Yesterday Kyle had a soccer tournament, so I went on a Singapore adventure by myself before meeting him and friends for snacks after the games.

My first destination was the Sungei Road Thieves Market, a junk and flea market in the Arab Quarter that is (according to Lonely Planet) the top flea market in Singapore. Apparently the old saying was, if something was stolen in Singapore, you could just go down to Sungei Road the next day and buy it back. I have no idea how this concept gels with Singapore's strict, low crime self-identity, but having wandered the market I would be very surprised if all of the goods had spotless provenances.
Most dealers are set up with their wares spread out on blankets or tarps on the ground. I saw tons of shoes (old, not in boxes), old rice cookers, fans, lots of cameras (??), watches, chipped dishes and pottery, some sun glasses, and a lot of plain junk. There were a few stalls that had some cool things: tiny carved Buddhas, coins, old postcards, and rolled up old prints. I did try on one pair of sunglasses.

After leaving the Sungei Road, I wandered down to the Victoria Street Wholesale Market, where I saw the dancing shoe poster. (How can you not love a place that prizes dancing shoes!) The market had several tailors, and lots of Chinese dried goods stalls featuring mushrooms, shrimp, and other who-knows-what dried and available by the kilogram.Wanting to stay in the same general area, I wandered again through the heart of the Arab Quarter featuring Singapore's definitive (before the HDB high rises) architecture: shophouses. Stamford Raffles instituted the "five foot way" of covered sidewalks along the shops. The original intention was to give pedestrians shelter from the sun and rain. But shopkeepers often extend their retail space into the walkway. We've wandered around this area before, but I like looking at all of the fabric shops, rug shops, fragrance shops, and more.


Mostly I was just wandering before I planned to go see the end of Kyle's games. I did see one shop with a cute dress in the window. When I went to get a closer look, I realized the dress was cordoroy! Why on earth? It is hot here!