Phil and Chris left for Sri Lanka and India today (I will meet up with them in Istanbul and Auggie will meet us in Cairo after that). So what did we do for Phil's last few hours before heading to India? What piece of Singapore did he want to experience one last time?
We went to see a Hindu Festival.
Not so fast. Thaipusam is banned in India and now only allowed to be practiced in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Devotees make a gesture of bondage, oftentimes as a way to protect themselves and their families from great misfortune. After fasting, abstaining from sex and meditating for a month preceding the festival, they conduct the ceremony by walking along a set route while wearing kavadi (burden). Kavadi is a wooden frame or canopy carried on the shoulders while numerous needles and hooks penetrate the person's front, back and side.
Ouch. Look out for the first real post of the trip, which is now officially underway.
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