We have been particularly fortunate this leg of the trip to have had biologist/naturalist lecturer onboard, Bill Toone, who has spent extensive time in Madagascar. According to his presentations, 90% of the species in Madagascar are endemic, but 90% of their natural habit has been destroyed. Further, it is one of most impoverished countries in world. Even with those caveats, we are very eager to explore on our one day in this fascinating country.
The tiny red outline off the northwest coast of Madagascar is Nosy Be.You can see Hell-ville and Ambatozavary. The dark green area next to Ambatozavavy is the Lokobe Nature Reserve.
Although we were originally signed up to do one of the ship’s excursions, our friends onboard (the “James Gang”; a family of Jim, Sue and their 14 year old son, Buck) had signed up to explore the nearby Lokobe Nature Preserve with one of the guides from ToursByLocals, a company which provides local tours all over the world. Our guide for the day was Jean Claude, and he picked us up in the port on Nosy Be, which is called Hell-ville. This was our “plan” for the day:
•Drive directly to Ambatozavavy village and passing by Ylang ylang perfum plant. short visit Photos, •Ambatozavavy fishermen village – meet local people, walk inside for further information and photos then ride speedboat from there to Lokobe village • Drop off of the Boat and walking slowly into the reserve. The spotting walk inside of the reserve, will take about 2hrs • 12:00pm, Lunchtime, enjoy a traditional meal at a restaurant of Lokobe village.
However, we were late getting into port, and late meeting our guide, JC. According to JC, Nosy Be (pronounced Nosy Bay) is the most wealthy place in Madagascar, because most of the people are employed here, and there are no beggars. A huge percentage of the island is planted with ylang ylang trees, whose flowers are harvested and distilled for their essential oil to make perfume. On this island, about 25% of the population is Muslim, while 75% is Christian, but Muslims are much more of a minority on the main island of Madagascar. French is the official language, but English began to be widely used in 2002. A person must be able to speak English to guide. “Nosy” means island, and “Be” means big. However, the main island of Madagascar is much bigger, so go figure! It takes about 45 minutes by speedboat to get there.
Our drive to the village of Ambatozavavy took about 45 minutes over progressively worse roads. Along the way, we passed countless ylang ylang plantations. Right in the middle of the road, we saw an amazing chameleon which was bright green with red zig zags around his eyes. We were able to walk right up to him (and his cousin) and get some great shots.
Finally, after we had been driving over gravel roads for about 10 kilometers, we arrived at the village. We saw lots of families had cattle, which are the Zebu cattle; the largest animal in Madagascar. Our first shock awaited us in the village, when we found out that our boat was in reality a narrow outrigger canoe with an outboard, and that we would have to wade out to it. Since we were all dressed in safari attire for our walk in the jungle reserve, we had to take off our shoes, and roll our pants up as best we could, before walking across the mud flats to the boat. Of course, we all got wet, and it was very difficult to climb into the boat, but we finally all made it. The trip by boat is necessary because there are no roads going into the nature reserve.
Elementary school
About 45 minutes later, we arrived at the village outside the reserve (Lokobe village?), and we again had to wade in to shore and then walk across the sand to get to the village. By this time, it was already after noon, so our “schedule” was badly blown. We decided to do the nature hike first.
Jackfruit
Having cleaned off our feet and gotten ready for the hike, we had our second rude shock, which was that he trails were not nearly as accessible to people who had mobility limitations like our friend, Jim. Nonetheless, our local guide was very good, and very soon, he spotted a pair of nocturnal lemurs for us.
Our local guide showing us how easily the ylang ylang grows here.The blossoms which will be harvested in a few daysThis is pretty close to life size.Welcome to the jungle primeval.Vanilla growing wildTwo nocturnal lemurs bunched togetherThey sleep with their eyes open
We walked on an he found us a different kind of lemurs to photograph. He also pointed out a very large sleeping boa constrictor coiled up in the roots of a tree right next to the path. We capped our explorations with a view of a different kind of chameleon, and by this time, we were all completely soaked with sweat and somewhat muddy. Most of the people in the village supplemented their income with handicrafts, and we braved the sales gauntlet on the way back into the village.
The second set of lemursAll together now … Awwww!Yikes! Boa constrictor.Another lemur jumping through the treesThis lizard is a master of disguise!A different type of chameleon
While not a restaurant by western standards, there was an open air eating area in the village set up with picnic tables, and most importantly, with cold beer! We had a very good lunch of grilled fish and shrimps served with an avocado salad and fresh fruit. According to JC, THB (Three Horses Beer) is the best local brand of beer, and we would have had to agree for as good as it tasted that afternoon!
