Singapore In A Day

      Yesterday we had the first of our 6 formal nights. The standard champagne waterfall and introduction of the Captain and main officers took place. We also had our first of many formal photos taken. We always like to see how we clean up on formal night. After dinner we tried to stay for a magic show but it was late starting and since we had an early call this morning we decided to turn in.

Today started with a 6:15 am wake up call. We had breakfast in our room and by 7:15 we were waiting for the tour to start. We had been warned by the Captain that the customs and immigration procedures in this part of the world are not the same as in Europe or the Caribbean. (We have already filled out entry/exit cards for 3 places ports. ) In Singapore the authorities only allow so many people in the cruise terminal at a time. We did not experience any delay in getting ashore although we were among the first to get ashore.

   We were on the bus and headed for a tour of the city by 8 am. The tour guide was very good and gave us plenty of information on Singapore and what it is like to live there. She called it the 'fine' city because you can be fined for almost everything. If a smoker is in an area where there are no ash trays, the fine is $1000! If you drive your car into the city as you pass various 'zones' you are charged a surcharge. They are trying to eliminate traffic congestion. It has an excellent public transportation system.

Jurong Bird Park

Our first stop was Jurong Bird Park. It had a great collection of birds from mostly tropical/sub tropical areas. We had a choice of walking with the guide or going off on our own. Needless to say we were able to see all the exhibits rather than the 3 that she stopped at! The park was empty when we arrived so it was a very nice visit. By the time the bird show started at 11 am, the place was packed. A very interesting visit and show. The only problem in hindsight was that, because we were there for 3 hours, we had less time at other venues.

Botanical Gardens

         The next visit was the botanical gardens. We had about 30 minutes to visit the orchid gardens. We could only see a small fraction of the 12,000 orchids growing. They have a VIP section where visiting dignitaries have an orchid named after them. There was one for a small French Prime Minister from Canada! A very nice display but little time to actually get some good shots because of the intense sun.

China Town Lunch

It was now after 1 and we were off to a Chinese lunch! It was “Chinese style” (dishes places on a lazy susan) and was quite tasty although we wished that we had been served some traditional Malaysian dishes but no such luck! Judy and I ate with chop sticks but no one else even tried to use them. After lunch we walked through old Chinatown. Ordinarily we hate these mandatory shopping stops but this was a very interesting place along the old shopping districts. The shops spill out on to the street and the upper levels are living quarters.
Judy bought a loose skirt. With the high temperatures and humidity she needed something cooler that what she packed. We have now headed north so it will get cooler but not until later in the cruise.

Casino

After that we did a side trip on the way back to the ship with a stop at Mount Faber for an overview of the city. We were the last bus to arrive back at the ship and the captain was already announcing that there were only 17 people left to board! They were behind us in the new terminal building.

At dinner last night we discussed our tours. The founder of Singapore was Sir Stamford Raffles and there is an old exclusive hotel named after him. One couple decided to have a beer at the hotel and were a bit shocked at the $50 tab for 2 beers! A long day but successful port. One of the places that you might want to stay for a longer visit. Sea day on Sunday then Viet Nam the next 2 days!