My 7 hour walk around Singapore

So unfortunately, either the internet or this blog doesn't like me uploading photos right now, so you must refer to facebook for photos for now. Now about my long day....

I woke up and decided I was going to learn how to use the public transportation (MRT) and try to go into the city center. I wrote down direction from the internet and set off for coffee. My hotel is in Little India by the way. I got a cup of instant coffee that was sweeter than anything I have ever had before. The guy put three spoonfuls of this gooey brown stuff from a can with a picture of a cow on it, like very sweet sticky milk. But it was soo good! I"m going back tomorrow. Well, as I'm wandering through Little India to find the MRT station, I get major distracted. Yesterday began Singapore's celebration of the Return of the Rabbit (Chinese New Year) so there was lots going on, including a little concert by the Cow Factory. It's not what you think, as Indians do not harm cows. They, instead, put them on display with colored horns and necklaces.

I made it to the MRT and decided to head to Chinatown. On the map, Chinatown looked next door to the city center (wrong), and this way I could get a good lunch walking through. I ran into a flower market, beautiful old streets and buildings. Then came the temple. Buddhist temples are the more beautiful structures in the world (no, really). In Chinatown I came across a Buddhist Temple and Museum. And this is where I spent my next 4 hours. I took notes.

Buddhism was founded by Buddha Sakyamuni (born 623 BC). It has lasted thousands of years and is still growing. The ground floor was the temple. The main room of worship had a two story sculpture of Buddha. The greatest gift of devotion that can be given is gold, so all statues are painted or sculpted in gold. Light is another great gift, so there are tons of beautiful lanterns everywhere. Giving candles and flowers are ways to get back good karma, so there were flowers on tables, the floor, etc. The walls were lined with "100 Buddah" (a thing in Buddhism) but there was much more than just that. Each was adopted by a patron over the last 100 years and represented on the walls throughout the 5 story building. The top floor was a garden with a 2 story prayer wheel in the center.

The fourth floor housed the Sacred Buddha Tooth Relic Stupa. A stupa is like a mini temple they made to house the tooth relic (yes, a tooth) which was surrounded by precious gems and made out of 420kg of gold. The room was off limits to cameras, held two meditation rises, and there was even a monk there to pray with. The second and third floors were museums full of light sensitive statues from every time period imaginable of all the different gods and goddesses of Buddhism. In one of the back rooms, help the "physical sarira". There are two types of sarira, or relics in Sanskrit, and physical is a tangible relic. Surrounded by lit glass was crystallized solid remains of Buddha. As in crystallized bone, liver, heart, brain, eye, etc. No pictured allowed :/.

Other things I learned from reading to share:

• (find the facebook picture of me in front of a Buddhist statue to refer)  When the hand is placed open, palm up, this is a gesture of blessing. When the hand is held like a "stop", perpendicular to the ground, it is a gesture to dispel fear.
• Everyone knows the famous "fat happy Buddha" statue. Here's the story. There was one a Monk who was known as the "cloth bag monk". He was chubby and always known for smiling. Before he passed away, he made a point to praise Maitreya, once of the Buddha's. Over the years, people began to believe he was in fact Maitreya, so this Buddha's depiction became the fat and happy cloth monk. 
• Chinese couplet about his image: 
• A big belly can contain all difficulties, sufferings, and problems in life; A big laugh may laugh at all those who are ridiculous"

• When Buddha believed he had reached enlightenment, is caused a great uproar to the evil king, Mara. Mara began throwing obstacles to challenge Buddha, such as women and violence. Buddha meditated for 7 days (some think for 49) until he understood the cause of all suffering and that the way to release suffering is through one's selflessness. At this moment, at the age of 35, he was released from the endless cycles of rebirth (reincarnation of the soul) and achieved Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi, and was "The Enlightened One"

I ate hot curry and chicken, got stuck in a rain storm, then got super lost. Very lost. For about an hour. I tried to head for the big building, where the city center was, but there is just so many, its hard to know which ones to go after. I finally found it and actually cheered out loud. It was rich and beautiful and clean and everything a tourist attraction city should look like. I was demanded to take photos with non-white tourists (this happened in China too....) and got mine taken in front of some cool things. Visited some memorials, saw the government building of the city, and got lost again in a mall trying to find my way back home.

Now, go check out my pictured until I can figure out a way to get them on here.... you can see where I'm living :)