanding more about Singapore's comparatively short yet fairly rich history interests you, I shall be biased and recommend that you check out any one of The Original Singapore Walk offered by Journeys Pte Ltd.

I have my reasons behind my recommendations. Including the recent Red Clogs Down the Five-Foot-Way ™ that I have went onboard a few weeks ago, I have already went for a total of eight different walking tours and two coach tours with Journeys Pte Ltd.

There are many things that Journeys Pte Ltd has done right: the well-researched and in-depth information of places and heritage, the guide's effective and easy-to-understand way of delivering the knowledge, and the sincerity to share heritage with people and make it interesting. Now that you know what has kept me going back for more tours, sit back to read about why I think Red Clogs Down the Five-Foot-Way ™ is worthwhile for you to check out.

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Red Clogs Down the Five-Foot-Way ™ is essentially a walk of the Chinatown area. Rain or shine, except on public holidays, Red Clogs Down the Five-Foot-Way ™ brings its guests onboard to learn about places and traditions found in the Chinatown area.

Near the starting point of the tour.

Along the way, I cannot help but admire the architecture of the buildings that I saw during the tour. Many of buildings that I saw along the way have been built way before yours truly was born.

Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church.

Notice the distinct Chinese pavilion on its rooftop.

Al-Abrar Mosque. Built by South Indian Chulia Muslims.

The guide shared with the tour participants about the history of the development of Chinatown, the functions of five-foot-ways and more. If any of these interests you, then do go for this walk. It is a value-for-money tour considering the amount of appreciation for Chinatown's past that you would walk away with after the tour.

For the folks who are keen to learn about the three major schools of the Chinese philosophies and about the symbolisms found in many of the traditional Chinese temples, this tour will lend some insights to these. At the Thian Hock Kheng Temple (which means "Temple of Heavenly Happiness", the guide gave a brief overview of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. It was interesting for me to realise that I could find elements of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism all in one single temple, the Thian Hock Kheng Temple.

Interestingly, there is a habitat for bats in the temple.
See if you can spot the bats from the photo above.

Make a guess which country the cast iron railings came from?

He guards the entrance of the temple.

The next stop was Ann Siang Hill. It was quite interesting for me to see how the conserved shophouses of Amoy Street get a modern refitting with air-conditioners installed. By the way, there is a well at the foot of Ann Siang Hill, see if you can find it the next time you happen to be there.




As the group proceed to Ann Siang Road and towards the Kreta Ayer area, I continued with taking photographs of the sights that I see along the way while listening to what the guide has to share.










The following part of the tour is that of a visit to a Chinese medicine shop. Though we did not walk into Eu Yan Sang, the three Art Deco shophouses along South Bridge Road, we got to hear about Eu Yan Sang, the famous Chinese medicine hall which was established in 1911.

Eu Yan Sang, along South Bridge Road

We visited the Chinese medicine shop that is just across the road from Eu Yan Sang. While I hope that there could be more shared about the key philosophies and concepts behind Chinese medicine at the Chinese medicine shop, the treat to herbal drinks made up for it.





The Original Singapore Walks® indeed brings its guests to the road less travelled. After the visit to the Chinese medicine shop, we headed for a lane in Chinatown area that was once known as Singapore's "Street of the Dead". The guide shared with us about how the lane used to serve as a hospice for the terminally ill or dying Chines immigrants. There was more. Find out when you are onboard this tour.

We also travelled to a few of the shops in Chinatown area to learn about some traditional Chinese practices and customs.






There are so much more to learn about the history of Singapore than what is found in the history textbooks. The Original Singapore Walks® not only takes its guests to the road less travelled, it brings its guests to a journey to learn more about the rich heritage of Singapore.

Perhaps the only question that I had that was not answered by the end of the tour was: Where are the red clogs? I figured that red clogs making is a vanishing trade in Singapore.

More information about the walk, Red Clogs Down the Five-Foot-Way ™, can be found here:
http://www.journeys.com.sg/singaporewalks/tours_redclogs.asp


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References:

- Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore. (2001). URA Gallery City Walk: Chinatown Historic District.
- G. Byrne Bracken. (2004).A Walking Tour: Singapore. Singapore: Times Editions.
- National Heritage Board. (Oct 2006). Discover Singapore: Heritage Trails.

Recommended list of related external links to visit:
Al Abrar Mosque
Five-foot-way traders
Thian Hock Kheng Temple, posted on Yesterday.sg by username
Welcome to Thian Hock Kheng Temple
Clog makers

The Kampong Glam Walk

The Original Singapore Walks by Journeys Pte Ltd has never failed to take me to "the roads less travelled". I dare say that Journeys Pte Ltd operates one of the best tours in Singapore. That is one of the reasons why you keep seeing me going onboard its tours every now and then.

With the painstaking amount of research and the guides' love for heritage behind every single of its tour, this is one tour that the locals in Singapore should consider going for if they have half-a-day to spare. You simply don't know what you are missing unless you join one of The Original Singapore Walks.

I had taken annual leave on the morning of 17 Aug 2006, and decided that one of the best way for me to spend the morning was to join one of The Original Singapore Walks. It seems always delightful and enriching for me to get to know more about this country that I was born and grew up in. Somehow, heritage tours often remind me never to take the present for granted. In addition, there almost always seem to be lessons to be learnt from history itself.

The walk that I had attended on 17 Aug 06 was titled: Sultans of Spice. Savita was the tour guide of the day. At the start of the tour, the guide explained to us why the tour was named as it is.

In a nutshell, this walk takes one about the Kampong Glam area of Singapore. As many locals in Singapore might know, the word Kampong means to "Village" in Malay language.

