Singapore: October 18 - 21, 2012

We only had 3 ½ days to visit this extremely modern city but we managed to fit in quite a lot considering the monsoon season came early and we had hard rains for a lot of our visit.  What struck us first was just how clean, green and new Singapore appeared.  It has a pretty iconic skyline (like Shanghai has) and many beautiful skyscrapers amongst the well preserved colonial buildings dating back to when the British were in this port city.

Building on left dated 1929, one on right dated 1939

 Modern Singapore is known for its many designer and high fashion stores along famous Orchard Road (Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Jimmy Choo just to name a few), along with its world class hotels and convention centers and exotic nightlife in enclaves of Chinatown, Little India, the Kampong Glam area as well as Holland Village and Dempsey Hill. Kampong Glam was home to the Malay aristocracy in 1819 before British settlement in 1822 divided the area to ethnic groups for the Chinese, Arabs and Europeans. Today it is home to the Malay-Muslim community but is considered to be a hip neighborhood due to the numerous eateries, chic bars and boutiques.  Holland Village is bohemian culture and houses Singapore’s expatriate community. 

Super trees will create their own ecosystem

Aerial view of Gardens by the Bay from the Ferris wheel

One of the highlights of our visit included the new Gardens by the Bay (over by the Marina Bay and City Center) which is a 101 hectare green park featuring towering steel Supertrees that go up to 50 meters into the sky along with two domed conservatories that house many rare trees, flowers and plants.  

Helix Bridge across the river

Under the helix dome

After touring the gardens we walked across a beautiful glass and steel mesh Helix Bridge to the world’s highest Ferris wheel, called the Singapore Flyer which was really a giant observation wheel at 165 meters tall. We had a great view of the city and port even though it was a cloudy, rainy day. The port is full of huge barges and ships waiting to offload their cargo in this major east- meets- west shipping port.  

Singapore Flyer from across the river

 One of the most bizarre structures was the Marina Bay Sands resort that is comprised of three towers, a shopping arcade and casino. The three towers are joined at the top by a boat looking structure filled with shops, restaurants and tree lined observation areas.  This 8 billion dollar structure was built by the Las Vegas Sands group.  The Lotus looking building near it is the Art Science Museum.

Art Science Museum & Singapore skyline

One of a dozen corridors at Lau Pa Sat

Singapore has every conceivable type of food in the world.  We dined on a variety of local fare at Lau Pa Sat which is a Victorian cast-iron structure with a wide range of hawker stalls.  Satay, black peppered or chili crab (crab could cost up to $100 depending on the crab) and buttered fried prawns are all very popular. You can also get a nice bowl of live frog soup and a dish of pig’s intestines if you are in the mood. Another popular place to eat is called CHIJMES, located in a 19^th century convent and chapel compound. We ended up eating at one of the many eateries and bars when a huge thunderstorm caught us there. In the compound was a restaurant/bar called Hogs Breath Bar!!! (Shades of Key West!)

Main street in Singapore's Chinatown

 Me enjoying a cold coconut water while recovering from "Buddha Fatique" which is not a disease yet to be discussed in the Merck Manual or Gray's Anatomy

Beth's Buddha Buddy

Inside the Buddha Tooth Temple

We explored Chinatown by day and night. During the day we browsed the many shops, vendors and eateries. I lucked out and found a Buddha Buddy!! An elderly Chinese man who had served up some fresh coconut juice to Jeff followed us to the 5 year old heritage sight of the Sacred Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.  I had used up all my “Buddha Equity” in Thailand and so this man decided to be my personal guide into the temple (while Jeff waited outside recovering from the lingering side effects of Buddha Fatigue).  His English was pretty good and he was a wealth of information. He took me to the top of the temple and we turned a giant prayer wheel three times so I would have good fortune. He took me all through the museum; the 3^rd floor houses hundreds of Buddhas from all over the far East and India. He gave me all sorts of background  about the different Buddhas, showed me the large “tooth” of the Buddha which  is on a throne of gold and he made sure I was able to get some photos of the monks leading the faithful in afternoon prayers. He explained that the temple was built from the  donations of a few  Chinese gazillionaires and that the huge solid 24K gold Buddha in the main temple was the gift from one extremely wealthy Chinese businessman.  He also noted that I would have a long life due to the fact that I had long ear lobes (considered desirable to Chinese men!) and that Jeff and I would never part because he is from the year of the Tiger and I am from the year of the Ox and that is deemed a perfect partnership.  This man was so proud of “his” temple and thrilled that I was a willing student for over an hour.  I had a great time with him.

