The Hungry Ghost

#TheHungryGhost Publishes on 24. September. Until publication, I’ll be sharing photos of my inspiration and the Singapore I got to know in the 4 years I lived there. You can hear more about the book and support me by preordering it here: https://bit.ly/3fv5wGa

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1 day countdown to #TheHungryGhost

ONE DAY! Are you ready to explore the rainforest wilderness of this graveyard? ✅ Hiking boots ✅ Swiss army knife ✅ Map & compass ✅ Notebook & pen ✅ Torch & bunch of keys ✅ Snack bar & water bottle #SingaporeNature

an aerial view of a city and the ocean from a high point of view plane

2 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

TWO DAYS!!! Are you getting ready to land in Singapore? Can you see the super trees? The gigantic tortoise-shape of the sports hub? Containerships like abandoned Lego bricks? Indonesia in the distance? #Singapore

a green plate topped with rice covered in chicken and sauce next to a bowl of dipping sauce

Hainese Chicken Rice

Hainese Chicken

Chicken Rice Singapore

Singapore Chicken Rice

3 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

…And no book is complete without descriptions of food. Here are some of the delicious Singaporean hawker food dishes, mentioned in the book (and some other favourites). Most dishes cost 3-5$ (2-3￡) Chicken rice Satay Roti Prata Frog Porridge Carrot Cake Popiah Kueh Pie Tee Dosa Char Kway Teow Sambal BBQ Stingray Wanton Mee Chili crab Lime juice Sugar cane juice Freshly squeezed juice at very low prices #SingaporeCulture

people are sitting at tables under umbrellas in an outdoor restaurant with yellow and green benches

4 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

No trip to Singapore is complete without visits to hawker centres. Here: Adam Road (our local, mainly Malay food), Newton (everything), Tekka market (Indian) and Maxwell (Chinese), which is the one Freja visits. #SingaporeCulture

two children playing in front of a large mirror ball

The Empress

Books To Buy

Rear View

5 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

Seen through the rear-view mirror, the past is often distorted, as in this photo of new and old. The Empress Place building, known as Government House during the colonial era, is now the Asian Civilisations Museum. #SingaporeCulture

the city is lit up at night with lights reflecting in the water and skyscrapers

Singapore River

Shop House

6 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

One of the places where the contrast between the old and the new Singapore is most visible is on #BoatQuay. Here near the mouth of the Singapore River, skyscrapers loom over the old shophouses. #SingaporeCulture

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This may contain: vines hanging from the branches of trees in a garden area with rocks and grass on the ground

Graveyard

7 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

ONE WEEK TO GO! Are you ready to follow Freja on an adventure in the rainforest wilderness of this graveyard? #BukitBrownCemetery #SingaporeNature

a person walking down the street in front of some buildings with tall buildings behind them

8 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

Everywhere—here Chinatown and the Muslim quarter— the old and the new collide. As Freja says: “On the surface, Singapore might look like a modern city, but it’s as if there’s a different world underneath the shiny varnish.” #SingaporeCulture

a store filled with lots of red and yellow lanterns

Times Square

Singapore Chinatown

9 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

In the book, Freja visits Chinatown with her friends, and they browse around shops like this magical mini emporium. I wonder if these lanterns inspired Anna Morrison when she designed the stunning cover… #SingaporeCulture

Rooftop Garden

10 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

The impressive #BuddhaToothTemple in the centre of Chinatown, features a museum, a hidden-gem rooftop garden and one of Buddha’s teeth in a golden room. It is also a setting in the book. #SingaporeCulture

several cans of soda are stacked on top of each other in front of a store shelf

12 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

The paper effigies can be anything from luxury cars to pets, home electronics, clothing, food and drinks. The brand names all have slight spelling mistakes, like: Caca Cola, Ice Tee, McDnalds, Adidsso and McBooks. 🔥 #SingaporeCulture

a person bending over to pick up trash on the side of the road at night

13 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

On street corners, food offerings and lit joss sticks surround old oil drums that are ablaze with burning paper effigies. The smoke is nectar for the hungry ghosts and will keep them nourished in the coming year. 🔥 #SingaporeCulture

two people standing on stage with one holding a microphone and the other wearing a hat

Hungry Ghost Festival

Step Mother

The Dead

14 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

Getai are live stage performances that take place during the Hungry Ghost Festival to entertain both the living and the dead. The front row might look like it’s empty—it’s reserved for the hungry ghosts. #SingaporeCulture

an animal statue sitting on top of a pile of leaves next to a grave in the woods

Male Lion

Lion Cub

A Lion

15 days countdown to #TheHungryGhost

There are many lion statues, guarding the graves in #BukitBrownCemetery. Most male lions have a ball under one paw, representing the world, while females have a lion cub, symbolising their power of life. #SingaporeCulture #FengShui