Describe a market scene

Answer 1

Describe a street market scene

A well-known street market in Singapore is Chinatown. Chinatown - a public library of sights and smells brought to life by its buzzing activity, especially during the Chinese festivals, definitely a place not to be missed by a visitor coming to Singapore.

As the first soft ray of the golden yellow sun oozed across the turquoise sky, I walked down the street with the blithe gait of a young girl, awaiting the spectacular awakening of this busy hive.

Soon, one by one, like the petals of a morning glory unfolding to greet the glorious morning, windows flung open as shop keepers almost simultaneously opened up their linear array of shops, exposing the colourful interiors and filling the streets with the exuberance of life.

Around the corner, I could smell the fresh aroma of coffee and the baker's sweet buttery perfume. It was so fresh, so distinct; I could almost taste the rolls and pastries and drink the toasted coffee on the morning air.

My eyes grew wide with excitement as I looked through the smooth glass window of the sweet shop. Laid out in full view was a vast display of bon-bon and classic traditional candies. Just then, a rotund and rubicund man came out to greet me and I felt obliged to patronise his store. Stepping in, I was met with the exotic scent of marzipan and chocolate and the plebeian breath of gobstoppers coming from the shop assistant. There was so much variety, I was spoilt for choice! My head started to become dizzy as I glanced at my gaudy ambience with shelves full to bursting with treats of every shape and size. Catching my breath, I purchased some traditional malt candies and headed for the door.

Abutting on the sweet shop was a fruit market with a pungent orchard of essential juices. The glaucous grapes lay like frosted marbles in the baskets while the daffodil-yellow star fruits hung heavily on the silver hooks. Voluminous pineapples made their looming presence felt as they stared imposingly at the flushing rose-red hairy rambutans.

As I walked past the fishmonger's briny bouquets in ice and salt, plain whiffs of blood and the putrid smell of decomposed fish assaulted my nostrils. The butcher store adjoining it was no comfort either and by that time, I felt awfully nauseated.

Strutting along the stone-paved sidewalk, I came across restaurants of every kind. Singaporetruly lives out its reputation as a food haven and heaven. Every restaurant had their distinctive auras - Chinese food with tangs of sweet and sour, Indian delicacies with the coaxing smell of curry leaves and spices, and Italian food with the rich smell of cheese and cream.

Then, I saw a newsagent, a scraggy old man who sat under a large Golf umbrella, fanning himself with a straw fan under the torrid heat of the sun. The acrid headlines of the bold print of the New Paper caught my attention, as it sauced out the latest football news and gossip. Too good to resist, I handed over the coins I had in exchange for the delicious update of the news of the day.

The shoe emporium had rich emanations of supple leather and new shoes impregnating the shoe boxes' pure white cardboard and tissue paper. The prices were not exorbitant too, but I was not surprised, as goods were sold relatively cheaper in this region.

My last stop and the last stall down that row was a Chinese medical hall. The bitter smell of Chinese herbs like Ginseng evoked a sense of being right at home as I was very well acquainted with that smell. Bottles of bird's nest and chicken essence piled up at the entrance and two thick horns of a goat were placed in an intricately carved wooden box. With these horns, Chinese brewed tonics apparently used for the rejuvenation of youth and revival of strength for themselves and their loved ones.

Chinatown - a street market with many surprises and rich in display of the multi-faceted cultural heritage of Singapore. It is a real feast for the senses to all who visit it, so remarkable, one must really see, smell and hear it for oneself to really experience the richness of that one morning walk.