Blogs from Singapore, Asia - page 362

The Botanical and Orchid Gardens of Singapore are must-see tourist attractions. The Orchid Garden, a three-hectare plot of land inside the Botanical Gardens, is home to the most species of orchids in the world. Orchids are sent from all over the world to add to its insurmountable collection and to create new hybrids in this garden center. Although we expected to spend at least four hours at the Gardens, we were there for only half that time... it was too hot and humid, so we rushed through everything. Here's the pics, enjoy! ... read more

Time ran out on me last time while I was writing about the Red Lantern Tour, but i thought it would be worth it to add a whole entry about prostitution. I thought I'd tell you what I'd heard from guides and seen so far. Firstly, I have to clarify something I'd misunderstood. You remember me talking about Pink Street before, well that's actually guy-girls only, transvestites, whatever - not born-females. It is in the heart of where the Indian visiting-workers stay. There is another area, Geylang, that has the girls. It used to be the Bugis area and has since moved to a now dodgier area. An area of Singapore that's dangerous enough that they've recently added some cameras on the most dangerous corners. We spent some time in Geylang, where we sampled the local...........................fruit. ... read more

These are the servicepeople's parade, along the streets of Singapore, before they actually take part in the full parade at night. We had great seats on the top of the open tour bus.... read more

"Singapore is certainly the handiest city I ever saw, as well planned and carefully executed as though built entirely by one man. It is like a big desk, full of drawers and pigeon-holes, where everything has its place, and can always be found in it." William Hornaday, 1885. Hornaday's appraisal is certainly more valid today than it was in 1885. Singapore-a city, island, and country-is the land of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings. The envy of S.E. Asia, it is shockingly hi-tech and ultra-modern, with meticulous, regimented, yet stunning civil engineering. From road planning to its highly efficient and eye-popping MRT (mass rapid transit - a train system) system, the entire island is a marvelous piece of engineering wizardry. Four million people of 77% Chinese, 14% Malay, and 8% Indian descent call the "Lion City," or Singapura, ... read more

Today was a crazy day of variety. Prepared to be out for the whole day, past the fireworks at 12, it was the day that I combined walking tours, and sit downs - like restaurant meals, guided tours and festivities. Captain Jack, a bus driver from today is watching me write this, and has told me twice to make sure I write his name in whatever I'm doing here, so there it was. All the people on the tours AREA great, I recommend them to anyone visiting (That's the open hop-on, hop=off buses, the aqua duck and the bumboat rides. But I'm getting ahead of myself. If I don't write it down in order I'll forget cool stuff, so I'll leave Captain Jack for a sec and talk about this morning. Today was time to leave ... read more