Little India Singapore
Visiting Little India is like stepping out of Singapore and into a busy street somewhere in India. This area is full of shops, vendors and restaurants all selling Indian goods. This area of town is quite large, and in order two fully see everything, have a meal or two and browse through the shops it should be given the better part of a day.

Serangoon Road is where most of the activity lies. Upper Serangoon road holds the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, which is the exact replica of a temple in India. The temple was built to honor Perumal (or Vishnu), a deity who is believed to have reincarnated 9 times for the sake of mankind. This temple marks the beginning of the Thaipusam Festival held in January or February of every year, where devoted Hindus honor Lord Subramaniam, or Shiva. The 10 000-strong procession runs from Srinivasa Perumal Temple all the way to Chettiar Hindu Temple. In this awe-inspiring spectacle, worshippers carry metal cages, decorated with offerings on hooks piercing their skin. Other zealots pierce their faces, tongues and bodies with metal skewers to show their devotion, or hang fruit and decorations from their flesh with fishhooks. These worshippers for the most part never bleed, a phenomenon that can is said to be attributed to the trance-like state that they become immersed in.

The Little India arcade on Lower Serangoon Road is stocked with handcrafts and art. The Zhujiao Food Center is also near here, where you can sample Chinese and Indian dishes at extremely cheap prices. Buffalo Road, across from Serangoon, also has many traditional shops, as well as stores selling electronics and more modern supplies. Fortunetellers also line these streets as well, and flower vendors and spice sellers can be found throughout.

The Arab Quarter has many different areas to visit. It is crammed with shops selling a variety of goods such as jewelry, medicines, basket ware and Indonesian brass work. The beautiful Sultan Mosque, built in 1924, is located here as well, between Bencoolen and Arab streets. Another location worth checking out is the Old Malay Cemetary, recorded as the oldest Malay cemetery in Singapore.