Farewell Singapura

Let me be honest and not beat around the bush. I LOVE Singapore and this post is all about why……..

Singapore can pretty much be what you want it to be in its own way. As a tour guide at the Asian Civilisations Museum I tell visitors about the Monsoon winds which carried in trade from both East and West to the straits of Malacca, at the bottom of which you find Singapore. With this trade came religions, artistic representations and culture and of course they influenced this part of the world. These influences are still very much present in Singapore today. 

To soak in the multi-sensory experience of South Asia you can head to Little India. Here the wet market and hawker centre are almost always bustling with people and beautiful Hindu temples line Serangoon Road. At the right time of day you will see worshippers at the temples engaging their senses through music, food, incense and touch. Not to mention the overwhelmingly visual aspects of the bright and colourful façade with a seemingly endless variety of Gods and deities. The legendary Mustafa’s really does sell anything you might need and Deepavali and Thaipusam are celebrated here in style. 

For an experience of West Asia head to the Arab quarter where the Sultan mosque dominates the skyline with its beautiful golden dome. A bright and colourful array of fabrics, rugs and carpets can be purchased here. During Ramadan food stalls line the streets outside the Mosque as the community comes together each evening to break their daylight fasting.

Chinese culture is widely represented in Singapore. Chinatown itself is worthy of some exploring beyond the main tourist haunts lined with souvenir stalls. Thian Hock Keng temple on Telok Ayer street is thought to be the oldest Chinese temple. The Three Teachings of China are represented here giving us an insight into the Chinese way of life, but that is a whole other blog post (December 2014). During Chinese New Year the stalls seem to multiply and you can see groups of Lion dancers all around the city.

What about the rest of South East Asia? Well it is all around us. Thai food and temples are dotted all around the island. Head down to the East Coast on a public holiday and see the local Malays playing Sepak takraw (kick volleyball) and sharing a family picnic. A Burmese temple stands behind the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, an important location during the Chinese revolution. The list of examples of cultures that sit, side by side, is possibly endless.

Standing at these crossroads of culture you might ask a question, one which has been asked during the year of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. What’s makes Singapore, well, Singapore? 

For me Singapore is incredibly unique. There is this real sense of harmony, safety and stability amongst the different races and religions. The forward thinking attitude, started by the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, has driven Singapore to advance from third world to become a modern, thriving hub. Also a huge bonus is Singapore’s ability to cram in greenery anywhere possible, very clever when the majority of people live in high rise buildings. There are many things that may now be considered Singapore icons. Perhaps the unique brand of English spoken, the Merlion, Gardens by the Bay or Marina Bay Sands. Chilli Crab, Chicken Rice, affordable government housing (HDBs) or even the organised queuing. However, I think what probably makes Singapore unique is the Singaporeans'. Yes, they may descend from China, India, Malaya or some other destination but they have definitely become a unique culture in their own right. Singapore is, well, Singapore and there is nowhere else in the world quite like it. What more do I need to say, except, I’m so sorry to be saying farewell!

From Traders to Financiers

The Chettiars are a subgroup of the Tamil community who originate from an area known as Chettinad in Tamil Nadu, India’s southernmost state. During the 18th century the Chettiars were local merchants and it wasn’t until the 19th century that they started to travel to South East Asia. Here they developed a money lending business alongside their business in trade. The expansion of their money lending business was supported by the British colonial rule. The British did not have the resources to penetrate remote areas of South East Asia, or the inclination to risk money lending there. 

It is believed the Chettiars first arrived in Singapore in the 1820s, setting up premises by the Singapore River, around Market Street and Chulia Street. They were one of the few communities arriving in Singapore at this time with capital ready to invest.

They ran their business and lived within a kittingi, a shophouse divided into small rooms. These buildings were exclusively male, most chettiar businessmen left their families in India, although their sons would join them to learn the business when old enough. The kittingis also developed as a community, with a house cook and a visiting barber and laundry man. Gambling, alcohol and women were banned and they lived a simple life outside of work, playing cards or board games and praying at the local temple.