That evening, we returned to Chinatown and had dinner at a lovely French restaurant!!!!  Apparently all the best French restaurants can be found in Chinatown!!  We loved Chinatown and even though it was crowded and filled with locals and tourist alike. Little India was even more overwhelming- a real blast of colorful buildings, women in beautiful silk saris and lots of different smells of spices, flowers and strange foods cooking along the roadsides.

Buddha Tooth Temple

Roof of a random temple in old Singapore

A few interesting facts about Singapore imparted by one of our friendly cab drivers:  The government is all powerful and does not allow any criticism of the way it runs the country.  Cars cannot be more than 10 years old and are extremely expensive. To buy a car, you must first go to the government and get approved for the purchase. To get the “paper” to take to the car dealer can cost up to $100,000.00 and then once you go to the dealer, if you want a really nice car, like a BMW, you will pay another $200,000.00!!! Yikes!!! Taxis can be no more than 5 years old, so consequently no taxi drivers can afford to own their own car; they lease them from the cab companies.  The government only wants clean, newer cars on its spotless roads. Talk about clean, even the back alleys of Little India were pretty clean and free of trash and debris. Also, there is a mandatory death penalty for any drug related crime, murder or possession of firearms.  In the local paper, it was reported that the government is considering allowing the judges some leeway for drug crimes to give life in prison instead under a few very restricted circumstances- like mental illness. You don’t litter or jaywalk in this city either!!!  Also, you can be arrested if you criticize anyone’s religion- they have a great deal of religious tolerance here.  Our cab driver said it is a very safe country but he said there are too many laws and rules and it was very expensive to live here.

Overall we were impressed with Singapore but it is very expensive and a bit sanitized for our taste. We preferred the hustle and bustle craziness of Bangkok.  We will now be leaving the Orient and flying to Istanbul, Turkey which is about 12 hour trip. Turkey begins the second part of our adventure.  We are very intrigued by this country as we know very little about it.  We are having an amazing adventure!!!

Bangkok, Thailand- Serious Buddha Country

Great variety of food including some outstanding seafood

We are staying at a great “boutique” hotel Silq with comfortable king size bed in a great location. For those of you who know Pen at the Skin Institute, her niece Dom lives here and she and her husband spent Sunday with us out in the Ayutthaya Province, about an hour drive outside Bangkok. We also had two dinners with them at some excellent Thai restaurants. They were gracious hosts and we really enjoyed our time with them; we hope that they will visit us in Marathon in the future.

Most sold from canoe-like boats

Ayutthaya Entance

Some of the Ayutthaya Ruins

Our day in the Ayutthaya Province was spectacular. The first place we visited was "Ayuyyhaya floating market". Ayutthaya was a historic city in Thailand over 200 years.  Before Burma attacked, it was the most  fantastic and greatest city in Thailand (formally called Siam).  When the entire city was destroyed, the people moved and rebuilt a new city which is now Bangkok. We explored all the vendors, many of who were on boats, tasting lots of different and interesting foods. Most of the people there were Thai with just a few foreigners like us.

Whoa Horsey....Where'd the driver go!?

We did an elephant ride through a series of old ruins and remains of temples.  After the luge ride off the Great Wall of China, the elephant ride was a “walk in the park”. I am amazed how well my back is holding up - thank you Tai Chi!!!!

 

Elephant Buddha

Then we drove to Wat Yai Chai Mong Kom Temple. Here we saw a beautiful reclining Buddha sometimes referred as a sleeping Buddha. From there we went to Wat Panan Choeng Temple, a beautiful spot with an elephant Buddha sitting next to a river. The gold on the Buddha is  one square centimeter of gold leaf that they sell; to be applied for good luck. All the Buddhas have some, some are covered with it.

Large Golden Buddha

Side View of Golden Buddha

Gold leaf almost 1" thick

Dom & Bobby enjoying strawberry and durian ice cream at the end of a hot day

And because Jeff still had not had his fill of Buddhas *don't believe a word she says*, we traveled on to the Wat Mon Kon Bopit Temple where there was a gorgeous golden Buddha.

Monk at the Golden Buddha-as you walked by, he sprinkled you with water for good luck

Wat Sri Sun Pectch Ruins

Our final temple of the day was the most amazing. It was the Wat Sri Sun Petch Temple where there were triple Chedi surrounded by an old brick wall. These ancient buildings in various states of ruin were spectacular. You could pretty much explore all around them but you sure did have to watch your step. Something like this in the US would be cordoned off for fear someone would fall and sue!!

