Ray and Traci originally planned to tour coastal Asia in April 2020, embarking on a long cruise from Tokyo with stops in Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Vietnam, Thailand and ending up in Singapore. Unfortunately, the world changed with Covid and their Asian adventure was put on hold. They finally decided to make their first foreign overseas trip post Covid in December of 2022 – spending time in Singapore with a 4 day cruise to Malaysia and Thailand.
Flying to Singapore is quite a challenge – even on their non-stop Singapore Air flight from Seattle it took 16+ hours. Singapore is a nation-city smaller than the geographical size of New York City 10,000 miles away from Seattle. Fortunately, the airline had an extensive library of both current and classic movies to help occupy the time, and both Ray and Traci were impressed by the fine service. Leaving snowy Seattle at 8:45 am, the travelers found themselves in tropical warm Singapore at 5pm the next day. Despite December being a holiday month for many Singaporeans (the schools take December off), minimal crowds were noted and Ray and Traci breezed thru immigration and got a taxi which brought them to their hotel, the Marina Bay Sands. During the 20 minute ride, the riders noted that every sign was in English (with no other languages printed). Everyone they encountered spoke English, but many seemed to have another primary language. Perhaps that reflects the rich history of immigration in Singapore.
The Sands Hotel consists of three tall buildings with a “surfboard” on top connecting them. Their claim to fame is having the world’s largest “infinity” pool.
The whole complex parallels a Las Vegas mega resort with shopping mall, casino, and lots of hotel rooms. Check in was fast (no line) as the resort had an army of front desk personnel ready to handle many customers. Luggage was taken directly from the taxi and brought to the room rapidly. Although they booked a basic room, Ray and Traci received a complimentary upgrade to a nice spacious 28th floor room with a great view of the waterfront as well as the Gardens by the Bay. Sands’ rooms were among the best “run of the house” rooms they have ever stayed in. Another bonus – the minibar, snack drawer, and supply of bottled water was all complimentary. Try finding that in a US hotel! Their balcony was also quite large and they decided to watch the Gardens by the Bay light show from it. Set to seasonal Christmas music, a choreographed light show entertained viewers. Afterwards, Ray and Traci walked around the Sands Shopping mall, enjoyed a soft ice cream sundae and then went to the Marina waterfront to watch Spectra, a musical water fountain show complete with lasers and lights – similar to Las Vegas’ Bellagio fountains.
The twice a night (8pm/9pm) 15 minute Spectra show was quite amazing and something no visitor should miss. Tired from the 16 hour flight and time change the visitors returned to their room for much needed sleep.
One thing struck the tourists as quite odd – despite being the December holiday season with kids on break, the mall and the light shows crowds were surprisingly small. After reading reviews and watching videos, Ray and Traci expected Disneyland like crowds but didn’t encounter any. Ray woke up around 4am Singapore time (his mind was still set for Seattle’s noon time) and went to the 24 hour exercise room joined by other early birds presumably also stuck on US time. The Sands exercise room is on the 55th floor of tower 2 with great views of the terrain but surprisingly small size given the monster resort size – presumably people don’t go to Singapore to get a workout in this relatively basic gym. Afterwards, Ray went to the rooftop infinity pool to swim and watch the sunrise. The heated pool was cool but comfortable (the enormous pool must use an awesome amount of energy to heat).
Clouds blocked the sunrise but the setting moon was visible. Ray and Traci started the day by walking across a pedestrian bridge from the Sands to the Gardens by the Bay, a horticultural Mecca in Singapore. The Gardens are a collection of indoor and outdoor facilities with species of plants harvested from around the world. Features like holiday lights and a current movie promotion of the new Avatar film further highlight the natural exhibits. Their first stop was the Flower Dome, a huge glass and steel conservatory that has different flora from various places around the world. Flower Dome is a bit of a misnomer as most of the foliage wasn’t flowers, but was quite inclusive with the understandable exception of huge trees. The next stop was the Cloud Forest – a 220 foot tall glass structure turned into the whimsical world of Pandora from Avatar. Visitors are greeted at the entrance with a huge waterfall that extends far up into the skydome, then take an elevator to the top for a trail down ramps and platforms showing a forest populated with characters from the movie.
