Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Sunny Days in Singapore

Singapore
I'm not sure if I have more pictures with flags or superheroes at this point. 
With the luck of the calendar and Chinese Holidays, this school year we get three four-day weekends. It comes at a small price of working a Saturday the week before. Many teachers out here would argue that having a 6-day work week isn't worth the succeeding 3-day week/4 day weekend. However, having worked last school year until late June (with my deeply missed Pirates), through Summer Camp, until now, this was my longest break. 
I took advantage of it by going to SINGAPORE!  Something about it being just one word gives it great importance. Why? I'm not sure, but think about it.  I went with Allen, a dear friend to me since somewhere back in April.  We took a red eye flight (there and back) Wednesday night from TPE, made my must-have, tax-free, Duty Free stop of white rum ($16US), and successfully slept on the majority of the plane ride.  

Landing around 6:05 am, we planned to drop off our belongings at our Hostel, The InnCrowd Backpackers, but first we needed food! We were obviously starving, and it was now breakfast time. If you've never had Indian food for breakfast, well one day I hope you do. Still, at 8AM, we were the first costumers. It didn't take long though, within 10 minutes there were plenty more.
We were staying in the well known area of Little India, which was actually recommended to us both multiple times from different people During our bag drop off (we couldn't check in until 1PM), Allen noticed a sign-up for a free scooter tour of the city on Thursday nights, and guess what!? It was! It would start at 6PM and take approx 5 hours. These were the kind of scooters that came out  when I was 10!

We still had about 4 hours until we could nap, so we spent morning hitting all 5 of the
 top 5 things to do in Little India of Singapore!
Number one: Sri Veeramakaliammam Temple, one of oldest temples in Singapore, believe to be built around 1855, by Indian Pioneers. "Dedicated to the Goddess Kaliammah, the ferocious incarnation of Lord Siva's Wife, Meenachi." This "temple is thought to be the first temple in Singapore to venerate her."Number two: the Residence of Tan Tang Niah. The last surviving Chinese villa in Little India. Built in 1900s for Tan Teng Niah's wife, it was restored in the 1980s, and has eight-rooms. The owner had several "sweet-making factories in the Serangoon Road area, which was rare in an area where cattle and textile traders dominated." 
Residence of Tan Teng Niah
This was actually our last stop before heading back to the hostel.
Number three: Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. [No pictures taken] A Hindu community in Singapore established a simple shrine dedicated Lord Perumal, aka Lord Vishnu, "the second God of the Hindu triumvirate" (a group of three men holding power). "The Preserver of the Universe who represents Mercy and goodness."  Number four: Mustafa Centre. Open 24 hours, packed floor to floor " with everything from textiles to watches to electronics...it's actually two department stores joined together with goods sold under the Mustafa name and streamlined by type.... a main attraction is the jewelry sections ... it is a great place to buy Asian inspired gifts (*wink*wink*Christmas!) to take back home."
Number five: Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya, also known as The House of 1,000 Lights. 
I never did see the 1,000 lights, but the two Buddhist temples were beautiful inside and out.

Somewhere between our day in Little India we stopped to eat at SITARA Restuarant.
We went for the all-you-can-eat buffet and left beyond satisfied.
 

What amazed me about Singapore was the amount of people, or I should say the lack of people in the metro railways and the streets. I had thought, similar to large cities I've been to, Singapore would be over-crowded. People would be pushy as when I was in Hong Kong, or worse, men would stare for more than a bit too long like when I was in Malaysia. I knew the city would be well kept, clean, and efficient. When I first did research on Taiwan, I learned that Singapore too, was considered a "tiger economy" of SE Asia.

