Scenes of Singapore

Marl, Alan and I ordering Indian food from an iPAD. I had never seen this before.  Is this the future of restaurant service?

After strolling through Little India and an Arab neighborhood, the three of us ended up at the famed Raffles Hotel.  Stepping inside was like entering Britain.

The most expensive fruit punch drinks ever.....the virgin Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel.

The next day, Marlene and I visited Har Paw Villa.

It is the estate of the man who invented (maybe) and marketed (definitely) Tiger Balm.

The scenes in the villa gardens remind visitors of Chinese legends, creating myths and fables.  Here is one about filial piety, where the son, his knees, prays hard enough to free his mother from imprisonment.

Lin Ze Wu who is famous for his anti-drug campaigns and his attempt to stand up to the British importation of opium into China.

Ring ONCE for prosperity!

The man on the left helps a tortoise back into the water.....

Years later, the tortoise saves the man from a sinking ship.

Two friends in the woods come upon a bear, the one flees and leaves his friend, who survives by playing dead.  A fable of bravery and false friendship.

Along the southern coast of Singapore is a greenbelt.  There is some fascinating architecture, one of them being this wooden bridge.

It's called the Henderson Waves bridge. 

The bridge looks cooler lit up at night, but alas, we didn't see it, only pictures.

Looking out across Singapore and a cool set of new apartment buildings that Marl pointed out.

....Only in Singapore

The greenbelt also has a forest walk where there is a long set of pathways at tree top level.

Back at the subway.....this is how serious Singapore is about their graduation exam.  It's not a college entrance exam...it's a test to pass out of high school.

Gardens By the Bay -- Singapore

Cloud Forest Building

You enter in and are greeted by this amazing waterfall.  The cloud forest simulates....cloud forests, those forests that grow at high altitudes.

Start by walking around the base, which simulates the forest floor, plants that don't need much sunlight.

Then, an elevator to the top of the "mountain"

Venus Flytrap!

From the top, you walk down the ramps through the mist.

The Cloud Forest Building is part of the Gardens By the Bay Complex, which is from reclaimed land.  The Marina Bay is protected by the Marina Barrage, which is the dam and it's complex with the green (grass) roof.

I LOVE industrial and engineering things....probably more than nature.

I wanted to go INTO the pumphouse, but it's not allowed.

Getting onto the roof.

One of the other sites of the Gardens by the Bay are these "Supertrees".  They serve as both decoration and serve all the functions of a normal tree...photosynthesis, rainwater collection, etc.  The plants are slowing grown up the trunk.

There is an aerial walkway between the trees. 

At night, the trees put on a light show.  Every night at 745PM and 845PM.  No need to change the time for the seasons....as Singapore is 1 degree North latitude.  Singapore is the nearest to the equator I have ever been.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

So, Singapore for the National Week Break.  Why?  Marl was there her Gates Foundation Project was shortlisted for a World Architecture Festival Award.

Her project was entered in the "Display" category.

Introductions with her colleague Allan.

The talk lasted for about 10 minutes.  And that was it.

Here's the reason I came.  Marl was put up at the famed Marina Bay Sands Hotel.  Three towers and a pool on that horizontal portion that spans the three towers.

The Marina Bay Sands is a complex with a huge shopping mall (Singapore has a LOT of shopping malls) and an art museum.  The blue building with the petals is the museum.  In the background is the central business district of Singapore with Marina Bay in the foreground.

The view from Marl's window on the 24th floor (of 55).  It's the Gardens by the Bay complex. The buildings on the left are the Flower Dome (front) and the Cloud Forest (rear).

The Marina Bay area with a floating soccer field.

The Singapore Flyer

The Super Trees in the Gardens By the Bay in the foreground.  One of my favorite things is that in the background is full of ships, all waiting go head into the port.

Marl and I ordered room service breakfast!!!

The Marina Bay Sands claim to fame?????  The Infinity Pool at the top of the hotel.  The pictures speak for themselves.

"Asian Pose, Asian Pose!!!"  The woman next to Marl was cracking up.

Pretty much what I did for three to four hours everyday.