2018 "Song of India" Adventure - Day 3 - Singapore
Day 3
– Thursday, February 22nd – Singapore
Thanks to the
Melatonin, I (Steve) managed to have a fairly good night’s sleep. The room was so quiet
that in the morning we could hear some of the louder birds outside. That is,
over the constant whoosh of the air conditioning, much appreciated in these
parts.
The hotel offers
a good array of items in the breakfast buffet, and will even make some items to
order. Coffee comes from large machines that grind the beans and brew a decent
cup. The machines also make espresso and cappuccino. The light-filled lobby has
plenty of tables and chairs to enjoy the repast. And Allan’s happy because they
offer his favorite, Tuscan melon. Out the floor-to-ceiling windows is a flowing
water feature that birds enjoy playing in. All in all, very serene and a nice
way to start the day.
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| Dining area at The Quincy Hotel, Singapore |
Our goal today
was to visit the vast Marina Bay area, which features the famous Marina Bay
Sands Hotel and the Gardens by the Bay. We used the subway system which is
called the MRT. Like most things “Singapore”, it’s modern, convenient, and air
conditioned. Our nearest station was Orchard Road, and we went through mazes of
escalators and underground shopping arcades to get to the station itself. Our
hotel had provided some transit cards pre-loaded with SGD $5.00 of fare.
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| Orchard Road MRT Station |
The subway cars have no doors between them, making for a long and airy riding space. The station platforms are wide, with raised patterns to guide the visually disabled from the train to the elevator and then to the station exit. Brilliant! You pay based on distance, touching your transit card at the beginning and end of your journey. We traveled on the North-South line to Bayfront, and then changed to the Circle Line to Marina Bay. It’s easy to get in a lot of steps just transferring from one line to another: the stations are quite large, with a plethora of escalators and elevators to boot.
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| MRT Cars - Look at all that open space! |
One thing I
forgot to mention: while there are four “official” languages in Singapore, the
transit announcements were only in English. That surprised me. The subway cars
feature varying graphics and signs that show direction, the next station (or
the entire route like some NYC subways), and which side the doors will open on.
The cars were very wide with ample seating and standing space. And the air
conditioning was bliss…
Coming up from
underground, the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel loomed over us. It’s even more
spectacular in person, with the three sloped towers connected by a large
structure on the 56th and 57th floors (this is where the
infamous infinity pool is located). More on the hotel later.
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| Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore |
Some general
thoughts about Singapore: it is as clean as everyone says. There is little to
no trash on the streets, and surprisingly, very few trash cans (especially when
you need one). Since they drive on the other side of the road compared to the
U.S., people tend to pass each other the same way. On escalators, you stay to
the left, so people can pass you on the right. Clerks in stores are polite, and
always hand you back your credit card with both hands. I’ve also heard very
little honking from cars and trucks. A neat, orderly society. Back to the day
at hand…
The Gardens by the Bay is a large park with several spectacular attractions: The Supertree Grove, the Cloud Forest Dome, and the Flower Dome. The cost was SGD $28.00 per
person for non-residents, but you could just walk around the gardens for free.
Admission cost was mainly for the two domes.
The Supertree Grove is series of tree-like towers, each about 20 meters tall, that have solar
panels at the top on the giant “leaves”. One of the taller “trees” has a bar
and restaurant, which must have amazing views of the whole thing (we didn’t go
up). There is also a walkway that connects these various “trees”, but we didn’t
partake of it. The whole Gardens project is designed to use solar power and
re-use water wherever possible (and that includes the many meters of rain that
falls here annually).
From the Grove,
we leisurely walked in the beautiful gardens toward the two domes, again, like
something out of “Logan’s Run”. They aren’t domes as much as shaped like giant
slices of an orange. The overall feeling in this area was like being at a
well-planned World’s Fair: modern, designed for crowds, and futuristic.
We started with
the Cloud Forest Dome, the taller of the two. You took a lift six floors to the
top, and then through a series of looping ramps and escalators, made your way
back down. The environment was designed to replicate a cloud forest: at the
highest level, you were at 2,000 meters equivalent. The cool air was enhanced
with misters at various points, and the views from the ramps changed as you walked
them. It’s hard to describe, but it was magical. And this whole thing was
filled with spectacular plants and flowers that would be found in a similar
environment in Central America.
I think we spent
at least an hour there, slowly working our way down to base level. In the
middle, at one point, was a “Crystal Cave”, where stalagmites and stalactites
were on display. We noticed that there were no birds trapped in the dome, and
little sign of insect life. There was great attention to keeping it looking good,
with informative signs along the way. It was a very magical kind of place.
