"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 73 Singapore March 13, 2016 Sunday Day One Chance of rain & 85 degrees 45 Pictures

Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2016 3:18:48 PM
Subject: Report # 73 Singapore March 13, 2016 Sunday Day One Chance of rain & 85 degrees 45 Pictures

It is very apparent that we are sailing quite near the Equator, as it could not be hotter, humid, or breeze-less as it was even early this morning. No wonder most everyone has chosen to stay inside the ship with the air-conditioning. The system is working at its maximum capacity, we are afraid. The waiters are keeping the drapes closed on both levels of the dining room, as well as in public areas. It does help. Our room has stayed a comfortable 72 degrees with the thermostat set at the very bottom. Thank goodness we asked for a portable oscillating fan, since it has a double purpose. Keeping us cool, as well as our window garden. We have had to be vigilant with our potted plants, because they have been cooking in the window when we get the sun on our side of the ship. A few days ago, we put them all in the tub with water to get them good and soaked. They must have liked it, because the sunflowers have begun to bloom profusely. Our room stewards also are having fun with the garden, because when we come back after breakfast, we find they have turned on the singing bird to greet us when we come inside. They wait, listen, and laugh when they see us open the door. Nice guys…….we will sure miss them when we go home……

Anyway, here is a little info on Singapore, one of our most favorite cities in the world. The total area is small, 269 square miles, but the population is 4,657,542 people of many cultures. This means that no matter where you go, you will be guaranteed of crowds. The only other place in Asia that we found incredibly over-crowded was Tokyo. Going into a shopping mall there, we had to shuffle, not walk, due to the throngs of people. Unreal… The official languages of Singapore are Chinese, English, Malay, and Tamil. We have never had a problem asking anyone for directions, because their English is very good.

No doubt about it, there are strict laws in Singapore. Even in our daily newsletter, we have been forewarned about what is not allowed. This would include chewing gum, chewing tobacco, imitation tobacco products, and pistol or revolver-shaped cigarette lighters. Naturally, controlled drugs or psychotropic substances are forbidden. No endangered species or their by-products (not exactly sure what those are?), firecrackers, obscene articles or videos, or reproductions of copyrighted materials are allowed in the country. Severe fines and/or incarceration will be enforced. Sounds like a plan to us. Oh yeah, illegal drug offenses are punishable by death. Got the message…….loud and clear.

The cost of travel here is high in Asian standards. We have had the pleasure of staying here in some of the nicest hotels before joining a cruise. Yes, it was pricey, but oh so nice to get over the jetlag. The shopping and food are blends of Indian, Chinese, and Malay cultures, as well as international cuisine. Although it is harder to find margherita pizza here, we have done it. The only thing that stayed in our minds is the fact that alcohol in any way shape and form is expensive. A Singapore Sling at Raffles, created in 1915, was about 29 Singapore dollars (over $20 US). A Tiger Beer there was not a whole lot less, but then that's Raffles Hotel, where the sky is the limit.

What is the best time to visit? The dry season would be it, February to October. Although, we read that Singapore has 186 days of lightning strikes per year, which equates to a strike once every two days. Two icons have been struck in the past……St. Andrew's Cathedral and the Merlion Park, both located in high tourist areas.

There is plenty to see in Singapore. So much, we certainly don't have the time to do it all properly. There are world-class museums, historic temples, modern malls, some beyond comparison, and most impressive hotels. A new destination has to be the Marina Bay Sands, the hotel that resembles an ironing board on towers. Never seen anything like it anywhere in the world.

You can visit the Sri Mariamman Temple with rainbow colors, many markets, varied by culture, and the Asian Civilizations Museum. You will find exotic animals at the Singapore Zoological gardens, and the equally interesting Night Safari Zoo. We have been there twice, but remember having a hard time seeing the animals in their dark settings. Perhaps the lighting has been improved since then (1998).

There are many tourist attractions on nearby Sentosa Island, easily accessible since we are docked directly across from it. Our fondest memory was that of seeing an elderly Indian man, sitting with a covered woven basket. As we passed by, he slowly lifted the lid, and out came a huge cobra. Yikes…..snake! We were so unaware at that point in our travels to these sudden tricks to beg for money. Not really fond of snakes, we steer clear of those suspicious baskets now. In fact, that particular cobra slipped out of his basket, and slithered off under the surrounding bushes. Even worse…. Where did it go? We did not hang around to find out.

