The latter are mostly brought from the other islands, as this
is the worst season of the year in Singapore for fruit. I do not quite
understand why this should be, for, as it is only a degree above the
line, there is very little variation in the seasons here. The sun
always rises and sets at six o'clock all the year round; for months
they have a north-east monsoon, and then for months together a
south-west monsoon.
We tasted many fruits new to us--delicious mangosteens, lacas, and
other fruits whose names I could not ascertain. Lastly, we tried a
durian, _the_ fruit of the East, as it is called by people who live
here, and having got over the first horror of the onion-like odour we
found it by no means bad.
The fish market is the cleanest, and best arranged, and sweetest
smelling that I ever went through. It is situated on a sort of open
platform, under a thick thatched roof, built out over the sea, so that
all the refuse is easily disposed of and washed away by the tide. From
the platform on which it stands, two long jetties run some distance
out into the sea, so that large fishing boats can come alongside and
discharge their cargoes from the deep at the door of the market with
scarcely any exposure to the rays of the tropical sun.
The poultry market is a curious place.
Pages:
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540