2 days cruising the Gulf of Thailand with little to see and not much to do other than eat and laze around ( no complaints there!) and we were ready for Singapore. We did take advantage of some lectures, watched a very funny cooking competition between chefs and cruise staff, and played some deck games including ping pong for the 1st time in years.
Everyone had told us that Singapore was a beautiful, clean and very green city and we were not disappointed. After the chaotic traffic and appalling trash of Ho Ch Minh City and Bangkok, Singapore was an oasis of relative calm. It is also a very safe city where single women can walk around without problem day or night.
There are trees like these Rain Trees along most of the city streets and they provide welcome shade from the high heat and humidity. Singapore is only 85 miles north of the Equator so the temperatures vary little throughout the year.
Our 1st stop was at the magnificent Gardens by the Bay. The Gardens are a result of a master plan design competition which drew over 70 entries from 24 countries. The 11 member jury finally selected 2 firms from England (of course!)
Underlying the concept of the Gardens are the principles of environmental sustainability evident throughout but in spectacular fashion in the Supertrees some of which have embedded photovoltaic cells in their canopies to harvest solar energy while others are integrated with the 2 conservatories and serve as air exhaust receptacles.
Close by the Gardens is the huge Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino, not necessarily where you'd want to stay but definitely worth a visit. We had dinner at C'est La Vie, an outdoor restaurant located on the 57th floor at the pointed left end of the hotel below.
View from the restaurant showing some of the Supertrees.
The 2nd day we were dropped off at the Raffles Hotel and walked what seemed like miles.
The city is an amazing mix of old, colonial style buildings and huge new skyscrapers but somehow it doesn't seem to grate on the senses.
The immaculate city fire house
We got our dose of culture at the wonderfully cool Asia Civilization Museum at Raffles Square.
Early 4 a.m start this morning. I'm writing this as we wait for our connecting flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles. It's been an amazing couple of weeks but we'll both be happy to be home.
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