Travelling Singapore - Haw Par Villa

Every time I travel somewhere I try to visit several places which are not among the top tourist sites. I usually try to walk around random streets to soak up the local feeling for the city or country. I also like weird places, so if I can find some unusual museums or stores, that makes my day.

While being in Singapore I went to visit this place called Haw Par Villa, that is quite a big park with many statues depicting Asian mythology. This place perfectly fits into the category I've mentioned. Apart from me and my friends there were only around four other people in the park, and it got some pretty weird stuff!

It's free to enter, which is also great! It's relatively old place and if you are a photographer or just like taking pictures, you're gonna love it.

Let me share these bizarre shots with you. Let's start by the entrance to the park.

I'm not familiar with Chinese and Buddhist mythology, but this reminds me of the Planet of Apes.

And this looks like a Titanic to me. Lot of the statues in the park show various ways of death or violence. Lot of people drowning, one being eating by shark, although one guy is happy hanging out on a giant turtle. 

I'm really not sure what's happening here. Let's leave it without comment.

We could call this the Planet of Rats, I suppose. I wonder what happened to all four legs of the rats that's being carried away.

I imagine this is a lucky giant frog, or rather money frog. The yellow disk it's eating symbolized money. In China (and I believe also in Japan) in the past all coins would be rounded with a square in the middle. Makes it easy to carry on a string like a necklace.

Naked mermaids, yay!

Animals are cruel!

This is what happens if you try to steal.

Just an afternoon tea...

Fighting animals.

Very interesting part of the park is an area called Ten Courts of Hell that depicts what happens in the hell and the different ways you get to be tortured based on your sins.

I'm gonna end this by a happy fat buddha.

It's definitely an interesting place and I suggest visiting if you are planning to go to Singapore.

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