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| Trip Planning | Brief History & Map | Photos |
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Trip Planning |
Virginia called me to talk about my trip to Portugal for my 76th birthday in February and my trip to Cuba in June of 2016. She said she would like to take a cruise with me as we did to Jamiaca and the Grand Cayman Islands in 2014. My birthday was coming up so why not take a cruise to Indoneisa with a stop over in Singapore?
It sounded like a good idea to me so we celebrated my 77th birthday while cruising many of the islands of Indonesia and ending the cruise in Singapore.
After our cruise through the Indonesian Islands, we spent a day in Singapore before flying back to San Francisco.
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Trips with Virginia |
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| Ireland in 2014 | Jamaica in 2015 | Indonesai in 2017 | Singapore in 2017 |
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Here we are on our first trip together, touring Ireland in 2014. We did a two week bus tour over the entire coast line of the country.
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And our second cruise to Indonesai on a 14 day cruise in 2017 as we celebrated my 77th birthday.
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We also did a one day highlight tour of the city and country of
Singapore
before flying home to San Francisco.
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History of Singapore |
The written history of Singapore dates back to the third century. Later, the Kingdom of Singapura rose in
importance during the 14th century under the rule of Sultan Iskandar Shah and Singapore became an important port, until it was invaded by the Majapahit in 1398. It then came under the Malacca Sultanate and then the Portuguese, then rapidly becoming a major port city.
During World War II, Singapore was conquered and occupied by the Japanese Empire from 1942 to 1945. When the war ended, Singapore reverted to British control, with increasing levels of self-government being granted, culminating in Singapore's merger with the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963. But social unrest and disputes between Singapore's ruling People's Action Party and Malaysia's Alliance Party resulted in Singapore's separation from Malaysia. Singapore became an independent republic on August 9, 1965.
Facing severe unemployment and a housing crisis, Singapore embarked on a modernization programme beginning in the late 1960s through the 1970s that focused on establishing a manufacturing industry, developing large public housing estates and investing heavily on public education.
By the 1990, the country had become one of the world's most prosperous nations, with a highly developed free market economy, strong international trading links, and the highest per capita gross domestic product in Asia outside Japan.
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The money was easy to use after the Indonesian Money! That was about 13,500 Dollars compared to 1 U.S. dollar. The Singapore dollar currently was 1.45 to the U.S. dollar.
Febuary 13th
February 14
After the tour we boarded the flight to Tokyo Japan.
Flight 844 to Tokyo Japan - ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS - Singapore (SIN) 10:20 P.M. - 6:00 A.M. - Haneda (HND) Tokyo International Airport
------------------------------- National Orchid Garden - Singapore -------------------------------
------------------------------- High Rises of Singapore -------------------------------
------------------------------- Arab Traders & British Control of Singapore -------------------------------
------------------------------- Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - Singapore -------------------------------
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is one of the most beautiful Buddhist Temples in Singapore. It is on most tourist “must visit” list of attractions in Singapore. Non-Buddhist too will appreciate the beauty and serenity of this amazing temple. The architecture of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is based on the Chinese Tang dynasty style, making it a key attraction in Singapore’s Chinatown. As the name suggest, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple has tooth relics of the Buddha, which are housed on the fourth floor of the temple. The wonderful main Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is on the ground floor. There are thousands of artwork (paintings, statues, tapestry, etc) related to Lord Buddha and Buddhism. The Buddhist museum is on the third floor. In addition to the temple and museum, there is also a rooftop garden, a library, a vegetarian restaurant in the basement and a bookstore. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha (Compassionate One, also known as The Future Buddha). The temple management request visitors to dress modestly and provides shawls and coveralls to visitors.
------------------------------- Singapore Sling at the Airport -------------------------------
We were warned time and again, do not order a Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel. They charge around $24.00 U.S. money for a drink that isn't worth it. We found out the cocktail lounge in the Raffles Hotel was being renovated so we stopped to look at the hotel but did not go in. I hadn't had a Singapore Sling in probably 30 years. Virginia couldn't remember either. So at the airport she asked me if I wanted a cocktail. Of course, a silly question! So we looked at the menu, a glass of wine was $18.00 and a cocktail was $20.00. Huh? We said! The Singapore Sling was $23.00 and Virginia said she would treat us to one as it wasn't much more than the regular drinks. I tasted the drink and remembered 30 years ago I didn't like it and Virginia agreed, it was terrible. We did drink the entire drink, $23.00 U.S. dollars were not going to be wasted!
February 15
Flight 7010 - ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS - Haneda (HND) Tokyo International Airport to San Francisco (SFO) 4:25 P.M. - 8:45 A.M.
------------------------------- In Transit Hotel in Tokyo Airport -------------------------------
We got up at six a.m.on Monday morning, dressed, finished packing and had our last breakfast on the ship in Singapore. Then at 8:30 we boarded the bus after immigration and did a five hour tour of Singapore. Got to the airport after 2:00 p.m. and we had to wait until 10:00 p.m. for the flight to Tokyo so we had lunch and our cocktail. We flew to Tokyo in a little over five hours and then found out our flight to San Francisco was 10 hours later! Virginia saw a sign, In Transit Hotel and suggested we get a room for the 8 hours or so we had to sit around. It was $150.00, split it was $75.00 and I agreed. A clean room, hot shower, clean crips sheets and a view to die for, Mt. Fuji! We laid down and instantly went to sleep until almost 1 p.m. Got up and had lunch and a capuccino and off to the boarding area to be seated first. It was worth the money to have a nice room and shower and view!
------------------------------- Pushing Virginia -------------------------------
We left the In-Transit Hotel a little early for a coffee and there was a wheelchair courtesy of the airport. Virginia thought it might be a good idea if I pushed her around. I said I could do that if she behaved! So off we went all over the airport, to eat and have a coffee. Here is a photo of the airport, the pusher and sitter and at last, after almost two days, flying into the San Francisco International Airport at nine a.m. What a vacation and so many things that happened that kept us on our toes! A good time was had by both of us!
View of San Francisco from my apartment on the 28th floor!
Ending our cruise of the Indonesian Islands in Singapore.
Last evening on the cruise ship.
Disney and Universal
Leaning Apartments
The Holland American Cruise Ship
Mall by the Ship
Various Foods
Crispy Fowl
Food Preperation
Virginia and Soup
Chuck and Dumplings
Photos of Singapore & Flight to Tokyo
We did a one day tour of the highlights of Singapore. Tour Cost: $97.00
Last Breakfast on the Ship
National Orchid Garden of Singapore
Over 100 Newly Created Orchids
Wonderful Colors
The Entire City was this Green
More colors than the Rainbow
Flight from Tokyo Japan to San Francisco
We ended our one day tour of the highlights of Singapore before boarding the flight to San Francisco.
San Francisco California
Created on: 2016.06.29
Updated on: 2017.02.19