The Asian Civilisations Museum has a number of artefacts that capture the life of a chettiar financier. These include simple pieces of furniture and the use of a recycled biscuit tin to store client record cards. By living simply and cheaply they were able to send the majority of their money home to their families. They were known as meticulous record keepers and would often visit the home of a business man before agreeing to lend to him. This was for a number of reasons, one of which was to ensure the wife knew of the money lending, if she did not there was fear the money would not be repaid. The chettiar financiers introduced the concept of debit, credit, expenditure, profit and loss. The introduction of these terms has led to them being referred to as the founders of modern banking. In addition, they are thought to be the first in the region to introduce the balance sheet and use it to evaluate the viability of a business which they were lending to.

One artefact of particular interest is a father and son photograph taken in the mid 1920’s. It highlights the differences between the generations of chettiars. The younger man has not shaved his head and he does not wear the white stripe caste marks, he is also wearing a watch. However, it is not until we look closer that we see something even more surprising. The photograph appears to be altered, the shadows falling beneath the two men do not come from the same light source and in fact they are somewhat misaligned in their vertical position. Interestingly in the early 20th century it was common for commercial photographers to bring together family members into the same photograph that were not in the same studio session. This technique would have been carried out in the dark room during processing, nowadays it is achieved using computer software.

The Chettiars continued to thrive in the money lending business right up until the 1960s. In addition to developing many of the techniques still used in modern banking they are credited with helping Singapore and other areas of South East Asia develop economically during the colonial period. 

Jalan Besar Heritage

As recently as 1924 Syed Alwi Road ran alongside a swampland. The road is thought to be named after decedents of the prophet Mohammed who were a prominent part of Singapore’s community for 190 years. They were traders and land owners who shared their wealth with the local community. They donated land and contributed to the building of Singspore’s oldest mosque, Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka (off Havelock Road).  The shophouses on this road were built between the 1800s and 1960s with many excellent architectural styles preserved here today. The banks of the Rochor River between Syed Alwi Road and Jalan Besar were once occupied by a village of pondoks (communal houses on stilts). 

In 1923, a few years after the trauma of the First World War, New World opened as an entertainment venue just off Serangoon Road. It hosted everything from boxing and wrestling to cabaret. It also included a dance hall where up to 500 couples could dance the waltz, tango, rhumba or foxtrot to live music. There was opera, a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and film screenings. Although it was damaged during the Second World War it was repaired and continued to thrive until the 70s. It then started to decline with the arrival of television and later home video.  Eventually it was demolished to make way for a new condo but the original arch was moved to City Green Park at the junction of Serangoon and Kitchener roads where the New World memory can live on.

Perhaps one of Singapore lesser known faiths the original Sikh temple was a community bungalow. It was converted into a proper temple in 1921 and in 1984 moved to new premises where it still serves the Sikh community today. The temple includes a kitchen, as an important custom of the faith is to provide food and lodging to Sikh travelers. Today around 12,000 Singaporeans are of Sikh origin.

As the longest river in Singapore the Kallang River also drains one sixth of the islands land area. It was once home to the Orang Laut (Sea Nomads) who lived on boats on the swamp. During the 1960s the Housing Development Board started to fill in and reclaim the basin swampland and mudflats. Later the Ministry of Environment started a clean-up project aimed to turn the waterways into a clean and pleasant environment.  Even as late as 1977 waste and rubbish was being dumped directly into the river, rotting carcases from local pig and duck farms along with sewage were making the water unsuitable for aquatic life. A huge project relocated 26,000 families, phased out farms and finally dredged the river. Now landscaped with walkways and home to water sports the river is today very far removed from its relatively recent squalor. 

Chwee Kang Beo Temple was once used by the shanty towns and shacks that lined the Kallang basin. Originally a wooden shed that floated by the riverside, Chwee Kang Beo means Water River Temple in Hokkien.  The original stilted structure survived until 1979 when the temple was rebuilt on solid ground. This new temple would suffer from flooding during high spring tides but today the Marina Barrage protects it.

Balestier Heritage Trail

Nowadays Balestier road in known as the place to go when you want to purchase some lighting but once upon a time it was an area used for sugar cane plantations.  Even the street names remind us of this, Jalan Ampas refers to the fibrous pulp that remains after sugar cane has been crushed to extract the juice, which is ampas tebu in Malay. The area also played an important role in the 1911 Chinese revolution, due to the presence of the elegant villa on Tai Gin Road, now the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.

