Singapore - Part 1

Nancy and I just returned from a few days in Singapore - me for meetings and she to explore the city a bit as it was her first time there. We had a very interesting time and want to share some of the sights and sounds with you all but, because this could become a bit tedious, I'm making this a multi-part entry and you will be able to take a "breather" between sessions.

I'm not sure how many of the "audience" have been to Singapore but I'm guessing at least a few. Singapore is a real crossroads of the world and to get to many places in and around Asia, traveling through Singapore is at least a part of the journey. For those not familiar with city that is a nation, follow the embedded link and you'll get your history / geography / politics / etc. lesson. I have been there a number of times and each visit brings a renewed sense of respect for the way this little chunk of what was once Malaysia has positioned itself.

Singapore is a very modern city with a skyline full of high rise buildings. At the same time, it has the remnants of the various cultures that were part of it's formation. Ethnic Chinese are the dominant people in Singapore and "Chinatown" reflects some of that heritage. You can buy some pretty strange stuff there, especially some of the herbs and medicinal items (you don't want to know which parts of which animals are being sold and what you are supposed to do with them) but there are also many things of beauty to be found. You do need to like trudging through heat and humidity (probably ~85 degrees and 80% humidity) to hit Chinatown - although the locals told us were were lucky to be experiencing a pleasant stretch of weather!

We stayed at the Pan Pacific hotel - a beautiful place with a wonderful staff. (The picture is taken from our 18th floor looking down into the lobby area) It's downtown in a (relatively) new area called Suntec City which 20 years ago, was under water. Thanks to the Malaysian fill dirt that was brought in, they made 29 acres of new city waterfront and filled it with hotels, shopping, shopping, the Esplanade, shopping, shopping, hotels, shopping and (guess) - shopping! Dang, they love shopping in Singapore! So, while I was in meetings, Nancy was exposed to an overdose of shopping opportunities - to which I would say she showed admirable restraint. We also were able to take in a bit of the local flavor on Sunday when we stumbled upon the dragon boat races that were going on. Singapore is big on business based activities and companies have teams that will compete for just about any reason or in any form of sport. Dragon boat racing seems like a pretty cool way to build some team spirit and we were there for what were apparently the "finals" of this season (see the YouTube excerpt below).

O.K. - that is all for the moment but upcoming segments will give more of the "Singapore Experience" to contemplate. For those who have been in the "Lion City" - I hope this brought back a few fond memories! (You may notice I'm sweating like a crazy person (through my shirt) in the picture in front of the Esplanade - it is so hot in Singapore!)