We waded back out to the boat and motored back to Ambatozavavy. These young people all seemed to be practicing their boating skills. Then we returned to the pier, just a half hour before it was time to depart. It was a little hair raising for our tastes, but the day really fulfilled with this little taste of Madagascar’s wildlife!
This is the 100th day of our ‘round the world cruise adventure, and we have sailed well over 25,000 miles! To paraphrase Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places We Have Been!”.
Coming into Abu Dhabi
April 17, 2023, found us in the port of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the emirates in the UAE, and the perennial power player. Although theoretically, the seven emirates have a power sharing agreement, and any of the sultans can lead the group; in practicality, as the largest and richest of the emirates, somehow Abu Dhabi always ends up as the leader of the group. Although Abu Dhabi is the richest emirate (oil was discovered in , the population of Dubai is nearly double that of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi contributes about 2/3 of the annual economy of the UAE (about $500 billion), and has 100 years’ of oil reserves yet.
Our scheduled activities for the day included a city tour of the city highlighting the world-famous Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque, the other architectural highlights of the capital, and a reproduction “Heritage Village”. Our first stop was at the Grand Mosque, which is completely made of marble, imported from all over the world. It was designed by Sheik Zayed, and construction started on it in 1996. After 33 years in power, Sheik Zayed died in 2004, and was buried in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque, which is large enough to host 41,000 people praying. The Grand Mosque opened to the public in 2007. Our guide told us that it is intended to be a “Cross Cultural Mosque”, with the motto, “open doors, open minds”. I’ll let to decide that for yourself. Of Abu Dhabi’s 1500 mosques, it is the only one open to non-Muslims.
The entrance to the mosque.Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque
Although we had been briefed on the dress requirements for this mosque, and the Gringos have visited over 20 other mosques all over the world, I was still unprepared for the extremism we encountered there. My frequent readers know that while I may not be a religious person, I do try to be a dispassionate observer of the various religions and cultures to which we are exposed. In fact, we seek those opportunities out with open minds. But I will be open in telling you that my experiences at the Grand Mosque pushed me past dispassion to distain, because what we saw displayed there was not religion, but repression, and most of it was directed at women.
First of all, as you can see from the pictures, I was modestly dressed, with my head, shoulders, legs (including my ankles) all covered, but as it was over 90 degrees that day, I had short sleeves on (still covered down to my elbows). However, this wasn’t good enough for the modesty police, and I was made to buy nylon sleeves. A fellow passenger had likewise worn short sleeves, but she had hers completely covered by a long shawl. Still not good enough. In fact, given that there were multiple shops lining the entrance to the underground arcade entrance to the mosque, I am sure I was not the only one wondering how much of the objection to the dress of visitors was motivated not by religion, but by profit motive.
One of the many stores under the entrance to the mosque.
To add to the burn, to enter the mosque, you travel through a long tunnel called the Tunnel of Tolerance, which is full of sanctimonious statements about how tolerant and accepting the people of Abu Dhabi are of other beliefs and noncitizens. Once on the mosque grounds, there are countless people stationed to admonish visitors when their dress or behavior offends their sensibilities. I got reprimanded when my head scarf slipped back two inches from my forehead, one married couple got scolded for putting his arm around his wife’s shoulder, and another couple for simply putting their arms up in a picture. Some tolerance! Now that I’ve vented, on to the rest of our tour. I will say that the mosque was a work of art, and I’m glad I saw it, but the intolerance I experienced there left me questioning whether I would ever visit another mosque.
The next part of our tour was a drive around various areas in Abu Dhabi, mostly marveling at their architecture (which tries mightily to compete with Dubai’s but misses the mark because it is so much less dense). Notwithstanding that fact, there are some remarkable buildings here, most of which incorporate the latest in building technology and eco features.
For example, we passed the “pineapple buildings”, which are perfectly designed to cooled by the ambient breezes. Abu Dhabi is the hottest place on earth, and it gets to 145 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. It is located next to the “empty quarter” of Saudi Arabia, so called because of how inhospitable it is to humans. You’d think that this would be a perfect place for solar power, but that is not so. You can’t use solar panels here because dust and particles in the air make them need constant cleaning, and with only about 18 cm rain/year, they would never stay clean. As we drove around, we noticed plentiful lawns and plants, but our guide told us that they are all irrigated with reclaimed water. In fact, all of the infrastructure is underground (including services like phone, internet, power and gas). The guide bragged about the very high technical levelof all the capital’s structures and systems. All government services provided electronically .
The “pineapple buildings”
Then we passed the Capital Gate Tower, which has the highest degree of lean of any bldg. in the world. It was designed by Scottish architects, and houses a Hilton Hotel inide under that company’s Andaz brand.
The Capital Gate Tower
We drove into a residential area, as our guide explained about family life here. All families are large and multigenerational, usually living with at least 25 people per complex. We drove through a wealthy area (the Al Bateen neighborhood) where family compounds typically stretch up to 1 kilometer in size. One family’s complex runs three kilometers!
