Singapore

What a nice surprise to dock in Singapore. It is a modern and clean city and after Vietnam we were ready for this change. Singapore is a mix of several cultures and religions that seem to peacefully coexist. (What a concept!!) There is a Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Town where each culture has its own temples or mosques plus a small business district and tourist area. People live in high rise buildings partially subsidized by the government with strict rules about keeping things clean and neat. There are major penalties for littering and we could not bring any chewing gum into the city. (The customs procedures and security checks were very tightly controlled.) The number of cars is also controlled to reduce pollution and congestion. There are excellent mass transit options with buses, cable cars, subway and railway operating all over the city. We were docked in Singapore for 2 days so one day we took the subway into another part of the town called the Orchard road area. We had heard they had a big Borders Bookstore and Jim was hot to trot to check it out! The subway was clean and very well organized with automated machines for ticketing and monitors in the subway car giving you all the station information. The subway was very busy but everyone waited patiently and was courteous to one another. How civilized! We really had to difficulty getting around on our own. We found the Borders which if you forgot where you really were felt just like any Borders back in St Louis, MO!! As part of a tour we visited each of the tourist areas in Chinatown, Arab Town and Little India as well as the temples and mosques. We also visited a gem factory and a botanical garden which featured hundreds of varieties of orchids. We saw the famous Raffles Hotel where the Singapore Sling was invented. We also saw the symbol of Singapore, a Merlion, half lion and half fish which sits at the entrance to the harbor to welcome visitors to the city. We didn’t go to Sentosa Island which is a small piece of reclaimed land in the harbor area being built up for tourism. Some of our friends did and said it had nice beaches and 5 star hotels. We spent a lot of time in the huge shopping mall directly adjacent to the cruise terminal. It had everything we wanted with internet and telephones plus stores to get items we needed like toothpaste, deodorant and cheap diet coke. I got brave and had my haircut in one of the salons at the mall. It was a fun experience and the haircut turned out fine also. (Cheaper than on the ship!) They served me tea and I got a nice head and neck massage thrown in as well. Most of the other passengers were doing the same things because after Singapore it will be more difficult and/or more expensive.