Sun Yat Sen and his supporters were responsible for bringing down the last Chinese dynasty and founding the Republic of China. The villa was purchased by a supporter of the Chinese Nationalist Movement in 1905 and gifted to Sun Yat Sen in 1906 to use as a base for the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance. It became an essential headquarters for the Southeast Asian operations of this Alliance and many uprisings were planned during Sun Yat Sen's visits. After the 1911 Revolution it became the headquarters of the Chinese National Party. The memorial hall is well worth a visit and their one hour guided tours are very much worthwhile.

Right next door to the memorial hall is this beautiful Burmese Buddhist Temple, Maha Sasana Ramsi. A feature of the temple is the tiered roof made with 19 tonnes of Burmese teak and on the third floor a mural depicting the story of the temple. Inside they have used LED lights to literally make the Buddha radiant and outside grows a Bodhi tree with a small shrine beneath. The Buddha attained enlightenment while meditating under such a tree. 

Also in Balestier are the former Shaw Malay Film Studios. The Shaw name is one you might be familiar with as it can still be seen on various buildings around Singapore. Shaw Studios was founded in Shanghai in 1924 by six brothers, two of whom (Runme and Run Run Shaw) later moved to Singapore. From the 1930s to the 1980s, Shaw Studios was a major force in Asian cinema with production houses in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. In addition to their movie making business the Shaw brothers also ran cinemas and amusement parks. The Shaw film studios were on Jalan Ampas alongside sites which were used as production centres. After producing more than 160 films the Golden Age of Malay Cinema came to an end when the studio closed in 1967. By this time interest in Malay movies was on the wane due to the rising popularity of imported films and television.

Balestier Road and its side streets also offer many beautiful pre-war terrace and shop houses, once renowned for their sweet treats, coffee and traditional bakeries.  The majority of these building are now under conservation and the single storey shop houses near the Thompson Road end of Balestier offer a glimpse of life outside the city centre in the 1950s and 60s.

Moving On

I think in most cases it's best not to draw things out. Moving is probably the same, a quick move which appears from nowhere and has you packed up and gone within a month may not leave you with much time for proper goodbyes but at least once you have made the decision to go you can get on with going. 

Our move has been a known factor since the day we arrived. We knew where we would be likely to move to and we knew roughly when the move would take place. For the most part we have ignored this and settled into life here in Singapore. We have a great apartment with some of our own pictures on the walls, I fill my time with a couple of volunteering jobs and most of all we have established friendships here.

After my trip to Ghana last month it has no longer been possible to ignore the move and that routine and settled feeling has all but vanished. Now my time if filled with managing the move. Ghanaian customs need lists to be produced, as do the company responsible for the international shipment and of course the list of expectations for handing back our Singapore apartment. Arranging accommodation for after our belongings have been shipped, medicals, visas, closing down bank/electricity/mobile accounts, the lists seem endless. There are quite a few people involved and it's easy to start to feel like a project manager in need of a project plan to manage it all.

We have moved a lot in the last 4.5 years, in fact this is our 4th move. Singapore has been an amazing journey, so amazing it deserves its own 'Goodbye' post. Of course everything comes at a price and this is one of the moments where we start paying. By saying goodbye to Singapore, to the friends we have only just made, packing up our lives and facing starting over once again. This can leave you feeling very, very far form home and sometimes even questioning where home is. If there is one thing Singapore has taught me it is that expat living is about being flexible and adaptable, the more you are the easier the transition will be. Ultimately the experiences you have and the wonderful variety of people you meet will far outweigh these slightly difficult transitional phases. So on that note back to the lists.....

Death Houses

This is a concept I knew nothing about until reading a book recently set in Singapore before and during the Second World War. Death houses are places where the dying are sent to spend their final days, because the Chinese believe that dying in the family home will bring bad luck. The death house would consist of a funeral parlor which would be on the ground floor with accommodation for the dying above. In Singapore the death houses thrived as many Chinese immigrants were unable to return to their birthplaces to pass away. Instead they, friends or relatives, paid for a stall within the death house to spend their final days. In Singapore the death houses were based in Sago Lane in Chinatown, so named after the Sago flour production that took place there during the 19th century. During the early 20th century the area became known for its prostitution and death houses, an interesting combination!

