Bye Bye Singapore

Our plane banked sharply on take off from Changi Airport, making a sweeping arc over the harbor. At last Bruce could see the evidence of the shipping industry which is the backbone of the Singaporean economy. Forty or more freighters lay at anchor waiting their turn at the docks to be loaded or unloaded at the enormous gantries…. modern monoliths which have taken the places of the early equipment which helped build this city state.

We had tried to walk to the waterfront the day before and were frustrated by miles of freeways, overpasses and few sidewalks all made the more treacherous and bloody inconvenient by miles of fencing and road closures in readiness for the upcoming Formula 1 road race scheduled for the weekend. We knew about the race and had planned our trip to escape before the full onslaught of madness, but had foolishly not envisioned the massive undertaking the transformation of the city core would be.

But, as always, as we like to say, “we landed on our feet”.  This time the Marina Sands Complex caught our attention.  Our little cameras could not capture this amazing piece of architecture. A roof that sails across the top three massive towers is designed to replicate cascading decks of cards.

Inside these towers, soaring atria bring light to the broad walkways. Beneath the hotel is a massive casino, where gamblers pay $100 to enter. Or $2000 for a yearly pass. We gave it a pass! After miles of concrete walking we were really looking forward to a chair in the lobby to watch the people streaming by, but were foiled. There are no chairs...none...zero...other than those in the coffee shops and restaurants. "Don't stay unless you pay" seemed to be the message. This was also true at the venerable Raffles Hotel, where one can have a drink in several verandah bars, but the lobby is off limits to other than paying guests. Too many Lookie Lou's....like us!!

The other architectural phenomenon which we found on our second attempt to see the waterfront was the Vivo Centre. This incredibly huge shopping centre is right at the waterfront from which we had a hazy view of Sentosa Island....a Disneyland kind of development. Singapore loves to shop!

All of the above pictures are actually "lifted" from the Internet....as we were hampered by the smog from the fires in Indonesia, an annual health hazard in Singapore. It was a shame that we did not get a clear view of this stunning skyline with innovative architecture.

We also wanted to see "how and where" Singaporeans live. An aim of the government is for everyone  to own their own home. To accommodate this objective on a tiny island where 4.5 million people live, row upon row of high and low rise apartments have been built. Many are called "shop houses" to describe the commercial space on the main floor with residences above. In our four days in the city, we captured a few examples of housing alternatives.

A most interesting place, Singapore. 

Now off to Hoi An, where we will continue to blog (if we can work around the usual blocks). 

Adventures will be posted here. Our work reports will be posted on http://ebtovietnam.blogspot.com.

Stay tuned!!!