Fun places to see are Little India and Chinatown, both accessible by the MRT. Little India has a street-full of shops that sell the most beautiful fabrics for a reasonable price. The best part……they are negotiable. In Chinatown, among other things, you will see the ubiquitous gold plastic waving cat (battery operated). Always wanted one of those as they represent good luck.

What's to eat? Hainese chicken rice and fried flat bread with a curry dipping sauce. What's to drink? Tiger beer of course. It's the national brew. Or you can try teh tarik a strong tea with condensed sweet milk.

Trademarks of Singapore are economics – as Singapore is referred to as the "Asian Tiger". Raffles Hotel, "no durians" signs everywhere, fines for littering and spitting are all associated with Singapore.

Random facts: Singapore is the largest exporter of exotic aquarium fish….who knew?

Well, the business of the day included picking up our passports with the landing cards inside. It is required for us to carry our passports with us when going ashore. Photocopies are not accepted. We will turn them back in at the front desk on Tuesday, well before the ship leaves at 8pm. We also needed to get some Singapore dollars to use while we are here. We could get it in the cruise terminal, but would rather not waste the time to save a few pennies.

Since the ship was not due to dock at Singapore until 6pm, it was a day at sea as usual. Guests speakers continued their talks, while the guest chef, Pranee Halvorsen gave a cooking demo in the Wajang Theater. She is a friend of Martha's, who joins her on tours and even for dinner in the Canaletto occasionally. She has joined us for dinner on past cruises, but since we have a full house, there is no room this time.

We found out that 71 passengers are leaving tomorrow, and only 20 are joining. From here on, our numbers will continue to drop somewhat.

Finally, we made it to the aft deck for some sun. We certainly got a good dose of it, because you could have fried an egg on the decking back there. Today was the first time on this cruise that we actually went into the pool to cool off. We lasted until 1:30pm, and decided to quit. There was barely a breeze, because we were moving rather slowly. It was interesting watching the dozens of ships either anchored in the waters, or passing by us. Captain Mercer mentioned in his PM talk that many of these container ships are sitting idle in the water due to declining shipping recently.

We went for custom-made sandwiches in the Lido, surprising the sandwich man. It has been weeks since he waited on us, so he must have thought we left the ship. One of us had a tuna sandwich, and the other had roast beef, which was tender and juicy. Bet his was yesterday's tenderloin at dinnertime.

By 4:30pm, we had approached the Singapore Strait, when Barbara H was supposed to start her commentary on the outside decks. We had noticed that it was getting darker when we were downloading photos in our room. But we sure did not expect to see the down-pouring of rain that happened. And we mean REAL rain, heavy showers that blocked the scenery. Her talk began when we approached Sentosa Island, very close to our berth at Harbour Front. Already in a slip in the harbor was the Crystal Serenity, a 5 star vessel at 68,870 gross tons……larger than the Amsterdam. She holds up to 1210 passengers (full berths), and since 2012, has become all-inclusive with paid gratuities, wines with lunch and dinner, and all bar drinks, including bottled water and soda. Only shore excursions are not included. One nice thing about this ship, is that they are "announcement-free". Wish we could say the same for the Amsterdam. We did, however, hear the call for their muster drill, which was obviously held inside the ship as opposed to holding it on the lower promenade deck. Their promenade deck was naked without any teak lounges, and their lifeboats were one deck under.

The rain had not stopped, so that probably changed some folks minds about going off of the ship tonight. We did not get cleared until well after 6pm. And there were two tours going off the ship. One was a trip to the Night Safari Zoo for 4 hours at $100 per person. The other excursion was a night out to ride the Singapore flyer, go to Bugis Market, take a trishaw ride at Clarke Quay, and finally sail on the Singapore River to see the night lights. That cost about $130.

We have done both, more than once, so we were happy to stay onboard and meet Barb and Martha for dinner. The fellows were off to dinner on shore, and Bonnie and Paul were going exploring. A little rain would not slow them down. Handler joined us without Leslie, because she was not feeling well, probably coming down with a cold. Seems to be a lot of that going around. We had a very nice dinner with great service, because the room was almost empty by 8pm. Of course, deck four is anytime dining, and obviously most people ate early. Our entrees were good with one New York strip steak and one glazed duck dinner with sweet and sour noodles.

There was one show in the Queens Lounge, featuring Annie Frances, who voice echoed all the way to deck three. She is one powerful singer, and professional with her performance. We have never been disappointed with her shows.

Tomorrow should be a really fun-filled day with heaps of walking and site-seeing for us……hopefully with little or no rain.

Bill & Mary Ann

One of many ships we saw