Singapore: First Day on Mainland Asia

Yesterday was the official beginning of the Chinese New Year and we spent a delightful day at Sea.  The ship set up a Chinese Buffet on the pool deck to mark the day.  Today, the 34th day of our cruise marked our first arrival on mainland Asia as we docked in Singapore at the very end of the Malaysian peninsula.  

In 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (British) landed here and saw this to be a potential strategic geographical trading post in southeast Asia.   On behalf of the British East India Company, Raffles signed an agreement with the Sultan to develop the southern part of Singapore as a trading post and settlement.  In 1824, through appropriate agreements with the Sultan, the entire island of Singapore became a British possession. It was 1965 before it attained sovereignty.  The map below from the TV shows its location.

Approaching the Singapore docks.

Singapore has an incredibly busy harbor.  At the bottom of the photo, right in front of the ship, actually on the other side of the terminal building not visible here is the ferry docks.  There were about a dozen off to our starboard side waiting to come in.
 

Across the pier, a Hard Rock hotel!  They seem to be in every major tourist city!

And passing by overhead, cable cars.  After our tour we considered riding it, however, we looked at the line that was several hundred feet long and changed our minds.

Our tour for the day was "Spirit of Singapore", a 4.5 hour trip that might be considered a highlights tour.  The first stop was at Mount Faber for a look down on the city.  The tall buildings in the front are all public housing.

With the celebration of the year of the snake continuing, this vendor was picking up a few extra dollars.

Around the outside walls of the building there were murals depicting the history of Singapore. 

Folks meditating on the open lawn there.

A view of our ship.

Singapore has its own version of the London Eye off to the right in this picture.  On the left, the building with the pointy, jackfruit looking roof is the Singapore Arts Center.

Our bus made a photo stop for us to go see the Merlion, however, I found it too crowded so found this little park.

And, from there, a great view of the "boat" building, the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Resort.

A quaint little bridge perhaps from the earliest days of Singapore.

And no tour of Singapore would be complete without a stop at the Raffles Hotel, probably best known for the Long Bar and the world renown Singapore Sling.  We didn't go in (guests only allowed) but some friends whose tour took them there for High Tea did have a Singapore Sling for an additional $34!

A look at the courtyard.

Sultan Mosque in Singapore

Shopping and eating area near the Mosque.

Another look.

One of the many pedestrian over passes in the city.  Note the flowers along the sides.  That too is quite common. 

Streets that are normally jam packed with cars and motor bikes were devoid of vehicles because of the New Year holidays.

Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple.

The temple and the surrounding Chinatown streets were highly decorated for the New Year.

One of the altars inside the temple.

Folks don't have clothes dryers as there is not sufficient electrical power so they dry clothes by hanging them out the window on flag pole like poles.

Contrast between the temple and the modern buildings beyond.

Chinese lanterns had been shaped into a dragon shaped display.

Just an example of the clean and lushly foliaged streets of Singapore.  Singapore strictly enforces its no littering laws.  Even discarding chewing gum on the street is a huge "no-no"!

The next stop was at the magnificent National Orchid Garden in the Botanical Gardens.

The seed pods on this tree / vine were quite fascinating.  I don't recall ever seeing anything like it.

One of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of varieties of orchids in the garden.

  

And, another.

Headed out, we walked under this beautiful archway covered with orchids and ferns.

We only had time to see about 1/4th of the orchid garden and none of the rest of the Singapore Botanical Gardens.  Wish we'd had a full day to visit there.

We had one more day in Singapore however, it was a "turn day", the end of one cruise and the beginning of another, and only  two shore excursions were offered.  One was the tour described above, the other was one that went to the orchid garden and then to Raffles for High tea.  We chose to stay on board and it turned out to be a perfect day to get laundry done!

rf

PS:  As I write this, it is Feb 19th and we are cruising the South China Sea off the coast of Viet Nam.  All my good intentions of getting caught up with our travels have gone awry!  Tomorrow, 2/20, we'll be in Da Nang for two days, thus probably another port behind in my scribing.

Semarang: Where in the World is it?

When we began planning this cruise, we really had no idea where Semarang was and what its significance was.  All we knew was that it was between Bali and Singapore on the itinerary!

Thus, after Bali, we spent an interesting educational day in Semarang.  Just where is it?  It is on the north side about in the middle of the Indonesian island of Java.  Tom and I take pictures of the TV each morning so we have a clue of where in the world we are!

Still underway to Semarang, the water was as much like glass as the ocean can be.  From our balcony, it was totally mesmerizing!

Yesterday, our Enrichment lecturer, Sandra Bowern, had given a lecture on Borobudur, another place we had never heard of.  It was so intriguing, we considered changing our tour plans for today.  On investigation, we learned that it was located almost over to the south coast of Java, a 3.5 hour bus ride just to get there and the same to get back!  We chose to stay with our selected "Highlights of Singapore" tour!

Arriving in Semarang, there were local musicians and dancers to welcome us.

