Shamis in Singapore: Haw Par Villa, Chilli Crab, & the Merlion

Part two of adventures in Singapore with Shamis led Jesca and I to Haw Par Villa, a place that both of us had not visited since childhood. We talked about it a while back with some of Nano’s friends when they visited, but missed the opportunity due to the monsoon rains. This time, the skies cleared enough for us to go when Shamis visited! It was everything we hoped for and more.

Colourful animals in a state of feral anger were abundant:

Shamis and what we can only assume to be a family of pandas which happen to look like hell spawn.

The scariest seals I’ve ever laid eyes on.

Angry swine and her brood of hungry piglets.

Jesca and I mimicking the owl’s derpy expression.

Gigantic opera masks and their creepy smiles.

One of the rare cute sculptures in the park- a pair of tigers holding Tiger Balm products, the medical ointment that started it all.

These mermaids were ridiculously awesome.

I don’t even…

The statue of Liberty was so out of the blue. XD

So was this cool frog perched atop an ostrich at what the three of us dubbed ‘Australia-land’. It’s actually the perfect place for a picnic. XD

I think the human on this tiger is pretty cool too, hur hur hur.

The anthropomorphic animals were the most dapper creatures to roam the park.

… well perhaps except for this guy over here.

Just one of the many statues depicting scenes from Journey to the West, this beauty is Tripitaka’s magical white horse, a dragon prince of the sea who was punished for devouring the original white horse and given a second chance to redeem himself through this transformation.

Buddhist statues are pretty prevalent in the park as well:

Goddess of mercy.

Bodhisattva Buddha.

Beautiful structures at a hidden-away pond:

Red dragonfly perched on a stone statue of a fish.

Loveee the design.

We saved the best for last, the Ten Courts of Hell (十八晨地狱). Yea it says eighteen in Mandarin, but what the hey. This was one of my most vivid memories of Haw Par Villa. It was a boat ride back in the day, and I remember being so terrified that I buried my head in Mum’s lap throughout. Jesca also went to Haw Par Villa as a kid, but she’s seven years my junior and apparently the boat ride was replaced by a walking tour by the time she went.

Decapitated head adorning the entrance of the Ten Courts of Hell. The inscription basically says that the sea of hardship may be vast, but the shore is there if you turn back.

Before entering the cave, there’s an inscription about karmic retribution, which basically says that good deeds will be rewarded with good, while bad deeds will be repaid alike. However, retribution will not be immediate.

In we went!

It’s torture timeeee. Every level was reserved for a certain misdeed ranging from the lack of filial piety to murder.

This is the fifth level of hell, reserved for crimes in which one plotted a murder of another for their property and money, and for money lenders with exorbitant interest rates. These people would then be thrown onto a hill with knives. Ouch! It’s one of my favourite scenes because of its absurdity.

Nothing horrified us more than the scene which greeted us upon exiting the cave though… filial piety at its finest?

We had to take some pictures before we left for lunch:

Jesca was the only one who spelt ‘Haw Par Villa’ correctly. OTL

Jesca!

She also helped me to take my outfit of the day:

We had to get some genuine local cuisine into Shamis, the chilli crab! Jumbo Seafood Restaurant at The Riverwalk was the place to go. It was an unfortunate coincidence that the three of us wore white on the day that red chilli would potentially be splattering all over us.

We were too amused with our bibs.