Thaipusam Festival

So if you have a weak stomach or heart you might want to skim over this blog entry. Jason and I heard about a Hindu festival that was taking place in Singapore this weekend so we decided to go and check it out. I knew that it was a festival with spikes and spears but I'm pretty sure I had no idea that it was going to be how it was! (See my face in photo 18)

The festival is called Thaipusam, which is one of the most dramatic Hindu festivals, in which followers honor Lord Subramaniam, who is the god of wishes, by walking 4km (2.5 miles) from one Hindu temple to the next with their offerings or Kavadi's on their back. The Kavadi's are attached to them with hooks and skewers and are driven into their flesh by relatives and close friends. Generally, Hindus take a vow to offer a kavadi to Lord Subramaniam for the purpose of having or triumphing over a great life wish. (I'm pretty sure any wish I had would not be followed up by driving stakes into me, but to each his own I guess and it really shows their level of devotion to their religion).

Every statement out of Jason's mouth that morning was, "Isn't it crazy that..." and that has been sort of the motto of the week actually. Everything we have seen has been a totally new and crazy experience, even for me who Jason says has "been everywhere." But it is amazing how different it is over here and yet there is so much that is the same.

Jason is off to work tomorrow and so I will not have my photo partner to pal around with while he is at the office, back to corporate life *sigh*...these are a mixture of his and my photos:

They did this whole journey barefoot too!

Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouuuuchhhh!!

It was for all ages to observe and celebrate

The lime symbolises protection by the deities

Me with a bit of a concerned look and just taking it all in...

This was the line we escaped somehow when we ended up in the actual procession...not sure how it happened?

Little India

I am no writer and you will soon be asking that Jenna add the commentary to our adventures. You can all do us a favor... and especially me, by providing her thoroughly positive comments and none for me so she feels obliged to be the primary blogger.

Nevertheless... last night we ran into a co-worker of mine who took us to an even larger mall than what we found on Orchard Blvd. earlier in the day. I almost forked over the money to have two bobble heads made in the likeness of Jenna and I. She talked me out of it. I might go back when she is back in the states for work, all I need is a picture of each of us. My co-worker couldn't find the store he was looking for but he directed us to a good spot to eat. There we had some noodles with prawns in this place called the Food Republic. Apparently they are in a lot of the malls and provide a place to have "authentic" Singaporean food. I think they are really for people with fanny packs and camera's. Either way, the food was great and there was no smell of Durian to be found. Durian apparently is not allowed on the MRT... this is a good law.

Today we took the MRT to Little India which is where the majority of these pictures are from. It shouldn't be hard for you to figure out which ones are from Little India as it felt like an entirely different country than the feel of Orchard Blvd. We followed the walking tour detailed in one of our many travel books on Singapore. It took us to a number of different temples, malls (yes more malls), and places to eat. There were a number of temples where we just wanted to shoot away with the camera but weren't sure it was appropriate. Then we happened upon the Buddhist temple. Two women in there invited us to enter some of the areas that we weren't sure if we could enter at first. The temple was very quiet and peaceful and provide a nice break from the hustle and bustle in the sticky hot heat of Little India. After the temple we made our way back to the MRT through some side streets. Found a spot called the Thieves market where by the looks of the merchandise, I couldn't help but wonder if Jenna's cameras would be found there for sale the next day. So I kept my bag close to me, even jumped away from the sidewalk when I heard a motorcycle come zipping by. I'm sure someone laughed at me, but I read a lot about motorcycle thieves zipping buy and grabbing people's bags... of course, I read about this when researching Vietnam but hey... it could happen in Singapore... but probably doesn't.

So we made it back thoroughly drenched in sweat and feeling gross. Luckily we stopped and got a bunch of water along the way, found a lot of shade to walk in as we forgot our sunscreen and rested up at another hawker center. The big winner for the snack of the day was the Roti Prata. Unfortunately, the shot we have of the food was of the chicken marsala which was full of bone bits which were hard to eat around. Maybe next time we'll taste the food before deciding which dish gets to be the focal point of the food shot.

Until next time!

You can have your own bobble head made to look like you!

Dueling Cameras!

"Curry Rice, You Know!"

Chicken Masala

NO Durian's on the Subway...they stink!