Little India: An Attraction of the Culture

What was once settled by Indian convicts in the 1820’s is now an enriching tourist attraction that adds to the melting pot of Singapore. Indian’s are the third largest ethnic group in Singapore. The Indian people, spices, henna, freshly cut flower garlands and vibrant clothes trick your senses into believing you were transported to India.

Singapore can be seen within two days. It is not the best city for backpackers since it’s expensive but if you stick to Little India and ChinaTown then it’s more affordable. I would highly recommend exploring Little India since it was my favorite place to sightsee in Singapore. It was a great place to capture smiles for my 10,000 Smiles Project.

3 Musts While Exploring Little India:

1) Visit the Hindu temples where you can witness firsthand Hindu practices. (Photography and shoes are prohibited inside the temple.)

2) Visit the huge building with floors of Indian restaurants. (Right by the MRT) Be warned: the Indian food is delicious but spicy and can lead to certain ramifications for a Western.

3) Strike up a conversation with a local or other traveler; it will enhance your educational experience.

Authentic Indian Moments

I recommend eating at one of the local Indian restaurants. Denny, Tanner and I went to a Couchsurfing meetup, where we met other people who are connected on the couchsurfing site. We ate at this authentic local Indian restaurant. You know it’s authentic when you get stares form the locals and your the only Western in the restaurant. They might have stared, but there were many exchanges of smiles going around.

Lost in Little India

My travel tale is a terrifying one. My husband, Denny and I were executing our first Southeast Asia backpacking trip when this “stop my heart from beating moment” happened in the restaurant hub of Singapore’s Little India.

After a dish of spicy Indian delight Denny and I had discussed we were going to part ways and meet up later at the entrance of the MRT (the underground metro). Let me preface, I am working on a photography project where I am taking 10,000 pictures of people smiling in the course of a year. We were making our way through the crowd, while I stopped here and there to take pictures of the beautiful Indian people, with Denny still in my eyesight. Then, I saw this gorgeous elderly Indian woman holding an adorable Indian infant who was actually smiley so I couldn’t resist capturing that moment. When finished taking the shots I turned around to see that Denny was missing. I felt like it happened in a blink of an eye. I started to try to retrace my steps and I still couldn’t find him. I asked a table of guys nearby if they had seen which direction he went and followed that lead. No Denny.

Needless to say the next hour I didn’t get any pictures for my 10,000 Smiles Project because I was too busy distressed with no phone, no money or directions on how to get back to the hostel. I had walked to the MRT and up and down every aisle of the restaurant hub and found no Denny. I hated that I wasn’t enjoying Little India because I was lost. I cried for a few minutes and then braced myself to ask a young Chinese woman if she would lend me money and help me find my hostel. I was desperate and her generosity and kindness was enough to calm me down. The sweet woman was ready to give me enough money to get a taxi to my hostel without me repaying her. As we were walking by the MRT’s entrance another woman asked me if I was lost and told me that my husband was looking for me. With this news, out of the corner of my eye off in the distance I saw Denny walking the opposite direction. I quickly thanked both of the women for helping and dashed towards Denny through the crowds.

I found out the whole fiasco brewed from miscommunication. Denny thought I just knew he was going straight for the MRT and I thought we would say our goodbyes. Timing was also not on our side because when I did make my way to the MRT, he had a bathroom emergency. Lesson, for security sake when traveling: buy a sim card, carry cash on you and/or have the address of your occupancy.

A PhotoJournal of Little India

(Pictures are sometimes better than words)

Flower garlands are used for religious offerings, weddings and funerals. 

What was your experience in Little India?

or

If you haven’t been, does Little India look like a place you would want to visit and why?