I was hungry, and this time I knew where to go. Zam Zam, a Muslim, i.e. halal place...
...very close to the heart of Kampong Glam.
This is the aircon room upstairs.
I got the food extremely fast. Also this is the first place that is a cross between full seated and self-service restaurants: I order, get the food and the bill, eat, and pay afterwards at the cashier downstairs.
Chicken biryani (the chicken under the rice!), dhal, and teh tarik.
Then I have walked over to the Malay Istana, the old palace of the Malay royalty, that is now the Malay Heritage Center. (My new student pass came in handy, because that qualifies me as a local permanent resident, and therefore I paid a reduced price.)
The ticket collector/supervisor was EXTREMELY kind, explaining to me the set-up, a little bit about the exhibitions and even the events and activities in the neighborhood.
I had to take off my shoes and walk barefoot inside the Istana. I don't know if it was for a religious reason, a simple practicality, or a local custom - I am supposed to leave my shoes outside the house at home as well.
The tour started upstairs, following the traditional layout and use of the Istana. In the first room there was an interactive display of the history of the area.
There was also a huge map of South East Asia, showing the areas where people, who are now called Malay, have arrived from. The island called Temasek, is Singapore! Temasek is the old Malay name from the 14th century.
I took some pictures of the exhibition to try to show you the layout and the style of the building. The exhibits included old photos, ceremonial objects of Malay royalty (belt buckles and a kettledrum), genealogical charts, possessions of the first president (who happened to be Malay!)...
...shipping, trading and fishing objects...
(the leftmost coin is supposedly Dutch!)
...everyday objects.
The staircase to go back down, at the back of the house.
These cardboard figures represent famous people from the Malay community.
This is the last room dedicated to music, with both modern and traditional instruments.
Then I have walked around in the neighborhood, Kandahar Street...
...with its beautiful buildings...
...Baghdad street...
...close to the corner of Bussorah Street...
...with the best teh tarik...
...Arab street...
...mostly with fabric (and carpet) shops...
...and of course in Haji Lane, the narrowest street in the whole of Singapore...
...to pick up my new red dress in this little shop.
Haji Lane has really nice, quirky shops.