Some tech heavy exhibits and theaters also entertain visitors as they make the journey downwards. After leaving the two domes, Ray and Traci went to the Supertree Grove – a collection of man made structures resembling trees connected by platforms. Visitors can take an elevator in one tree and ascend to the Supertree Observatory to get nice territorial views – just make sure you climb the two flights of stairs after getting off the elevator to the top level which Ray and Traci almost missed during their visit. The views are unobstructed from the top in contrast to the elevator level which has wires and structural branches everywhere. After leaving the observatory, Ray and Traci took the Skywalk which is a narrow platform that connected several of the tree tops. That was probably the weakest of the four pay experiences at the Gardens by the Bay. Fortunately, the Singapore dollar during their visit was only 75% of the US dollar, so it was like getting 25% off everything. Before leaving the Gardens by the Bay, the visitors saw the interesting statue of a baby named Planet which balances on its hand.
After a morning of touring, Ray and Traci checked out of their beautiful Sands hotel room and took a taxi to the Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas ship which berthed nearby. They previously sailed out of Beijing on the Spectrum’s sister ship, the RCL Quantum of the Seas so they pretty much knew what to expect on this Asian cruise. Meal choices were heavy into Asian foods, and they expected fairly crowded conditions with many kids in this holiday timed 4 night voyage. Unlike their previous Quantum voyage, Ray didn’t expect to take advantage of some of the same entertainment features such as the flow rider surfing simulator and the iFly skydiving simulator due to the large family crowds – cruisers interested in these things should take a cruise during the school year when there are less kids on board. Right after the ship left Singapore, rain constantly fell so Ray and Traci felt fortunate their transit coincided with pretty miserable weather. Before leaving Singapore, they only experienced overcast skies with humidity and temps in the 80s which was relatively ideal for touring. After enjoying dinner (Traci had the black cod and Ray had the beef tenderloin) they watched the RCL production show “The Silk Road” which combined the technology in their Two70 lounge with singing, dancing, aerobatics, gymnastics. Ray and Traci appreciated the many talents of the American performers as did the very entertained audience, but wondered if some of the themes and characters (Chinese, Persian, Indian) may raise some racial stereotype concerns if performed in the US – the Spectrum is the only RCL that has this show, and is also a ship that only sails in Asia.
After a restful night, Ray awoke very early to blustery and rainy conditions delaying his planned run on the Spectrum’s 15th deck track. In the late morning, the rains subsided and he joined a few other runners on the long (3.5 laps per mile) and fairly unobstructed track. Unfortunately the sport deck hosting the track was congested after the breakfast crowd decided to get some fresh air. Strong winds also made running upwind quite difficult. From the track, Ray and Traci enjoyed brunch at the Windjammer, the Spectrum’s main buffet. Heavy with Asian dishes but also with some Western staples, Traci enjoyed oatmeal and a pancake while Ray feasted on scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and rice. Spending the rest of the morning blogging and surfing the web, the tourists had a light lunch before the ship docked in Penang, Malaysia on their first afternoon.
Penang was cloudy with drizzle. Ray arranged a private tour from a company named Active Dynamics using the ubiquitous travel company Viator, and had no problem meeting their guide at the terminal. Their guide, David provided to be a very knowledgeable resident of Penang with much experience to share with his customers. He first took Ray and Traci to Kek Lok Si, a large Chinese Buddhist temple which sits on a hill surrounded by apartments and a quite modern looking hospital all owned by the temple.
Ray and Traci visited the “Street of Harmony” in Georgetown which hosts several coexisting houses of worship in this Muslim country – St George's Church, Sri Mahamariamman Temple, The Goddess of Mercy Temple and Kapitan Keling Mosque representing Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim faiths. Along the waterfront, housing sometimes turned into businesses are found – the “Clan Jetties” where typically families (clans) built floating villages from the shore into the seas. One of these villages, the Chew Jetty is open to the public and in addition to providing residences, also has various businesses providing goods and services.
Ray and Traci thoroughly enjoyed their glimpse into Penang life, and the drizzly overcast 82 degree day made the walking tours much more pleasant. Thankful to have such a helpful guide/photographer, Ray and Traci returned to the Spectrum for the evening. Forgoing fancier meals in the dining rooms, Ray and Traci went to the main buffet where Traci enjoyed some Indian dishes and Ray sampled the Sorrento’s Pizza and took a Cheeseburger and fries from the buffet area called the “Kid’s corner.” Sorrento’s Pizza is routinely panned in ship reviews, but Ray found it to be on par with the pizza served in the hospital he works. After dinner, the couple watched the RCL production show Effectors – Musical actors dressed in superhero costumes with high tech videos, swarms of drones flying over the crowd, a magical disappearing act and music originally performed by artists including Bonnie Tyler and Kelly Clarkson and you get Effectors. It was certainly unique!
