SINGAPORE AND KOALA LUMPUR

DAY 64  and 65 — March 9-10, 2017 – SINGAPORE

Singapore is a mix of East and West, old and new.  Chinatown and Old India nestle among the modern skyscrapers.  So much to do and see here.  But, oh lordy, it is one hot place.

For the first day, we chose Gardens by the Bay, which were close to where our ship docked and across the bay from downtown Singapore.  

There are 8 different areas to the Gardens, from a Children’s Garden to dramatic vertical garden displays called Super Trees to indoor Cooled Conservatories.  After taking a tram ride around to see where everything was and experiencing Singapore’s intense heat (90 degrees at 10:00 am), we chose the wimpy way out and headed straight for the indoor gardens contained in two super domes.

The first one, called the Flower Dome, presents typical gardens from all over the world.  We were fortunate to be visiting during cherry tree bloom time and the Japanese area was filled with gorgeous, fragrant cherry blossoms.

The Cloud Forest, in the second dome, featured a 35-meter tall man-made mountain and waterfall.  Its theme is ecology -- how all aspects of life on earth must work together for earth to continue.  It made the case in dramatic fashion throughout the exhibits.

Walkways around the cloud forest mountain allowed you to view it from all angles and heights.  It was weird but spectacular.

The spectacular outdoor Super Trees provide ecological functions for the Gardens by the Bay, venting the hot air from the air-conditioned buildings and collecting water.  At night, they are lit up giving the Gardens an alluring glow when viewed from all the skyscrapers in downtown Singapore.  

The building in the background is the Marina Bay Sands hotel which rises dramatically over the bay and can be seen from all over the Gardens.

The art in Singapore, like this baby boy sculpture floating mid-air, can be downright startling.

On our second day in Singapore, we had planned to see more of the city including the dramatic Marina Bay Sands hotel, the Singapore Flyer, and the historic Raffles Hotel and Long Bar.  But the heat sucked out all our energy on the first day requiring us to rest instead.

Jane did manage to get out to visit a grocery store.  The cost of living in Singapore is high.  Or, at least, the cost of drinking wine is.

DAY 66 — March 11, 2017 – Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA

The heat in Kuala Lumpur was also intense also but we gamely set out to see the sights.

We visited the Batu Caves outside of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.  Like so many other temples in Asia, the entrance involved a climb of several hundred steps.

Inside the Batu Caves it was cooler and impressive with natural lighting.

We visited downtown Koala Lumpur which was green and quite pleasant.  The tall pointy tower in the back center is the KL Tower.  It was the architectural highlight of Malaysia before the Petronas Towers were built.

Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Towers are the tallest twin towers in the world.  We did not go there because we did not arrange for tickets in time.  We were able to get this perfect shot from the windows of the restaurant where we had lunch.

These young ladies taking tickets were as lovely as any panoramic view from the top of the KL tower.