Young Monk in front of Wat Sri Temple

Wat Sri Ruins

All of the places we saw today were partially destroyed by the Burmese in the war between Burma and Thailand. The Thai won the war, but most of their historic sites were destroyed or heavily damaged. We had a great day with Dom and Bobby and topped it off with a wonderful dinner riverside; a place favored by our two wonderful friends and guides.

No trip to Bangkok would be complete without a visit to the Grand Royal Palace and The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew); considered the symbol of Thailand and the most significant place in all of Thailand. 

Emerald Buddha

Even Jeff admitted to being amazed by the sheer size and scope of this complex. The Emerald Temple was built in 1782 during the reign of King Rama I, the first King of the Charkri Dynasty. The Emerald Temple is located within the Grand Royal Palace. According to the history, the Emerald Buddha is carved from light jade and is only 66 centimeters tall. Legend says it was built in 43 BC in India; this Buddha eventually arrived in the Thai Kingdom first in Ayutthaya.

The Golden Stupa shines from afar and was erected during the reign of King Rama IV- it is covered with gold-colored mosaic tiles and it really stands out amongst the other stupas. We took a zillion photos and really enjoyed exploring; a massive thunderstorm cleared out most of the tourists so we felt like we almost had the place to ourselves.
    

Grand Palace Golden Stupa

Reclining Buddha from Head

To Toe

Within the palace complex is also a huge reclining golden Buddha, called the Buddha of Wat Pho that just overwhelms you in size and golden radiance.  It is considered the most exquisite reclining Buddha image in Thailand and was built in 1832 by King Rama III. It is the 3^rd longest reclining Buddha in Thailand. The face measures 15 meters in height and the entire image measures 46 meters. The feet alone are 3 meters high and 5 meters long. The soles are inlaid with mother of pearl, depicting 108 auspicious images. It is hard to believe that there are 2 other reclining Buddhas that are larger.

Located near the Grand Palace is the smallest royal temple called Wat Rajapradit. We just happened on it on the one day it was open to the public and met the art historian in charge of the renovations currently taking place.

Proud Art Historian Project Manager of the restoration

We were pretty much the only visitors and he wanted to practice his English, so we had an impromptu private tour and lesson about Thai temple art. Housed in the main viharn is the Phra Buddah-Sihing Patimakorn, an image in the sitting meditation pose under which are King Rama IV’s ashes. This is an important temple and one the King visits each year for an important ceremony. The gentleman also explained how the intricate designs are made and the significance of all the glass and stones placed on the temple.

Ready for the finish - Each piece is shaped by hand then carefully placed

A finished section - each color and stone has its own significance

The temple completed and waiting for finish

Talk about painstaking work- many of the workers are women, climbing rickety ladders in flip flops- no hard hats. He also proudly showed us the statue and temple for the King that was made famous in the movie The King and I starring Yul Brenner. You could tell how much he liked Hollywood and the fact that a movie was made about his country, formally Siam.

A real exciting ride, especially when there is traffic

Tuk tuk (basically a 3 wheeled motorcycle with a seat for passengers) rides are a must in any visit to Bangkok, but they are wild drivers and traffic laws are more like guidelines; just like China, pedestrians do not have the right of way and if a tuk tuk driver or a motorcycle driver wants to use the sidewalk instead of the road, watch out because it is perfectly legal!!!  You do not need car insurance in Thailand. If you hit someone or kill someone here, you go and apologize to the family and if you have money, you offer to give them some for their loss. If no money, the apology is all that is needed. You see very few bicyclists on the road for a good reason- the drivers are insane!!! Lots of traffic and lots of motorcycles weaving in and out- they also drive on the left side of the road here.

The little boy on the right was crying

China Town on the day of the Buddhist New Moon and Fall Vegetarian Holiday: This was a wild night with the streets full of local Thai and Chinese in a holiday mood. There were thousands of street food vendors lining the streets, a parade with the traditional Chinese dragon and acrobats tossing small children around. The street was full of exotic sights and smells- a real overload of the senses. 

Jim Thompson Silk shop was another “must see” place with lots of beautiful and expensive silk and silk/cotton items. Mr. Thompson was credited with bringing the silk weavers from different parts of the country and marketing their wares. His rise to stardom began when the costumes for the King and I movie were made using his silks. 