Once out of that
dome, it was “exit through the gift shop”, where we happily made a few
purchases. We had a sit-down and a snack, and then entered the Flower Dome. The
Flower Dome gave one the larger feeling of light and spaciousness. Seattleites
will know what I’m talking about when I say that it was like going to the
Northwest Flower and Garden Show, but in a gloriously sunlit atmosphere. Plants
and flowers were grouped by region or zones (Australia, China, the American
Southwest) on various levels. It just lacked the drama of the Cloud Forest
Dome, but offered many opportunities for photography. (Yes, it certainly did! – AFK)
Once back
outside, we tried to stay in the shade as we walked the long paths back toward
the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It was a sweltering afternoon, to be sure. One
other thing I just realized: there was very little birdlife visible. Maybe they
were smart and stayed hidden in the trees…
The bridge that
crossed from the Gardens to the hotel actually entered the lobby about five
stories up, providing great views of the atria in both directions. Anyone who’s
been to the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World will understand the
comparison. All that was missing was the monorail traversing the middle of the
space. We eventually made our way down to the lobby level, and walked among
crowds of people, many of whom were rolling large suitcases. (Side note: some
people in this city just seem to travel with a rolling suitcase, rather than a
backpack or attaché case. Very odd…). The lobbies (there are three, one for
each tower), featured beautiful restaurants and expensive shops. Allan, of
course, swooned for every jewelry store. (Not
so – there was only one I actually swooned over. The one with the ruby and
diamond necklace worthy of Elizabeth Taylor! J
- AFK)
For the poor
people who aren’t staying there, there is the option of visiting the Sky Park
on the 56th floor (SGD $23.00 per person). Allan, who’s not a fan of
heights, was reticent, but I insisted that since we were there we might as well
see the whole thing. The high-speed elevator whooshed us to the top in under
thirty seconds, and before we knew it, we were standing on the outdoor
promenade that wraps around one end of the structure.
There was no seating, and there was little shade. It was hot as blazes up there, but the views toward the city and the water were unparalleled. It was fun to look down on the Gardens and see where we’d been. We were also able to get a little glimpse of the hotel’s famous infinity pool…but just a glimpse. There were very strict security barriers between the “public” part and the “guest” part. (OMG! Soooo hot up there :-/ - AFK)
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| A glimpse of the infinity pool, Marina Bay Sands Hotel |
We re-traced our
route back to the hotel via metro. It was more crowded at this time of day. We
noticed that the city tends to swing busier in the late afternoon and evening,
at least in the parts that we traversed. When we came up to ground level again
at the Orchard Road, it appeared that we had just missed a downpour. The
streets and sidewalks were wet as we made our way back up the slight hill
toward the hotel. The Quincy offers light snacks and drinks in the afternoon,
so we sat for a bit in the coolness of the lobby as we watched the skies open
up for another downpour. Missed it by mere minutes!
We took a nap
for a few hours before heading out for our evening adventure. Our friend Jim
had asked us to bring him back some Nyonya-style curry powder, a concoction of
Chinese, Indian, and Malay spices. We figured the best place to look for it
would be in the Little India neighborhood. There is a large Indian population
here. As a matter of fact, Singapore is quite a melting pot of those
aforementioned cultures.
We traveled via
Metro (see how convenient it is?) to the Little India station. I read on Yelp
of an Indian restaurant that got good reviews, so we used that as our
destination. Little India seemed just that: older three story buildings with
retail on the bottom floors. Lots of retail. There were vast amounts of
mass-produced items from Asia that seemed to explode from every store front.
Blaring cheap electronics and toys. Sari stores that dazzled with bright colors
and intricate patterns. Small grocery stores with shelves packed to the
ceiling. I told Allan this was but a taste of what he’d see in India.
The restaurant,
Usman’s, was an outdoor affair located on a busy corner. The waiter seated us
at a table right at the corner, so we got to enjoy the ebb and flow of people
around us. We looked at the menu and as we started to order, the waiter
recommended a chicken dish that neither of us had heard of (or couldn’t
understand what it was he was recommending). We ended up with Chicken Tikka
Masala (oilier and less creamy than I’ve had), garlic naan (satisfactory), rice
biriyani, and the aforementioned chicken dish. It was in a yellow sauce, and we
decided it must be chicken knuckles, as the meat was nothing we could
recognize. I’d rate the meal as a whole about 3 stars out of 5. But the parade
of humanity was the best part.
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| We sat at this table, watching the parade of humanity |
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| The dinner at Usman |
We asked the
waiter where we might find the spice that instigated this adventure. He
recommended a large store a few blocks away called Mustafa Centre. It turned
out to be the most crowded and vertical grocery store you could imagine. And it
was huge: easily a small city block. We went up, down, and around looking for
the spice section. Eventually (aisle 30 on the 2nd floor) we found twenty
meters of floor-to-ceiling shelving of curry powders. Yet not one bag or
container of the particular type we were looking for. It was frustrating, and
shall I mention again, all in a tight and crowded atmosphere. Again, good
practice for the India visit.
We left tired
and disappointed that we failed to achieve our quest. But the visit to Little
India was fascinating and gave us a glimpse into “old Singapore” (i.e., prior
to the high-rises and shopping malls). We dragged ourselves back on the metro
toward Orchard Road, and then up the slight hill to our hotel. It was a
terrific day, and sleep came quickly.
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