The whole concept of death became an industry in itself. In the past the Emperor of China was buried with his wives, servants and concubines because of the belief that they could serve him in the next world. The more modern tradition is to buy paper items, money, houses, cars, clothing, wine and other luxury items. Burning these items and other death rituals are all part of preparing the soul for its journey to the next world where the soul will be judged and possibly punished. If a person is dying slowly and painfully it is believed they are being punished for past sins.

Some families would also pay professional mourners, who would attend the funeral and cry. The staff in the death house soon became able to identify them as they were more vocal in their grief. Some staff working in the death house also lived there themselves, always surrounded by the moans of the sick and the burning of joss sticks and other offerings. During the 1960’s the local newspaper reports of a thriving death house industry in Singapore. At this time relatively large objects were made to accompany the dying to the next world. Although generally less elaborate, often nowadays miniature, these paper offerings can still be found round the corner from Sago Lane on Banda Street. Such a fascinating insight into the beliefs of the Chinese community in Singapore!

Getting to Know Accra

My week in Accra is coming to an end and soon I'll return to Singapore to pack up and close down our lives there. It's been a tiring week, a lot of time has been spent in traffic with beggars at the window. The extremes of rich and poor are always hard to deal with, some of the nice large houses we saw were just round to corner from areas where people are living in shacks with no sanitation.

I think it is difficult to not be upset and shocked by this, instead you need to find a pragmatic approach, to help a small number of people in a small way.

 This will be a whole new adventure, understanding the people seems the best place to start. It may seem annoying that they are out to scam or make money but if this was en-grained into your way of life, as it it theirs, you won't even notice. The apartment hunting has been a prime example, they show you all the crap stuff they can't shift first in the hope you go for it. It got to the point where we didn't even need to step out of the car to see it wasn't suitable. To me this is a complete waste of time, and not just mine, the 3 agents and my driver, but I'm guessing this doesn't bother them one little bit. I'm in their world on their time now.

This may well be the way of things, now that we have found somewhere we like there are a lot of checks to be preformed. Electrical checks, security checks, negotiations, and maybe 10 weeks later if every little box is ticked we might get the property! I also love the fact that our driver doesn't just drive us around, he gets involved in negotiations and trying to make sure we  get the best deal.

It's safe to say Accra is growing on me and already I'm getting used to the fact that driving anywhere takes time. We have found some nice places to eat and once inside the doors you could just as easily be in London's west end, which admittedly messes with my head a little. I'm feeling ready for this new adventure for 2016, till then Accra!

Ghana Look & See

As obvious as it may seem I always try to remember that you can only see a place for the first time once. From then on you have already re-adjusted your expectations, recalibrating to your surroundings. I knew that Ghana would be completely different from Singapore but I’m still fighting frustration (and perhaps jetlag).

Accra is not unlike other developing cities, a sprawling urban mass with busy roads and non-existent pavements. People sell goods as you wait at the traffic lights, passing them in through the car window. You can buy anything from water to fruit, toilet paper, socks, snacks, windscreen wipers, mobile phone top ups, if they can balance it on their head to walk around then they will sell it.

Rubbish lies around, abandoned vehicles are left to rust and it seems to be perfectly acceptable for men to urinate right by the side of the road.  I’ve seen all this before in developing parts of South East Asia, I just haven’t seen it in a place I was planning to live. 

My first day of apartment hunting was interesting, from their point of view it seemed to involve getting as many people as possible to do the job of one person, but I guess that keeps people employed. For most of the viewings I had 3-4 people following me around, how do I then tell them all that what they are showing me is pretty crap!

Today I got my driver to take me to a local mall and then the Botanical Gardens, they were a little rough and ready as you might expect. I was stopped shortly after entering the gardens, pretty much as soon as I took my camera out, and asked to pay. I refused, thinking it was a scam and so he asked me to leave. I called his bluff and headed for the gate, then once he was out of sight hung around for a bit photographing the dragonflies. The whole time I kept looking around expecting someone to show up and tell me off, not exactly relaxing! This whole experience made me realise that it would be hard to not grow pessimistic. Always suspicious that you might be getting ripped off or tricked. Something tells me this place might toughen us up!

Taipei - All good things must come to an end....