A family compound in the Al Bateen area. Different generations and family groupings occupy their own homes within the family compound.
One of the more charming customs our guide pointed out was that most Emirati homes have a rose water sprinkler in the entry area because rose water conveys welcome to that home. Those residing in the emirate enjoy very high salaries, and a lower cost of living. For example, your income is tax free, and the only tax charged is a sales tax. There is no unemployment. Over 80% of the residents of Abu Dhabi are ex pats, in a total population of just over 3 million people. Also, with gasoline costing just 57 cents per liter, and almost no import duties on cars, there are over 9 million cars in the Emirate!
We passed the ADNOC Tower, which is the corporate headquarters for the national oil company. Our tour took us on drive along the Corniche, which is the seaside drive and park the emirate has constructed to showcase it best architecture. We made a photo stop back at the marina, with views across to the 5 towers (Etihad towers, ADNOC tower, Emirates Palace Hotel, and the Presidential Palace).
The ADNOC TowerBetter view of ADNOC tower with “window” at topOn left, Etihad towers, and Emirates Palace Hotel on right.The Sultan’s Palace
Some of our fellow passengers signed up to go have high tea at the Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace Hotel and it was quite the experience. It is the second most expensive hotel in the world (after the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore). If we ever return to Abu Dhabi, that would be my first choice for a future experience here. Thanks to Carol for acting as our guest photographer for these shots!
Entrance to the Emirates Palace HotelThe Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace HotelIn the lobbyLooking out from one of the balconies
Our final stop was at the Heritage Village. But one of the most interesting things about Abu Dhabi is that everything is new here. There are no old buildings, and even the “Heritage Village” was constructed as a tourist attraction. We saw camels, which are still integral to the Bedouin way of life. For example, camels are still given as bridal gifts. You can buy a baby camel for $4,000. Did you know that a camel can drink 400 liters of water in 10 minutes?! We walked through some of the artisans’ stalls, but none of the stuff for sale here is traditional, and most of it appeared to have been made in Asia.
Entrance to the Heritage VillageReplica of a traditional fishing dhow.The artisans’ stallsWoodworkerWeaver
I had been hoping to find an old souk like we had seen in some of our other stops, but those no longer exist. However, my ever-resourceful husband was able to find me a reconstructed “Old Souk” in the downtown area next to the World Trade Center. I got my shopping fix, and then took a taxi back to the ship.
The morning of March 30, 2023, found us back in Malaysia again; this time to visit the capital Kuala Lumpur. It was about a 45 minute drive from the port to the city, but as usual, our guide for the day filled our heads full of information about Malaysia.
Malaysia has a population of about 32,000,000, with about 2,000,000 living in KL. The city has a subway system and a monorail, and bus service is free, but they have 10,000,000 cars, so congestion is endemic. The City of KL is only 244 square miles. Kuala Lumpur means “muddy estuary”. The guide told us they don’t have natural disasters, except flooding?!
Our first stop was at the Blue Mosque, which is the largest mosque in Malaysia. It was built about 25 years ago. We quickly learned our guide was on a mission to keep our bus at the head of the pack which left this morning with tours to Kuala Lumpur.
Our guide was also on a mission to impart as much information about Malaysia as she could between our stops. For example, Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, with a rotating king, which operates as a democracy. The King changes every five years among 9 sultans. From 1948-1960, there was a guerrilla war for independence aided by communist states, while Britain tried to maintain colonial rule. The guerillas waged active battle until 1957, when finally, Britain agreed to grant Malaysia its independence. From ‘57 to now, it has been peaceful. Today, the ethnic mix is about 70% Malay Muslim, 20% Chinese (Buddhist), 7% Indian (Hindu).
Constitutionally, the King is in charge of religion. He decides when to start and stop Ramadan, and whether to pardon those convicted of crimes with death sentence, like for dealing drugs. He also selects the Prime Minister. This is a democracy?!
Everyone has 17 years free education; six years of elementary school, 5 years of secondary school, and then college. Many Malaysians have at least three languages. There are 500 universities here. They take the education of their youth so seriously, that if a parent doesn’t send his or her children to school, that person gets jailed.
The first natural resource found was tin at the Kuala river. Now, they also produce oil and natural gas. The main crop is palm oil. Malaysia produces lots of rubber, and is the biggest source of surgical gloves in the world. The medical industry is booming, and has many Western-trained doctors and nurses. Another crop produced is the durian, but it must be frozen first to -40 degrees to kill the smell.
