Solo in Singapore for Five days...Plus One
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| A map of the region, Singapore is marked in red. You can enlarge any photo by clicking on it. |
At the end of the “Wonderful Sail to Indonesia” Rally in November, 2018, I bade farewell to Captain Gilles and Samara II in Indonesia and took the ferry across the Straits of Malacca to Singapore. I had booked an Airbnb flat, to be gloriously alone for only the second time in four months. (The last time I was alone on Samara II the night of the earthquake in northern Sulawesi, where the ground liquified and swallowed up buildings and people. The resulting tsunami was not detected, because the tsunami detection buoys were disabled. Fortunately, the boat, and I were safe!).
(You can read about our voyage through Indonesia by clicking Indonesia in the Labels in the column on the Top Right.)
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| A view from the ferry. It is the busiest shipping area in the world! |
Arriving in Singapore, I looked forward to meeting up with my girlfriends Caroline and Joyce, late of SY Henrietta. We made plans to meet at the Gardens by the Bay in the evening to see the fantastic light show. I walked from my flat to the Gardens, two miles or so, and after a few phone calls to refine our locations, we met each other just as the show began.
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These giant trees change colors in concert with lively
music. It is an amazing and entertaining spectacle. |
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My pals Caroline and Joycie. It was good to be at liberty with such great ladies!
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After eating, drinking, and laughing with my girlfriends until way past my bedtime, we hugged a final farewell. But first they gave me an orientation to how to use the subway system in Singapore. Like everything else in this city, it is clean and shiny and efficient.
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| Nighttime is bright in the city. |
Morning dawned and I was eager to explore this multicultural city. My flat was in Chinatown, with a subway station just down the street. Across from it was a food hawker court. Singapore is a famous food destination, and the multitudes of street hawkers have been moved inside food courts for easier management and access to sanitation. I ventured there for my first breakfast in S’pore.
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| A street scene in Chinatown, the neighborhood where I was staying. |
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| Buildings blossom in tropical colors in Chinatown. This is a shop-house, where merchants had their shops on the ground level and living quarters above. This buidling dates from the 1930’s. |
Singapore has the most wonderful blend of super-shiny modern architecture, juxtaposed with well- preserved buildings of many styles from bygone centuries. It has several distinct neighborhoods reflecting its cultural groups; Malay, Chinese, Indian, Muslim and British. I always like to stay in the oldest part of town, and Chinatown is one of the oldest. It is next to the old British enclave where Sir Stamford Raffles established the first British community in the early 1800’s.
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| A street scene in Chinatown. |
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| Laundry is poled out to dry in the tropical sun. |
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I visited the Buddha Tooth Temple, but didn’t get anywhere near
the Buddha’s tooth, or hair, or any other body parts. |
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| Faithful Buddhists pray inside the Chinese-style temple. |
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| What would a temple be without monks! |
I walked all over the City. I hiked a few miles up to the sprawling botanical garden, which features an amazing Orchid Garden which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is beautifully curated. I took a hundred flower pictures, but will only regale you with a few.
Next I walked down into a district of extraordinary modern architecture, in which the Marina Bay Sands Resort stands out. It has an upmarket mall on the lower stories and the “surfboard” part on top is accessible to non-residents who buy an expensive day pass. You get to the top, where there is a pool and shady, leafy landscaped restaurant area, but are not allowed there. Visitors such as I are restricted to a concrete parking lot-like space on the end of the surfboard, where you slowly scorch in the sun while snapping photos. Still, it was a pretty amazing view!
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| Ships at anchor in the distance. Singapore is the biggest seaport. |
Back on earth again, I am still gobsmacked by the incredible architecture!
Time to eat. One evening I watched an old episode of Anthony Bourdain in Singapore, and I decided to follow his lead to find the best “chicken rice”, one of the signature dishes of Singapore. I hunted down the little food booth that made this fabulous dish for Anthony, at the Maxwell Street Food court. Local people were lined up to buy this mouthwatering creation. I noticed that Tony’s hair was pretty dark in this photo...when my turn came, I eagerly ordered the dish. Below is something like Tony was served in the TV feature. Mine didn’t look like that at all...and pretty much tasted like boiled chicken and steamed rice. No sauces, no garnishes. I was underwhelmed with my bland meal, but I still had had fun tracking down the restaurant, which is evidently resting on its laurels. I had good laugh at myself and called it a day.
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| All the sauces and garnishes? Not on my plate! |
Next day I walked over to explore the famous Raffles Hotel, one of the great hotels of the world. I was there about thirty years ago, when the charming Sikh doorman gently explained to me that I was not properly dressed and could not enter the elegant lobby (wearing sandals). Having spruced up, I was sorely disappointed to discover that the entire place, except the Long Bar (home of the Singapore Sling) was closed for a massive renovation. Ah well, at least I can enjoy a cool drink at the Long Bar......