The next morning, the Spectrum stopped at Phuket, Thailand. Phuket is located west of Bangkok. Cruisers had to be transported by ferry from the Spectrum to a dock on the Patong Beach. Ray and Traci booked an excursion thru the cruise line that brought a bus full of visitors to various spots in Phuket. Their guide, KD, started the tour by bringing the group of 32 to Promthep Cape at the southern tip of the island. A site offering beautiful terrestrial views, it is a popular site to watch sunsets.
A large floral clock sits above the parking area. Heading north, the tour group next stopped at Wat Chalong, or Chalong Temple (officially Wat Chai Thararam) - the largest, most revered and most visited Buddhist temple in Phuket.
A unique feature of this Buddhist Temple is the frequent sound of firecrackers - This activity is meant to symbolize chasing evil spirits away and to acknowledge granting of wishes and good fortune. A special furnace sitting in front of the temple is staffed by persons designated to explode the firecrackers.
Sunday was a day to relax as the ship was at sea, making the return journey to Singapore. Ray and Traci started the day on the running track followed by brunch. In the evening they watched another production show Showgirls: Past, present and future. The costumes (and ability to change so rapidly) were quite impressive, but Princess uses recorded music instead of a live band and that took away from the experience. Ray and Traci finished the evening with dinner – Ray had another steak and Traci enjoyed the salmon.
The Spectrum of the Seas docked early Monday morning. Ray and Traci leisurely disembarked and took a taxi to their hotel – The Conrad Centennial Singapore. While not as opulent or famous as the Singapore Sands, the Conrad gave them a very nice room with water views and lounge access. The Conrad is also conveniently located next door to the Promenade subway station. Fortunately, their room was ready despite arriving early in the morning. Their morning plan was to visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens. First Ray and Traci needed to get transit cards to pay their fares. A 7-11 across from the Conrad sold them EZ-link passes which serve both as transit cards and payment cards accepted by many merchants. Next, they entered the Singapore MRT station near the Conrad and boarded a train ending up at the gardens. Two things became apparent very quickly – Singapore has the most organized and easy to understand subway system Ray and Traci have ever experienced. Second, everyone on the subway wore masks. The free Singapore Botanic Gardens highlighted a collection of plants and animals representing a variety of countries and climates.
Inside the gardens is the National Orchid Garden (not free) – Many of the 28,000 different orchid species are found. Botanists make new orchid hybrids by cross breeding existing species and name them after VIPs who have visited. President and Mrs Obama are two such dignitaries. Visiting the gardens required a lot of outdoor walking – Ray and Traci were quite lucky because heavy cloud cover all day made walking much more pleasant. Temperatures were only in the low 80s but with 84% humidity, it became quite tiring with the long walks. Leaving the Orchids, Ray and Traci stopped back at the hotel for late afternoon drinks and snacks in the lounge. Next, they went to Sentosa Island which is Singapore’s version of Coney Island – food, fun and amusement. A combination laser, fountain, and fireworks made up a show called Wings of Time.
Stomachs empty, the couple ate at a gigantic food court making up most of the bottom floor of the huge Vivo City mall. Traci heard about a restaurant called Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice. This Thailand eatery was awarded the prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand Award – Traci and Ray sampled their award wining dish – Thai style chicken rice. Traci loved it, Ray thought it was good but just tasted like some sliced chicken over flavored rice. In any case the whole meal cost $19.50 Singapore dollars (less than $15 USD) which was quite a deal for a Michelin honored dish. Afterwards, the tired travelers returned to the Conrad for much needed rest.Tuesday was Ray and Traci’s first full day in Singapore. Ray started the day by trying to run around the Marina Bay but despite the cloud cover it was warm and very humid so he ended up walking a fair portion of it. The travelers enjoyed a buffet breakfast at Oscar’s, the Conrad’s restaurant – Ray especially liked the chocolate and strawberry gelato that completed the meal. Ray and Traci took a taxi from the Conrad to the airport (two days before their flight). Why? To visit the Changi Jewel, an amazing shopping mall connected to the airport. Highlighting the Jewel is the Rain Vortex, an unbelievable 130 foot fountain that looks like something out of a computer graphics imaged movie.
