March 12, & 13 2024 Singapore, Singapore 53 days left

 Hello Singapore!

As we enter Singapore, our first impression is it is a very busy port. We see ships in all directions. As we draw nearer to the city it is amazing how close the city is to the shipping channel. If you look closely at the busy port, there are 7 container ships being unloaded, and this is just where we can see. We see cranes on the other side, where we can't see ships. We learned on our tour that Singapore is going to move the container ship port to the other side of the island to make way for the 3rd. Financial center. Twenty two percent of the island has been reclaimed from the sea. I asked how this was accomplished, and was told that sand and dirt was brought in from other islands and dumped, filling in and raising the sea bed up out of the water. They have put some kind of protection to protect from erosion, but our guide was not able to tell us how come the dirt and sand just did not wash away. There are also some flood gates available to protect the city from flooding. He said that other countries could take care of flooding by following Singapore's plan. My thought is not all of us have an ocean to let the flood waters flow to. 

We did an excursion called Panoramic Singapore. We again had a fantastic guide. He is very proud of his country, and we agree with him. Singapore is diverse, successful, pretty, and unique. We will see if pictures speak a thousand words.

This was the immigration line. We showed our passports, and had to download a bar code on our phones to show at immigration. They took our picture and our two thumb prints.

Notice the plants growing and hanging down the side of the building. All buildings are required to have landscaping on the roof, and a certain amount of greenery planned for the buildings.

This was the old Post Office. It has now been remodeled as a Hotel.

The British were in Singapore for many years. This is an Anglin Church. Our guide was not especially fond of the time under British rule. They made British only sports clubs, treated Singapore as a poor country. They were only interested in the port for its location, being located for trade between British India, China and colonies in Australia. The British promised Singapore that they would be safe and protected from attack by the Japanese. They were protecting the island by Sea, but the Japanese came overland through the jungle. They took and held Singapore for 3 years during World War II. The residents of Singapore took this as proof that they could not rely on England to protect them, and they could do a better job themselves. This lead to their independance.

The Dalhousie Obelisk was built to commemorate the Governor-General of India visit to Singapore.

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The above building, the left side was built first as Victoria's Theater, the second side was built as a mirror image as a Memorial to Queen Victoria, it is a museum. The two buildings were connected with the clock tower. Out front is the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles. He is considered to be the founder of Singapore. The statue stands on the spot that they believe he landed on in 1819. Raffles is known for devising a set of policies and regulations of Singapore's harbour, helping to establish the settlement as a free port. Our guide spoke highly of what he did to help Singapore to be the city it is today.

Above is the little Merlion, and to the left is the large Merlion. This is the official mascot of Singapore. It is depicted with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. The story goes that a Prince took refuge from a storm on the island, and before leaving thought he saw a lion on the island. The area was a fishing village, hence they put the lion and fish body together. Singapore literally means lion city. Our guide informed us that there have never been lions on the island.

Below is my attempt to be creative taking a picture with the water. I didn't get it quite right. 

This is a hotel, casino, restaurant, and the white building that looks like a Lotus flower is a Science and Art Museum.

Below is one of the many fountains found in the city. There is a strong Chinese presence in the city, and they believe that water means wealth. You will find them taking water with them to bring wealth back home to them.

In case you come back to read this, I have added this thought. In Singapore they have a casino, but if a person gets caught in the casino who is receiving welfare, they are banned from the casino, and lose their welfare benefits for life. Also tourists do not pay to get into the casino, but locals have to pay a fee to get into the casino. They do not want locals to gamble, but they are willing to take the tourists dollars if they want to gamble.

This is Raffles Hotel, named after Sir Stamford Raffles. His name is prominent in Singapore. There is a hospital, a landing, the hotel, and a square all named for him.

The hotel is famous for the drink Singapore Sling. I had a small one tonight, and it is very good, but I can't imagine how I would feel after a large one that is usually served.

This is in China town, but notice the Parking Enforcement sign. This is monitored by camera, if you park here it is up to a $300. fine, and 3 demerits. Drivers in their 12 month probationary period will have their license revoked if they get 13 demerits in their first year. Drivers who are non-probationary with no previous suspension records, their license will be suspended if they accumulate 24 or more demerits in a 24 month period.

You pay $100,000 to buy a certificate to own a car in Singapore, then you still pay for the car which smaller models cost $100,000 or more. This certificate is good for 5 years, at which time you will have to pay it again if you want to continue to drive your car. They also charge tolls for driving on city roads. They keep the tolls high to keep traffic to a minimum. It seems to work, as we did not see congestion moving around the city. We are told they have a great subway system.

This again was in China town. I loved the two cultures living side by side.

There are Mosques and Temples throughout the city. English is the first language here, but they also learn Malay, Tamil and Singaporean Mandarin.

This is tough, as we are saying goodbye to many of our new friends. Above is Margaret, she is the sister of Mike's best friend from high school, who just happened to schedule her cruise on the same ship we were on. She is going to be traveling for the next 2 months, then fly home from London in May.

The picture on the left is our friends, and trivia teams. We have been playing trivia twice a day, when at sea, at noon and 8 pm. Four of our friends are leaving early today. We always wish them well, and are so happy we have been able to share this adventure with them. We also won trivia tonight. Frosting on our cake.

Another day is done, as the sun sets in Singapore. We have loved our visit, and hope to return some time in the future.