As my final day continued one thing I did find open was the Tapiei 101 observation deck, so up I went to take in the slightly hazy view of the city post Typhoon. There is something very pleasing about this 508 meter building, designed with sections like a giant flexing bamboo stalk. The worlds’s fastest elevator zips you up to the 89th floor in a mere 39 seconds. For those of you with an appreciation of Engineering the tower also hosts the world’s largest, heaviest and only publically visible Tuned Mass Damper. Hanging from cables and stretching between the 87th and 92nd floor, the 730-ton steel ball is the reason this building can withstand Typhoons and earthquakes. 

Inspired by viewing the city from up high I made my way to Yuanshan hill behind the Grand Hotel, easily accessible from Jiantan MRT station. From here a number of walking trails take you high up the hill side, past many temples and eventually to some viewpoints looking over the city. From here I stood looking back at Taipei 101 where I had been merely hours earlier, how easy and accessible this city is to cross. 

The following day as the clear blue skies returned and I headed to the airport it struck me by how much I had crammed into just five short days and at the same time how much more there was to see. I hope that one day I get the chance to return and enjoy this city and its friendly people once again. 

Taipei - Avoiding the Typhoon

On my final day as my friends flew home I had booked a tour at the National Palace Museum. This was a really exciting day for me as this museum is considered the world’s greatest repository of Chinese artefacts, once part of the emperor’s personal collection. Sadly the Typhoon had other ideas and all of Taipei seemed to close its doors as the storm approached. I was left no choice but to return to my hotel room and hunker down until the storm had passed. 

The following day I found my flight had been pushed back 24 hours and the storm seemed to have cleared so I headed down to the museum hopeful to see it after all. Disappointingly, it remained closed while they cleared up the storm debris, mostly foliage and trees which was strewn all over from the strong winds. Determined not to spend another day indoors now the storm had passed I devised my own walking tour. I went on to pass half a dozen museums that day, all closed but beautiful buildings none the less. Even the botanical gardens had closed their gates to the public while the clean-up was carried out. 

I later found myself in the Memorial Peace Park, built in honor of those who lost their lives on February 28th 1947, now referred to as the 2-28 incident. At this time Taiwan was returning to Chinese rule after 50 years of Japanese occupation and a riot broke out. Thousands of unarmed Taiwanese were killed and many more dragged from their homes and later disappeared. Across the road a memorial stands for those lost during the White Terror. This was a period between 1949 and 1987 when around 140,000 Taiwanese were imprisoned and thousands executed as part of their perceived or real connection with the KMT, Chinese Nationalist Party. Both parks were beautiful and offered some moments of reflection. 

Taipei - Exploring Beitou and the Old Walled City

Inspired by the fresh air we planned to return to Yangmingshan the following day but our plans were altered somewhat by an approaching Typhoon. Instead we donned our ponchos and headed out for a bit of exploring. In Beitou alone we were surprised to find some things to see and do. We enjoyed a couple of hours exploring the Hot Springs Museum and Ketagalan Cultural Centre where you can learn about the Aboriginal people of Taiwan. 

Afterwards we headed into the city, first to see the changing of the guard at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall which was built in the late 1970s. Chiang Kai-shek was a military man and an ally of Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the republic of China. For more than 40 years Chiang Kai-shek served as the leader of the Republic of China. The memorial hall, along with the National Theater, Concert Hall, gardens and even the MRT station are all stunning. Next we moved on to visit two more temples, the Baoan Temple and the nearby Confucius Temple. There are many, many temples in Taipei, mostly dedicated to the Three Teachings of China. This consists of Chinese Buddhism, Confusion and Taoism. These three philosophies were once very separate but over time evolved into their own unique mix, often elements of each are seen alongside each other in one temple. Christianity, Islam and many other religions are also practiced although I found much less evidence of their presence. 

Finally we finished our day with a visit to the Grand Hotel. This really is the best possible name for this hotel because it really is magnificent. Inspired by Beijing’s Forbidden City this huge hotel supports the largest Chinese roof in the world. You can have tea in the grand lobby but we found we didn’t need to and were left free to wonder round and soak in every bright colourful detail of this wonderful building. 

