Temples... what else do you expect?

This devotee is preparing the goddess Kali for a ceremony at Sri Veermakaliamman temple

Although I kept out of the sun as much as possible, I went on a walkabout of Little India today as well as popping over to Chinatown on the MRT train system just to get a few hours of sightseeing under my belt. My skin was looking considerably better, people weren't staring at me anymore and so I felt more comfortable than I have been for quite a few weeks. It's back to see the doctor tomorrow morning, but in the meantime it was out and about whilst still taking it easy and leisurely. First on my viewing list was the Hindu temple of Sri Veeramakaliamman and I walked smack bang into a ceremony with clashing cymbals and loud music accompanying a line of temple devotees performing a symbolic parade much to the delight of the hordes of followers packed into the courtyard. The temple is dedicated to the Goddess of Power, Kali and was built as early as 1855. There was so much going on at the same time it was hard to keep track of everything. Pressing on, I had a look at the shophouses along Dunlop Street before a quick visit to the Masjid Abdul Gafoor mosque, built in 1907 with a unique sundial on its entrance, the only one in the Islamic world dedicated to 25 chosen prophets.

The gopuram entrance way to the Sri Veeramakaliamman temple, dedicated to the goddess Kali, located on Serangoon Road

A devotee at the Sri Veeramakaliamman temple annoints a worshipper with white paste on the forehead

This brightly-painted second floor shophouse is in the Little India Art's Belt area

A well-kept group of shophouses have been converted into the Kerbau Hotel on Dunlop Street

Not all the shophouses on Dunlop Street have been kept in good condition

The unique sundial at the entrance to the Masjid Abdul Gafoor mosque

A quick ride south on the MRT train and I got off at Chinatown, popped into MacDonalds for a bite to eat and then headed along the lantern-decorated Temple Street with its strikingly-painted 3-storey shophouses before visiting the oldest Hindu temple in the city, the Sri Mariamman, originally built in 1827. By comparison to the first Hindu temple today, this was as quiet as a mouse and the only one where they expected you to pay for your camera. Chinatown was much more overtly commercial than Little India, and a lot more colourful. The Chinatown Heritage Centre (cost: 10 Singapore dollars) was well worth it for a real insight into the birth of, and daily life in the Chinese area of the city through the ages. I'm still under doctor's orders so I took the MRT back to my hotel for some rest and to post this blog. By the way, so far the MRT prices work out at a little over a single Singapore dollar, cheap, clean and very convenient. Would I want to live here, no thanks, way too busy, way too developed, way too organised and no-one looks anyone else in the eye, they're all too busy and pre-occupied with their lives. And I was told off for taking a swig from my bottle of water whilst waiting for the train to arrive - honest!

Brightly coloured paintwork brings Chinatown to life on Temple Street

This gorgeous 3-storey shophouse hosts a travel agency on Temple Street

Lanterns abound along Temple Street, as part of the colourful scene in Chinatown

The busy gopuram of Sri Mariamman temple even though inside it was a quiet haven of peace

Every level of the Sri Mariamman gopuram has the goddess Kali being worshipped

An hour in Little India

Its hot so an umbrella comes in handy for this cyclist on Petain Road

With an improvement in my condition, I decided on a longer walk around part of the Little India district of Singapore prior to my lunch, rather than staying cooped up inside my hotel. Following a route in the Little India Walking Guide leaflet published by the Singapore Tourist Board, I headed first for some fine examples of shophouse styled homes in Petain Road, numbered 10 to 44. A shophouse is usually a 2 or 3-storey building where the first floor is used for retail purposes and above the shop, are the family's living quarters. However the excellent examples on Petain Road are purely homes and well kept homes at that. Just outside a shophouse is the 'five-foot way', a covered corridor literally five feet wide, that provides shelter from both sun and rain. Next was the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Hindu temple with its elaborate gopuram entrance tower depicting gods, goddesses and mythical beasts. Tuesday and Fridays are the holy days when the temples are abuzz with religious fervour, but even today it was busy with many people stopping by for a chat and to eat inside the shrine. I didn't see anyone doing any worship of any kind. This temple is on Serangoon Road and is dedicated to Lord Perumal, the Preserver of the Universe and god of mercy and goodness. The gopuram, depicting stories of Vishnu, is a later addition in 1975, whereas the original shrine was founded in 1855. Next door is the Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya temple with its 300 ton, 15-metre tall state of Buddha in its main hall and opposite is the Leong San Buddhist temple with its statue of Confucius inside. The gates to the domed structures of the Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman temple were firmly closed so it was back to my hotel after a bite to eat.

The lovely shophouses of Petain Road are overshadowed by the high-storey buildings behind

The shophouses on Petain Road have been lovingly restored

Beautiful colours and gorgeous mouldings create a lovely home for the lucky owners

The decorated gopuram entrance way to the Sri Srinivasa Perumal temple on Serangoon Road

The goddess Lakshmi on the wall of the temple

This 300 ton, 15-metre high Buddha adorns the Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya temple

One of the domed buildings at the Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman temple

More shophouse styles seen on Jalan Besar Road with the first floor used for retail

2nd floor shophouse styles on Jalan Besar Road

Just outside the door

Singapore's shophouses are often dwarfed by high-rise office blocks or living quarters

Now I am not in Singapore on a tourist jaunt, this is strictly medical tourism and to be frank, I'm not in the mood to wander around a very hot and humid city with people staring at my angry red face. Nevertheless, just outside my hotel there's some interesting architecture dating back to the time when this area of Singapore, Little India, was home to the remnants of Indian convicts brought here to work as construction labourers in the 1920s. Given land and buffaloes as well as their freedom they settled in this area and it continues to this day, as colourful, noisy and busy as any so-called Little India's around the globe. There is an eatery every second shop or so it seems and a lot of them are housed in Singapore's shophouses, quite similar in style to the colonial French ones found dotted around Cambodia provincial towns. Here's a selection, all within a block of my hotel, when I popped out to get some lunch. My doctor has suggested a rest from sun, heat, sweat and dust, so it was literally, out and back in a few minutes. I know Little India has a lot more sights to see but maybe I'll have time for that when I see some improvement in my condition.

Built in 1925 these shophouses have all received a lick of paint in recent years

More of the same row of shophouses in Sam Leong Road, Little India

A colourful home and shop complex in Sam Leong Road, with definite Indian influences

The beading on this property look almost Georgian in style. This can be found on Jalan Besar Road.

This is my home for the next few days, the ill-named Classique Hotel in Little India - finding reasonable accommodation at bargain prices was impossible.