After spending almost 3 weeks at home getting a new passport, I started this one long year of travel in South East Asia to see more Nomad Mania Series items and 5 NM regions in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Feb 13. Caught the Island Link to Departure Bay and the ferry, then bus 257 downtown. I had dinner at Carlino’s in the Shangri-la Hotel. It was the most expensive meal of my life $140 (salad, pasta, lamb, dessert). I then caught the Canada Line to the airport and slept in the atrium. I have a new air mattress (Nemo Tension) and spent a great night.
Feb 14, 2023. Flight. ANA Airlines (T# 205160989728302). YVR to Tokyo Narita @11:20 10′. After a 3-hour layover, flight from Tokyo to Singapore @18:20-0100 +1
I slept in the Singapore airport for another good night. There were hundreds sleeping all over the place.
Day 1 Feb 15, 2023 Singapore. I took the metro downtown to my hostel and they let me check in though it was only 9 am.
I then had my usual big walkabout day seeing a new record of 31 sites.
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. This is a large temple with hundreds of scrolls and some impressive gold Buddhas. There was a “service” happening with about 30, mostly women, chanting from a prayer book. I saw no evidence of the tooth relic.
Of note, there are tooth, bone and hair relics of Buddha all over the place. It is unlikely that any are real.
Singapore City Gallery. A beautiful museum with many large-scale models and maps of the city. It goes heavily into planning with good bits on wastewater and garbage. Free
Tanjong Pager. A neighbourhood with many bars and restaurants with international dining. There is “Little Korea” and Everton Park with many bars.
I then took the metro 3.5 km to the mall.
Vivo City. Singapore’s largest mall, it has 5 stories and all the usual stores.
Sentosa Island. The island has Resorts World with three venues they operate.
I walked over on the Sentosa Causeway and eventually saw everything on the island. Take the Sentosa Express from the 5th floor of Vivo City. It goes as far as Palawan Beach. From there take a bus to the west end of the island and the fort. Free
Universal Studios. I didn’t go as it was very expensive $82,
SEA Aquarium. A great collection of uncommon fish including hammerhead sharks, mantas and octopus. $42
Palawan Beach. A smaller beach fronted by a large island that serves as a breakwater. there is a geyser show from a wooden pier that projects into the water.
Fort Siloso. At the far western end, it is built on a hill. There is a huge network of tunnels supporting the small fort, most of which is built into the hillside. take the elevator to the walkway. Free
Siloso Beach. A large beach fronted by 4 islands with breakwaters. Three of the islands are on beaches on the protected side.
Singapore Cable Car. It runs from the area of the fort back to the mainland ending in a park past the mall. Full day pass $45, Single return trip $28.
Reflections at Keppel Bay. A series of six curving skyscrapers that form a luxury waterfront residential complex on approx 84,000 m² of land with 750m of shoreline. It was completed in 2011, offering 1129 units with a 99-year leasehold. The six distinctive curved glass towers afford panorama views of Mount Faber and Sentosa.
The complex was designed by Daniel Libeskind, who is known for creating the World Trade Center Memorial masterplan. One penthouse was selling for $68 million.
I then took the metro to Clark’s Quay.
Read Bridge. A pedestrian bridge over the Singapore River to Clark’s Quay.
Clark Quay. A shopping area of small streets and 2 story businesses. The river borders its side. Many bars and restaurants.
Civil Defence Heritage Gallery. Mainly old fire engines + a ladder. Civil Defence also looks after the coast guard boats. Free
Children’s Museum of Singapore. Requires a child to enter. Teaches bonding, relationships, time and other enviable qualities. $10
Peranakan Museum. In a lovely Victorian building with an intricate paint job, this museum tells the story of all the immigrants who make up Singapore’s population. There is a big festival in the street outside this week with many food trailers. $12
National Museum of Singapore. A history museum, it is in a lovely grand building. $10 reduced
Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. A lovely small Catholic church, very simple inside with gold medallions on the roof and a nice painting at the back.
Singapore Art Museum. Closed for renos. I have several stone Victorian buildings.
