Noel Hillis Travel Photography - Singapore's Little India

Perched behind the wafting incense and his caged birds, Mr. Muniyappan is one of the last parrot fortune tellers in Singapore. As an institution along the covered footpaths on Little India's Serangoon Rd, Mr Muniyappan has told fortunes with the help of his prized parrots for more than 50 years. Throughout Asia his parakeet, Mani, became as famous as Paul the Octopus, with his prediction accuracy during the last world cup.

This colorful part of Singapore is full of such characters. You can get a real flavor of India here and between Serangoon Rd and Arab Street, you can experience the noise, colour and exotic smells of the sub continent, just minutes away from the air conditioned shopping malls for which this island is famous.

Here ceremonial garlands of flowers vie with the spectacular painted Hindu temples in a colorful assault on the eyes, while the 30 degree heat and tropical humidity, add to this sense of being in another world!

Friendly street hawkers, bazar owners, sweet and spice sellers compete to get your attention in these vividly animated streets.

Little India is also home to Singapore's famous wet market, where the range of seafood is amazing - as are the smells!

The rich colours and huge variety of silks available for saris at world famous stores like Nallis, literally takes your breath away.

Traditional crafts are everywhere. Henna tattoos appeal to a lot of visitors and the speed and skill of the artists makes for entertaining viewing.

The rich colours linger in the mind long after leaving as do the scents of dried chilies, turmeric, cumin and the hundreds of other spices that fill the air.

Even the architecture in this part of the island, has held on to its traditional colourful look and while many of the more modern tower blocks may not be as pleasing on the eye, their colours will certainly get them noticed.

Little India is well worth a visit on a Singapore stopover and given its heritage, it makes for a great introduction to Asia.