Day 45 - Singapore

Yesterday we had to fill out a special entry card and secure a copy of it. Easy enough, just a process. Now we are here, quite overcast but we are ready for an exciting day! Little did we know that the tedious process of the visitor's card yesterday was just the beginning... 2+ hours later we are finally through immigration... there must be a better way! Several people had to leave the queue as this demographic is mostly elderly and standing in lines that long was very hard for some. I felt sorry for the crew as they have so very little time in a port anyway. It is rarely a "pleasure tour" for them but taking care of some necessary life business for themselves or someone back home. Anyway, I won't go into the details and massive complaints about all of that. It is what it is and if you want convenience I guess one needs to stay home, which is not me!

About The Republic of Singapore: Singapore is a city, nation, and state! This is the second largest sea port in the world, the largest in South East Asia. I didn't realize Singapore was so small, only 281 sq miles. Situated just about 85 miles north of the Equator, you can imagine our weather and what it is year round. The city is clean and strict. The few facts I know: No vaping and you cannot carry that with you. No chewing gum, it is outlawed. If you litter the first fine is $500, second $1000, third $2000... not sure what happens after that! There are narrow, lovely streets with lush vegetation everywhere you look. 

Now onto our tour. The order of our tour changed a little but due to the length of time getting through the lines at immigration. So the first stop on our tour is lunch as we were scheduled there at 11:30a. We went to an extremely popular restaurant Yum Cha. Yum Cha Restaurant first opened its doors in the heart of Chinatown. Yum Cha first started out in 2000 near Temple Street, Chinatown, with the aim of bringing back the dim sum tea house concept in a shophouse setting, with marble tables and wooden chairs for a nostalgic feel. Away from the hustle and bustle of city life, Yum Cha Restaurants offer a unique dim sum dining experience. The lines out the door attest to the popularity of this venue. We were not disappointed with our feast: dim sum, shrimp/mango roll, spring roll, ABC soup, followed by dishes of chicken, fish, and vegetables, with dessert being a deep fried black bean and banana roll. The tea was also delicious. After lunch we had time to shop and appreciate Chinatown before heading to our next venue. 

Tea Appreciation was our next treat at Yixing Xuan Tea House. We learned all about tea and how it is grown, harvested, and made. It was quite a process. White tea was new to me. The tea was quite expensive so we will try to find some at home. 

Now we are full of delicious tea tastes and we headed to the Intercontinental Hotel for our complementary Singapore Sling. It was tasty, not like the ones I recall in the 70's that were terribly sweet. I decided to order a second one since we had time to relax (we opted not to shop in the mall that was enclosed and somewhat attached to the luxurious hotel). To my surprise it was much different! I will add that it was US$24 but it was tasty and I enjoyed it. 

Our next stop was Little India. By now the heat is getting a bit harsh. This area seemed less friendly than other areas. We walked around a little bit. Our time was short there and that was fine with me. A lot of people glared at us. The peddlers were friendly but the other shoppers perhaps only wanted "the Indian people" shopping there, I'm not sure. Anyway, some nice sites in the market and the Golden Mosque as well. 

Somehow we have managed to avoid the rain at each stop. Our guide said it was because we are all smiling and it keeps the sun shining, not sure but we never got drenched like some of the tour groups. Anytime there was a downpour we were on the bus. Now our tour has concluded and we have the option to get off the bus at the Raffles Hotel, a very famous spot, but we opted not to. It was uncertain just how we would secure a taxi and so we just went back to the port. I was thrilled to find postcards and stamps at the port and mailed off a couple of postcards. The lines were very short getting back on the ship. Nonetheless, it took some time as about 50% of us had to be pulled aside to have a double check on the passport. No explanation was given and eventually we were cleared to board. 

Our departure time was delayed again, I'm not sure why. I did hear that our entry to immigration was so slow because we had a late arrival in port. There was also another ship in port. Who knows? Anyway, Singapore was lovely. I am sure spending a week here would be amazing and you would see and experience so much!