SAM at 8Q. Under renovation. Exhibits now at Tanjong Pagar Distripark.
Sri Krishan Temple. A 19th-century Hindu temple with the usual riot of multicoloured statues. A huge gold god at the back outside.
Kwan Im Thing Hood Cho Temple. A large Buddhist temple with an active prayer going on (kneel on red cushions). The “altar” is a riot of gold statues, dragons, and designs. Lots of incense sticks. Free
Indian Heritage Center. In a new building, shows the history and life of the Indian community in Singapore. $5 reduced
Abdul Gafoor Mosque. A lovely mosque with green highlights. A crescent on every small spire. Built in 1907.
Surgai Road Green Hug. An unusual NM listing – a second-hand store with little interest. Quite a clutter. “Reuse, Recycle, Upscale.”
Malay Heritage Center. Originally on land donated in 1819, this building dates to 1840. Nice grounds.
Sultan Mosque. A large mosque with a separate women’s building. Single minaret, large gold onion dome. The mihrab is the highlight, a lot of gold writing.
Arab Street. A lovely street of mostly 2-story shops. The shutters are all painted in different colours. Behind is a narrow pedestrianized street with many bars and restaurants.
Duo Residences. In the NM Architecture series, these are two skyscrapers, all residential. Many curved surfaces jutting our square bits. Hexagonal design around each deck.
The Gateway. In the Architecture series, these are two skyscrapers with very angular corners. White and glass facade.
Suntec City. A shopping mall with two large towers. The usual stores.
Civilian War Memorial. A tall white tapering monument in 4 sections. Commemorates the Japanese occupation in WWII from 1942-5.
Singapore Cenotaph. A large stone cenotaph “Our Glorious Dead – 1914-1918”.
Lim Bo Seng Memorial. A small white stone memorial with a pagoda roof. He was a major general (1909-44) who led the resistance movement during WWII, closely associated with the Chinese government. He was executed by the Japanese.
People By the River (The First Generation). Five kids jumped off the quay into the Singapore River.
One Ruffles Place. One of five skyscrapers forming a group of banks in the business district. A large shopping mall under a residence tower.
ON The Bohemian. A capsule hostel on Mosque Street. $70/night, the most expensive hostels in the world.
Day 2 Feb 16, 2003. Another big walkabout day. There were several metro rides between the gardens and Marina Bay.
Orchard Hotel. A 5-star hotel with two towers and an outdoor pool.
ION Orchard. A very high-end 5-story shopping mall. I didn’t realize there were so many watch companies. I couldn’t think of a worse job – who buys these things?
Ngee Ann City. Another huge shopping mall less than a block from ION Orchard. Two large tower blocks extend from the 6-story mall. More mid-range than Orchard.
Paragon Shopping Centre. In an area of many huge shopping malls, this is a repeat of the previous two.
Goodwood Park Hotel. Originally a club, then a restaurant, this was converted to a hotel in 1929. It is lovely with large open restaurants and a pool.
Ferrell Residences. I high rise apartment building with large curved balconies. A long walk here then equally long to the botanical garden.
Singapore Botanical Garden. A WHS, this is a lovely garden with tropical plants including a huge palmaria and a true rainforest hike. Many large old trees, many planted by famous people. Free
National Orchid Garden. Part of the botanical garden, this is a maze of trails with hundreds of different orchids. Lovely. $3 reduced from 15 if senior.
One North Residences. A two-tower apartment building built on metal trusses with high prices – 3 million for a one-bedroom 600 sq foot apartment.
Reflections at Bukit Chandu. World War Two interpretative centre that commemorates the battle of Pasir Panjang and the men of the Malay Regiment who fought in it. Bukit Chandu (Malay for Opium Hill) was the site of some of the fiercest fighting during World War II, culminating in what was to become known as the Battle of Singapore. Point 226, the military position where 1,400 men of the Malay Regiment made their last stand against the 13,000-strong Imperial Japanese Army on 14 February 1942. The men of the “C” Company of the 1st Malay Brigade held their ground despite being heavily outnumbered and fought to their deaths. In the aftermath of the battle, many of the regiment’s troopers were killed for refusing to remove their uniforms, embodying their regimental motto ‘Ta’at Setia’ (brave and true).
