Tropical Punch Tour: Singapore Part 7

I sort of took it easy today, too. I just walked from my room at the Prince of Wales hostel in Little India a half mile over to the Malay Heritage Museum in Kampung Glam. Since the next country I’m going to visit is Malaysia, I thought I better brush up on it a little bit first. This is a small museum that traces the history of the Singapore Malays from their genesis as a seafaring people who traded with the Chinese, Indians and Europeans, and proceeds on through scenes of war and everyday life through the past several centuries.

Many artifacts–including books, clothing, jewelry, tools and weapons–are also included; as well as pop culture items from the mid-20th century like comic books, vinyl records, a newsstand and even a little movie set. Two lifesize dioramas depict a Kampong thatched roof house from a traditional communal village and a typical high-rise housing apartment of the 1960s, which symbolizes the Malays resilience at adopting to an urban multiple-cultural lifestyle. I ended the evening at Bugis Street, a huge market of food and clothing stalls. It’s so crowded, it’s hard to even walk through this place.

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