are set up in the evening in the Arab St district, near the Sultan Mosque. Hari Raya Puasa, the end of Ramadan in November, is marked by three days of joyful celebrations and often coincides with the Hindu Deepavali (or Diwali) festival, when Little India is festooned with lights. The festival of Thaipusam is one of the most dramatic Hindu festivals and is now banned in India. Devotees honour Lord Subramaniam with acts of amazing body-piercing. In Singapore, devotees march in procession from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Rd to the Chettiar Hindu Temple on Tank Rd.

Singapore: Sights
Singapore is a surprising and eye-catching melange of cultures, eras and environments. A centre filled with one-time colonial hot-spots like the Padang, Fort Canning and Raffles Hotel separates the spicy Little India enclave and aromatic Arab St from the commerce-frenzied atmosphere of Chinatown.

Arab St
Address Arab Quarter, Singapore The Muslim centre of Singapore is a traditional textile district, full of batiks from Indonesia, silks, sarongs and shirts. Add to this mix rosaries, flower essences, hajj caps, songkok hats, basketware and rattan goods, and you have a fair idea of the products haggled over in this part of the city.

The grand Sultan Mosque is the biggest and liveliest mosque in Singapore, but the tiny Malabar Muslim Jama-ath Mosque is the most beautiful. There’s fine Indian Muslim food along nearby North Bridge Rd and the foodstalls on Bussorah St are especially atmospheric at dusk during Ramadan.

Armenian Church
Address 60 Hill St, Colonial District Phone tel: 633 40141 (info) Keyword architectural feature, religious/spiritual Dedicated to St Gregory the Illuminator, Singapore’s oldest church (1836) is the neoclassical Armenian Church, designed by eminent colonial architect George Coleman. Pushing up orchids in the graveyard is Agnes Joaquim, discoverer of Singapore’s national flower – the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid.

Asian Civilisations Museum
Address 1 Empress Pl, Colonial District Phone tel: 633 27798 (info) Transport underground rail: Raffles Place, Clarke Quay Web www.nhb.gov.sg/acm Keyword art-related, monument, art gallery, museum Inside a grand old Empress Place building (1865) named in honour of Queen Victoria, the Asian Civilisations Museum is a must for any Singapore visit – escape the humidity, put your watch in your pocket and enter a timeless realm. Ten thematic galleries explore traditional aspects of pan-Asian culture and civilisation, with exquisite, well-displayed artefacts from Southeast Asia, China, India, Sri Lanka and even Turkey.

The emphasis is on regions strongly connected with Singapore’s ethnic make-up, which helps you get a handle on how Singapore relates to its region.

Bukit Chandu
Address 31-K Peppys Road, Singapore Transport taxi
bus: 10, 30, 51, 143 to Pasir Panjang Rd, then a steep hike uphill Keyword monument, museum, mountain, war-related Atop Bukit Chandu (Opium Hill), is a moving WWII interpretive centre inside a renovated villa. The focus is on the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Malay Regiment who bravely defended the hill against the Japanese in the Battle of Pasir Panjang in February 1942. This was the last major battle for Singapore, the Malay battalions no match for 13,000 Japanese soldiers. Hi-tech