Singapore - October 2012

September 28, 2012 - Orlando, Florida to New York City

I guess there is no better time to start my blog then now.  My first flight from Orlando to New York was uneventful.  It was the first time this American Airlines' flight was on time in over a week.

At JFK I made my way to the BA lounge for dinner before my 1:30 am flight to Hong Kong.  I hope to board the plane and fall asleep.  It is a 16 hour flight so I'll get to watch lots of movies and drink plenty of 18 year old single malt whiskey.

I had a light dinner in the lounge, which BA serves their passengers so they can sleep the entire flight.

After dinner I relaxed in the lounge before boarding the long, long flight.

September 29, 2012 - New York, JFK to Hong Kong

I got on the plane and had a glass of champagne before falling asleep (no sleeping pill needed).

I really don't know if it is Saturday or Sunday, since I can never figure out the international date line logic.

One of the good things about flying to Hong Kong is that you don't have to reset your watch.  The time change is 12 hours.

After I woke up I had a freshly prepared breakfast.  There is nothing better then Cathay Pacific first class service.

I watched three movies - Men in Black 3, Brave and Battleship - all enjoyable but not really good.

September 30, 2012 - Hong Kong to Singapore

I arrived at 5am after just having had my dinner before landing.  I can feel the jet lag already.  I checked the flight path after I landed.  I didn't even cross the Pacific.  The plane flew northeast over Newfoundland, the north pole, Mongolia, and China before landing in Hong Kong.

I had my second breakfast in the Cathay Pacific lounge.  The next flight was only three and a half hours to Singapore.  I had the same seat on the same plane.

I took the bus to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.  What a fantastic building.

Lobby of Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Gardens on the Bay sculptures outside my room

Marina Bay Sands Hotel towers with pool on the roof

Marina Bay Sands pool on the 57th floor

Lobby painting in the Marina Bay Sands Hotel

After a short nap I walked in the new Gardens on the Bay.  It reminded me of the movie Avatar, especially the artificial trees.

Dinner was amazing - and I ate too much.  Won ton soup (8 wantons) and 6 steamed dumplings.  Now it is time for bed.

After a few drinks to fell quickly asleep.

I was wide awake at 6am, so I decided to get my morning exercise.  I wanted to walk to some interesting sculptures I had seen during yesterday's bus ride to the hotel.  After three miles of wandering I gave up.  I did get some good pictures of my hotel, the science museum and the city.

I then went to the top floor of the hotel and was awestruck.  The view was breathtaking, the pool was unbelievable.  Now I know why they charge a fortune to stay here.

Hotel and science museum

October 1, 2012 - Singapore

My goal today was to visit Little India and buy a belt and replacement sunglasses.  Mission accomplished.  I got there using the subway.  It is now my main means of transportation - clean, easy to use, it goes everywhere and is cheap.

In the afternoon I finished my first book on the trip and then relaxed at the beautiful pool.

Dinner was in Chinatown with Peking Duck.  Luckily I found a restaurant that served 1/4.  I think it was the same restaurant I went to six months ago.  Chinatown at night is similar to most Asian countries.  The streets become a colorful night market with vendors selling the same crap all over the world.

I made it back to see the nighttime light show at the Gardens by the Sea.

Merlion Statue

Ministry of Information and the Arts building

October 2, 2012 - Singapore

Today's morning walk was about 4 or 5 miles.  I got some great pictures of the skyscrapers and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

I visited Sentosa Island most of the day.  It is an entertainment and beach resort, and also the home of Universal Studios, Singapore.  The admission was only about $60, but I didn't think it would be that much fun alone.

I took the monorail to the beach station.  I visited three of the beaches and took a narrow suspension bridge to the southern most point of continental Asia.  Like the Key West of Asia.

The admission price to all the other attractions was outrageous.  Good thing they have a package price, but I just walked and looked.  The one that I was tempted to try was the indoor skydiving, but I chickened out.

