A Closer Look at Tarpon Springs
By Jacky Crawford

Tarpon Springs still bills it seek as the "Sponge Capital of the World), although the heyday of the sponge industry was in the thirties and the forties. The Greeks, arriving in the early days of the twentieth century, came in droves to bring their diving skills to their new land. But a red tide, fatal for the sponges, wiped out many of the beds. The industry did not restart until the sixties. By that time there was fierce competition from man made sponges. Today there are still some sponge boats with plucky divers who plunge one hundred and fifty feet to the ocean floor to harvest sponges. Other Greeks now run interesting shops selling these sponges, sea shells and olive oil soaps. Perhaps the first tourist spot selling more sponges than t-shirts!

Of course, there are more bakeries and restaurants with Greek fare. Just walk along Dodecanese Boulevard across from the docks; pick one and dig into some amazing moussaka, gyros, baklava, etc.

If you want to delve into Greek culture, there are many options. Visit the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral fashioned with some sixty tons of marble in the Byzantine style. The Epiphany Celebration is in early January. some 30,000 people come to watch young boys dive into the chilly Spring Bayou in pursuit of the Greek Cross thrown in by the Bishop.

Any visitor will easily find the two beaches, Sunset and Fred Howard Park which come complete with - sand! No ring of condos and large hotels, minimal commercial activity at Sunset Beach.

Biking has to be the best way to see the interesting architectural mix around Tarpon Springs. There are many grand Victorian homes around the five sapphire blue bayous to gape out, but if you go into the surrounding residential streets, attractive examples of the twentieth century homes with tropical landscaping around every corner.

Tarpon Springs has many festivals through out the year, as do the surrounding towns. Truly, a spot of Florida not too be missed.

Winter Getaways      Part Two of My Singapore Fling

The Streets of Singapore

Arab Street is the centre of the Muslim community, Kampong Glam. It really consists of many streets and alleys surrounding a mosque. When we finally stumbled into the area, the maharaja den was wailing the call to prayers, setting the atmosphere for us. Many of the shops here are devoted to exquisite fabrics. They will also custom make women's outfits very inexpensively. Other stores boasted an incredible amount of trims, notions and beads.


This photo of Arab Street is courtesy of TripAdvisor


 Little India was a mass of teeming people. I have never understood their art, with its improbable portrayals of intertwined bodies in bright colours. Now their art was coming to life in front of my startled eyes. Women in beautiful saris, men dressed in pants not informally in jeans or shorts, and children laughing and running around, always less than a foot away from another person. Even though a green area was just across the road, everyone obviously wanted to be on the street. We walked through an almost unbroken chain of shops. There was a garage where a mechanic was going about his work oblivious to the melee close by and a fellow repairing bikes nearly on top of the curb. The wares offered were everything from the familiar dollar store items to the bright rich 22kt. Gold jewellery. I found it impossible to purchase anything with all my senses under assault. It took a second visit, when we were ducking the monsoon rains one afternoon, to come away with any Indian souvenirs. Those we found in a huge store that been labelled Little India's Walmart, real name, The Mustafa  Centre. Five floors with an advertised 10,000 items awaited our perusal. Much of the merchandise is not Western tastes, but there are brand names to be had. These are the real McCoy, as Singapore does not allow knock-offs. Beautiful linens and many women's blouses and tops were eye catching. We purchases spices from an unbelievable selection, some of course, completely foreign to us. The food section seemed to have better prices than the mainstream supermarkets. Also more candy and cookies - but the Indian population is heavier that the tiny Asian men and women! Corrupted by the Brits, no doubt!

Chinatown
Having seen Chinatowns in many big cities, we didn't think this area would be as interesting as our other haunts. However, when you arrive by subway, it is suddenly in front of you as you mount the last few steps. At first a jumble of colours hits you after the sterile atmosphere of the MRT station. Then your eye sorts out the red lanterns, awnings, and umbrellas. There are lots of bright souvenirs for you to sort through, all quite inexpensive. Table runners, pillow covers, purses, traditional clothing and lingerie, all made of silky fabrics. Occasional jewellery stores have masses of the very bright gold, jade, and pearls of grey and pink. The more exclusive shops have home decor items that look like they came from the pages of our Canadian decorating magazines.


If you are not too tired you can also explore the three floors of the Chinatown Heritage Centre!