Our second stop was at the Royal Palace. Of course, we mere mortals were not allowed within the gates. What another edifice to grandiosity! However, when we get back on the bus after this quick stop, I’m starting to see the wisdom of our guides approach; in this oppressive heat, it is best to make our stops brief so we can quickly return to the relief of the bus’s air conditioning!
We headed into central KL for the rest of our sightseeing, and Ming resumed her lessons. According to her, pollution is low in most of Malaysia, because half of the country is still covered in jungle. I’m not sure I agree, given the massive refining going on around the port in Klang. Malaysia imports a lot of foreign labor, mostly from Bangladesh, and Indonesia, and Myanmar. Apparently, they also import labor from Nepal, but those men are mostly employed as security guards in condos, and in gated communities. Some Filipinos employed in the entertainment industry. The GDP is about $33,000 per person, but maybe this includes the imported workers. Malaysia has a tiered income tax system, and the lowest rate of income tax is 2% and ranges up to 36%.
Our third stop was at the National Memorial, which included a cenotaph to those fallen in both World Wars and the War for Independence. The Memorial also had tall bronze statues of the soldiers, but weirdly, they looked like Australians! The Memorial Park was located in the Lake Garden, and there was also a grove dedicated to ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) friendship. These were beautiful gardens with all sorts of themes, but our guide told us that because of the heat, most KL locals only visit in morning and evening. We also saw the national flower, the hibiscus.
The Cenotaph to the fallen soldiers
Then we dashed off to the National Museum, which has four galleries:
Ancient prehistoric gallery;
Malay kingdom (implements made from tin, the arrival of Buddhism, Hindu, Islam);
The Colonial gallery (covering the Dutch, British, Japanese occupations); and
Malaysia today
We only had about 45 minutes in this museum, which wasn’t even enough to scratch the surface. I chose to spend my time in the prehistoric and Malay kingdom galleries, while Jim did the Colonial and Malaysia today galleries. Our take away: definitely come back here to complete the visit if we ever visit Kuala Lumpur again!
Replica of the skull of “Java Man”; a homo erectus skeleton dating back about 500,000 years.Replica of a homo sapien skull found in a cave in Sarawak province (island of Borneo); dating back about 40,000 years.Bronze Age drumGranite megaliths found near the grave of Sheik Ahmad Mejanu, who died in 1467 AD.Figurehead from a royal boat
Finally, we had earned a well-deserved lunch. Out tour took us to a hotel restaurant in the Concord Hotel called the Melting Pot. It served a buffet with a fusion of Asian cuisines, and was pretty good for a hotel buffet, especially the Malaysian dishes.
No visit to Kuala Lumpur is complete without a visit to the Petronas Towers, which were built in 1998, and were the world’s tallest buildings until the completion of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. The towers have 88 floors, and are 452 meters tall, with a high connecting walkway between them. They featured in several movies, including the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies was shot here. The surface is stainless steel, and the top floor is the cleaners’ floor. Like most Asian buildings, they do not have a fourth floor, because the number 4 is bad luck.
The Petronas Towers
Today, however, the tallest building in Kuala Lumpur is Merdeka 118, which has 118 floors in 2,227 feet. You could just do a tour of Kuala Lumpur’s skyscrapers because the architecture is pretty amazing here.
Merdeka 118
From the brand new shiny Kuala Lumpur of today, we went back to the oldest section of KL, where we saw the Ja’ame Mosque built at the confluence of two rivers upon which KL was built. Of course, having been a British Crown colony, naturally, there was also a historical colonial British quarter nearby. There we saw Independence Square, built by the British, the center of their colonial administration, built by hand. Naturally, there was also a polo club which could only serve Western (i.e. white) folks. The motto of the Crown colony was “For God, for the Crown, and for the people”.
The Ja’ame Mosque, at the confluence of the rivers where tin was found.That stuff which looks like smoke is actually water vapor trying to cool the mosque off for prayers.Street art in the old part of townColonial style architecture which tried to incorporate some “moorish” (aka Islamic) architectural elements like the arched window surrounds.Independence SquareThe Polo Club on the green in Independence Square
Although that concluded our sightseeing, we did make a final stop at the handicrafts market which was housed in a huge building near the historical center of town. I have to say, this was one of the nicest handicraft markets we have yet seen, with authentic crafts made by Malaysians, including some of their beautiful batiks. Because it is always difficult to find garments which fit our Western-sized bodies while in Asia, I bought some batik fabric to have made into shirts for Jim and me when we return home. All in all, I would count this as a very successful first visit to the capital of Malaysia!
We sailed into Singapore the morning of March 29th, and could see the Marina Bay Sands Hotel on our way in. Wow! Do you know that this is the third iconic Asian city we have visited in just seven days?! Jim and I have waited a long time to see Singapore, and we wanted to make the most of our overnight stay here, so we hired a private guide and driver for the day.
