Skip to main content

The Garden City

Singapore certainly lived up to its name as the Garden City. Interesting facts I learned: Singapore was founded as British trading post in 1819. Before that it was known as Temasek. It is located on the southern tip of the Malay peninsula between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Singapore is 278 square miles with a population of 5.6 million people. they refer to their population mix as CMIO – Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Other. Eighty percent of Singaporeans live in government housing; the remaining twenty percent own private homes and condos.

Rainy Singapore morning

There was some kind of snafu at Singapore immigration. Our tour met at 9:30 am, and we didn’t get on the bus until 12:15 pm. What a horribly long, hot, humid, and tiring wait to get through customs. We also were treated to monsoon-type rain (though we were covered at the time) which did little to cool things off but thankfully ended before we had to go outside. All the people around me whining, their frustration building was really irritating to me, but I tried to stay calm and not engage. I didn’t want that negativity to get in and spoil my day.

The rain as we waited to get through immigration

My original plan for Singapore fell through, so I took a morning tour (which turned into an afternoon tour) around the city, to Chinatown and the National Orchid Garden. Our first stop was to the top of Mount Faber, the highest point on Singapore (only 1.6 km high). They have a gondola system that you can take up there or to other parts of the city. At the top, there are some happiness bells gifted to Singapore from Poland. So now couples or people with wishes come to the top and tie silver and gold bells to the fences with their wishes. Like the locks on the bridge in Paris and other places.

A view from Mount Faber
Wishing Bells

We then headed to the National Orchid Garden, where the rain returned. The orchids – the largest collection of different orchids in the world - were so beautiful even in the rain, I just wandered around with my umbrella up, snapping away and enjoying a walk in the cool rain.
Just a few of the beautiful orchids!

A free time stop in Chinatown allowed me to wander into the Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in the city. Very impressive. 






I then wandered the stalls and markets of Chinatown looking for deals; I found some. 

Then we headed back to the ship. I dropped my things, changed and cleaned up a bit, then headed out with a friend to go to Gardens by the Bay. Gardens by the Bay is a 250-acre park with domed conservatories covering several different regions. The rain had ended! We grabbed some dinner at the food court, where we ate Chicken Soya from HawkerChan, the first Michelin-starred street food hawker (it was very good). 

My Michelin-starred chicken

We wandered through the flower dome and admired the luscious displays. It got me all fired up with new ideas for our home garden. I hope the feeling passes before I get home! 


After that we went out the main open area to watch the light show amount the Supertrees. (You may have seen them in “Crazy Rich Asians” in the wedding scene.) 

We hopped a taxi and got back to the ship in time to watch the second show of the traditional dancers featured on the ship. There were Chinese, Malay and Indian dancers, who highlighted their own regional dances and then combined them into group dances. They were very talented and I enjoyed them all, especially the Indian dancers. I suggested that we should do some of that in our line dancing class.

I had a wonderful relaxing shower, put on some cozy clothes and watched the nighttime sail away from Singapore to end a lovely day. 



Comments

Post a Comment

About Me

My photo
MzKath
2023 is all about trying new things. I am sailing around the world on a trip I've been dreaming of, and I am dipping my toe into the Social Media world with this blog. I hope you enjoy following me on my travels!

Popular posts from this blog

Anchors Aweigh!

January 6, 2023. Somewhere south of Cuba. My first day on board was not what I'd expected. I thought I would hide in my stateroom for most of the day, working up the courage to go out by myself and meet random people. But it was so easy! Somewhere along the way, I forgot that I am an interesting person, and can hold my own in a conversation, and people may enjoy spending time with me. How does that happen? I think as we get older, especially since Lockdown, we get used to our routines and don't realize our world is shrinking a bit each day. It was challenging for me to get back into society after they lifted restrictions. A smooth check-in with lots of smiling faces and I was in my stateroom within 20 minutes. The Head Porter said there were over 6,000 bags to get on board (I apologized for my part in the extra work), so my bags took a while to catch up with me. After I dropped my carry-on and inspected the room, I headed to the buffet for some lunch. Had a lovely salad and som...
3 comments
Read more

A'a I ka hula, waiho I ka maka’u I ka hale. (Dare to dance, leave shame at home)

When we arrived in Los Angeles, the ship’s doctor asked us all to mask up for three days then everyone would COVID test. The results were good, and we were able to remove our masks if we wanted to.  Since leaving Los Angeles, I have been taking hula lessons. It has been so much fun – learning the meanings of all the motions and gestures, and not caring if I look the fool. I really have difficulty with hand and feet coordination. The first song we learned is “We Know the Way” from Moana. I am so excited to teach the dance to my grandniece! Then we went on to “Going to the Hukilau” and “Little Grass Shack”, and now these songs have been stuck in my head for about a week. I guess it could be worse – "Mmm Bop" comes to mind. Damn, now that’s in there too. Getting our Hula on... As our instructor told us, the hula is an oral tradition to record Hawaiian stories. Each word in the song has a motion that goes with it. Once you get the gist of the story, you can anticipate the movemen...
1 comment
Read more

Kusadasi and Ephesus

Welcome to Turkey! Oh, my goodness it was cold! Because we were late leaving Jerusalem, we had to make up time to Kusadasi, and we ran into some strong winds that slowed us down. It also brought a big change in the weather. My day in Ephesus did not get above 50 degrees with howling winds. I think I got frostbite. But it was worth every painful minute. Port city of Kusadasi For orientation, the port of Kusadasi is located on the west coast of Turkey on the Aegean Sea. My tour was Biblical Ephesus, Virgin Mary Shrine, and Private Mass. We started with the House of the Virgin Mary, which is considered a Holy Site by the Vatican. This site is believed to be the home of Mary, Mother of God, after Jesus was resurrected and ascended into heaven. Mary's Home Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich, a German Augustinian nun, had visions of Mary’s life. Her writings were taken to Ephesus and used to find Mary’s home. It is a simple brick house where she lived out her later years after Jesus’ assu...
3 comments
Read more