This evening I went to Clarke Quay, where once stood warehouses, now stands hundreds of restaurants from around the world.  I selected Thai and only burned my tongue once on the hot chili.  It was fun watching the tourist river boats pass every few minutes.

On my way to the southernmost point of continental Asia

Rooftop pool

Helix Bridge

October 3, 2012 - Singapore

Instead of going out for breakfast, I decided to try the hotel.  Well at $33 plus tax and tip for the buffet, I headed for the nearest Starbucks.  The buffet prices were higher then Las Vegas.

I went to the Singapore Botanical Gardens to revisit the Orchid Garden.  I think I took another 100 pictures.  I've never seen so many perfect orchids.  They must have a staff of hundreds to maintain the picture perfect plants.

Then I went to The Long Bar in Raffles Hotel, where the Singapore Sling was invented.  They probably sell a  million a week.  At $24 each that's a lot of slinging.  Its probably the most expensive drink I've ever ordered but well worth it for the atmosphere and experience.

I enjoyed the afternoon at the rooftop garden and pool.

For my last meal in Singapore I had Chinese dumplings and won ton soup.  Walking back to my hotel I passed the casino.  I had eight Singapore dollars left so I decided to gamble.  After three minutes I won a thousand dollars.  Just joking.  It was fun and I had to get rid of the money anyway.

I'll pack in the morning for my flights to Hong Kong and then Mumbai.

My three days here went very quickly and I would definitely return.

Thousands of beautiful orchids

The colors were awesome

Raffles Hotel

Long Bar at Raffles Hotel where the Singapore Sling was invented

Orininal Singapore Sling

Directions:

1 Shake with ice.
2 Strain into an ice filled collins glass.
3 Garnish with cherry and slice of pineapple.
4 SINGAPORE SLING.
5 The Singapore Sling was created at Raffles Hotel at the turn-of-the-century by Hainanese-Chinese bartender, Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon.
6 In the Hotel's museum, visitors may view the safe in which Mr. Ngiam locked away his precious recipe books, as well as the Sling recipe hastily jotted on a bar-chit in 1936 by a visitor to the Hotel who asked the waiter for it.
7 Originally, the Singapore Sling was meant as a woman's drink, hence the attractive pink colour. Today, it is very definately a drink enjoyed by all, without which any visit to Raffles Hotel is incomplete.
8 Metric Measurements as printed on the orginal raffles Hotel menu.
9 30ml Gin.
10 15 ml Cherry Brandy.
11 120 ml Pineapple Juice.
12 15 ml Lime Juice.
13 7.5 ml Cointreau.
14 7.5 ml Dom Benedictine.
15 10 ml Grenadine.
16 A Dash of Angostura Bitters.
17 Garnish with a slice of Pineapple and Cherry.


October 4, 2012 - Singapore to Hong Kong to Mumbai, India

Today was a travel day.  I am going to miss the fantastic Marina Bay Sands Hotel.  My last glimpse was while taking the shuttle bus back to the airport.

I am becoming spoiled with the Cathay Pacific ground staff and flight crew.  All they think about is service - just like American and the other US carriers.

The lounge in Singapore was just okay, not like their home base lounges in Hong Kong.

The flight was great, as usual - good food, drinks and service.  I watched the latest Spiderman movie which must have been awesome in 3D.

I'm now in The Pier, one of the Hong Kong first class lounges, with food and drink fit for a king.  It is probably my favorite lounge in the world.  I decided to eat dinner here instead of on the plane.  I had fillet mignon and seared tuna.  But my favorite was the desert of chocolate cake and truffles.  All that with champagne.

The flight was a short five and a half hours.  I had a few drinks (inferior brands to first class) and watched a movies about Abraham Lincoln fighting vampires.  Definitely not Twilight caliber.  I slept the second half of the flight.

We arrived in Mumbai (Bombay) around 11:30pm, 2:00am Singapore time.  Changing the half hour is really confusing.  I took a prepaid taxi - highly recommended - and arrived at the JW Marriott.

I went to bed soon after.