Day 47

Chris - Singapore...back for more. When we were here with the Family (sorry Patick and Tracy) some of my most vivid memories were of the gorgeous flowers and beautifully colored birds... well that and Aunt Margie and the Singapore Sling! Having visited those parks last time I was here, I opted for a river cruise and a tour of Chinatown. We were picked up by buses and it took twenty minutes just to get out of the container port area! Once on the main road one of the things you notice immediately is how clean the city is and how broad their boulevards are. Turns out that they have 5 million people now but they are always planning ahead and have built/are building roads to accommodate the expected extra million in the future. The road we were on was built over the interstate and when the underground roadways they're working on are completed, the road we were on will be destroyed. Guess it's an alternative to driving around orange barrels. The riverfront has changed dramatically in the over 20 years since I've seen it. The old warehouses have been rehabbed and now form a quaint waterfront area that houses bars, restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. It makes for a lovely sight along the water and is in stark contrast to the tall modern buildings of the financial district that surrounds it. The Merlion is still on the river spouting water but was actually moved so it could continue to sit at the mouth of the river but not interfere with a new bridge. One building I was enamored with was built by the Sands (as in Sands Hotel in Vegas) and has 3 towers of hotels/living space and topped & interconnected with a structure in the shape of a ship. That area has grocery stores, shops, a casino, a gym...everything you'd need to support a community. Interesting design. We then walked to the Chinatown area and stopped along the way for a snack, I was thinking pastries, ice cream, a pop...they were thinking coffee, tea and toast! What? That's not a snack, that's breakfast! Anyway there are a lot of coffee shops around and they all advertise toast. The toast they served had lots of butter on it and coconut jam. Needless to say, I'm not wasting my calories on that! Once in Chinatown you notice how the modern high rises tower over Chinatown's old streets and alleys. There's a maze of awning draped stores and markets stalls where you can buy just about anything. We visited a Temple there, Budda Tooth Temple, and were able to go in and watch, even take pictures while there was religious chanting service in progress. It was a fun day and we lucked out that it was a little overcast so it wasn't quite as hot and humid as it usually is.

With the length of my blog posts you now know why Paul does most of it and I usually have the color commentary. Paula, you could have DINNER while reading this instead of just coffee.

Today was a sea day for me...tomorrow Viet Nam.