Friday, March 13, 2015
Friday the 13th and the Ides of
March all in the same month!
Sailing from Bangkok we will follow
a course towards the Singapore Strait.
Officially the Republic of Singapore is a sovereign city-state and
island country in Southeast Asia. It
lies off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula
and is 85 miles north of the equator.
Singapore is probably the cleanest
city in Southeast Asia and maybe the World.
If caught littering, even spitting gum, you can be fined $1000. Actually, chewing gum is on the list of
prohibited goods that are not allowed to be brought into Singapore! There are many more prohibited items.
The city offers lots to do from
great shopping on Orchard Road and in fancy malls to various points of interest
and places of culinary delights. A
definite fun thing to do is take a bumboat ride along the Singapore River and
see the charms of the quays, travel around Little India and visit the Sultan
Mosque, visit Chinatown for a trishaw ride, and then there is Sentosa Island,
Singapore Zoo, Jurong Bird Park, Raffles Hotel to taste a Singapore Sling
(actually invented in their Long Bar) or do what we did - spend the day at the
new Gardens by the Bay.
Built just a few years ago, this is
truly an architectural wonder with a diverse range of plant life from the four
corners of the world. The Flower Dome
has thousand-year-old olive trees and unusual plants of the cool-dry
Mediterranean and subtropical regions.
And, oh so many flowering plants!
Then you enter the Cloud Forest full
of orchids, pitcher plants and ferns from the cool-moist Tropical Montane
region and the dome features a 115 foot man made mountain and water fall, 7
stories tall and includes a metal pathway to walk from top to bottom.
The Gardens include other areas with
Supertrees, a Skyway, Heritage Gardens, Dragonfly Lake, Children's Garden, Sun
Pavilion for cacti and succulents and many areas for dining.
All in all, the Gardens by the Bay
is a world of wonders and not to be missed if you are in Singapore.
Slamat Tinggal Singapore.......we
are off to India!
