Similar to Hayao Miyazaki’s 2002 award-winning film Spirited Away, my move to a new Asian home drew me to Singapore’s Haw Par Villa much in the same way that Chihiro’s self-indulgent father was curiously drawn to the film’s abandoned amusement park. But, unlike the film, this father entered the mysterious world and extricated himself from its otherworldly grip.
A short walk from Haw Par Villa MRT Station, and formerly known as Tiger Balm Gardens (since the park was developed by the Tiger Balm ointment maker), Haw Par Villa features fantastical scenes from Chinese mythology. It is now somewhat run down, and a little shabby, adding (in my opinion) to its bizarre allure.
(make sure you read the captions, for each image).