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History of Geylang Serai
Home is where the heart is. And in Geylang Serai, you can feel the pulsating energy of the Malay culture running through the veins of interlocking streets and roads. An enclave that has thrived for centuries, it is a historical landmark that deserves a visit.
 Since the early1840s, the Malays who were the first inhabitants of Singapore moved from their floating village at the mouth of the Singapore River to the area known today as Geylang Serai. Once called Geylang Konabra, the name change came about from the proliferation of a fragrant foliage, that is, lemon grass (known as serai).
Just as the Chinese have Chinatown, the Indians have Little India, the Malays  congregated in their little enclave in Geylang Serai. Looking at it today, it doesn't seem to have changed very drastically with the modern times. You can still spot the folk in traditional Malay attire, hear the faint strains of keroncong from a music shop, and detect a subtle whiff in the air, still rife with the lingering aromas of roasted belacan (dried shrimp paste). A staple for all those fiery Malay dishes.
 Colorful, exotic, with a million and one things to absorb. It is an overwhelming play of your senses. Right in the hubbub of it all is the Malay Village. Great for first time visitors unbeknownst to the culture or an educational trip for the young ones to be in touch with their roots. A showcase of traditional as well as business activities all under one roof. At every nook and corner, savor sweet memories of old kampung days, window shop a potpourri of items from handicrafts, rugs and fabrics to furniture and antiques.
Drop by the Geylang Serai market which is a stone's throw across from the Malay Village. Colorful tarps are flights of fancy albeit a shelter from the natural elements.  A must-see before they vanish into the gaping jaws of time. These wet markets are the yesteryear equivalent of the present day supermarkets. The Geylang Serai version is probably an excellent example of one. From the entrance, you will be aware that it literally has a life of its own, so brace yourself and do what the locals do, get into the thick of the action! Mingle and jostle about the crowd as you move from the textile section that sells a gamut of ready-to-wear clothes and baleful of pretty fabric, to the long meandering corridors of Malay kueh and drink stalls on one side and the butchers and sundry shops on the other, to finally the land of the hungry....the food center!
 Before you head for the light, stop awhile at the sundry shops where your olfaction will be bombarded with a myriad spices and dried curry powders. The neatly assembled array is a prepossessing sight. And even if you are not buying anything, the cheerful stallholder will allow you to admire the fresh cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anises etc. to your heart's content! Why not buy back a sealed and vacuum packed curry powder and cook up a mean curry when you get home! 
Many people might be sidetracked by the food center, but linger a moment by the wayside and discover some of the quaint hole-in-the-wall (literally!) shops. There is a cozy barber shop that can aptly fit about 5 customers inside, a religious Quranic store with scrolls and books on sacred verses, the "mama" shop that sells knick knacks hung from anywhere and everywhere and they seem to defy gravity! From toys, to candy, to magazines, to toiletries, you name it, they will try their best to find it from their floor to ceiling display.
 Something red, hairy and prickly catches your eye? Intrigued? Well, it is one of our unique tropical Singapore fruits known as "rambutans". Peel the rather fierce looking outer layer off and what you get is a smooth creamy white pulp of sweet flesh. Before you pop it whole into your mouth, mind the seed at its core! From there, take your pick from the corridor of "fruit orchards" with colors of the rainbow that await you.
You've come to the end of your little wet market, step outside to take a breather before you embark on another whirlwind tour. Circumambulating the market are shops selling more modern stuff such as music CDs of contemporary, Top 40 and traditional music. A juxtaposition of a building amidst the squat shophouses is the fashionable Joo Chiat Complex where textile shops , clothes and jewelry shops are the order of the day. |
