C & C globetrotting around the world…

Relaxation is over, now it’s time to visit a few more things before heading back to Europe. From Langkawi island, we took a ferry to the mainland (Kuala Kedah) and then an overnight train from Alor Setar to Kuala Lumpur. The train is by far not as good as the ones in China, but it’s definitely better than in Vietnam. The berths are parallel to the corridor, but there is no space for the luggage, so you can either leave it on the corridor (which was already pretty full with other suitcases) or put it up in the bed, like we did. That doesn’t leave that much room for sleeping, so it’s not very comfortable. Oh well, we got there. Then in KL we switched to a bus that took us to Singapore. The bus ride was very comfortable since we had reclining seats on a coach bus. Arrived in Singapore, we met up with Ole, a friend from our Amsterdam times. He has been living in Singapore for the last 6 years and it’s nice to see him again.

In the evening, we went out to “The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay”. It is a major performance arts with open-air concerts and a huge food court. We walked around and enjoyed the beautiful views over down-town by night and the bay of the Singapore River. Next to the Esplanade is the “Durian” concert hall, shaped like a durian fruit. We had dinner in the open-air food court and Ole had us try many different local delicacies. We had a really good time and it was a fun evening.

Singapore is highly urbanised, but almost half of the country is covered by greenery, as surprising as Hong Kong. Singapore had been a part of various local empires since it was first inhabited in the second century AD. Modern Singapore was founded as a trading post of the East India Company by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819 with permission from the Sultanate of Johor. The British obtained full sovereignty over the island in 1824 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826. Singapore was occupied by the Japanese in World War II and reverted to British rule after the war. It became internally self-governing in 1959. Singapore united with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963 and became a fully independent state two years later after separation from Malaysia. Since then it has had a massive increase in wealth, and is one of the Four Asian Tigers.

The next day was our 250^th day in Asia! Youhou!!! We first went to Marina Bay and Ole showed us how much land has been reclaimed in recent years. Since Singapore is an island city-state, it lacks land. They buy sand from Indonesia and Malaysia in order to reclaim land and expand their tiny surface. On this new land, they have already built many sky-scrapers and it’s incredible to see. We walked around there and passed the Casino (3 towers with a huge terrace spanning the distance, almost an UFO-looking construction). At its base there is a nice promenade with palm trees and insignia from the Juvenile Olympic Games. We then entered the Marina Bay shopping centre, which has a cool concept and is very modern and chic. We came out on the other side close to the Science Museum – shaped like a white lotus flower. On the one hand there was the casino and the lotus flower and the skyline across the small bay. We also passed by the tribune for the Formula 1 race and saw the unbelievable sharp turn (90 degrees) the drivers have to take to make it.

We basically did a circle around the bay (all on reclaimed land), so we passed by the Esplanade again and then took the “Queen Elizabeth Walk” opened in 1953 named in honour of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in the same year. We then reached the “Merlion”, Singapore’s symbol. The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore. Its name combines “mer” meaning the sea and “lion”. The fish body represents Singapore’s origin as a fishing village. The lion head represents Singapore’s original name – Singapura – meaning “lion city”.

We passed the Fullerton Hotel, a 5-star luxury hotel named after Robert Fullerton, the first Governor of the Straits Settlements (1826–1829). Commissioned in 1919 as part of the British colony’s centennial celebrations, it is located at the mouth of the Singapore River. Throughout its life, the building served as a General Post Office, the Singapore Club, as a hospital for wounded British soldiers during WWII, and as headquarters of the Japanese Military Administration in Singapore after the war. The hotel opened on Jan 1, 2001 and is very elegant. We then walked along Boat Quay before reaching Raffles Landing. The site is denoted by a statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of the city of Singapore, because it is believed that he landed at this side during his first visit in 1819.

Afterwards we passed by the Raffles Hotel, a colonial-style hotel and one of the world’s most famous hotels. It was founded by the four Armenian Sarkies Brothers as the first modern building with electricity in Singapore. Opened in 1887, it was named after Singapore’s founder Sir Stamford Raffles. The original location was by the seaside, although continued reclamation means that the site is presently some 500 metres away from the shore. Ole invited us in for a 5 a 7 in the Long Bar. The guys had a beer and Cecilia tried the famous Singapore Sling cocktail, invented right here. From there we walked around the city and passed Chijmes. This complex used to be an old school, but has been converted to a beautiful wedding chapel and its surrounding gardens have many restaurants. There was an open-air concert, so we sat down on the grass to rest and enjoy the music.

The next day we spent in the Asian Civilisation Museum and the Night Safari. The museum is extremely well-done and we enjoyed it a lot. It is especially interesting for us now at the end of our Asia trip to put together all the information we have learned about the various cultures. The museum impressed Christoph so much that he wanted to come back the next day. It certainly was the best museum we visited in Asia. After all that history and cultures, we went to see lots of plants and animals. The Night Safari currently houses over 1,000 animals of 120 species, of which 29% are threatened species. The animals, ranging from Indian rhinoceros, leopards and lions to mouse deer, are made visible by lighting that resembles moonlight. This is done so as not to disturb nocturnal and crepuscular animals’ behaviour. Exhibits in the safari come from South America and other parts of Asia. The naturalistic enclosures simulate the animals’ native habitat (humid tropical forest). On the Night Safari, we first took an electric cart around with explanations about the park and the various animals. Then, we followed some trails to see the animals closer-up. It was very interesting to see and learn about the animals.

On our last day, we covered a lot of ground again. We started with the Little India Walk from the Lonely Planet. The first stop was at a food court where we only had drinks, but the choice is really overwhelming. All the small stalls selling a myriad of dishes is unbelievable. We then walked through Little India, passed beautiful buildings and Hindu temples, as well as Mosques. We also went to “Mustafa’s”, an institution in Singapore. What started out as a little shop, now has everything imaginable spread over 4 floors. Not only is it open 24hrs, but its prices are also unbeatable. For lunch we stopped at the Maxwell Food Court, again with lots of choices. From there we started our Chinatown Walk. Just across from the Maxwell Food Court is a Chinese Temple on 3 stories, which includes exhibits and galleries. It is very new and really well made, especially the exhibit about Buddhism, with lots of explanations. It was fun for us to recognize various Buddhist temples we’ve seen throughout our trip. We passed quickly throughout Chinatown and then arrived at Clarke Quay by the Singapore River, a nice pedestrian area with bars and restos.

Although our feet hurt, we pushed ourselves up to Fort Canning on a small hill. Upon arrival in Singapore, Raffles was told of how local settlers were wary of ascending the hill as they believed it was the site of palaces built by their ancestral kings. Impressed by the historic significance of the hill, and the commanding view it offered over the colony he had established, Raffles built his first residence on the hill. The residence served as the colony’s governors, thus subsequently earning the name Government Hill. By late 1859, increased security concerns led to the hill taking on a military role with the demolition of the governor’s residence, and the building of a fort. The fort was named Fort Canning after Viscount Charles John Canning, who was then Governor-General and the first Viceroy of India.

On the hill, we followed a well-documented walk and enjoyed the fresh air. We walked down on the other side and took the metro home. We went for dinner with Ole at the Newton Circle food court, another open-air food court with an overwhelming choice of food. The guys picked out a few dishes, but it’s crazy how irresistible everything looks (and is). Afterwards we went home and looked at pictures and videos from Amsterdam. Good memories!