The Marina Bay Sands is the three connected towers on the right side.
As soon as our ship cleared immigration, our guide, “Mike” was waiting for us in the entry hall. The cruise terminal is a huge facility, and is connected to several malls. Once we navigated our way out, Mike whisked us away, and from then on, it was like drinking from a fire hose, as Mike filled our heads with tons of information in between stops at all the “must see” places of interest!
Singapore is one of three city states in world (including Vatican City and Monaco). It is known as the Garden City, because of the care the city planners have taken to preserve extensive forests within the city. In fact, Singapore’s Botanical Gardens are recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city has 7 million trees, and for every child born, they plant one tree. To illustrate this point, Mike took us up to the top of Faber Park, which is the second highest peak in Singapore. As you might imagine, the views from up here are pretty terrific. There is also a cable car which runs to the peak from the fun zone of Sentosa Island, which is right across from where our ship is parked, and the cable car runs right over our ship.
View from Faber Park.
Singapore has long been considered a world leader in water conservation. 60% of the land is used for water catchment, which sustains 100% of its own citizens’ water use. All water in Singapore is drinkable and safe. From where we’re standing, we can see the Marina Bay Reservoir, which is the biggest in the city.
Mike told us a little about the history of Singapore. Once upon a time, this island was an island fishing village. In the 14th Century, a Sumatran prince came here hunting a lion. Here called this area Singha purra (Lion Island). Fast forward a few centuries to the early 1800s, and Stamford Raffles came to establish a trading post for the British East India Company. At that time, Singapore was a tributary state to Malaysia. The Sultan of the area made a deal with the British that he would grant trading rights to the British in exchange for being made king in his own right. But as is the story with many colonial deals, his kingship never happened.
As you know from our earlier posts, when World War II started in the Pacific with Japanese territorial expansion, Singapore was still a British Crown territory. In 1942, the Japanese invaded, and Britain retreated all the way back to Darwin. In 1945, the Japanese surrendered and left, and the British came back, and Singapore was established as a separate Crown colony. However, an independence movement had developed. Singapore gained self-governance in 1959, and in 1963, became part of the federation of Malaysia, along with Malaya, North Borneo, and Sarawak. But the Singaporeans objected to the obvious preferences given to Malay Muslims, and in 1965, it was expelled from the Malaysian Federation.
Shortly thereafter, Singapore became an independent sovereign nation in 1965, and the People’s Action Party came into power, with Lee Quan Yew as its first Prime Minister. Singapore is an established democracy, which follows the British parliamentary system, but it has a President, who is largely a figurehead. When it started out as a country, it had no natural resources and small land area (the total land area is 790,000 square kilometers), it positioned itself to be a global hub for goods, finance, and trade. It also developed some of its outer islands as oil refining hubs for Brunei and Malaysia.
Today, it is the most expensive city in world, but the central government has taken several steps to protect its citizens from those impacts. For example, government-built housing (called “HDB houses”), house 88% of the Singaporean people, and they are available on both a rental and purchase basis. There is a 5.9 million population.
Example of government built housing.
Singapore has 64 islands, but not all of them are occupied. Some of the islands are military installations, and there appears to be a very visible naval presence in the harbor and around the bay. The military draft is mandatory, requiring two years’ service for all males. Singapore has a big budget for defense.
The Singaporean national language is Malay, but everyone speaks English. School is taught in English starting in elementary school. All college courses are exclusively taught in English. There are four official languages: Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil.
We drove through the Queenstown area, which is a high-end area with extra security because there are lots of embassies here. We saw the St Regis Hotel; the only 6 star hotel in Singapore. The main street is called Orchard Road. Post-independence, the central government decided it was to be devoted to commerce and retail, and boy, is it! The largest mall in town is the Ion Mall, but there are malls everywhere here!
We drove past Raffles Hotel into the Central Business District, which lies next to the Marina Bay Area, built on land reclaimed from the bay. We passed by the Fountain of Wealth. Then Mike took us for a walk around the Marina Bay Sands area. There is a huge Ferris Wheel called the Singapore Wheel, which takes 30 minutes to do one rotation. It is based on the London Eye, but, of course, it is bigger.
The Singapore Wheel
We had our first really good view of the Marina Bay Sands hotel across a little bay from where we were walking. Jim had only two goals for today: To go to the viewing deck on top of the Marina Bay Sands to get the panoramic photos from up there, and to have a Singapore Sling at Raffles Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel. Mike assured us he has both goals on today’s schedule, but we had to wait a bit longer.
The Singapore Art and Science Museum
Mike walked us through Merlion Park (with the emblematic statue of Singapore-part lion, part mermaid) and down Queen Elizabeth Walk across the Singapore River into the old colonial area. On the way, we passed by Esplanade Performing Arts Center, which looks like a durian fruit.