Taipei - Yangmingshan National Park

On returning to the city from Long Dong we headed to the hot springs area of Beitou. After filling up on street food we went for a soak in the local public baths where you can relax in the mineral rich hot spring water. Beitou is well positioned for access to the Yangmingshan National Park by local public bus. From the national park website frequently asked questions you can see a whole range of buses leaving from major MRT stations in the city. The park has several well marked hiking trails taking you up high for views down on Taipei, as well as shorter trails for spotting wildlife. We saw some road cyclists enjoying the mountain air as the bus climbed up the road towards the national park visitor centre. You would really need to love hills to want to cycle there!  

The park has quite unique volcanic geology and natural hot springs and furmaroles can be seen in several places. We had planned to hike up Mt Qixing but first we went to check out Xiaoyoukeng near the base of the path on the northwest foothill. This is a ‘collapsed terrain’ horseshoe shaped area releasing steam and on a clear day you should be able to see some sulphur crystals. We then headed up Mt Qixing which has many stairs up the mountainside through the high grass. Unfortunately the clear sky from the day before had been replaced with a swirling cloud and so the view points along the way were somewhat useless. On a clear day the top, at 1120m, would have offered us wonderful views down on the city and across the national park. I still really enjoyed the hike however, the cloud was atmospheric and the air cool and refreshing, a lovely break from the heat and humidity.  

 We finished our day back in the city, taking in the sights, smells and tastes of Shillin night market.

 Yangmingshan National Park (Check the FAQs for information on getting there by bus): 

Taipei - Climbing at Long Dong

The following day, for rock climbing, we needed to make our way out to Long Dong on Taiwan’s northeast coast. Long Dong, meaning Dragon Cave, is 35km from Taipei and can be reached by car in around 1 hour. Even after this relatively short drive the city is left behind and you will find yourself in the quiet fishing village of Homei. A public bus can be taken to Long Dong from the Taipei Main Railway Station but I was lucky enough to be travelling with some Mandarin speaking friends who had arranged a car. A friend and I had chosen to climb just one day before returning to the city but the others had found some accommodation near the elementary school in the village. From here the crags can be accessed by walking to the far end of the jetty and following the red arrows painted on the rocks.

As with any sort of outdoor climbing trip you need to be experienced, own all the correct equipment and obtain the guide book so that you know what you are climbing! Alternatively you could hire a local guide but you still need to have climbing experience or you will probably find it too difficult. The first section of bolted sport climbing was around a 10 minute walk from the jetty, following the red arrows over large boulders. As we rounded the corner and caught sight of the Pacific Ocean against the clear blue sky we were all grinning from ear to ear. Added to this the rock looked amazing and we were all set for a great day of climbing.

This is actually one of the nicest climbing locations I have been too. The only danger seemed to come in the form of some local wasps and a very real risk of sunburn as there was next to no shade. These wasps were very large, around 5cm in length with equally proportional stingers, and I’m not exaggerating! Thankfully, due to their size you could hear them coming as they buzzed along and they didn’t seem too interested in us, just be careful and consider wearing dark colours so you look less like a flower.

Links: Accommodation, Crag Guide and General Info

Taipei - Exploring Old Taipei

On our first afternoon and night we stayed in the Ximending area of the city with its bustling market and busy streets. We made our way to the Longshan Temple, soaking in the sights and architecture along the way. Longshan was first built, albeit on a smaller scale, in 1738. In addition to the beautiful carvings and sculptures this temple is a very important place of worship. The main deity is Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy and we saw many people praying and throwing down divining blocks. These are used to seek advice from the Gods, dropped whilst asking a question, the position which they land reveals an answer.

As the skies grew darker we decided to head for the four beasts mountains. I had a rough description of a night time viewpoint and dragged my two friends along to explore. The four beasts are said to resemble an elephant, tiger, panther and lion. Hiking here is fairly relaxed and easy as the peaks do not exceed 200m. We made it so far with the directions we had before we failed to find the last step. Eventually we gave up and followed our nose up some stairs behind a temple. Hey presto, we found our view! 

After enjoying the view we explored further along the ridge line before retreating back down a different set of stairs. Here we were greeted by a different temple which was to fully absorb us for the next hour or so. Songshan Feng-Tian Temple actually rendered me speechless. The intricate carvings on every surface, shining gold and sheer scale of the place. The aspect that really blew me away was the spinning cylinders of glowing deities, it was almost space age, a modern take on an ancient religion.