Singapore: 1N/2D & More by Bill

December 2017

Celebrity Millenium Southeast Asia cruise started in Singapore, where supposedly live 5.6 million happy people, with one overnight stay at the port. We had been to Singapore before, but this time we had two friends traveling with us for whom it was the very first trip to Asia. We tried to give them an overview of Singapore in this 1N/2D tour.

The first day, we met our friends at the cafeteria of the ship for lunch after checking in. Once we were cleared to go to our staterooms, we left our things in the room and ventured out in light rain. From the Marina Bay Cruise Terminal, we took a cab to Chinatown, which was a 5-10 minute ride(under $10 USD). Last time we were on the exact same cruise 4 years prior, we first went to see the Merlion(the symbol of Singapore) on the bay and walked into the old colonial downtown area from there. However, one of our friends with us had difficulty with long walks, thus, we tried to keep walking at the minimum.

We started the Chinatown tour at Thian Hock Keng Temple, one of the oldest temples, which is on one of the oldest streets in Singapore, Telok Ayer Street. From there, we took a short walk to a Hindu temple, Sri Mariamman. After admiring the ornate towers and architecture, we walked onto Pagoda Street right around the corner. That alleyway was filled with little shops selling all sorts of trinkets, handicrafts, and Made-in-China bargains. There were outdoor food stalls emanating enticing smell and steam, but we were not hungry enough to stop to sample.

We took a taxi to Asian Civilisations Museum, and a free guided tour was about to start as we purchased our tickets. According to Wikipedia, “It is one of the pioneering museums in the region to specialize in pan-Asian cultures and civilizations. The museum specializes in the material history of China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia, from which the diverse ethnic groups of Singapore trace their ancestry.”

Our guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot from him. I will elaborate when my memory brings back the new information I was so thrilled to gain.  After the tour, we got thirsty and hungry, so we went to the museum cafe to try their wonderful looking pastries and drinks.

For dinner, we were to meet our local friend, Kristy, and her parents at an  Italian restaurant in Robertson Quay. It started raining harder as we left the museum, and cabs were hard to find on empty downtown streets on a rainy Sunday. We finally got to the restaurant a few minutes later than the appointed time. Singapore is not cheap, and one of the most popular spots in town that we were eating at was not trying to save us money. They provided quality, and we forked over about $65/head with some wine.

The next morning, we took a cab to Singapore Botanical Garden from the cruise terminal(20-25 minutes, about $20 USD) and met with Kristy’s gang. We were taking out time walking around the beautiful garden, and their orchid area was quite impressive. Our lunch was at Halia restaurant in the complex, and their menu was quite inventive and delicious. We sat among a wedding party, and we got a glimpse of local life just by sitting there.

After lunch, we said goodbye to Kristy and her parents and took a cab to the Indian town area. There were lots of little shops lining the streets and alleys in this area, but they all seemed to sell cheap imported goods that were not terribly appealing. I bought a plastic watch that I liked for $3.50, though. I was still happy about this purchase even after finding the same kind of watch selling for 10 yuan($1.50) in Guangzhou, China.  Mustafa Center, their version of Target or Walmart, was interesting to browse. Their candy/cookie department had any and everything imaginable from around the globe, and there were traditional Indian textile stalls in the basement.

We took a cab back to our ship to begin our seafaring journey.

MAP LINK

August 2019  [by Bill]

Here’s Bill’s experience in Singapore:

• architecture

• Gardens by the Bay