Singapore's Little India and Arab Quarter

My hotel in Singapore had a great location- centrally located, just a minute or so walk from the MRT, and only a short subway ride to many major tourist attractions. I was in Singapore's most colorful neighborhood: Little India.

Little India is one of the original districts planned out by Sir Stamford Raffles. During the early days of Singapore, hundreds of laborers were brought from the prisons of the British Raj. The laborers originally brought over were usually small-time criminals. In Singapore, they enjoyed a large degree of freedom, usually assigned as a team to a task and were not required to check in very frequently.  For the most part, they eventually served their time and decided to say on in Singapore. Today, the Indian population is an important demographic in Singapore.

Little India is epitomized by its colorful shops and the entire neighborhood is painted in a rainbow of bright colors. I explored the district a bit and stopped to check out some Hindu temples.

Ganesh seems to be a very popular god. I saw several of these shrines around Little India, mostly at shops or markets. Additionally, he's very popular in Thailand. 

Ganesh

I took some time to wander through the alley markets that sold colorful trinkets. From some signs posted around, I learned that this special Diwali street market was set up for the weeks leading up to the festival.

When I was in Singapore the Indian community was getting ready for Diwali (Deepvali), the Hindu Festival of Lights. The streets in Little India had been decorated with bright LED displays which made the area glow neon. Though it was still a few weeks until Diwali, there was a feeling of excitement around the neighborhood.

On my way back home to my hotel after diner one evening, the sound of some drums and a brassy horn caught my attention. There was some sort of procession going on at one of the temples, and a group of men were carrying a deity atop their shoulders and dancing back, forward, and side to side in unison.

I didn't know what they were celebrating, but these two guys seemed to be in charge:

Kampang Glam, the Arab Quarter is not too far from Little India. The main attraction in my opinion is the area's most impressive landmark, the Masjid Sultan.

Masjid Sultan

Built in 1928, the Sultan Mosque is now recognized as a national landmark and a symbol of Singapore's Muslim community. I had no idea how diverse of a country Singapore is. Parts of it feel very Western, while some areas of Singapore just blocks away feel like a different place and time altogether.