World Cruise 2017 Day 63 Singapore, Singapore

Thursday, March 9, 2017 

Today the ship arrived in Singapore at 8 AM.  The ship had to go thru clearance.  We had to have our passports with us when we went off the ship.  At 8:30 AM I went on a tour called "Iconic Singapore".  Our first stop was at the Taoist temple built in 1821 (Thian Hock Keng).  Next we took a 30 minute riverboat cruise on the Singapore River.  We next the bus drove for a tour of Singapore.  The next stop was at the Raffles Hotel.  Named after the British founder of modern-day Singapore, this property is one of the world's finest and most famous hotels.  At the hotel we enjoyed the legendary Singapore Sling cocktail.  Our last stop was for a picture of the gold-domed Sultan Mosque.  We arrived back at the ship at 1:45 PM.  Tonight after dinner a local group put on the show.  The show experienced music, lavish costumes and unique imagery.

Singapore officially the Republic of Singapore, sometimes referred to as the Lion City, the Garden City or the Little Red Dot, is a sovereign city-state in Southeast Asia. It lies one degree (137 km) north of the equator, at the southern tip of peninsular Malaysia, with Indonesia's Riau Islands to the south. Singapore's territory consists of one main island along with 62 other islets. Since independence, extensive land reclamationhas increased its total size by 23% (130 km²), and its greening policy has covered the densely populated island with tropical flora, parks and gardens.

Stamford Raffles founded colonial Singapore in 1819 as a trading post of the East India Company; after its collapse and the eventual establishment of the British Raj, the islands were ceded to Britain and became part of its Straits Settlements in 1826. During the Second World War, Singapore was occupied by Japan. It gained independence from the UK in 1963 by federating with other former British territories to form Malaysia, but separated two years later over ideological differences, becoming a sovereign nation in 1965. After early years of turbulence, and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation developed rapidly as an Asian Tiger economy, based on external trade and its workforce.

Singapore is a global commerce, finance and transport hub. Its standings include: the most "technology-ready"nation (WEF), top International-meetings city (UIA), city with "best investment potential" (BERI), second-most competitive country, third-largest foreign exchange market, third-largest financial centre, third-largest oil refining and trading centre, and the second-busiest container port. The country has also been identified as a tax haven.

Singapore ranks 5th on the UN Human Development Index and the 3rd highest GDP per capita. It is ranked highly in education, healthcare, life expectancy, quality of life, personal safety, and housing. Although income inequality is high, 90% of homes are owner-occupied. 38% of Singapore's 5.6 million residents are permanent residents and other foreign nationals. There are four official languages: English (common and first language), Malay, Mandarin, Tamil; almost all Singaporeans are bilingual.

Singapore is a unitary multiparty parliamentary republic, with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government. The People's Action Party has won every election since self-government in 1959. The dominance of the PAP, coupled with a low level of press freedom and restrictions on civil liberties and political rights, has led to Singapore being classified by some as a semi-authoritarian regime. One of the five founding members of the ASEAN, Singapore is also the host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat, and a member of the East Asia Summit, Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth of Nations.

 

This picture was taken from the bus near the ship terminal of a new building under construction.

This picture was taken from the bus of Singapore.

This picture was taken at a stop at the Taoist temple built in 1821 (Thian Hock Keng).

This picture was taken at a stop at the Taoist temple built in 1821 (Thian Hock Keng).

This picture was taken at a stop at the Taoist temple built in 1821 (Thian Hock Keng).

This picture was taken at a stop at the Taoist temple built in 1821 (Thian Hock Keng).

This picture was taken from the bus of Singapore.

This picture was taken from the bus of Singapore of some green space.  There was more green space in Singapore than Hong Kong.

This picture was taken from the boat ride of Singapore.  This was a boat similar to ours.

This picture was taken from the boat ride of Singapore.  

This picture was taken from the boat ride of Singapore.  

This picture was taken from the boat ride of Singapore.  This is some of the old town of Singapore.

This picture was taken from the boat ride of Singapore.  

This picture was taken from the boat ride of Singapore.  

This picture was taken from the boat ride of Singapore.  

This picture was taken from the boat ride of Singapore.  

This picture was taken from the boat ride of Singapore.  

This picture was taken from the boat ride of Singapore.  

This picture was taken near the boat dock of some flowers for sale.

This picture was taken near the boat dock.  There are many places to eat and drink alone the river.

This picture was taken from the bus of Singapore.

This picture was taken in the Raffles Hotel where we stopped for a drink.

This picture was taken in the Raffles Hotel where we stopped for a drink.

This is a picture of the famous Singapore Sling cocktail.  At the hotel it costs $22.

This is a picture of the Raffles Hotel where we stopped for a drink.

This is a picture of the gold-domed Sultan Mosque.