I sat down at the Long Bar and waited, and waited, and waited, as did all the other patrons, to be noticed by any of the numerous wait staff and managers, who studiously ignored us all for over 45 minutes. I was getting steamed. I took this photo...at the exact moment the young lady server saw me and discerned that perhaps trouble was brewing. I curtly informed her that I, the man at the other end of the bar, and the party of six at a nearby table, had all been waiting to be served. Well, I got my $18 glass of cider pretty quickly. Refreshed, I also pointedly lodged my complaint with the manager, whom I brazenly waylaid. I then posted my complaint on Trip Advisor and Facebook (and now here). My friend Brian shared his best technique...calling the restaurant manager while seated in the dining room and lodging his complaint while watching it all in real time. Brilliant!!
Next I headed over to the nearby Kampong Glam, the traditional Muslim neighborhood in Singapore. This mosque, the Masjid Sultan, was built around 1819. The shops in the neighboring Arab Street feature beautiful textiles, fine leather goods and restaurants with an Arab flavor. I had a snack at a Turkish restaurant, a little remembrance of good times on another sea.
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| Street art is everywhere in Kampong Glam. |
I passed the hospital on my way home. It had been a long day of walking, and my foot was hurting. When I got home and took off my shoe, I saw that my third toe was BLACK. Charcoal black, almost the whole tip. Holy smokes...Gangrene! I thought. A tiny, one-millimeter long cut I got a week ago in Indonesia turned septic in one day. I was traveling on to Laos in two more days...I had to take care of this right now. I immediately left my flat and took the subway to the hospital. I was promptly treated with large doses of antibiotics and the wound cleaned and dress, and was told to come back in two days. I will spare you the photo. I’m happy to report that the treatment was excellent and things were resolving nicely before I left Singapore.
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| A cool theater building from the 1920’s I passed on the way home. |
The next morning I went to my local food hawker court for a breakfast bowl of rich noodle soup, like I had seen earlier. The lady served me this bowl of steaming deliciousness..
The chopsticks had been lacquered to a polished smoothness and, though I’m pretty good with chopsticks, these were impossible for me to use, even to pick up the big pieces. I was slipping and sliding among the noodles when I looked up to see the smiling shopkeeper, who kindly presented me with wooden carry-out chopsticks. We both had a giggle, though neither of us spoke a word of the other’s language. Needless to say, I was able to enjoy my breakfast.
Another building I noticed nearby the hospital (I sheltered under it during a torrential downpour) was this edifice of polished many-colored granite. It is the finest building I have ever beheld. Built in the Deco style, adorned with bronze fittings, art and even an original Botero sculpture (yes, a fat lady).
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| I love a bronze man on the roof! |
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| Here is the Botero sculpture. These fat ladies get around! |
I discovered that the lobby is also in immaculate Deco style. The bar features the largest collection of gin in the world. It fills a wall and has a rolling mahogany library ladder to reach the top shelf. I sipped a G&T, then went up to wander through the art museum on the second floor. This building is privately owned by the daughter of a shipping magnate. Lucky girl.
In the evening for dinner I met up with the crew of
SY Romano; Captain Mike, Anne and Imogen, whom I had also befriended during the “Wonderful Sail to Indonesia” rally. We agreed to meet at the Jumbo Seafood Restaurant on the river....not realizing that there were
two Jumbo Seafood Restaurants on the river! After phone calls, mad dashes and cab rides, we enjoyed another of Singapore’s iconic foods, Chili Crab. Yes, it was delicious. And messy!
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| Anne, Imogen, me and Captain Mike, with whom I would sail in the future... |
So ended my five-day visit to Singapore in 2018. I went on to explore Laos (click on Laos in the Labels column at the upper right). But I passed through Singapore again on an overnight layover the following December and here is what I discovered. In Spring 2019, the upscale Jewel Changi Mall adjoining the airport opened to the public, adding a sophisticated mall, indoor park, attractions, gardens and yes, a hotel. It has become a destination for locals as well as travelers. I only learned this days before my trip, so I booked a stay at the airport hotel.
I never dreamed that I would ever spend the night at a mall. The Yotel features tiny rooms they call Cabins....lit by otherworldly purple light! The beds can raise to recline, so there’s no need for chairs. The tiny room has a bed, shelf, and bath, all immaculately clean. It was an interesting place to rest up before the long flight home.
The hotel overlooks this view of the Eye, a bowl-shaped waterfall, which also features a light show coordinated with music in the evenings. Surrounding this waterfall is a wall of cascading greenery. It was Christmas time, and the greenery was also lit with blue fairy lights and ornaments
Here is a video clip of the waterfall
Here the waterfall goes into an opalescent vortex...
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In the mall are all sorts of fancy boutiques, as well as high-end restaurants.
This one is famous for its Peking Duck. |
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| I went Japanese with a bowl of udon noodles with chicken, exotic mushrooms, and Chinese cabbage. Delicious. |
After a good night’s rest in my purple cabin, I boarded a flight back to the States,
after nine months of travel. Looking forward to seeing my family and friends again!
NOvember 2018, December 2019,
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