The first stop was at a building that from the outside did not look particularly interesting.  In fact, Tom stayed on the bus, however, my insatiable curiosity would not let me stay.  We learned it was a party hall much in the form of those we have in The States that can be rented for special events.  Some interesting architecture but mostly "ho hum", i.e., not particularly interesting from the inside either.

The stained glass windows were unlike any I'd seem in so much as they reflected the joviality the building was built to host.

One of the ubiquitous ramshackle buildings set up to sell refreshments.  I think I'll pass!

Next stop was the Gereja Blenduk, the Domed Church, was built in 1753 and is the second oldest Christian church in Java.

Even though built in the mid-sixteenth century, services are still held there.

Passing over one of the many canals that cut through Semarang.  Note the tents on the left.  Those are the equivalent of perhaps a flea market.

Arriving at the Great Mosque of Central Java (Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah).  Yes, the tower is part of it.  The mosque was built in the period of 2002 - 2006.  The tower was built a little later with the rotating restaurant opening in 2008.

The architecture of the structures is quite fascinating!  The spaceship looking structures  in the middle are actually hydraulically operated umbrellas that are raised to protect worshippers from the blazing sun on prayer days.

Architecture at the base of the umbrellas

There must be some significance to the shapes and alignments of the "pre-prayer area".  I don't recall our guide defining it.

To go into the prayer area and up to the main Mosque building, we had to remove our shoes.

The doors of the building were locked, however we could see and, get a camera through the baluster like bars on the doors. 

Tom headed back to the bus, primarily the air-conditioned comfort of the bus, and I headed to the tower.  The uniforms of the elevator staff conformed to the Muslim tradition.

Looking down on the Grand Mosque from the top floor viewing area.  The prayer area can accommodate 15,000 worshippers.  The long building on the right can accommodate up to 2,000.  The long building on the left is a library and offices.

Down one level in the rotating dining room.  This one is not as elaborate as those we've been to in the US, New Zealand and Australia.

Almost back down to the ground, on the 3rd level is a museum.

Back out and on the bus, we head on to our next stop.   LOTS of pedi-cabs everywhere, guys sleep in the passenger seat waiting for fares.

Driving through a downtown area, lots of local shops and behind, a Pizza Hut!  Arrrgh!

Next stop:  Sam Poo Kong Temple.  This temple, also known as Gedung Batu, was built to honor Admiral Cheng Ho (also known as Sam Poo Kong), the famed Ming Dynasty Chinese-Muslim leader and adventurer who landed here in 1405.  Although a eunuch, Cheng Ho is considered to be the patriarch of Indonesian and other southeast Asian communities.  NOTE:  "Gong Xi Fa Chai" means "Happy New Year"… tomorrow (Feb 10) is Chinese New Year, the beginning of another year of the snake.

The largest hall within the temple grounds.

A section of very ornate fencing colorfully decorated in the traditional Chinese colors of red and yellow.

Fascinating stone (concrete) drum shaped stools for folks to rest under the shade of a huge ficus tree.

Figures in front of another of the structures in the temple.

Another entrance to the temple.  Next to this entrance is a huge statue of Cheng Ho

Another view of the main building.

One of the statues that adorn the area.

The upward spires at the corners of the multi-layered roofs always fascinate me.  Had the lighting been better, this could have made for an awesome photo.

Looking closely at one of the "altar" in one of the buildings.  This was taken from afar as I was just to hot and tired to untie my shoes!

On the walls of the outside the enclosed prayer room were beautifully carved stone murals of events of the times.

Each segment had an engraved description.  Our time was too short to read all of them.  Here's a sample.

The intricate carving and painting of the images on the wood along the top of the buildings was unbelievable.  Yes, we've seen similar in other places, however, one must wonder how many people or what period of time created this masterpiece, especially considering they were not working with modern day tools.

Arriving at Vihara Mahavira temple, the 120 Buddha statues that surrounded the building were exact duplicates, precisely placed the same distance apart and immaculately maintained.  This is a modern day temple, built in 2003 and complete with air-conditioning and modern restrooms!

Entering the temple, more statues adorn the portico.

The ceiling of one of the prayer areas held hundreds of Chinese lanterns as decorations for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

A closer look at the altar in the same room.

Back on the bus headed back to the ship, we pass some more ramshackle road-side shops.  We rarely, if ever, saw any customers in them.

Yes, there really are some modern day buildings in Semarang!

Back in our cabin and, it is close to an hour after our scheduled departure time, we look down to the dock and see the water rising over the surface.  By the time we left, perhaps a little over an hour late, the water was up to the building parallel to our ship (off to the left in the picture).  We later learned that 4 passengers had taken a private tour (not booked via Regent) to Borobudur and weren't back.  The captain waited as long as he could but with the rapidly rising tide, he would soon lose the needed thrust point to move from the dock, so, we were on our way.  The passengers re-board at a later port.

Yes, as I write this, it is now February 15th and we're still in Bangkok.  I'm now three ports (Singapore, Ko Samui and Bangkok) behind!  I am changing the date of the post to be that of the day we were there, thus, sometimes the dates and arrival time of the e-mails are confusing.  And, as I write, we are 12 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone!

Tomorrow is a sea day and my objective is to catch up before I forget!!

rf