For the rest of the post, I shall let the photographs that I have taken do the large part of the talking. I must emphasis that the best part of this tour is not in the sceneries that you would get to see. Instead, the best part of the tour is the stories from the past that you will get to hear and the rich heritage that you will experience while onboard. As such, the best way to know more is to simply join the walk.

This walk is ideal for everyone, locals and friends from overseas. Its charges are very reasonable considering the amount of quality research that has been put in to back up the tours.





Although born and raised in Singapore, I must admit that I often find that I still do not know enough about this island-country that I have been living in. The Sultans of Spice brought me to routes that I have never travelled before. Right above this paragraph, you should see two photographs of a lane in Singapore. Before the tour, I have never been to this lane, as best as my memory recollects. It may seem to be insignficant, but there is something special about this lane. To find out, join the tour and hear from the guide, of course.

When I was walking with the tour group along Kampong Glam area, I found myself intrigued by the architectures of the buildings in the area.





Bussorah Street


Other than hearing about the mysterious keris (dagger-looking weapon), and actually seeing them, we also get to gain insights to the practice of chewing sireh. Out of curiosity, I chewed a small section of a betel leaf. It tasted kind of peppery. This URL gives a short account on the practice of eating sireh: http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/photo144246.htm



Items used for chewing sireh.


We also stopped by a shop that sells prayer rugs amongst other things. No, not for shopping, but to hear about the holy city of Mecca, and its significance to the Islam religion. Here's a site on the subject of the city of Mecca that I have came across: http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/places/mecca.htm

At another shop, Grandfather's Collections, located at 42 Bussorah Street, I got to see the cash register that operates based on the theory of the pulley system. You can imagine a fascinated look on face when I saw this. At that instant, I also recalled a post by Victor titled: Yesterday's Office Equipment (1).



The cash register.
It's commonly seen in many traditional grocery stores in the past.

At Grandfather's Collections, I saw that it sells digital postcards (postcards that contains digital photos taken from various parts of Singapore). I was looking high and low for one of these some months ago. Without much effort, I had actually found it there. Anyway, the shop's owner is a very helpful, humourous and friendly gentleman. He even gave the tour group a demonstration of how to tie the sarong for different purposes. I never knew that the sarong could be so functional until this tour.





Sultan Mosque.

One of the stops of the tour was the Sultan Mosque. The tour guide pointed us to guess the material that was used to make the black-colour-looking ring that winds itself just below the golden dome. There is a noteworthy story behind it.

I was well-prepared with long sleeves clothings to enter the mosque's compounds. In this part of the tour, the tour guide shared with us insights about the Islamic religion, and it has been enlightening.

I think it is helpful to gain an appreciation of the various religions as this would help one better understand the ways of life and the perspectives of others. Understanding, in my opinion, promotes respect and peace. I think the tour guide has done a good job in her delivery of the materials, and that certainly helps to promote a good understanding and respect of the Islamic religion.








The next stop was a shop that sells Malay traditional medicine, if I remember correctly. The best thing I remember was the delicious dates that I was treated to at the shop, compliments of Journeys Pte Ltd.




After that, we continued walking and stopped by a Hajj supplies store. There is a lot of walking to be done, but I love it. Remember, there is no shopping on this tour. This tour's main focus is on experiencing heritage and history. At this tour, I learnt a bit more about the hajj. I was very intrigued to learn about the use of a wooden stick that you would see in the photo right below.






This Hajj supplies store also sells perfume containing no alcohol. I take my hats off the great sense of smell that the man concocting the perfume has.


One of my favourite parts of the tour was the section at the Old Istana Kampong Glam, now known as the Malay Heritage Centre. It was here that the tour guide revealed to us a part of our Singapore's history that was totally unknown to me. Somehow, the story that was revealed to me reminded me of the value of humility, at the same time, fair-play. Even if fair-play might not seem to get one anyway too far initially.



Istana Kampong Gelam was the historic seat of the Malay royalty of Singapore. Now the Malay Heritage Centre.




Gedung Kuning.
Within the premises of the the Malay Heritage Centre.


The tour ends at what I consider an unusual place for a tour: A graveyard. But this is no ordinary graveyard if we were thoughtful enough to infer from the clues staring at us at this graveyard. Please join the walk to find out more. I am neither a tour-guide nor a story-teller to be able to tell you anything much.





While I was at the graveyard, I kept wondering how much we are doing as a community to preserve our rich heritage. Would this graveyard make way for what we call "new developments"? How can we strike a good balance between preserving our heritage and ensuring spaces for developments?

Somehow, such thoughts reminded me of Scotland. Scotland is a developed country, with a rich heritage, and the community takes pride in preserving it. Because of the community's active efforts in preserving its rich heritage, I dare say that Scotland is more unique than Singapore, at least for now. I suppose that is why I fondly miss Scotland. I sometimes wish that I could see such a phenonemon in Singapore, and I hope I could see it within my lifetime.

In my opinion, it is not the state-of-art infrastructure that would make a country truly unique, it is the soul behind it. The soul arising from a rich and unique heritage.

What I have been sharing in this post is just less than 10% of the best parts of the tour. If you don't mind the sun, the climate of Singapore and the walking, it is highly unlikely that you would ever regret being onboard this tour: Sultans of Spices.

Enriching and educational, this tour is a must for anyone who is keen to understand more about the history of Singapore, gain an appreciation of the Islamic religion and the way of life of the Malay and Arab community in Kampong Glam.

For more information, please check out the home page of The Original Singapore Walks: http://www.singaporewalks.com