We arrived to drums and cymbals crashing and the beat was wonderful. Dancing on the pier were lions, the symbol of Singapore. I took this lousy photo while Len was getting dressed. We overslept.
We wolfed down coffee and a roll and headed into a spotless terminal where the lions posed for photos with the disembarking guests.
The terminal was very busy - more than 250 passengers got off and about the same number were getting on. We were told by a Singaporian that a taxi costs about $30. per hour so we were lucky(ha) to find a taxi driver for $10./hour.
Our list of places to visit included Chinatown, Little India, The Marina Bay Sands Casino and still be back in time for a ride on the Singapore Flyer (more about that later).
The cab driver spoke excellent English, as a matter of fact everyone in Singapore speaks english.
He shook hands, introduced himself as Raymond and walked us outside. He waved down a waiting cab and we asked if he was not driving, who was this guy? He replied that his "helper" would take us to Chinatown. We confirmed where we were going with this guy whose name was whatever
and yes it was $10/hour and we could have him for as long as we needed him. Great!!!! What a bargain!!!!!
He talked quite a bit and told us about living in Singapore. Everyone works he said, otherwise you cannot get government assistance (just like the U.S) You have to work to get help - no matter how menial the job is. Well the apartments were decent. Not much laundry hanging out the window and the grounds everywhere were spotless. Singaporians have to go to school. You have to pay a small amount
$50/month for high school students but that's all. Money is taken out of every paycheck for retirement and is on a sliding scale based on your earnings. The money cannot be touched unless you buy a house and is kept by the government for your old age and the government matches the same amount. Healthcare is deducted from your pay as well. And the streets are spotless.
If you are old and need assistance ONLY unless they cannot track down relentlessly one of your kids to pay your bills THEN the government will pay. There is a law that about Filial duty..........and the streets are spotless.
They limit the number of cars on the road. First you have to buy a paper that allows you to buy a car. The paper costs tens of thousands of dollars and then you can buy a car. Cost of say, a Ferrari with the paper is $1MM Singapore dollars. Apartments, about $1MM Singapore Dollars but the streets are spotless!
($1US = $127SINGAPORE DOLLARS)
We asked about immigration - He told us there is not a problem. They feel their capacity is 7million and they are only at 5million people now. What about illegal immigration after all Indonesia is just across the bay. No problem he assured us - "very few people try to come here illegally - they get CANED and then shipped back to their country........but the streets are spotless.
First he insisted on taking us to a semi-precious art shop. (I smell commissions here) They made 3 dimensional pictures and they were really beautiful but pricey. We were warmly welcomed by the owner who took us through the factory before visiting the art gallery upstairs. We did buy a small 5 color jade vase very reasonably priced at $35. Next, he insisted on taking us to a huge jewelry store where we could get 70% off on already discounted items. All the vultures were dressed in matching jackets as they bowed and scraped us into the store. We felt like 2 guppies in a tank full of sharks.
We browsed quickly and then walked out.
The taxi driver finally got us to Chinatown and assured us that he had the best camera shop to go to. Len told him he didn't want to buy any equipment and he told us OK OK no problem but go into the shop anyway.
Of course he parked his car in front of the cameral store - and ushered us in whether or not we wanted to go in. And of course his friend the tailor was right next door.
The character in the Nikon store was like one of the Japanese interrogators in a bad world war 2 film
with a long lean face, yellowed buck teeth with a loud guffawing laugh with his head thrown back in delight at our torture.
He did as much fast double talking as one could do and Len finally got ticked off and ended up buying a lens cleaner for $20 just to get out of the store.
When the cab driver tried to lead us to the tailor, Len put his foot down and we walked the other way. A short time later, Raymond, the original guy who had contacted us at the port, mysteriously appeared through the crowd in a store we were shopping in. Carrying our newspaper and package that we had left in the cab, he sorrowfully advised us that the cab's A/C broke and he was going to get another car and could we pay him the $20. (2 hours had passed)
Stupid me thought he was coming back but Len was not surprised when he disappeared.
Well we were in a great part of the city and so we wandered Chinatown.
We wandered the narrow streets looking at this and that and found a store with only chopsticks.
They were beautiful and so beautifully presented.
We spent about 2 hours wandering the streets and then got a taxi over the Little India. It was like stepping into the country. The streets had a different smell - the clothes everyone wore were Indian. It was like being in the middle of Bombay.
More "chatchkeys" than you could imagine. Temples, incense and flower markets with prayer offerings in the form of flower leis. I walked over to a flower stall and touched one of the leis. I thought the indian fellow who was watching the store was going to hit me. "Don't touch that" he loudly said, "that is for sacred prayer, it has religious significance and you will defile it by you touching it".
I apologized, looking for a hidden cane, we left ...........on spotless streets.
We got another taxi and went to the newest casino, Marina Bay Sands hotel and Casino. Of course this is off limits to Singaporians unless they can cough up $100 per person to enter. For us, with our passports, (which is the only country that we had to carry our passports around with us) there was no charge.
Here is a photo of the outside of the hotel and casino. Too bad Len had to check his camera. It was an amazing place.
At the very top is an infinity swimming pool (3 FOOTBALL FIELDS LONG)
I believe the same Toronto architect who designed the Guggenheim Museum designed this building.
If you look at the top it looks like a ship. Inside is the Casino which is 4 floors high. In the center of the opening of the casino is a humongous chandelier that looks like the hull of the ship and over many of the casino tables there are silver whirls that look like ripples in the water.
To my way of thinking, whomever designed this building was thinking that the players were trapped like fish in the bottom of the ocean. Maybe I've got the perception wrong.
Of course the tables were full. They were waiting 3 deep to get to the baccarat tables. Thousands of dollars were being spent. Asian men and the women were gambling. It was crazy. They had lots of slot machines as well. Most were American machines but you played with Singapore dollars.
We had a great time, gambled just little. There were table games I've never heard of but there were plenty of people playing.
Well we were running late - we got another cab and had to be back at the dock for a ride on the Singapore Flyer. It is about 90 feet higher than the Eye in London. This was a courtesy tour for the world cruisers.
We got back just in time to board the bus.
Each gondola can hold 22 people and the ship booked 3 gondolas for about 12 people. We were all able to sit or stand comfortably for the 2 revolutions which took about 1 hour to complete.
The ship had canapes and wine aboard each gondola and the ride was so smooth and silent with the unbelievable view in every direction. We had a picture perfect twilight, Here are some photos but they are so low resolution that it does the pictures no justice. When I print a book from this trip you will see how fantastic the pictures are.
Singapore has the largest port in Asia - It looks like the 6th fleet is stationed here.
Here is one of the gondola ahead of us!
This is a soccer stadium in the water.
This one is still being built. Look how curved the buildings are. An engineering marvel.
Another view of a gondola
Tired and by now starving hungry we headed back to the ship............on spotless streets!
On to Penang, Malaysia
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