Modern, Shiny Humid Singapore

    Singapore is a construction zone!

Just want to say, boy is Singapore in mid-March really hot. Like sticky-jungle-humid hot.

With that said --

It is not just the sounds, the whirl of bike motors, the incessant blare of bus and truck horns bellowing their warnings or the vibrant colors, swirls of magentas, gold, teal,
jades, or the pungent smells of foods sizzling in oil, exotic fruits warming in the sun or the constant motion, of people, of vehicles, frenetic, blurry, dusty.  It is all that and more that make Southeast Asia compelling. Old, traditional, slow moving bumping up against and mixing with modern and new. Water buffaloes and rice fields, rickshaws, zippy motor bikes and pedestrians dashing dangerously through oncoming traffic, golden Buddhas and burning incense, open markets bursting with cheap plastic goods, fragrant fruits, faces wrapped against a burning sun. Those are my observations about Bangkok, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

    View of Garden by the Bay from Marine Bay Sands. These are solar panels and collect rain water.

    Singapore is Eco-green.

How do they contrast to Singapore?

Singapore is the shinier, more cosmopolitan, less gritty, better dressed Westernized Asian sibling to Vietnam and Bangkok. Densely populated, with every inch of real estate wisely (mostly) used, 
Singapore is a well planned, organized, safe, clean city with minimal crime and a government that enforces strict standards for behavior. It is also a religiously tolerant city/state. Children are taught tolerance for others from a young age. Hindu and Buddhist temples, Christian churches, and an Arab Mosque co-exist in this tiny country. 

    Inside the Chinese Buddhist Temple, Chinatown

The idea is that religious diversity is welcomed but pushy attempts at conversion are not. All this takes place in a city where modern architecture, like the Marina Bay Sands and the ArtScience building stand in contrast to older sections like Arab Town, Little India, and the hectic, colorful Chinatown.

    Outside the Hindu Temple, Little India

Some Singapore facts -- the city/state is about 275 square miles with a population of 5.5 million. As one lecturer explained, Singapore doesn't produce anything, other than people. Rather it imports goods from everywhere, improves the product and then exports it. The hard working harbor is teeming with cargo ships of all sizes, fully stacked with brightly colored containers traveling in and out of the port. Singapore also imports workers -- from India, the U.K., and other places near and far to fill specific jobs.

    The ArtScience Museum. Looks like something from a Bond movie.

One other noticeable difference, it is safe to cross the streets here. In Vietnam and Thailand we were told to walk slowly across the street in oncoming traffic so that the motor bikes and cars will slow down (we hoped they would slow down); in Singapore, a transit bus stopped for us when we entered the cross walk! Such politeness was unseen in Bangkok where the guide said cross walk markings are considered meaningless zebra stripes.

   The famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Shopping complex.

    This amazing structure houses Singapore's incredible botanic garden with its rain and cloud       forests.


Our original itinerary contained an overnight stop in Benoa, Bali. When both the Australian and UK governments issued credible travel warnings regarding potential terrorist threats in Bali, the cruise ship company cancelled the stop. So from Singapore, on to Darwin, Australia we go.

Travel can be wonderful. Travel can be risky. Plans change. Best to stay calm and carry on.

   Thousands of ships fill the harbor.