Rain, more rain, and dodging riots... (Singapore)

Inside Bugis shopping area

On the second day I thought I'd have a little mooch around the infamous shopping streets. First stop: Bugis. Oh. My. Goodness. Firstly, never ever go shopping at the weekend in Singapore. Secondly, do not under any circumstances do it when it's raining. It was complete and utter madness. I didn't really make it outside given the rain, so I kept to the undercover shopping centre and got hopelessly lost when I entered the food court. From Bugis I went to Orchard street for maybe half an hour before  retreating with my tail between my legs. Before leaving I did manage to check out the ION shopping mall which did look pretty impressive. A lot of high end stores: Chanel, YSL, Armani, Vivienne Westwood...  All of the usuals. 
Pushed forward by the rain (and my stomach! I was starving!) I made a beeline for Little India. I wanted to see the Hindu temple Sri Veeramakaliamman and find some Indian food. First stop, after braving the rain and weaving in and out of the many people taking shelter, was Tekka Market - Little India's hawker centre. The smell from the food stalls was  tantalisingly good; cardamon, coconut, onion, curries left right and centre. I was mesmerised. I paced up and down , eyeing up the stalls and trying to avoid the glances of locals... It didn't take long to realise I was then only westerner there. It isn't an issue - I'm becoming quite accustomed to the curious glances thrown my way. I try in most cases to dress without offending, particularly whilst I was in Thailand. In Singapore however I was simply following what the majority of people wore. Somehow I don't think shorts were appreciated in this establishment.
Okay. So I walked and walked and walked. I decided I had to go for a biryani - the portions were huge and seemingly quite cheap. Perfect! I went to a little stall after bring ushered by the owner - Samad's tekka dum biryani. I chose chicken (as opposed to mutton, not like it seemed to matter as they were both cooked in the same pot). The dish came with the gravy, the rice and chicken, some vegetables , and it was served on a banana leaf. I did pick up a sweet lassi from Maya Mohan but I wasn't too impressed with that one.

Biryani

Devouring every last morsel and deciding to go for a wander through the markets I looked at the beautiful lines of Indian saris and dresses, all different colours, some relatively plain and others embellished with sequins, bells, anything you could imagine. I was stood eyeing up this striking purple and gold embellished skirt and was fully intent on buying it until I tried it on and the thing was that tight. I laughed. I know I'm not fat in any shape or form but I tittered to the shop keeper that maybe I should lay off the food... He didn't find it amusing and snapped up the skirt before turning his back. Okay then.
The food market was something else. The lines of fruit and vegetables were beautiful to look at until I came across the durian. I never did get to try the durian but with the very hot and wet atmosphere I was surrounded by their particular pungent smell. Not too nice! The meat and fish stalls weren't smelling too fresh either when I got there and dodging the trickle of blood and guts on the tiles whilst holding my breath to avoid the smell of nearly-rancid meat was taking it's toll. I just wanted to get out. More people and rain sodgijg , around the arcade, through more shops, and out on the streets I headed back to the MRT. Time for home... And another adventure.
That night was relaxing. I grabbed some food from the train station food hall and decided to catch up with a few people back home. I bought some yogurt, eyed up the beer, and opted for some water instead from the local 'Fairprice' and did very little.
 
The next morning I was woken to the news of the riot in Little India, a 400 thick mob of people following the dead of a man crossing the road. It happened just 3-4 hours after I left Little India. I can't actually believe it, after the things that happened in Thailand - the riots there, getting lost in a protest area and being talked about (trust me - you hear 'falang' and your ears prick up), the unprovoked attack on my friends and I, the bike crash - I was starting to feel that trouble seemed to follow me, or maybe I followed it. We had a little laugh in the dorm about it - the Chinese woman I had breakfast with called me an omen, said that whenever I leave bad things happen. Well guys, if you see me leaving an area for whatever reason... Maybe it's time to follow! 

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