During the pandemic, NZ got all flustered because 8-10 ships were stuck in the harbour waiting to unload.
Flying into Singapore puts that into perspective. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of ships hanging out.
Shipping
Gimme an O… no, an A
Passing through the Singapore airport recently, let’s say I wanted to eat some wonton noodles. As is my wont. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from.
But I won’t judge anyone for wantin’ the wanton noodles… after all, the heart wants what the heart wants!
Singapore Gardens by the Bay
We had a nice tour of Singapore’s giant garden domes. I think they have to keep the plants indoors because it’s too hot outside.
Giant indoor waterfall
Cherry blossoms
Flowers
All the pictures above are things you’d expect to find in a botanical garden.
More surprising … downright surreal in fact… was the All-Stars of Cosplay convention.
I am a little uncomfortable around a lot of this cosplay stuff, to be honest. But this family of tourists was all in and didn’t share my queasiness, and it was cool to watch mom and kid having such a good time.
Metaphysical help 5¢
I’ve done my share of consulting engagements where the deliverables were poorly defined, but this shop seems like it might be operating at a whole different level.
Supertrees light show
Adding to the feeling that Singapore is actually Disneyland, twice every night you can watch a fantastic music and light show at the giant tree sculptures. Just like Fireworks on Main Street USA.
It was amazing… maybe not breaking any new artistic ground with the classics themes and the flashing lights… but still, wow!
Singapore Planning Museum
Worth a second visit for me, and a first for Lee who has always had a thing for scale models.
In addition to the big models, they had a lot of interesting propaganda/exhibits about all the clever things they’ve done to make Singapore as cool as it is.
Buddha Tooth Relic and Museum
The Buddha’s Tooth Temple was far and away the most sumptuous temple we saw, or maybe have ever seen. Spectacular and also mystifying. How do you keep up with the hundreds of interconnected deities and practices and offerings? And why?
Fish ball noodles, satay sticks, halo-halo, and Singapore slings
We ate and drank really well in Singapore. The giant food halls are the most exciting, with dozens of tiny stalls and communal seating. I love eating that way and would grow fat and hypertensive if I lived there.
I had a bowl of fish ball noodles soup for breakfast, an experience I don’t regret but wouldn’t necessarily repeat.
After seeing this guy tuck into a giant bowl of shaved ice, fruit, and custard goo, I ordered my own. Just right for a 95-degree day.
The famous Raffles Hotel bar is closed for renovations, so we settled for Singapore Slings at a waterfront tourist place… tasty but not the same.
Singapore skyline
Our whirlwind tour of Singapore was largely spent walking around looking at stuff, including a lot of big tall buildings…. here’s some pictures.
Singapore is cool
Instead of a tangled web of power lines, in Singapore it’s a thicket of air conditioning units.
En route Singapore
My bespoke Vietnamese shoes were not confiscated as a fashion violation, although it was a close thing.
We were excited to see a Popeye’s Chicken in the Hanoi airport, especially since our flight was delayed a couple of hours. But they were out of the lemongrass flavor, sad.
A not very good shot of the vast ship parking lot in the Singapore Straits.
Brattleboro Adventure – the Auckland Edition 