Port of call, Singapore -March 15, 2001

Position: Port of call, Singapore -March 15, 2001

Singapore has been a fantastic stop after being in the 3rd world countries. It is a garden spot located between Malaysia and Indonesia. An island about the size of St. Croix, 25 miles by 5 miles with 4 million hard working people with a profitable economics and well managed. The island (which is also a country) is well landscaped with many trees and flowers along the main roads and the bridges, which are clean, and have no garbage. The downtown is modern with many high-rise office buildings and residential units. There are no slums; everyone lives in high-rise apartments or town homes if they can afford one. Once purchased it is owned for 99 years thus handed down within the family.

Most of the Singaporeans are of Chinese decent. They are industrious, happy, and friendly. There is no unemployment and under strict government control. No gum chewing, no graffiti, no drugs, and no displaying of affection during courtship or you can land in jail or be fined. You might recall the notable case of the American (Michael Fey) being arrested and caned for spraying graffiti. Their laws are very strict and enforced. They limit the number of cars by issuing permits. A permit for a new car cost about $50,000 US (plus the cost of the car) and you can only have one new permit in 10 years. There is a minimum of pollution due the limited number of cars. If you drive across the bridge to Malaysia you have to have your car filled with gas before you go so you don't buy the cheaper gas in Malaysia. Living in Singapore is not cheap.

Shopping offers a wide choice. There are shopping malls everywhere and a well planned downtown area. You can shop on Orchid Road with many shops (and many people) in which you can bargain. There are also many malls with upscale International stores and with fixed prices. There are specialty areas that have only electronics of all kinds. John had fun in this area finding new products that we have not seen in the states. Many areas were specialized and contained such things as silks, fabrics, home appliances, local hand made products etc. Everyone is neatly dressed and proud of being a Singaporean. Much of the pride and development of Singapore comes from the British heritage before World War II. The Japanese invaded Singapore but were not there long enough to spoil it. After the war there were many slums but Singapore obtained its independence and developed a magnificent island with a great economy and unbelievable number of people. It is the second largest harbor in the world, with more than 500 cargo ships at anchor in the extensive harbor.

We were docked in the Raffles marina. This is a new marina with great facilities and services to fulfill our needs. There was a Yacht Club including a sports facility, hotel, excellent dining and a large beautifully designed pool. We enjoyed this port of call and found it be one of our better stops.

We went to Sentosa Island Resort and Park by cable car that gave a brilliant view of the city. This is a recreational island filled with anything one could possibly want to do or see from Hotels to a Golf course, an Orchid garden, Butterfly and Insect museum, Theaters, Restaurants, Historical Action Fort and an Underwater World filled with a collection of the largest sharks, fish, turtles etc. we had ever seen in captivity. We also had a famous Singapore Sling at the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel with dinner and dancing. Another special attraction is the Zoo of Singapore. They do not confine their animals with cages, but have them all in their natural habitat. We toured it during the day and again for their night lighted safari. Excellent! We traveled on the open train and all the animals were roaming as if on the open range. Interesting, but we preferred not to do the walking section. Another evening we attended the theater and saw a most entertaining musical "Cookin". There are a lot of things for these 4 million plus people to do in their small country.

While in Singapore, we left the boat with the crew and returned to the states for a month, stopping in St. Croix and MN to fulfill our family priorities. The family arranged a week at the Gainy Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ to celebrate our 50th Anniversary. Everyone, including the grandkids, were there making it a wonderful celebration for all of us.

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