Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Wednesday – March 14, 2018

Today we arrived in beautiful Singapore for two days. In 2016 we did this after Alice had injured her left leg In Vietnam. Now we were moving more freely. We decided to get a two-day Hop On Hop Off pass. There are five routes that cover the entire city. We rode the Red, Blue and Yellow routes. This enabled us to select where we would return tomorrow for trekking.

Tonight we had booked the ship’s A Night Out In Singapore tour. After a rushed supper from the Dive In (had my first burger in 4 months), We joined the tour.

Our first stop was the Marina Bay Sand for the view from its observation deck on the 56^th floor. Three towers support what appears to be a long boat. At one end is the observation deck. The rest of this includes dining, drinking and an infinity pool for hotel guests. All of this is part of the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort. That title masks the fact that the complex includes a casino. The Sands group from Los Vegas developed this. It is the second highest grossing casino in the world. That is despite the fact that Singaporeans are charged $100 to enter in an attempt to discourage their participation.

Anyhow, the views are fantastic. One side overlooks the Gardens By the Bay with their fantastic giant metal trees. Another view is of the spectacular skyline. Yet another view overlooks the Singapore River and Marina Bay. It was 6:30 and the lights were coming on as nightlife took hold.

Back on the coach we headed to Bugis Street for a chance to shop in the market before we went for a Trishaw ride. The market was crowded. It offered all kinds of merchandise at all kinds of prices. It just did not have the right stuff for us. There were 34 of us on the tour. That meant we needed 17 Trishaws. A driver pedals a bicycle attached to a sidecar for two people. Sean, think Pedi cab. After a short wait, the Trishaws assembled and we were off. This was a half hour ride through Little India on busy streets. Our train of Trishaws did not stop for red lights. Exciting! Our driver pointed out interesting sights and shops along the way. His commentary was hard to understand because of his Chinglish. We did learn that he has been doing this for 20 years as a second job. He is 62 years old, and his day job is as a sweeper. He needs 2 jobs to support his family, as the cost of living in Singapore is very high. He returned us safely to Bugis Street.

Now we were taken to Clarke Quay for a boat ride on the Singapore River. We were amazed at the nightlife leading to the river in this area. Restaurants and bars abounded. The crowd was having fun. This led to an exciting atmosphere. When we reached the river we boarded our boat and headed off. Bridges were beautifully lit, as were the venues along the river. After a bit we entered Marina Bay and passed the Merlion. This fountain at the bay’s edge has become a symbol of the city. It is half lion and half mermaid. This is quite whimsical and effective. Continuing around the bay we watched a light show before returning to the river and the dock. After a short time we were back onboard. What a fun evening this turned out to be.