The MerlionThis is the Fullerton Hotel, which is Mike’s recommendation for a future stay here in Singapore.Esplanade Performing Arts Center on rightQueen Elizabeth Walk
The old commerce area was along the Singapore River, which includes Chinatown. The Empress Building holds the Asian Civilizations Museum, and I would have loved to explore, but there was no time in our packed schedule. We could also see the top of the Old Parliament building. We stopped for photos in front of the statue of Stamford Raffles, in front of clock tower on Victoria Hall, which finished in 1906 (after her death). Today, it is a concert hall.
Victoria Memorial HallJim channeling his “inner Stamford Raffles”!The old commercial center along the riverMany buildings in Singapore have these open floors called garden levelsThe Asian Civilizations MuseumOld Supreme Court Building
Finally, it was time for our visit to the Marina Bay Sands! We went up to the top of the Marina Sands Hotel (which has 2561 rooms). The viewing area is called the Sky Park, and there is a separate viewing fee to get up there. For guests staying at the hotel, one part of the upper deck has a pool area with an infinity pool which looks out over Singapore, but unless you’re a hotel guest, you cannot access that area. However, one of our fellow passengers later told us that if you schedule lunch in the rooftop restaurant, you do get access. The views from the Sky Park were awesome, and it was really cool to look down on the Old Supreme Court with the green dome. The new one looks like a space ship!
Views from the SkyPark atop the Marina Bay Sands.Merlion WalkThe old Parliament building is behind the Victoria Memorial HallOld Supreme Court has the green dome; the new Supreme Court is the spaceship.The Gardens by the Bay (the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome).The Super Trees in the Gardens by the BayThe private part of the SkyPark where the infinity pool is.
Then it was off to drink Singapore Slings at Raffles Hotel! A rather sad fact was that the last tiger in Singapore was killed on the grounds of Raffles. After hearing that, I definitely needed a drink! The iconic watering spot at the Raffles Hotel is the Long Bar, and going there is like going back to the British colonial period.
The legendary Singapore SlingsIn peak demand times, this machine is used to mix the drinks.This little boy was fascinated with the machine, so the bartender let him turn the crank.
We drove past the Momentum Sculpture (red) of people always moving upwards. Mike acknowledged that in Singapore, with the high pressure to succeed, sometimes the stress of failure gets too high, and some commit suicide. It got to be such a problem, the government had to create a program to combat it.
“Momentum”
We had lunch in Chinatown at the old hawker hall from the Victorian era. Today, it is all food shops. Singapore cuisine is all about the street food of its many cultures, and Jim and I were eager to try it. On Mike’s suggestion, we went to a place serving Singapore noodles, and we each tried a different one. The whole place was like a food park on steroids, and I couldn’t think of a cuisine type I didn’t see represented there.
We tried the fried away meow and the hokkien mee.
After lunch, we went to explore Chinatown in greater depth. When it was a British colony, the British put the Chinese, Malays, and Indians into separate districts. The iconic architecture style is called the “shop house”, where the retail is on the ground floor, and housing is above.
Examples of shop housesThe Buddha Tooth Temple in Chinatown.
Mike took the drive time between Chinatown and the Malay Muslim district to tell us about the education system. Primary education is free for the first six years. The government decided early on in the country’s existence that since there were no natural resources in Singapore, so the government decided to focus on developing human capital. Obviously, education is very important to that goal, and many NGOs help with subsidizing higher education. Some less educationally-inclined students might attend a technological institute so they can fully participate in the economy. There is a Management University, in order to provide sufficient local magers for all the foreign countries doing business here. Singapore uses the British education system, with “O” levels and “A” levels given at the conclusion of secondary education to determine a student’s career path.
We drove through Indiatown, and into the Malay Muslim quarter (the Kampong Gelam). Since Ramadan has just started, it was pretty quiet there that afternoon. But there were tons of stalls set up offering all types of foods for the local residents to break their fasts in the iftar meals.
The Malay Muslim Quarter-the street art is amazing here.
By that time, we were pretty much out of time because we had a special event to attend that evening. We bade Mike farewell, and hurried in to change.
The Gardens by the Bay
Our special event was held at the Gardens by the Bay, which were built in 2012. The Gardens are a horticultural wonderland consisting of three main parts: The Super trees, which are metal structures with plants inside them; The Cloud Forest Dome; and the Flower Dome. Our event was a dinner in the event space inside the Flower Dome, complete with entertainment. Then, after the Flower Dome closed to the public, we were able to walk around in it after dark. Parts of it are illuminated, and the cherry trees were all in bloom, which were magical. There were also other floral zones represented, and a Pokemon Garden. I think we found Pikachu! The Gardens are illuminated at night, and have a light show every evening at 7:45 and 8:45, which you can see easily from the Merlion Walk area where we were earlier. In fact, most of the skyscrapers in the city are lit up at night, and it was magical to see them through the dome.
