The Modern, Vibrant Republic of Singapore

The contrast between our last two ports, Saigon and Singapore, couldn’t be starker. While Saigon itself seems to have rebounded from the war, the area outside Saigon displayed a depth of poverty that we have rarely, if ever, seen.  However Singapore is the epitome of a vibrant, modern 21^st century city that would rival any American city.

Singapore’s origins come from a small fishing village near the tip of the Malay Peninsula just 1° above the Equator to the city we have just visited.  United Kingdom assumed control of the area during the era of European imperialism and held it until the Japanese took control during the 1940s.  After World War II, Singapore was returned to Great Britain and in 1963, it became a part of the newly established country of Malaysia with whom it shared much of the Malay Peninsula.  But the differences between the city of Singapore and the rest of Malaysia were so significant that Singapore felt it could strike out on its own as an independent city and country.  The Republic of Singapore became independent from Malaysia in 1965.

Today, Singapore is the smallest country in Asia, with a land mass of just over 700 square kilometers, a population of 5.2 million people, and it is the 22^nd wealthiest country in the world.  The city is very modern and new with few buildings that seem to date back to the earlier British period.  Streets are wide and cars are as nearly abundant as in the US despite the fact that people don’t travel long distances by car.  They are expensive and people pay a high tax to purchase one.  There were parkland and green and flowering medians nearly everywhere we drove.  In short, it’s an exceptionally impressive city.

We have heard that laws are strictly enforced in Singapore and that punishment for violation is quite severe.  Fines are administered for what we might consider to be minor offenses in the US like jaywalking, littering, and gum chewing. Yes, the sale of gum is prohibited in Singapore.  We saw virtually no litter.   Singapore continues to use lashings as punishment for some offenses, and carrying larger amounts of narcotics would be a capital offense.  As a result, it is a very safe city.  A notice in the MTR station warned of a $500 fine for eating or drinking, $1,000 fine for smoking, and a $5,000 fine for having explosives. (A Singapore dollar is worth slightly less than a US dollar.)  It was the first country where we were required to carry our passports with us whenever we left the ship.  They were checked as we disembarked the ship each time and we would have to have produced them if an officer asked to see them.  Considering the small size of Singapore, it’s amazing to think of their strict control in comparison to the US where crossing our border illegally is now all too routine and where in Illinois it is considered an insult to ask a voter for a picture ID to vote!  I am sure that’s not going to happen in Singapore.

We were here for two days and one night and because of heavy ship traffic, we had to go to the cargo container port for a few hours, while another Holland America ship, the Zaandam was berthed at the passenger terminal until mid-afternoon on Sunday.  At that time, the Amsterdam moved the short distance to the Singapore Cruise Center (passenger terminal).  When we went out on Sunday, we were amazed at the huge size of the cargo terminal.  Our tour bus drove a great distance through the cargo terminal.  It was almost a small city there with streets and traffic signals until we finally got out to the city itself.

Barb, Al, and I took a shore excursion, Singapore’s Highlights, since it was our first visit to the city.  We figured it would orient us to the city so we could obtain an overview as to what was there.   Our first stop was at the beautiful National Orchid Garden for an approximately 40 minute walk through the magnificent gardens.  The drive through the modern downtown with its modern buildings and shopping reminded us of the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.  For block after block there were malls and well known stores that suggested wealth.

We next visited the Sultan Mosque in Singapore, removing our shoes before entering.  Singapore has few Muslims, but this was a large mosque.  Then we drove past the Raffles Hotel where the famous (but not to me) Singapore Sling drink originated.  A visit to the waterfront once again showcased the modern city buildings including the Sands Hotel with a large roof spanning three separate buildings as part of the complex.  I’ve seen pictures and You Tube videos of this roof which is complete with a swimming pool that looks like one could swim right off the top of the tall building.  A highlight and symbol of the city is at the harbor, the so-called “Merlion”, with its lion face and mermaid tail.  It is to Singapore as the Little Mermaid is to Copenhagen except the Little Mermaid is on a rock in the water while the Merlion is a large statue along the water with water spurting from the mouth as a fountain.  It’s a favorite photo stop in Singapore. 

