The Road to ISMRM Singapore 2016: Arab Street
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As you might guess, the part of Singapore known as Arab Street is the center of Islamic culture in Singapore. This area is the home to many people of Malaysian descent, as well as a good number of people of Arabic backgrounds. We visited here just as the fast was breaking during Ramadan last year. These men were singing a beautiful concert just as we arrived.
Further down the street we came upon the public market just outside of the Sultan Mosque. At present the Mosque is under repairs, so much of the outside was covered except for the gold top.
I have to confess that I love spicy Malaysian food, and just like other areas of Singapore, walking past without eating at every station was a real problem for me. We did have some great satay and nasi lemak. I would definitely recommend that you try both! Beef rendang is the other dish to look for if you’re not a vegetarian.
Like much of the rest of Singapore, the streets are jam packed with shops selling all kinds of merchandise. But the most interesting part of this to me was actually the crazy combination of windows and apartment balconies above the stores. Every one seemed to be painted a different color, with all kinds of different cultural influences. On one corner, it looked almost like Italy! (At least above the stores…)
I hope that you can get away from the meeting for just a bit to come visit this corner of Singapore! As always keep an eye out on the ISMRM homepage for the most up to date news about the meeting. I’m looking forward to seeing you all there!
— Mark
