As I'm a first time visitor to Singapore, everything I explore and most of the history I learn, is new to me. I was excited to go on this heritage trail as it meant that I could get to know a particular area really well and be able to link to those places to what I'd learnt in my history class. Besides that, who doesn't love to wander around Chinatown? Despite it being one of the longest trails, which ended up taking us two half days to complete, I loved exploring the back alleys that I wouldn't normally wander down. Having to look for these particular spots, as well as their information posts, meant that I saw things I might have normally missed in my rush to reach somewhere in particular.
If I hadn't seen it for myself, I'd find it hard to believe that this is where immigrants would land and settle on their arrival to Singapore. After researching the area, its layout makes a lot of sense, particularly after viewing Raffles town plan. The heritage centre opened my eyes to just how the difficult the conditions where - I can't believe they fit so many people into a single room! I definitely respect the immigrants that risked their lives and suffered in the hope of a better life and future in Singapore. In my opinion, Chinatown is a well laid out, culturally and historically rich area - it's layout is quite easy to navigate, however it still has the charismatic back streets which are always a great place to explore. In a way, Chinatown is able to bring all the ethnic groups together, as there are several key religious and historical sites here which are important to groups for different reasons. While I may have a different perspective to the locals, I feel that for such a small island, Singapore has a lot to offer in so many different areas and this is most evident in Chinatown. While I'm so glad that I can say that I fully explored Chinatown, I'm wondering if I'll be able to see all the historical and cultural sights on offer, in my four short months here. It is good to know that such an effort has been made to preserve the sites and stories of previous generations. It is clear that the preservation work of the heritage committees has enabled many generations to learn about the experiences of their forefathers.
I'm incredibly grateful to the other girls in the group who welcomed me and made it easy for me to become friends with them. The girls were great at navigating, and we were able to take some fantastic photos, mainly thanks to Suvitha and her amazing camera, which we all had a go at using. Overall, the planners of these trails have done a great job in showcasing Chinatown and the origins of modern Singapore. They are the perfect way for tourists or new residents to discover the true heart of Singapore, sometimes hidden under all the shopping and eating!