The Interlace. An architectural masterpiece of irregularly stacked cubes of buildings. 1,040-unit apartment building complex noted for its break from the typical tower design in cities with high population densities. Recreational facilities include swimming pools, a gym, and tennis courts. It consists of six-storey blocks staggered in a hexagonal arrangement surrounding eight courtyards. The blocks are stacked four high at the center to provide a maximum of 24 floors. The Interlace won the World Building of the Year for 2015.
Henderson Waves. At 36 metres above ground, its fantastical shape in an undulating wave, curving and twisting for its 274-metre length. Built on steel arches and and covered in Balau wood, a dense hardwood used in heavy construction it is found only in Southeast Asia. It is illuminated by LED lighting from 7 pm to 7 am every night.
The best way to explore the bridge is through the Southern Ridges Walk, a five-kilometre hiking trail that takes you through three major parks: Kent Ridge Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park and Mount Faber Park. It is the latter two that Henderson Waves connects.
Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 101 hectares (250 acres). The park consists of three waterfront gardens:
Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay opened in 2010. It was deemed the world’s most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion. It has a 2,561-room hotel, a 120,000-square-metre (1,300,000 sq ft) convention-exhibition centre, the 74,000-square-metre (800,000 sq ft) The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Mall, a museum, a large theatre, and seven “celebrity chef” restaurants, two floating crystal pavilions, art-science exhibits, and the world’s largest atrium casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines.
The complex includes three towers topped by the Sands Skypark, a three-acre park on top of the building with swimming pools (150 m (490 ft) infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world’s largest public cantilevered platform, gardens, and jogging paths. The structure bridges all three towers with a segment cantilevered off the north tower. There are four movement joints beneath the main pools, designed to help them withstand the natural motion of the towers – the total range of motion is 500 millimetres (20 inches). The SkyPark is accessible only to hotel guests for security reasons.
The hotel towers are also subject to settlement in the earth over time, so engineers built and installed custom jack legs to allow for future adjustment at more than 500 points beneath the pool system. This jacking system is important primarily to ensure the infinity edge of the pool continues to function properly. Seven celebrity chef restaurants.
Wonder Full is a nighttime multimedia show that starts off with a single drop of water, representing the birth of life. It later stages through important stages of the person`s life such as childhood, development through age and adulthood.
Benjamin Shears Bridge. A large road bridge that crosses over the Marina Reservoir, along the southern coast of mainland Singapore. It is the longest bridge in Singapore, spanning 1.8 km,
Helix Bridge. A pedestrian bridge linking Marina Centre with Marina South opened in 2010. Pairs of coloured letters c and g, as well as a and t on the bridge which are lit up at night in red and green, represent cytosine, guanine, adenine and thymine, the four bases of DNA. The intentional left-handed DNA-like design, which is the opposite of normal DNA on earth, earned it a place in The Left Handed DNA Hall of Fame in 2010.
The Helix is fabricated from approximately 650 tonnes of Duplex Stainless Steel and 1000 tonnes of carbon steel.
Singapore Flyer. A large Ferris wheel that gives great views of the Marina area. $33
ON the Bohemia
Day 3 Sat Feb 17
Bus to Malacca. What a mess. I had looked up bus lines to Malacca and saw that two companies stopped at Bugis MRT exit D. I was a 20-minute walk from the hostel to the closest MRT station. At Bugis, there were no buses (maybe because I had not booked a pick-up) so I asked a progressive number of people about bus stops and was redirected 3 times until I arrived at a large station. The bus company 707 had a bus leaving in 40 minutes but accepted only cash. I tried to book it online but couldn’t. I got very stressed and they finally gave me a free ticket to Malacca (maybe to shut me up).
It was a pleasant 4-hour drive with at least 30 minutes at Malaysia immigration. The bus stopped first at Sentral bus station and then drove into downtown Malacca letting me off on the other side of a mall. The hostel was a simple walk through the mall.
