Singapore

Sunday, March 13, 2011 – Mom’s special birthday! – SINGAPORE and Ensemble Excursion
Docked at the Harbourfront mall (Talok Blanghah Road), which was extremely convenient EXCEPT we had to clear customs every single time we left or returned to the ship! You forget one thing – you have to clear customs and go down the pier and back on to the ship through our clearance to get your item and then reverse the procedure!
We had an early morning departure at 8:00 and it was drizzling but we went to the Merlion Park. The merlion is a figure with the head of a lion and the body of a fish/mermaid. It is the trademark of the country/city. We saw the original smaller size near Marina Bay and the larger size which now has a one-room hotel built around it – you can sleep there from 8:30PM-8:30AM for $125 a night! This is a promotion for a few months only – great idea! We continued on to the Malay Heritage Center to see the melting pot which created the country of Singapore – Malaysians, Chinese, Indonesians, Indians…
Jean, the guide, gave a great commentary on the country as we drove around. Cars on the roads – besides paying for the car, Singapore only allows so many of each type of car to be on the road so they are not inundated with traffic. So many luxury cars, so many medium class cars and so many economy cars – so you pay a car tax permit determined by the type of car you drive IF you are lucky enough to acquire the permit. We drove to government housing in the Bishan district and took the elevator to the 12th floor, to walk down one flight to the 11th floor apartment of William and Shirley. The elevator only stops on four floors so if your floor is not one of those, you either walk up or down from where it stops to get to your floor. The several apartment buildings are built of varying heights to allow for the flow of air around them and in to the apartments (smart!). They pay to go to school – any age, any type of education. She had snacks and tea sandwiches for us to enjoy and we asked all kinds of questions – excellent interaction.
Back in the city we went to the Chinatown Heritage Center. That was very interesting as each small room was set up as if the immigrant had just arrived to Singapore. It told their name and life history so you saw how their occupation determined their fate in their new land. Some time for shopping and returned to the ship. Quick lunch and off we ventured to Sentosa Island, a beach, casino, several hotels, monorail, theatres…Locals have to pay $100 to enter the casino! Great way to discourage gambling EXCEPT they did not seem to mind! The minimum bets were $25 - $50 a hand and there was no shortage of players at any table. It was a very busy place with great music and complimentary drinks (hot chocolate, water and coffee and tea). We took the monorail to the back of the park, where we had been two years before, and then found a Disney-type show was to take place at 9PM so while waiting for that we found out it was canceled that night! Two cranes are supposed to dance in the water and then turn into to doves…they said you can see it on u-tube. We walked around the waterfront and it was a nice night. Restaurants at the waterside, our beautiful ship all lit up in front of us, the lights of the mall and music streaming out of the various venues…a very nice area and walk. Ate a quick dinner and out to work on the computer – free internet!!
We were up until 2:30 on the computer in the Mall! It was great to get so much accomplished but how tired we will be tomorrow….

Monday, March 14, 2011 – Singapore

Yes, we were tired. We really forced ourselves to get up and headed out to a hawker’s market. There was once right across the street from the mall – supposedly one of the best 10,000 things to do before you die. It is an open-air market with all kinds of foods sold in small stalls. We checked out each stall but decided against the chicken feet soup for brunch. A bus connection took us near the Singapore Flyer, the largest ferris wheel in the world. Fantastic views of the city. We went up with an Australian couple and enjoyed the headphones describing the feng shui designs of this modern city and continuing development in the newly reclaimed area. Hurried back to the ship to be onboard by 1PM as customs takes an inordinate amount of time to process outgoing paperwork. Napped, ate and relaxing dinner.

Singapore is fascinating; modern, clean and safe.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 – sea day in the Straits

Rested, watched the movie “Secretariat” and really enjoyed it! Worked. Dinner with Jessika and Matt, our crew friends.