“Singapore – the very name summons visions of the mysterious East. The commercial center of Southeast Asia, this island city-state of four million people is a metropolis of modern high-rise buildings, Chinese shop-houses with red-tiled roofs, sturdy Victorian buildings, Buddhist temples and Arab bazaars. Founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles of the fabled East India Company, the city is a melting pot of people and cultures. Malay, Chinese, English and Tamil are official languages. Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity are the major faiths. Singapore is an ever-fascinating island boasting colorful traditions, luxurious hotels and some of the finest duty-free shopping in the world.
Lying just 85 miles north of the Equator at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, the island was a haven for Malay pirates and Chinese and Arab traders.” – Princess Patter
After only one day at sea from Sanya, China, we are in Singapore. Before getting off the ship were warned repeatedly that the ‘social laws’ are strictly enforced in Singapore! Don’t chew gum. Don’t smoke in public. Don’t j-walk … hmmm …
We chose to see Singapore from the Hippo Bus (Hop on, Hop off). So, we bought a two day pass right in the cruise terminal parking lot and got on a shuttle to the Hippo Terminal at Suntec City. Hippo has five different color coded tours of Singapore, all of which can be covered in two days. On day one, we started out with the ‘Red’ tour. Like most ‘hop on, hop off’ companies, Hippo provides a running commentary in ten or more major languages. So, you just plug in the provided ear buds, select your language and listen to relevant commentary about where the bus is at. If something interests you, no problem, just hop off and rejoin the tour when the next bus comes around.
We got off at the second stop, Little India. We had hoped to join a walking tour of the section of Singapore but apparently we were too late. So, we just took off wandering into the Hindu temples, through the markets and past the many Indian restaurants. There is a large Indian population in Singapore and there was much to see. We walk a couple of miles until we reached the next Hippo stop where we got back on the bus and continued our tour.
We road around for a little while and then hopped off again in Chinatown. Chinatown in Singapore is huge. We again walked around visiting temples and wandering through open air markets. At one point Frances bought a beautiful blouse for $15,00 Singapore Dollars. Not bad. After a while we hopped back on the Hippo and rode it back to the Suntec City Terminal.
We had tickets for the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo. So, we decided to take the ‘Green Tour’ next as it would take us back to the cruise terminal. On the way we went past the Sands Hotel and Casino, one of only two casinos in Singapore. The Sands Hotel is a spectacular feat of architecture and well worth seeing. Then we drove past the Singapore Flyer, a seventy story high ferris wheel! Finally we were back at the cruise terminal and back on board the Pacific Princes. We rested for about an hour and ate lunch/dinner. Then we joined the tour for the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo.
The Singapore Zoo was about a forty-five minute bus ride from the cruise terminal. We arrived about a half hour before sunset but just as we arrived it began to rain … then it began to pour. We huddled under shelter for thirty to four minutes before the rain finally let up. Then we got in line for the Night Safari Tram. The Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo is quite popular. So, there were long lines for the Tram but eventually we got on. Fortunately, the tram cars are covered so they were dry. The idea of the Night Safari is to see those animals that are nocturnal and, therefore, not visible or not active during the day. The animals are in enclosures not cages (although some of the larger, more dangerous animals may have moats or fencing). The enclosures have low lighting and passengers on the tram are cautioned to turn off the flash on their cameras.
The tram first passed a SLOTH BEAR, then GIRAFFES and ZEBRAS. We saw CAPE BUFFALOS, SPOTTED HYENAS AND HIPPOPOTAMI. We saw an ASIAN BLACK BEAR. Then, as we were cautioned not to touch the animals, we noticed two Gray and white animals walking right up to the tram … they were MALAYAN TAPIRS. Next we passed BEARDED PIGS and then the ASIAN ELEPHANTS, including an infant and two spectacular bulls. Next we saw some SAMBAR DEER and INDIAN WOLVES. Then we came upon a pair of GREATER ASIAN RHINOCEROSES, fortunately behind a moat. Then we saw AXIS DEER and several MALAYAN TIGERS, again, behind a moat. We also saw several asian breeds of long horn sheep and goats, passed some STRIPED HYENAS and, finally, ASIATIC LIONS, who are nocturnal but apparently sleep twenty hours a day. So, they were stretched out on there backs catching some z’s as we passed by.
After the tram ride, we went to the Creatures of the Night Show. This was a twenty minute show in an amphitheater which featured a couple of BINTURONGS, OTTERS, a couple of different breeds of OWL, a HYENA and a huge PYTHON.
After the show we got back on the bus and headed back to the cruise terminal. We got in about 11:00 pm local time. A long day …