Day 47 - Singapore

 

Date:  Feb. 24, 2007

 

Location:  Singapore 

 

Next Port:  Muara, Brunei, Feb. 26

 

Quick Summary:  We had a quick but very interesting stop at the busy port and city of Singapore. We sailed past more than 150 ships at anchor, vast chemical and container areas and right into the cruise terminal at the base of the cable car to Sentosa Island. We visited the famous Raffles Hotel and got an up close look at three of the cultures that make up this small island nation.

 

Report:  Capt. Dag made up time, so we were able to pick up our pilot earlier than expected. The long run into our actual dockage was very interesting. Numerous natural and man-made outer islands were filled with vast chemical and oil storage facilities. The channel was filled with several hundred ships – plying in and out of the port or at anchor. It was a truly amazing sight.

 

We docked at a large cruise terminal that really could only handle two large ships, but was bustling with high-speed passenger ferries and local tourist boat excursions. Next to it was a large, three-story, upscale, waterfront mall called Vivo. We had time to walk through it prior to our excursion.  It was filled with upscale stores…many local as well as many international and U.S. brands.

 

Our excursion began with a curry lunch buffet in the very chic Tiffin Room at the famous Raffles Hotel. We also had time to wander around the extensive grounds, shops and museum. Many readers probably know that the Singapore Sling originated in the Long Bar at this iconic hotel.

 

In 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles established a British colony for the East India Company in what is today Singapore. Considered the founder of Singapore, Raffles was very influential in the early growth and development of the area.

 

Although the hotel carries his name, it was founded by four Armenian brothers in 1887. The original location was seaside, though due to continued land reclamation, it now is almost a ½ mile from the shoreline.  The hotel was closed from 1989-91, and after extensive renovations, it has been restored to how it appeared in its heyday of 1915. Of course, new wings of rooms, expanded facilities and shops have been added. It’s still quite a grand, refined hotel.  (Rooms run around $650 per night.)

 

We then visited China Town, Little India and Arab Street. In China Town, they were marking the 7th day of the 15-day Chinese New Year (the year of the Golden Pig) celebration. On this day, everybody’s birthday is celebrated. We saw them burning fake money for their ancestors to use when reincarnated. We saw a highly decorated Hindu temple in the middle of China Town. Joseph, our Catholic guide of Tamil (Indian) descent, explained that the Chinese provided this land more than 150 years ago to the Hindus when they were prohibited from building in another area of the city. Joseph mentioned several times, with pride, how all the various religions and nationalities respect each other in modern day Singapore and live in Harmony. What a concept! (We saw Buddhist temples, a Jewish synagogue, Hindu temples and a Catholic Church all in the center of the city.)

 

In Little India, we walked through various silk and handicraft shops. In the Malay area, we visited the outside of the golden-domed Sultan Mosque, the largest in Singapore. We watched men prepare themselves by washing their feet, hands, arms and faces in the adjacent bathing areas before entering the mosques for prayer.  Since prayers were underway, we could not go inside. Karen purchased a wrap skirt and some silk scarves from India (in China Town).

 

Upon returning to the ship, we decided to ride the cable car to

Sentosa Island. Our ship was docked right under this cable way that moves from a mountain peak through a 15-story transfer station to the island park. We didn’t get out of the cable car but thoroughly enjoyed the 30-min. roundtrip to the lush green entertainment island.

 

On our earlier bus ride drive back to the port, we passed by the container terminal. We learned that it is the largest in the world…recently surpassing Rotterdam. (Singapore also operates 20 other ports around the world.) It is the most efficient port in the world, with ships being able to offload and reload within 7-18 hours. Shipping operations is the main business of this small island nation. (The nation is really small, only 23 km north to south and 42 km east to west. In fact, the train tracks through the country and railroad station are owned by Malaysia, its northern neighbor. 12% of Singapore is built on reclaimed land.)

 

Tourism, another main industry, is finally bouncing back after being seriously impacted by the SARs situation of a few years ago. Singapore hosted about 9 million visitors last year. Unemployment at the time of the SARs scare soared to about 18% and hotel occupancy was about 10%. Now unemployment is about 4% and the economy’s growth rate has bounced back to above 8% the past two years.

 

Singapore, the Lion City, certainly lives up to its namesake. It is roaring along, certainly someplace we’d like to return to.  

 

Larry

 

Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:

 

picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise

 

Photos from Singapore have been added.