Another must in Thailand is having a foot massage. Jeff and I both availed ourselves of this and in Thailand your foot ends mid thigh! The session ends with a nice hot cup of tea and then they work on your neck and shoulders right before you leave. It was heavenly and cost all of $10 and was over an hour!

On our third evening we went on a dinner cruise on an old teak rice boat.

 It was marvelous- two hours on the Chao Phraya River also referred as The River of Kings; a gourmet meal, entertainment provided by two young Thai dancers and a women playing on a classic Thai instrument.

All of the major shrines, temples and buildings were lit up- there were 34 sites in all and we were provided a map and description of each of the sites. There were only 3 couples on a boat that would hold 40. It was very romantic and all of the food was delicious- it was a tasting menu so we were able to sample many traditional dishes. The Cosmo champagne drink was the perfect match for the evening (Toni, Jan and Karen- you would have approved!!).

Luxury home on river

Part of the Grand Palace from the river cruise

Let sleeping dogs lie

On our last day we did a very adventurous bike tour that included parts of Bangkok that you would normally not see; the slums and small alleys filled with chickens, dogs, cats, children and the poor (and no one, especially the dogs, make an effort to step to the side so you can get by). 

Ichi, Beth and our guide Tao admiring a shrine

Ichi - Am I playing tourist in my own country?

Narrow alleys - watch your head!

Beth -I swear this pathway is 6" wide!

Shrine in the middle of the jungle

Farmer tending to his crops

Ramshackle homes  on the river in the jungle

Make room for the motorcycle

River boat to cross to jungle

Loading the bikes to cross the river

Slum on the river in Bangkok

You also had to be ready for quick turns and an occasional motorcycle speeding towards you. It was eye opening. To get there we had to traverse some major roads where cars, trucks and buses speed by and totally ignore us- it was a bit freaky. Unlike China, we did not see any locals on bikes on the road and now I know why!!! Only crazy tourists do the bike rides. We made it down to the river, loaded our bikes on a small boat and traversed the River of Kings and then found ourselves in an area of jungle with very narrow pathways and roads. Riding a bike in the city was scary enough, but the narrow pathways in the jungle area were elevated over water and rice fields and had for the most part no railings or only one railing. As we rode our bikes, we would sometimes encounter motorcycles, fishermen and the occasional running child. There were many sharp turns where I had to get off the bike and walk it in order not to run off into the water.  The entire riding portion was 12 kilometers and the trip was 3 ½ hours. We went through some small villages, shrines and Buddhas in the jungle and beautiful orchids, flowers and amazing huge plants and trees everywhere. I had only been on a bike twice since my neck surgery so this was a real challenge for me. My first solo landing of a plane in Marathon was easier than this trek; but it was worth it to see this part of Thailand. When I got back to our hotel I availed myself of a double dose of pain meds and Jeff went off to get a foot massage- even he found the trip challenging. Fortunately I did not fall off the bike or hit anyone (I am still amazed that I was able to do this). We had a pretty cool guide and there was just the 4 of us. For those of you who used to go to Takara, Sue and Ichi have moved back to Bangkok. We had spent the morning with Ichi (Sue was not well) and he decided to do the bike tour with us (if anyone had told me that one day Ichi and I would be exploring Thailand on bikes together I would have  laughed at the absurdity of it). Even he was amazed by what he saw and found the trek challenging. It was fun to spend the day with him; he had been in the states for about 20 years and so the Bangkok of today is very different from what he remembers. The hotel area that we were staying in was a rice field 20 years ago. It really was a very cool experience!

We loved the Thai food and had many great meals but one of the most unique places we ate at was a restaurant called Cabbage and Condoms.

Condom Man

Condom Santa and family

Quite the assortment

The food was outstanding; it is known for its fresh produce, spices and herbs and healthy recipes. Part of the proceeds from this restaurant goes towards Aids research and prevention. It opened in the early 70’s with a focus on population control due to Thailand’s 3 ½% growth rate. The focus changed to keep up with the health concerns of its population. As you can imagine, the décor made imaginative use of condoms of all colors and sizes and our “after dinner mints” were condoms.

So now we must leave Thailand and head to Singapore. We loved this country and hope to come back and spend time in the northern areas as well as the beautiful beaches. Jeff would like to scuba dive off the west coast of Thailand and we would love to spend more time with Dom and Bobby and Sue and Iche.  It was a lot of fun to have Thai friends to introduce us to the amazing and exciting city of Bangkok- I think it will prove to be one of our favorite cities on this trip.