Adventures of Beth and Dan: ( Travel makes you hungry for more adventure!!

Singapore November 7

We always have a destination speaker share information about upcoming ports and I haven’t missed one yet. Here are some highlights about Singapore. They use the Singapore dollar. Four official languages are spoken there. 50% of the city is greenery. Some say it isn’t a country but a corporation. It offers a cutting edge skyline and state of the art public transportation. It is cosmopolitan and international. No gun chewing here or you could get fined up to $100! Some people come just to enjoy the food offerings and satisfy their retail therapy for shopping. The Merlion became their symbol and logo in 1996. It means sea and lion as it was once a great fishing village. Clarke’s Quay is one of the biggest sites to see going by boat. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is there too and is a prime destination spot. You cannot go up to

the top and see the infinity pool unless you are a paid guest. It has a casino and shopping place and is a five star hotel. There are panoramic vistas seen from the top. There is a night show outside around 7:45 that is synced to music. The Christmas show is now playing!! Two most famous hotels are Raffles ( Singapore sling) and the Fullerton Hotel. Raffles is going for a renovation so most of it is closed and as we passed it today on the Hop On Tour it was totally covered by tarp and heavy paper covered fencing. You couldn’t see a thing! It was last updated in 1981. It will open again after the current renovation in 2018. Singapore’s nickname is the garden city. Everything grows here.

China town is the best place to get the hop on hop off bus except today the bus came directly to the port and we were on it by 9:00! It costs to use bathrooms when you are in the city for about 25 cents. Over 2,000,000 people travel in the city by mass transit per day! Lots of underground malls are all over the city . Singapore is one of the worlds smallest countries. Mostly the people living here are Chinese. About 49% are non citizens like temporary workers building the skyscrapers. It is the easiest country in the world to do business. Living here are some very high paid expatriates. 10,000,000 people come every year as tourists. Phenomenal medical care and facilities are available. The average income is 54,000 US dollars. There are more millionaires here than any other country. 17% of the households are millionaire households. In 1819 it was a British east India company territory with only 150 people living there . 40% of all ocean trade take place in Asia. It used to be duty free except for opium, alcohol and tobacco. This made it a booming port for Asia. Today you can be killed for carrying one ounce of opium or drugs. In 1963 Malaysia was created. This included Singapore. In 1965 they separated from Malaysia. It moved from a 3rd world country to first world status. It’s more of a dictatorship. Their saying is ”give me liberty or give me wealth”!! There is very little freedom of the press. They have safe, clean streets with a green environment. They have first class education. Also a first class pension plan and public housing. 90% own their own homes. The punishment for graffiti is caning !! An obese child at school will get a letter sent to the parents to change the child’s diet. The government has a matchmaking department to get highly educated singles to marry and have children. Car ownership is highly expensive! First you must get a permit which can be up to 70,000. Then the cars are imported and you pay the tax! Then you are charged every time you take your car out on the road. They say it is the most food obsessed country in the world! As we travelled through the city we noted it to be very clean

Raffles Hospital has 480 beds and provides excellent health care.

The country is trying to stay green and clean. There were few to no

bikes or motorcycles on the streets.

Time now is changing and going ahead for us after all the hours we have gained. Now we are losing time. Last night was a gala night with surf and turf. We dressed up

for the occasion and shared our table with three friends having a lively and fun conversation.

St Andrews Cathedral is one of the oldest here.

90,000 containers are moved per day here as it is a huge shipping port. Some office space rentals are $9,000 per month. Purchasing an apt could be 4-5 million US dollars. It rained almost all day and was very humid and foggy.

80% of Singapore people live in housing subsidized. You can purchase a flat with a 99 year lease for about $250,000. 15,000,000 tourists come to Singapore a year. There is a high import tax of 100% on vehicles which keeps traffic down. You also have to get a permit for a car first which is only good for 10 years. It may cost $45,000 per year to own a car!! Singapore has an Ironman race also!! Cosmetic surgery is part of Singapore’s tourist draw as they have a huge hospital here for that purpose only. There are lots pf bougainvillea of every color here along with other tropical beautiful plants like canna Lillie’s, jasmine, roses, hydrangeas and azaleas, and palms of every kind Christmas decorations are already up! 60% of patient care at their hospital is from foreigners.

They sell 10,000,000 orchids per year!!

We spent a wet day on the hop on seeing Little India and Chinatown as our hop off stops. We ate in the Michelin Restaurant too which was a fun experience. Shopping for a few things was fun for us too. It was a long day and by 6 we were back on the ship after going through immigration. Then dinner with a friend at the Lido. After a shower it was time for bed. Tomorrow we will go to the Bird Park on a tour leaving at 8:15 so time for bed.

Today we are headed to the Jurong Bird Park going with a ship tour. It is another cloudy, dark rainy day. Our guide says she talks “singlish” which is Singapore English!! Ha ha.

Unemployment here is 2%. No beggars are seen or allowed. Retirement age here is 67 but many still work. If you are self employed their pension is reduced. CCT cameras are here everywhere to monitor and they say keep the people safe. All parks are smoke free. If you get a penalty for breaking the rule you pay a fine. The second time you wear a t-shirt that says I broke the law and then they have to sweep the streets!!

The Bird Park opened in 1971. The property was swampy and perfect for this development. The enclosed aviary has a beautiful waterfall. There is a team that travels around the park and a bird show. In three years the Bird Park will move to the north side as the government wants to use the property for other things. There 600 different species and over 8000 birds!

We enjoyed the park but it was a rushed tour. There were kindergarten students there in a large group and several other tour groups. So back to the port for some internet time then on our way out of here tonight. Our next port will be Borobudur.

They use these fresh flower leis for weddings, funerals and as offerings in religious places.

Such colorful temples and buildings in Little India

This is a laundromat right out in the open on a Side Street!

Dan and a friend in Little India at one of the markets

Barbie India!!!

Amazing architecture

The cathedral