Hi again

  I spent the whole of yesterday afternoon going from one aquarium to another in the Pasir Ris Farmways - all to get a closer look at a raging favourite in Singapore nowadays, that is, the Flower Horn fish or popularly known as HuaLorHan.

  I followed my wife, her three brothers and sister and their families. There were at least ten of us jam-packed into her eldest brother's van. I thought we were all a wee bit crazy, going all the way from Hougang to Pasir Ris just to look at the HuaLorHan.

  When we reached the beginning of the Pasir Ris Farmways, we were stuck in heavy traffic. And it was only farmway lanes. Apparently, there were many, many cars parked on both sides of the lanes, all the way into the deeper stretch of the farmways. This was the aquarium stretch of roads. Lined on both sides were aquariums and more aquariums - all selling the popular HuaLorHan.

  So that's where many Singaporeans can be found during the weekends. They take their entire families in tow and check out all these aquariums, one-storey structures with zinc roofs, till dinner time.

  So that's why such ulu roads, of all places, are having traffic jams! The HuaLorHan draws visitors throughout the weekend. Chinese, Muslims and Indians - they all come in cars, pickups, vans or heavy vehicles. And they go away lugging tanks, accessories and foodstuff with them. 

  It appears most visitors are content with just looking at the fish - but, then it makes sense too. The HuaLorHan is quite an expensive fish. A four-inch specimen can fetch hundreds of Singapore dollars, and the adults come with thousand-dollar price tags. Why, at one of these aquariums we visited yesterday, there was an adult HuaLorHan with a pronounced hump on its forehead which was being offered for sale at S$18,888. Yes, it's true. And they have even put an iron chain across the top of the tank and padlocked the chain to the tank!

  Yes! The HuaLorHan craze is catching on here in Singapore. My wife and her family members have already caught the bug. Haven't you, yet?

  Have a nice Monday!

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