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This
was the view from our hotel in the heart of downtown Singapore with a view of the
Singaport River.
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Although
it was hot and humid, we took an evening stroll along the river and enjoyed
crossing back and forth on their unique bridges.
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We
stumbled across this food court, known as a "hawker center". It had 30
vendors to choose from, all serving great, but inexpensive food.
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Walking through downtown, we ran across the smallest McDonald's. It
serves coffee, but also takes orders, which can be picked up inside.
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In Chinatown we stopped to tour this Hindu Temple which was filled with
ornate statues and paintings depicting their history and beliefs.
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Next
door was this five story Buddhist Temple, a bit more modest on the outside, but
way over the top on the inside. |
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alter is just the beginning of gold art and sculptures that adorn the
temple. It also has 10,000 miniature statues of Buddha. |
Singapore was kind enough to construct massive tunnels and walkways to enjoy the
city without having to endure the brutal heat. |
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suspended walkway in the Cloud Forest features this Cloud Mountain with
orchids, ferns, and other plant life from rainforests throughout the world.
It is just one of several unique structures in the Garden by the
Bay. |
The Flower Dome features seven different gardens with plants from semi-arid
climates from throughout the southern hemisphere. We took about 1,000 pictures
and none did justice to just how grand this flower conservatory really is. |
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The entire Garden by the Bay, about 130 acres, was built on reclaimed
land from the ocean, so climate change is a big concern. This video shows
the vast destruction that an increase of five degrees would do to the planet. |
The
Supertree Grove consists of a dozen tree like structures that range 80 to 160
feet tall. Each tree is fitted with environmental technologies that are
said to mimic the photosynthesis capabilities of natural trees. |
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plant life on the Supertrees is a collection of unique and exotic ferns,
orchids and other plants. We watched the gardeners trim and prune
using this telescoping lift. |
The
Marina Bay Sands is a luxury five star casino resort hotel that dominates the skyline
of Singapore. Built by the Las Vegas Sands at $8 billion, it
is the most expensive casino in the world. |
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roof of the hotel comes equipped with all the creature comforts required by
those who can afford them, including this awesome infinity pool. |
From
the east side of the hotel, one can see how grand the Garden by the Bay really
is. The lock and dam and all the ships are pretty awesome. |
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Looking north, one can see a floating soccer field that doubles as a
concert stage with grandstand seating. The ArtScience Museum is the
odd shaped building on the lower left. |
In
the language of Maylay, Singapura means lion city. The city created
Merlion, the fish with the head of a lion as their mascot and has become the marketing icon of Singapore. |
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We spent an entire day exploring the awesome and breath taking attractions
within the Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay Sands. It was an
overcast day, but if you squint, you can see a bit of a sunset on the
horizon. |
The
Shoppes is a 800,000 square foot mall located inside Marina Bay Sands.
After a hard day of shopping, you can sit back, relax and ride on a Chinese hand
crafted wooden boat along the entire length of the mall. |
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This photo was taken on the third floor of the Sands Casino. Hundreds
of tables and we could not find one with a minimum bet of less than $150
Singapore ($112 USD). |
Starting at 8:00 pm, the Gardens by the Bay had a light show with colored lights
going on and off to the music of Mozart and Beethoven. What a day!
Click to view! |
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After touring Little India, we stopped at this six story shopping mall in
Little India, where we ate another wonderful meal with spices we never heard
of. We never thought mutton could taste so good. Muy Bien! |
This
is one of five unique gardens spread throughout the three airport terminals. We
went early to take in a free movie, tour the gardens and the pool and hot
tub at the Travelers Hotel. One of a kind! |