Water cascades in a circular shape downward into a big drain, creating the world’s tallest and grandest fountain. On the top floor, an artificial playground called Canopy Park entertains visitors with a maze created out of hedges, a second maze created out of sheets of mirrors, slides, nets for bouncing and climbing and a skywalk at the top of the fountain. The huge mall is also filled with typical stores like Apple and Nike. Ray and Traci had lunch in the mall at Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles. Tsuta’s claim to fame is being the World’s First Michelin Star Awarded ramen shop. Ray and Traci both tried this award winning ramen – it was good but Ray couldn’t quite identify why it was so special but S$21.36 for two people to enjoy such a honored dish is pretty amazing. Many restaurants Ray and Traci visited have online ordering – you sit down at a table with a QR code. Using your phone, you enter your menu selections on line and the server brings you your food and beverage. At the end of the meal you just go to the cashier and pay. From the Changi Jewel, Ray and Traci took another taxi to Chinatown. The metro does service Changi Airport but for whatever reason, in takes 4 times longer on the train due to required transfers than it does to taxi/take a ride share from the Marina Bay area. The ride share industry is very popular in Singapore, even more so than in the US. Taxi stands are pretty much replaced by on demand apps Grab and Zig. Hotel staff hail taxis for their guests using an app. Ride share prices are considerably cheaper than in the US as well. In Chinatown, Ray and Traci visited Maxwell Food Centre, a famous hawker station of Singapore.
Due to the rain, Ray and Traci decided to forgo the animal demonstration show and walks along the various habitat and instead return home picking up dinner at a Japanese chain restaurant called Sukiya in the Suntec mall next to their hotel to end a long day.
Wednesday marks the last full day of adventures in Singapore for Ray and Traci. Ray started the morning by wandering around the Marina Bay Area and taking pictures before the crowds started forming at places such as Singapore’s signature Merlion. A Merlion is a mythical creature formed with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, being the official mascot of Singapore. Seattle has its Space Needle as the most photographed icon of the city, and Singapore has its Merlion
Even at 7 in the morning people are noted to be taking photos. Ray and Traci enjoyed a final buffet breakfast at Oscar’s in the Conrad – Ray found the breakfast fried chicken wings to be a very tasty addition to the buffet. Afterwards, the couple went to the Fountain of Wealth which is one of the world’s largest water fountains and walked around the fountain three times for good luck. The next stop was Orchard Road, the famed Singapore shopping district. Side by side Singapore malls contained the usual high end designer brands, raising the question how many Cartier or Versace stores does one street need? Certainly bargains were few and far between, Ray noted his North Face fleece was 40% higher in Singapore, while Ralph Lauren Polo shirts were S$200 in Singapore. Despite the high priced designer goods upstairs, most of the malls had huge food courts where it was rare to find entrees priced above S$10. From Orchard Road, the travelers walked to Lau Pa Sat, another large collection of Hawker food vendors. After refreshments, Ray and Traci walked by the Merlion for photos and then got on the Singapore Flyer, the giant Ferris wheel along the Marina Bay Waterfront. While meeting all of the criteria of a tourist trap, Ray decided they should ride one of the cities icon’s after flying 10,000 miles. The decision was regretted later after having to ride the wheel in a cabin with two young people who insisted on continuing a disruptive zoom call during the entire 30 minute ride. Apparently, the past few years of work / learn from home has harmed normal social etiquette. Ray and Traci’s final dinner in Singapore took place at a Food Republic food court. Patterned after the hawker stalls, Food Republic has locations all over with individual vendors selling cooked to order meals – Ray and Traci visited the one inside the Suntec Mall adjacent to the Conrad – Ray went with Wafu Japanese which served a bento box containing rice, fruit, teriyaki salmon and teriyaki chicken. Miso soup was also included, all for the princely sum of S$7.50 ($5.62 USD)
Traci ate at Formosa Delight, and ordered a S$7.20 knife shaven noodle with chicken meal. It is quite remarkable how inexpensive quality restaurant meals cost! Ray and Traci returned to their hotel room for their last night in Singapore and taxied to Changi Airport in the early morning hours for the flight back to Seattle.
Singapore is a modern, safe, clean and interesting place to visit. It only became an independent nation in 1965. It does have some questionable laws - $500 fine for chewing gum. Drug traffickers are executed by hanging – 11 so far in 2022, and critics say some are low level couriers / users, not Pablo Escobar level drug lords. The rapid development of the city has resulted in some chaotic navigation problems – It is impossible to cross certain streets and you just have to know where the underground passages are. The area in Marina Bay is particularly confusing, and more than once Ray and Traci were simply lost inside a shopping mall. Even with Google maps as a guide, walking becomes difficult due to impassable streets. Singapore does have its problems – homeless are seen camping out in public places, transit riders watch anti-terrorism videos, and posters warning about subway molesters getting 2 years in prison and “caning” – a corporal punishment practice still used in Singapore. The cleanliness and modern construction makes Singapore look like an real life Asian Disneyland, one which Ray and Traci found intriguing and enjoyable during their visit.