There is great diversity in the people of Singapore, and of course the tourist that go there. The tolerance for others' culture and heritage seems to never be an issue to anyone, anywhere. 
The sculptures, the artwork,
and the buildings of this city
are exuberant and enchanting.  
Architecture at it's finest.
We picked out some scooters and headed out with the group promptly at 6PM. I was the only American in our group, the majority being from England, Holland, and Germany. There wouldn't be any extra stops for photos along the way, so you'd have to resist stopping to snap a picture of everything new and exciting that you saw. For me this was a challenging task. 
About 20 minutes into our scooter ride around the city, we pass Kampong Glam in the "Muslim Corner" of Singapore.  We scooted through markets, outdoor restaurants, colorful streets, and enormous department stores full of the most famous brands in the world.
There was a little bit of construction going on in the city to set up for the Grand Prix opening races. It didn't bother us at all that we had to take detours, we were high on life, and scooting around like adolescents on the streets of one of the most beautiful cities we'd ever been in. Not to mention, the sun was setting and we were headed to Marine Bay. 
 We had to cross a very large bridge next to the famous Ferris wheel, The Singapore Flyer.
This is us on the bridge. Parallel to us is the Singapore Flyer. 
Behold the beauty of Singapore at night. 
We ate with the rest of the scooter gang at a large food court called Satay By the Bay which serves Chinese, Indian, Barbecue, Asian, Thai, Indonesian, Singaporean, Malaysian, and Halal food. Then we went on to Gardens by the Bay.  Yes, this is still all in one day. 
Special music is played every night for visitors.
The lights in the Garden dance to the songs played while
people sit, stand, lay, listen, and look above.
 
It was also a special weekend because of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. (This is reason for the long weekend.) There were five or six lantern sculptures displayed, each telling an ancient story of the Moon.
This is a Korean story of The Moon and The Sun. 
A brother and sister who escaped a tiger's attack by grabbing onto a rope that descended from Heaven. They rose above the clouds, the sister transformed into the sun, and the brother, the moon. 
The Matchmaker
Yue Lao (Old Man under the Moon) is the God of Marriage and Love.
"He causes a man and a woman to fall in love."
The FINAL stop was the water show that plays twice a night on the side of the Marina Bay Sands bay. Unfortunately, they changed the times this night so we missed it. Allen I attempt to make it to a viewing each night. We never quite make it.
But, Oh, look at how they shine!
The way back seemed much longer, and much sweatier. We stopped at a small convenience store for anyone who wanted beers. *Fun Fact* as of April 1, 2015, under Singaporean law, drinking is banned in all public places from 10:30 PM to 7:00 AM, also retail stores will not sell liquor during those times.* We totaled in scooting 15.3k around the city and we were looking forward to nothing but a shower and sleeping in. 
                                 Day two
Welcome to Sentosa Island! A popular island resort stocked with attractions for its 20 million visitors per year!
Hard to spot me in all the color.
Large cruise ship docked as we made our way to the island.
 We bought a package of unlimited cable car rides to, from, and throughout Sentosa.
 It also included a choice of four activities once inside the park.
Overlooking just one side of the enormous city of Singapore through the cable cars.
 You can see part of Sentosa, the skyscrapers, harbor, construction, and shipment crates.
One of the first things you will spot when you enter Sentosa is the gift shops and Madame Tussauds wax museum of famous movie stars, musicians, sport figures, national icons and politicians. This is the fourth time I have been near one of these. I have yet to venture inside as it's usually $50US or more and I've got other things on my agenda. However, they usually have one or two stars placed outside for free photo opts. Here I am striking a pose with Lady Gaga.

Next, you'll encounter the mimicked sculpture of the Merlion, the symbol of Singapore.

