SINGAPORE: CITY WALK

There are many historic sites along the Singapore River, such as The Fullerton Hotel, the Old Parliament House, Chinatown, and Little India. Another "must see" is the top of Marina Bay Sands SkyPark for a panoramic view of Singapore: we did not see any obvious crazy rich Asians. One observation is that there are no grocery stores on the streets. I believe you can learn a lot about a place by visiting its supermarkets. We discovered a network of underground malls that included supermarkets. We visited a Marks & Spencer market and I left wishing we had one back home in San Diego; it had lots of choice, variety and clear quality in the produce and butcher shop.

We walked through one of the outdoor markets that sell both produce and have a wet market. We didn’t encounter any bats flying around and potentially spreading diseases.

But what we did see was a black chicken, which did not look particularly appetizing. The prickly thorn-covered fruit below is known as a durian; it's known for its strong pungent odor, which has been compared to everything from rotting flesh to dirty gym socks. Trust me when I say one whiff is all you need to gag at the idea of eating one.

After visiting the historic Fullerton Hotel, we crossed the Singapore River on a bridge which was forged in Scotland and brought by ship to be built in Singapore.

We strolled through some of the bazaars.

There was one street in which there was a church, a Hindu temple and a mosque.

We even stumbled upon a Jewish Synagogue. Apparently, there was a migration of Jews from Baghdad shortly after Sir Stamford Raffles established Singapore as a trading post in 1819. Today, it remains home to approximately 2500 Jews.

Scattered throughout the city are murals done by one artist depicting life in Singapore in earlier times. They evoke some of the same images you might imagine from the Bowery on the lower east side with the tenements and tight living quarters. Scott decided to have a “seat” on one of them.

Singapore has maintained several streets featuring historic heritage houses. The contrast between the very old and the very new is striking.

I realized I haven't shared details about the food we enjoyed, aside from the morning breakfast buffets. We ate well, mostly simple dishes like satay, noodles, curries, and dumplings, all of which were delicious.

The final sightseeing highlight was seeing the Merlion of Singapore, a mythical creature featuring a lion's head and a fish's body. "Singapura" translates to "lion city," while the fish body symbolizes the city's beginnings as a fishing village.