Scenic Singapore

March 5, 2015

We arrived in Singapore before dawn yesterday, but even in the dark it was evident we were in a very different port from Jakarta. First of all, it’s clean – very clean – and obviously built for cruise ships. Although Singapore is the busiest industrial port in South East Asia due to its location and its tax-free status, its industrial port is away from the local and international travel area. This port area is a hub for cruise, ferry, train, and gondola passengers. It is also attached to a giant mall.

This is by far the most security-conscious port we have visited. We are required to carry our passports everywhere with a stamped “visit pass” card enclosed. Every time we leave or re-enter the ship the passport is scanned just like we were entering a country for the first time. BTW, the visit card includes, in all caps and red letters, this warning: “DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKERS UNDER SINGAPORE LAW.”

We are also advised that Singapore Customs regulations prohibit chewing gum, chewing tobacco or imitation tobacco products – among other things – to be brought ashore. The city itself is as clean as we had been told, with rather light traffic for such a large city. Then we learned why. There is a 30% tax on cars which makes them prohibitively expensive. Traffic problems solved. Public transportation is abundant and efficient.  

Our tour yesterday began with the one thing I had really wanted to see in person – the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Its three buildings are topped with a large boat replica 650 feet above sea level and includes an observation deck and infinity pool. It did not disappoint both from the ground and from the deck.

The next stop was a huge and thrilling surprise – the Flower Dome and the Cloud Dome of the Gardens by the Bay complex. The Flower Dome is the world’s largest glass greenhouse. It features 9 different gardens from 5 continents. (Actually 6 continents as there were gardens representing both North and South America.) 

The Cloud Dome has the world’s tallest in-door waterfall. We walked on cat-walks through the mist-filled Cloud Walk and Tree Top Walk.   

After lunch we visited the famed Raffles Hotel – named after Sir Stamford Raffles who founded Singapore for Britain. It was in the Long Bar at this hotel that the Singapore Sling was invented in 1915. OF course, we all sampled.

Next we took a river boat to the Merlion Fountain near the mouth of the Singapore River. Of interest to us is the dam that separates the river from the bay. Using Dutch technology, they have managed to convert the river from salt to freshwater by years of pumping out the salt from the bottom while the river is re-filled with rain water. Singapore currently gets its water from Malaysia but that contract expires in a few years and relations between the two countries are strained (Singapore was once part of Malaysia), so the idea is to make Singapore water independent.

View of Marina Sands from Merlion Fountain

All of Singapore is part of a grand master plan, and the planning continues as we saw during our visit to the City Gallery. We had thought, from the name, that this might be an art gallery but no, it’s a gallery devoted to Singapore’s master plan for growth. We saw two different sizes of three-dimensional Singapore-scapes. Rather impressive. The gallery also included one piece of art. On one wall is an ink drawing of Singapore done by an autistic savant who completed it from memory after a few hours flying over the city.

We were scheduled to do another tour today but John wasn’t feeling well and the temperature was predicted to be 95 degrees, so we slept in and had a leisurely day of short excursions and a little shopping. John bought a new camera at the mall – one with both an old-fashioned view-finder as well as the screen.  

We had to be on board early today – 3:00 p.m., a full two hours before sailing – in order to turn in our passports for inspection by Singapore officials. Then we’re off to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.