We started our tour in Little India. Singapore is a multicultural community with the strongest connections to Malaysia, India, China and United Kingdom. During our visit to Little India, we were able to see the many Indian clothing stores, a Hindu temple and market places. The very mention of henna started a frenzy of activity as all in our group added a henna design to their arms or hands.
After Little India we headed to Merlion Park, where we were able to see the views of Marina Bay including some amazing buildings that occupy the shoreline. Unfortunately, the Merlion was wrapped in scaffolding as repairs were being completing in preparation for the 50th Anniversary of Independence of Singapore to take place in August. The merlion is a mythical creature that is half lion and half fish. It is the icon of Singapore.
We visited the Singapore City Gallery, and were delighted to enter the air conditioned comfort of this building which housed many scale models of the Singapore island and the city area. We were able to see how much of the exisiting island is actually reclaimed land from the sea. The scale models were most impressive and captivating.
We then had a visit to Chinatown. Yes, even Singapore has a Chinatown. This one has extensive markets and shops where you are permitted to bargain. Some more gifts and souvenirs were purchased during this short visit.
Next was a buffet lunch at the Landmark Hotel in the Arab quarter. We were able to enjoy a range of dishes from different cultures, and many enjoyed the narn bread and chicken kebabs.
The Changi Museum provides a snapshot of Singapore's wartime history during the Japanese occupation. There were some very moving and explicit descriptions of the impact of the occupation and also the deplorable treatment of prisoners of war, many from Australia. We had an afternoon break at the Bark Cafe alongside the Changi Museum before heading off to the SIngapore Zoo in readiness for the Night Safari.
Night Safari commenced with a buffet meal at one of the zoo restaurants and then we went to the live animal show to observe various trained creatures of the night in an entertaining show. We were then off on our safari tram ride where we passed through many different animal enclosures to observe a range of animals from throughout the world in subdued lighting. While some animals were inactive or well hidden, we were greatly impressed with the Asian tiger, the elephants, giraffes, zebras and many different breeds of deer. After such a long day of sightseeing, we were relieved to be delivered back to our hotel in readiness for a good night's sleep.
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