Singapore, Republic of Singapore

Sun. & Mon. Mar. 13 & 14, 2011  88 degrees                      7:00 AM – 3:00 PM

During our voyage towards Singapore we will pass Malaysia.  Malaysia is a country that consists of thirteen states and three federal territories in Southeast Asia.  The country is separated into two regions Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo by the South China Sea.  Malaysia borders Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines. 



Fuel being added to ship

The port of Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world.  It is a major port  complex formed within the islands and the mainland mass which comprise the mainland mass which comprise the Republic of Singapore.

The Merlion is a figure with the head of a lion and the body of a fish.  Its name comes from a combination of mermaid and lion.  Supposedly, the lion head and fish body of the creature recalls the story of the legendary Sang Nila Utama, who saw a lion while hunting on an island, en route to Malacca.  The island eventually became the sea port of Temasek, the precursor to Singapore.  In 2002, the statue was relocated to its current site that fronts Marina Bay with the completion of the Esplanade Bridge in 1997.

With myriad ethnic groups crammed into its 263 square miles, Singapore is a city of many faces.  All in the same day, you can tour Chinese shophouses offering everything from ginseng to frog porridge, eat fiery South Indian curry, sit down at a sushi bar or pizzeria, listen to a bit of Bach by a Western-style orchestra, or shop for Gucci handbags and skin-tight jeans in chrome-and-glass malls as a Malay muezzin beckons Muslim faithful to prayer in the distance.  With so many different voices and languages, and such diversity of religion and culture, Singapore is understandably a city of contradictions” a multicultural, ever-changing metropolis that still nods to its colonial beginnings; a bastion of capitalism sustained by an energetic people, an orderly city that champions the indulgence of simple pleasures, while simultaneously creating safety valves for those who like to walk on the wilder side.

A true melting pot.  Singapore is a city of ultra modern high-rises.  Chinese shop-houses with red-tiled roofs.  Victorian architecture.  Buddhist temples and Arab bazaars.  Take a trip to the top of Mount Faber for a great view of the city and its surrounding area.

Singapore’s rules are tough, but clear.  Jaywalkers are fined on the spot.  Drop litter – and you pay.  Convicted drug traffickers can expect a death sentence.  The literacy rate is 96.3 %.  The walls of Singapore’s buildings are clean – assuredly cleaner than they are in any Western City.  Media is scanned at the state level for content and “inappropriate” websites are blocked.  There is no denying the system’s icy effectiveness.  Unlike most large you can walk in Singapore at any time, day or night without fear.

Jeff and Kim picked us up at 11 AM and took us to the Botanical Gardens.  We then went to a Mexican Restaurant for lunch with them.  Next we went to their condo and met their 3 dogs and their parrot.  After walking the dogs, Kim took us to the Arab District.  We saw the sultan mosque and visited many shops.  Before bringing them on board the Amsterdam for dinner we stopped at the Raffles Hotel which is was made famous by such writers as Rudyard Kipling and Somerset Maugham.   Noble Raffles Hotel continues to ooze tradition and gentility today. It was wonderful to see Jeff and Kim and we thoroughly enjoyed our day.

Jeff and I in the Botanical Gardens



Kim, Chris and I




Outside Jeff and Kim's home




Beautiful pool at their home




Shopping on Arab Street with Kim



Jeff and Kim at Raffles Hotel

Jeff and Kim in our stateroom on the MS Amsterdam



Having a drink in the bar before dinner




Dinner on the Amsterdam



After dinner with one of the beautiful flower arrangements



Jeff - casino closed because we are in port



Outside the Microsoft lab

Kim in one of the lounges

The next day, Monday, Chris and I set out and took the MRT (metro system) to Chinatown.  We visited the Thian Hock Keng Temple which was built in 1839.   This is Singapore’s oldest Chinese Temple.  We visited many shops in Chinatown and then took the MRT back to the ship.


On the MRT




Singapore - Chinatown



Sri Mariammon Temple