Lion City (Singapore)

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<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Monday 2^nd April 2012:

What a complete contrast Singapore is compared with some of our recent ports of call. It isn’t just clean, it is utterly spotless. They have some serious fines and even imprisonment for littering and they have also banned the sale of chewing gum throughout Singapore and the result is clear for all to see. It is also described as a garden city and it’s a good description. It really is very beautiful.

We went on the Singapore Flyer this morning which is Singapore’s slightly higher answer to the London Eye. The pods are all air conditioned and the views are spectacular. It’s right next to the grand prix track and gives fantastic views over some very impressive city real estate. We also went on a ‘bum boat’ for a ride through some of the old and new areas of the city. The old ‘shop houses’ are small and narrow and on a very human scale whereas the sky scrapers are enormous and very impressive. There is one group of 3 skyscrapers that all topped off with what looks like a glass and steel boat. Apparently you can go up there for $25 a day and swim in the huge pool and wander around the roof top gardens. That would definitely be on my ‘must do’ list if I came back her for a longer stay.

After a quick lunch on board and then a change of clothes we went back into the city for our second tour of the day and this one started off in grand style with a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel. And it was delicious! Cherry brandy, gin and fruit punch combined into a delicious pink concoction. I’m not really known for drinking but I could easily make an exception for another one of those. The hotel is also just as you imagine it to be – a bit of a hang-over from colonial days gone by and full of fountains, dark wood and fans. But at over a thousand dollars a night to stay there, I don’t think it’s going to feature on any holiday plans in the near future!

Then we had our maddest moment in Singapore and that was taking a trishaw ride round Little India. Each trishaw only takes 2 people so we made up a long line of about 21 vehicles. All the locals must have found our procession very comical as they all smiled and waved as this long line of tourists cascaded through their neighbourhood. We’ve been to lots of little Italy’s and China Towns but never a little India before. And it really was like you’d been plucked out of where you were and dropped deep into India. Backpacker heaven!

So now we’re back on board and watching the sun go down over the port. This is the busiest commercial port in the world and the statistics are amazing. A commercial vessel either docks or departs this harbour every 7 minutes of every day of the year! That means they process 130,000 vessels a year and they work their way through 29 million containers a year. Everywhere you look from our balcony there are ships. This is also home to Shell’s largest oil refinery in the world so Singapore is a city of contrasts: completely cleanliness in the city and concentrated cargos here in the port. It makes for a fascinating mix.

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