Two final stops took us to Chinatown and Mt. Faber for a panoramic view of the city from above.  In Chinatown, we could either visit a Chinese pagoda for an inside visit or visit a Hindu temple short block away.  Since we would have had to remove our shoes at the Mariamman Hindu Temple and our time was limited, we opted to visit the Chinese pagoda and allow time to hurry down the street to take a few pictures of the unique Hindu temple.  Our final stop atop Mt. Faber gave a great view of the city and the busy port.

It was a quick tour but gave an excellent overview of this impressive city.  In the afternoon, we were scheduled to make the short move over to the Cruise Terminal as a space had now been cleared to accept the Amsterdam, but there was a delay as a result of the refueling of the ship.  We were glad to be on the ship at that time as a heavy downpour with thunder and lightning occurred.  By the time we arrived at the Cruise Ship Terminal it was time to leave for the second shore excursion of the day, called the Night Safari.  This was the first zoo in the world devoted entirely to nocturnal animals.  Quite obviously the zoo was open only at night and the lighting was very subdued so as not to interfere with the animals but to give sufficient light to guests so the animals could be observed.

After arriving, we boarded a tram similar to what one might find at Disney World, where we were given a narrated tour from a guide who pointed out the animals in their darkened habitats.  Barb and I freely took pictures knowing that most wouldn’t turn out even with the night setting but hoping we might have a couple decent pictures worth saving.  Shortly after that ended a 20 minute fire dance took place complete with the flame swallowers.  Another show involved bringing in some animals into the amphitheater and giving the public an idea as to how they functioned in darkness.  Before we reboarded the bus to return to the ship, we took a 20 minute Fishing Cat Walk where we had the opportunity to stroll along the path and take pictures of some of the amazing creatures.  It was a fun, and very different, zoo experience, giving us the opportunity to see many animals that not readily found in American zoos, such as the mouse deer (the smallest member of the deer family – about the size of a house cat), the binturong (related to the mongoose), the slow loris (looks like a lemur), the gharial (member of the crocodile family), and of course the fishing cat (looks like a tiny leopard), to name a few.

After returning to the Cruise Port, we once again went through the very rigorous customs and security checks which included two, not one, passport checks as well as an examination of our Singapore landing card which we had to keep on our person at all times when we were off the ship, a thorough security scanning followed by long and seemingly endless walks through the terminal.  Their cruise passenger terminal would put some of our airports to shame with the long hikes inside the terminal and the security checks.  Each time we got on or off the ship, we had to go through this process.  But at 11:30 at night, it seemed to take even longer.

Our second day in Singapore was much quieter and was planned that way.  We didn’t schedule a shore excursion and decided to do what we wanted on our own on Monday.  So after breakfast Barb and I boarded Singapore’s  MTR rapid transit system (the subway system similar to Chicago’s CTA subway or the London Tube), and headed toward the business district so Barb could add to her Hard Rock Café shot glass collection.  We first had to figure out the system for purchasing the tickets at automated stations and how to make the required transfer.  When we arrived at our destination stop, we were in what was called “Wheelock Place”, a large ultra modern mall complex.   But it held particular interest for Barb because, as a genealogist, she hadn’t expected to come across that name in Singapore.  Our great-great-grandmother’s maiden name was Wheelock and it is through that name that she traces our pre-Revolutionary War roots to claim some of her ancestors for DAR.  After a quick stop at an optical store to adjust her glasses (resulting from them being knocked out of alignment on the bus during our morning shore excursion), we headed for Hard Rock to make the collectible purchase.  After such a busy Sunday, we made the return ride back to the pier.  Having figured out the MRT system, we figured we could do some of the sightseeing on our own on a subsequent visit to Singapore.  We would like to visit the small island of Sentosa which we could view from our verandah, go back to Chinatown, and visit Singapore’s  Jurong Bird Park.

We sailed out of Singapore on our way to Phuket, Thailand about 11 PM, traveling up the long Malay Peninsula.  We were absolutely amazed at the number of ships with their lights blazing just off the Singapore coast. We had assumed that all those lights were on shore but as we drew nearer, all along the way we realized that there were literally hundreds of boats.  On Tuesday morning when I went out to walk the deck, I was able to spot at least 25 boats within sight of the ship. We had heard that some of the busiest waters in the world were in the Bay of Bengal between the Malay Peninsula and India’s east coast.  Having seen the number of boats in the waters we observed confirms the statement for us!

CT