Don & Kully's World Cruise on Viking Neptune

Today was day two of three in beautiful Singapore. Singapore is unlike any other city we’ve visited in Southeast Asia. Singapore is densely populated, Like Ho Chi Minh City, but doesn’t feel nearly as congested due to its very efficient mass transit system. Today we decided not to take a Viking excursion, but to strike out on our own to explore this amazing city. Actually, because of the great subway and bus system, exploring independently in Singapore is pretty easy. We took a look at the Viking excursions and made a list of the places they visited and compared that to must see places from various web sites and made a list of the places we wanted to see. From there we used Google Maps and an app called “Visit A City” to figure out the best sequence to visit the sights and off we went. We bought a two-day Singapore Tourist Pass that gave us unlimited rides on the City’s subway and bus system for the next two days, so getting around to and from the various sights was pretty easy.

Our first stop was just outside the cruise terminal at the Harbour Front stop of the Singapore Cable Car system. We purchased a round trip ticket that let us ride the full loop of the system up to Mount Faber, down to Sentosa Island and back to Harbour Front. We had spectacular views of the city and harbor skylines.

From there we headed of to the MRT (subway system) and took the short ride to China Town. Our plan was to visit the Chinatown Heritage Centre, but it was closed for renovations. So, we decided to stroll the narrow streets and do a little shopping. We found an impressive tailor shop where Kully ordered a tailor-made dress…can’t wait to see it.

We visited the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple constructed in 1827 for use by immigrants from Southern India. The temple is dedicated to the goddess of healing epidemic diseases, Mariamman. The temple’s tower entrance was completed in 1962 and is modeled on intricate sculpture work of temple architecture in Southern India.

From here it was about a ten-minute walk to the Thian Hock Keng Temple. This temple was very different than the Sri Mariamman, as this was a Chinese Buddhist Temple. The Temple of Heavenly Bliss was built in 1840 on a site where Chinese migrants would land on the shores of Singapore in search of a new life. On arrival in Singapore the migrants wanted to thank the deities and so the temple was dedicated to the Sea Goddess Mazu.

We took a short break for a lunch of local Pizza and beer before heading back to the MRT which took us to the Singapore National Art Gallery. The gallery was featuring an exhibition called “Tropical Stories from Asia and Latin America” featuring artist from Latin America and Southeast Asia. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Our final stop of the day was at one of Singapore’s landmarks, Marina Bay. The Marina Bay Sands Resorts is a three-tower hotel connected by the Sands SkyPark, a roof top garden that looks like a surfboard atop the three towers. The complex also has a world -class casino, multiple nightclubs, performance halls, shops, and convention center. As a matter of fact, Rod Stewart was performing there tonight. We capped the day off with a ride up to the SkyPark for a drink and panoramic view of the city before returning to the beautiful Viking Neptune for dinner with friends and an early bedtime.

Tomorrow will be our final day in Singapore.