One of the Super TreesView of the Marina Sands HotelThe greeters at the special eventPikachu!The Super Trees at night
March 30, 2023:
After a great night’s sleep at harbor in Singapore, we had a special lunch planned for our last day in Singapore. A famous Taiwan chef, Mr. Yang, has a large chain of dumpling restaurants called Din Tai Fung concentrated mainly in the major Asian cities, although they have some American outposts in L.A., Las Vegas, and Seattle. Their claim to fame is the soup dumpling, and they are said to serve the tastiest ones in the world. Each one is made with precisely 18 folds. Our friend, Barry, put together a large group of us and we all went to the restaurant to have a dim sum lunch. The xiao long bao (pork soup dumpling) is the premier dumpling to order, but there are many other great varieties of dumplings. There are even black truffle soup dumplings. You know we had to try one of those! But they also have noodles, and we tried a lovely salad, as well. It was ridiculously good! Happy and satisfied, we headed back to the ship, because tomorrow, we have Kuala Lumpur to explore!
The dumpling makers working with almost mechanical efficiency; each dumpling must have exactly 18 folds.A shortened version of the menu!Pork and shrimp Won tonsStuffed green chilisOriental SaladSteamed Shrimp and Pork DumplingsThe happy dinersSliced duck in Crispy Spring Onion PastryThe glorious black truffle soup dumplingsThe famous Xiao Long pork soup dumplings. They lived up to their fame!These were vegetable dumplings, and frankly, worth skipping.These were dessert dumplings with chocolate and red bean curd.
We started the day with breakfast at 6 am, before checking out of the hotel by 7. Although our flight back to Guayaquil wasn’t until 11:30, we squeezed in a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Center before the flight. Just before our departure, there had been heavy rains, and we saw several giant tortoises in the road on our way to the Research Center. Vehicles go around them very carefully, because at 600 pounds, they could really miss you up if you hit one (plus getting you a huge fine).The Research Center is near the south coast of Santa Cruz outside the big town of Puerto Ayora (population 10,000). The main purpose of the research center is to promote the conservation of the archipelago’s endemic species, especially the land tortoises. It was also the home of the most famous tortoise in the world, “Lonesome George” for forty years until his death in 2012. What was special about him was that he was the last living specimen of the Pinto island tortoise. The Research Center is very close to being able to reestablish this species.
We walked in to the Research Center (a distance of about 300 meters). Along the way, we saw a marine iguana on the side of the road. Also, we saw a Poison apple tree, which is eaten by tortoises, although it is very poisonous for humans and most other species. In fact, it’s not only ingesting the toxic apples which can get you in trouble. Its leaves and trunk are very toxic to the touch, and can cause blisters. The island tortoises eat them to aid in digestion by ridding the digestive tract of parasites.
Poison Apple tree
In addition to seeing George’s taxidermied body, we saw some baby turtles born just about 1 week ago. We also saw examples of the Saddleback tortoise species, and some of the turtles being bred to preserve the species. The Center is beautifully landscaped with native vegetation, including some of the most beautiful prickly pear trees we have ever seen. They can grow the largest of any in the world, and these were just beginning to bloom. There is also a museum at the property, with more generalized information about the flora and fauna of the Galápagos Islands. The whole place and the research and conservation activities it undertakes are all funded by the $100 tourist fee Ecuador charges every visitor to the Islands.
Juvenile Prickly PearYoung tortoises in the nursery at the CenterSaddleback TortoisesBaby tortoises born just last week.The opposite of a baby tortoise-this guy is about 80 years old (a young man in tortoise years).The story of Lonesome GeorgeLonesome George’s taxidermies body, in its temperature and humidity controlled building.The four types of iguanas present in the Galápagos.The “Greeter Iguana” saying goodbye to us at the airport in Baltra,
Sadly, that concluded our time in the Galápagos Islands, but stay tuned, dear Readers, as we will next return with the stories of our visit to Easter Island.
As we awoke on July 13, 2022, we were coming into the port of Stavanger; Norway’s petroleum capital. Jim and I have also visited here, so we were looking for some different experiences this time, and had signed up for a boat tour. Fortunately, it canceled, because once again, we were experiencing how much rain western Norway gets in the summer. The local guide told us it was over 220 days of rain per year, and the average summertime temp is only 17 C ° (62°F). And if that isn’t bad enough, the summertime ocean temperature only gets up to 12°C (52-3°F), but that doesn’t keep the hardy Norwegians from swimming and surfing on the beaches here. Instead, we got on the “panaoramic” tour of Stavanger (read: bus tour with no walking), which is actually not a bad thing for a rainy day.
