Firstly we started the day at the Asian Civilization Museum. Here we got to explore historical aristocrats, relics, and witness the beauty within history. This museum consisted of three floors with various rooms. The first floor consisted of Trade and Maritime Silk Routes Galleries. On this floor we explored Singapore archaeology, maritime trade, and tang shipwreck. We also observed contemporary art that encompassed the history behind Singapore. The second floor consisted of Faith and Belief Galleries. These galleries consisted of Islamic Art, Ancient Religions, Ancestors and Rituals, and Christian Art. I particularly spent majority of my time on this floor in the Christian Art sector. From painting, murals, and statues, the artwork in this section was truly moving. This floor also contained rare historical books and manuscripts. Lastly, the third floor focused on materials and designs. From ceramics, fashion, textiles, and jewelry, this floor highlighted the beauty behind extravagant patterns and dimensions.
The really awesome part about this museum was the fact that it was all found from the Tang Dynasty Junk ship. All of these artifacts survived the ship wreck. Shirley (our fabulous tour guide) said that this was the most artifacts in the world that survived any ship wreck. This made it a lot more intriguing for Jack and I, along with the others in our group.
Our favorite part of the whole museum was the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is an ancient symbol used by cultures around the world. In this context, the Tree of Life serves as a visual representation of lineage, displaying the connections and relationships between ancestors, parents, and descendants. The family tree in the museum took inspiration from that of mestizo communities, which developed as a result of the Manila galleon trade. Mestizo was originally a term for people with one Spanish and one non-Spanish parent. Today it is used to refer to anyone of mixed heritage.
Shortly after the museum, we got to explore the infamous Merlion (symbol of Singapore) which empathizes the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Singapore is known for their fishing village history along with the lions head, representing the Lion City, from the Sanskrit word ‘Singapura’. It was cool seeing this iconic statue in person. It was way bigger than we expected.
We then spent time at the National Orchid Garden. There was so much vegetation here. Rain Forests, Lily Pads, Ponds, Orchids, and various strains of veins weaved throughout the garden. What more could you ask for on a beautiful day in Singapore.
After the garden, we had lunch in Little India at the most amazing Indian restaurant we’ve ever had, which says a lot coming from Jack, who never eats Indian. We were all a bit skeptical having Indian for lunch, but we all left agreeing that it was one of the best lunches we had had so far. Some of the things we got to eat were Butter Chicken, Tikki Masala, Palak Paneer, Garlic Naan, Samosas, and more dishes popular in Indian cuisine. It was absolutely delicious and we are so happy we got to experience authentic Indian food here in Singapore, considering the prevalent Indian population.
After lunch, we were able to see the most popular tourist attraction of Singapore, Gardens by the Bay. If you’ve never heard of this attraction, the gardens are significant for its iconic Supertrees, futuristic architecture, and the preservation of green space within the urban landscape, showcasing Singapores commitment to sustainability and environmental innovation. We were able to see the beautiful architecture and explore the two domes of vegetation. One being a greenhouse for cold and dry climate plants, and the other being for cold and wet vegetation. These domes gave the sensation of being in a dessert and a rainforest. You could tell if was very well thought out and each plant had a purpose for being there. They showcased plants from all over the world and provided the correct climate for them to thrive.
This work of art, named ‘Kei-Chan’ depicted a girl wearing majority polka dots. This sculpture transports the viewer to a safe world of innocence and positive thinking, while the persistent repetition of polka dots reveals an ironic self-abnegation which is a way to criticise our values, our world, and even our existence.
The cloud forest (wet and cold) was super refreshing in the humid weather. It was spritzing everyone and gave a nice breeze.
After a very long, hot day, we were able to go back to the comfort of our hotel rooms and get some well needed rest for our travel day ahead to Bali.
By Jack West and Emma Fadde
business and culture of the pacific rim 