Weather wise, today has been a good day to visit this usually hot and humid country. The temperature is still warm to hot but a gentle breeze fanned this clean modern city, keeping the humidity to a minimum.
We headed out to catch the MRT (underground train service) to Little India. The underground transport is beautifully air conditioned and easy to navigate. We changed lines Dhoby Ghaut to travel onto Little India. A cost of SGD2 each.
We checked out the Veeramakakiamman Temple where worshippers rang little brass bells on entering. DH and B ventured in but R and I waited outside. Those entering needed to be barefoot and as I had been to similar temples considered I could see as much from the entrance as going in. The colourful statues of animals and people decorating the facades of this Hindu Temple stood out to the backdrop of the high rise buildings built around. The temple is dedicated the wife of Shiva who Hindus believe destroys ignorance and protects by maintaining world order. By now we were looking for a cool spot to recharge in order to continue for the day. It was about 10.45am and most of the little restaurants in the area were just setting up but we managed to talk a restaurant owner to sell us a Tiger Beer which we shared whilst sitting in a shaded outdoor seating area.
Back on the train for Chinatown. SGD 1.80 each. We had an interesting walk around the shops before heading to a Hawkers Corner type eating area where most of the locals eat. This week is Chinese New Year so the streets here were decorated in a lot of red and gold. We spoke with a local gentleman who is a pilot for Singapore Airlines who described his life to us and an interesting point he made was that Singapore is an expensive place to live. We found there is a 10% tax and a 7% GST on food and beverages.
Our last train trip took us to Bayfront, the station for Marina Sands Hotel. Train cost SGD 1.80 each. We headed to the First Tower where we ascended 57 floors to the Italian Restaurant on top. Once there we enjoyed a coffee and magnificent views. The best scenic spot for Singapore and I think a little known venue.
By this time of the day we all decided to catch a taxi back to the ship. Singapore is famous for its inexpensive taxis so when we were charged SGD55 for the short ride we all nearly fell over backwards…….what? The car we caught was signed as a taxi but it was actually a chauffeur van with a minimal cost of SGD55. OMG we won’t be caught again with that! We were so careful in saving on costs then BAMM. I will say no more!
To top off our day, we sat on the ship’s back deck 11 which overlooked to skyline of Singapore. The sun had set and a gentle breeze circulated around our deckchairs. We quaffed our wine while we waited for the city’s Chinese New Year fireworks to start. It was just perfect.
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