Using his bus drive wisely, our local guide gave us some facts and figures. I say local guide, but what we have learned is that here in Norway, most of the tour guides are foreign students because the average Norwegian makes too much money to tolerate life as a lowly paid tour guide. Today’s guide was from Germany, and he thought it was an ideal job as a graduate student.
In the nineteenth century, herring fishing was dominant industry in Stavanger. During that time, the annual population growth was over 400%. This led to prosperity and growth; the so called “golden age” of Norway. Ironically, the
The Industrial era actually led to a loss of jobs in Norway, and kicked off several decades of relative poverty as the herring and other fish stocks were depleted. Moreover, Norway was late to adopt steam ships. These conditions led to a massive emigration from Norway, including Jim’s grandmother’s family. Today, about 4.4 million Norwegians live in America and Canada as a result of that exodus.
One of the things we liked most about this area was the abundance of historical homes, mostly wooden houses with white paint and colored trim. On our drive, we saw many more examples. All the white houses you can see were built with birch trees, because that wood was mostly resistant to strong sea winds, and required less maintenance. The white house paint was a color produced locally, but it was the most expensive color, and became a luxury item during the Golden Age because it was a status symbol that said those owners could afford the best.
Our drive took us out to a point on the coast that commemorates a famous battle and a Viking love story. In the 8th and 9th century, Norway was composed of 29 separate kingdoms. Harald, the Fairhaired, who was king of one kingdom, wanted to marry Gitta Eriksdottir, daughter of the king of another kingdom. Gitta told Harald she would only marry him if he became as powerful as the King of Sweden (who was king over all the Swedish people). Harald set about trying to unite all the kingdoms of Norway, and finally fought the Battle of Hafsrfjord to unite Norway under one kingdom, and won Fair Gitta’s hand. We made a brief stop on the coast outside Stavanger where the Monument of Three Swords commemorates the Battle of Hafsrfjord. Harald was quite the busy king.
Three Swords Memorial commemorating Harald’s victoryHafsrfjord where Battle took place
He had several children with Gitta, but he ended up having eight wives, and tons of children. No one actually knows how many children Harald had, but many Norwegians believe they can trace their ancestry back to Harald. Our guide tried to tell us that while the men were off “Viking” (raiding and trading), Norwegian society operated as a type of matriarchy, and the women were very powerful decision makers in the absence of their husbands. I challenge you to find historical support that shows their lot was any better than that of the harem wives and slaves of the ancient Arabic world.
Our bus took us to the Sola beach area, which is a very popular beach resort area for the residents of Stavanger. Sure enough, even with the inclement weather, there were surfers in the water.
The spit of land separating the Solas beach area from the oceanPart of Solas beach area
On our way back into town, our guide told us more about the role of petroleum in Norwegian society, since Stavanger is the petroleum capital of Norway. We even passed the Petroleum Museum on our way out of town. Oil prospecting took place in the 1960s unsuccessfully, and most investors left Norway. Finally, in what the Norwegians refer to as their surprise Christmas gift, right before the last oil lease was set to expire, Exxon found oil right before Christmas, 1969. It ushered in a new age of Norwegian prosperity. After oil was discovered, the Norwegian government formed the Oil Directorate, where government policy is set for petroleum industry. We passed by their headquarters, which are right next to the University of Stavanger, which, not surprisingly, has a great program for Oil and Gas studies, as well as a really good Environmental Studies program.
Petroleum MuseumOil Directorate
Today, Norway is one of the richest countries in world. All of its oil profits go into the national oil fund, which is the second richest sovereign wealth fund in world. It holds the equivalent of $250,000 euros per person in Norway. The money is used to support artists, students, universities, health care, and subsidizing electric car industry. Today, because of the government’s investments from the oil fund, 99% of Norway’s power is generated by renewable sources. Norway actually produces 600% of power it needs by renewable sources, and can export power to other parts of Europe, so petroleum is sold and taxed. 80% of the cars on the Norwegian roads are electric vehicles, and the charging infrastructure is very well developed, and also paid for by the oil fund. Today, Stavanger has 1% of Norway’s population, but generates 20% of Norway’s GDP.
On the way back to town, we passed by an Iron Age farm, and then stopped at Ullandhaugtarnet, which is the highest viewpoint around Stavanger. Sadly the rain obscured how great the views really are. To see what it can look like on a clear day, as well as the Iron Age Farm, Stavanger’s white houses and the Iron Age farm, check out our former post here: https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2017/09/10/stuck-on-stavanger/.
Viewpoint at Ullandhaugtårnet Overlooking the old port area
Here’s hoping for some better weather when we pull into Kristiansand tomorrow. Until then, thanks for reading along with us!
Vaya con Gringos 