We walked around the entire island park, to popular tourists attractions like Hard Rock Cafe and Universal Studios. We had Malay Curry which was pretty tasty, but stained our fingers pretty badly. For the tickets we bought with our package, I did a trapeze experience, we shared a coconut ice cream, and finally rode in something similar to a go-cart but with no engine, they call it the LUGE and you take a sky ride lift back to the top. 
Coconut ice cream in a coconut.
Riding the lift after the Luge.
The only kind of beach you will get in Singapore is on Sentosa island. Just by the look of it you can tell they were man made beaches. We didn't go in for a swim, nor did we see much beach action from anyone, but we did walk along the beach and got our toes in the sand. 
The Bell of Happiness
"
Crafted in 1909 it was the ship's bell for the Norwegian training vessel "Dar Pomorza"."
(The name is engraved across the bell.) It was later donated to Sentosa Island in 1992 and is now located at a restaurant that sits on Mt. Faber near Sentosa Island. Said to bring good luck to married couples. Many people were taking pictures with the bell, but no one was ringing it. I'm not married, but I just had to ring it. 
Many others tie on their own 'bells of happiness'
along the surrounding gates of Mt. Faber. 

**Fun Fact** Along with being recycling lovers, Singapore has other strict laws. Signs of recently caught thieves are posted, even their names and date of capture. I saw this multiple times, mostly near shopping centers. They also have friendly reminders in the metro systems and around public areas of treating others with respect and courtesy. These small signs and notices have a huge impact on the atmosphere of the city.

After a brief rest back in the hostel, we made our way to one of the central bus stations in Ang Mo Koi, aka AMK Hub, to take the half hour ride out to the NIGHT Safari.
We arrived just before a nightly fire show and the Creatures of the Night showing. They reinforced using no flash photography for it would startle or spook the animals and even could cause eye damage. It was amazing how many people STILL would use flash photography. They had to stop the show and call people out more than once. In the show we saw a white raccoon, an enormous python, spotted hyenas, owls, some form of a small bear and medium sized high-jumping cat that I didn't catch the name of. Also an otter who knew how to recycle. We took the tram around the entire park, only getting off once to see the tiger feeding time, which was not as exciting as when we drove past the lions feeding on an actual animal carcass. We also saw hippos being fed with their huge mouths opened wide. Elephants, were in the back. The male, with his large ivory tusks, was kept separated from the females. We also saw some playful otters, many different types of hogs and deer, a sloth bear, giraffes, zebras, wolves, and rhinos. 
#StopIvoryTrade 
                               Day three
After the free breakfast and coffee in our hostel, I went to Orchid Station to do some shopping on my own. Around lunch time Allen and I met back up at Clarke Quay. I had been extremely eager to check out this old-colonial district, known for having Singapore's most exciting nightlife, a multitude of restaurants, and a great area for tourist life and music. 

This mural is of Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Clarke, the second governor of Singapore (873-75).

Skyscrapers as we are headed to Chinatown. We decided to walk to get views of the city that you won't find in the subway.
 Chinatown did not disappoint. There was so much color, and this to me was where the real souvenir markets could be found. It was hard to decide where and what to have for our last lunch. We choose a place right in the center of the madness of the market, with cold Tiger beer and some amazing dishes.
So many options and so much color.
So many cultures.
So much history.
Happy Year of the Monkey! 
It was Saturday night, our final evening, we only had a few hours until we needed to be at the airport.  What we didn't know before coming to this magnificent city, was that we were in town for the Grand Prix opening weekend races. This made the atmosphere that Saturday night feel all the more invigorating. 
Father and daughter posing in front of one of
dozens of top dollar cars around the Fullerton Hotel.
We walked to the Merlion, the icon of Singapore in front of Fullerton Bay Hotel. The lion head represents Singapore's original name, Singapura, meaning "lion city," while the fish body represents the origins of Singapore as a fishing village. 
Me + Singapore + sunny weather = happy, happy, happy!
Many thanks to Allen for capturing so many pictures of me that I would normally never get. Plus his camera is much better. 
Marina Bay Sands by day.
Marina Bay Sands by night.
Another helpful and friendly aspect to the city. In the airports, 7/11s, and other convenience stores you were asked how you
felt about the service you were provided. I hit excellent every time. 


"you are most beautiful when what you are doing is in resonance with what your soul wants."


Thanks for reading. xo