Haw Par Villa

 

 

 

While looking for condos we stumbled upon this treasure.  As described in a tourist blog, 

"Haw Par Villa, also known as the Tiger Balm Gardens has to be one of the weirdest tourist spots you can find in Southeast Asia, and the weirdest in Singapore. Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, the two brothers behind the famous Tiger Balm, built the Haw Par Villa in 1937. It features over 1,000 statues and 150 dioramas inspired from Chinese folklore, history and mythology, and quickly became an attraction for people who appreciated Chinese culture."

 

 

 If I knew anything about Chinese folklore I am sure it would have been a different experience and if my children would not have been hot and tired it would also have been a different experience.  It was very interesting and one of Harrison and my favorite spots was the Ten Courts of Hell.  Beware:

 

 

 

 The Ten Courts of Hell are found inside this cavern guarded by some by some serious looking beasts.  Each court had a plaque explaining which sins were being considered and then the punishment for that sin was.  The  execution (no pun intended) was then depicted.  These scenes left nothing to the imagination.

 

 

 

 

A few of the other statues and buildings on the property:

 

 

 

 

                                               These statues were screaming "photo bomb"!