Singapore

March 18^th and 19^th

Singapore

2 full days in Singapore. Hot, humid and overcast. Singapore is very strict. We had to keep our passports with us at all times, and they were checked every time we got off the ship and returned. This is the first time I have seen my passport since we left in Jan. On this cruise the ship takes care of storing, and keeping track of all the visas, stamps, and your passport. We were not allowed to take off any chewing gum, (it is legal to chew it, but illegal to sell or buy it) chewing tobacco, imitation tobacco products, controlled drugs or psychotropic substances, the usual fire arms, obscene articles or videos, and any reproduction of copyrighted materials. Offenders are subject to a huge fine or jail. Jaywalking is not allowed or littering. Dropping a tissue, or spitting is grounds for a huge fine, and if you get caught with illegal drugs, the death penalty it is. Now with that said we did get off the ship. Singapore is the cleanest city I have ever been in. It has strict pro-environmental initiatives and the maintenance of its green spaces, which are many. It is only about 700 sq. kilometers, about 3 times the size of Washington DC, with a population of about 8 million. About 80% live in government housing which means they live in a 1 room condo which costs about $500,000. The government loans them the money at about 2%. You are not allowed to own a house if you are not married, or until you turn 35. It is the 22^nd richest country in the world with the highest standard of living in Asia. Owning a car is by permit only, and controlled by the government. To own and operate a car will cost about $100,000. The permit is $60,000 and that is for the smallest size car. If you want to buy a larger car it is more. This is a way to keep the traffic congestion at a minimum. The birthrate is small, 1.01 child per family. So the government is encouraging families to propagate by giving them $10,000 per child. But on the other hand, since land is scarce, cremation is encouraged. If you prefer to be buried, it is very expensive. You are interred for 15 yrs. in a plot by yourself. When that time is up, you are placed with 2 other people for another 15 yrs. Then when that is up, you are very close neighbors with 8 other people for another 15 yrs. Kind of creepy, but I did see internment shops in the city. Petroleum is the major export. Singapore is one of the major shipping ports in the world. Miles and miles of containers stored on the ports and container ships anchored in the bay. Over 150,000 container ships come and go per year. Most everyone speaks English and uses public transportation which is very safe and easy to use. Once we figured it out we rode the subway all over the city. First we took a tour to the top of Mt. Faber for a panoramic view of the city. Very nice but a little hazy. It was about 97 degrees with as much humidity. The buildings are very modern, and built with Fung Shui in mind. Some of the best and different architecture I have ever seen. I felt like I was in the “Jetsons”. Then a tour through the biggest orchid garden in the world, 60,000 plants and all very beautiful. A stop to see the Merlion- lion head with a mermaid body-the new symbol of Singapore since 1972. Then a walk through China town. After the tour, we headed out on our own to the downtown area. First stop, the world famous Raffles Hotel. This is where the Singapore Sling was invented. So, to the Long Bar it was. After a $26 sling each…..yep, this is not a typo. Another first…Singapore is the most expensive city I have ever been to. Even though the Singapore dollar is worth just a little bit less than $US, the prices are astronomical. Just to use a phrase that is fitting to this city. So, we sipped our drink since a huge thunderstorm was drowning the city and decided to wait for it to pass. After the refreshing deluge, both in the bar and out, it had cooled down immensely. We decided to walk down to the waterfront and ride the elevator to the top of the Sands Hotel and Casino. 56 floors up, and 40 dollars later…yep, not much is free here… we were on top of the highest structure in the city overlooking a hazy sunset. It was worth every penny. Whoops, I meant quarter. This hotel is breathtaking. It consists of three separate buildings with a structure that looks like the body of an airplane spanning across the top of all three. There is a viewing deck (which we were only allowed on), restaurants, and all of the pool area’s that are for hotel guests only. We were not allowed to even get close to the pool areas. There was security all over the place, so sneaking in was not an option. And I really did not want to spend the night in jail…or longer. This is one of only a few casinos in Singapore and they bring in as much money as Las Vegas. Tourists spend big money here. You need to have your passport to get into the gaming area. If you are a native resident, you have to pay $100 to get in. The tourists get in free. The government discourages gambling, but the $100 is said to go to charity. After a full day, and almost night (we didn’t get back to the ship until 11pm, which is the latest we have stayed out anywhere) we were exhausted. We only had a few hours the next day, so we took the subway into Chinatown. It was hotter than yesterday, so we walked, and shopped, and stopped for lunch. We were pretty used to the heat by now, but even after drinking gallons of water, it just wears you down. Very few stores have AC, except for the malls, which we tried to avoid. I can do that at home, and pay cheaper prices. Back onboard at 4pm. I don’t know if I would ever come back here. Everything is beautiful, there is so much to see and do, the people are lovely, and it is safe and tranquil. So why?….there is just this underlying feeling of sterility. The people are lovely, but they act like robots. Maybe it’s the government’s fixation on cleanliness and order. Maybe it was just me, but it felt kind of like cavorting with the Eloi’s in The Time Machine. I just kept waiting for that horn to blow. When we were in Chinatown, the proprietor of her shop whispered in Bruce’s ear “we’re watching you” but maybe it was the mustache again…….just kind of strange is all. Maybe I have been at sea too long. Next stop…Thailand.

Sands Hotel and Casinoorchids