Singapore

As a hub of the world for international shipping, the main harbor was packed bumper-to-bumper with more than 80 cargo and container ships - these were the visible ones! Hundreds more lay anchored in the distance, shrouded in thick smoke from the Indonesian fires, lighted to clear fields for coco palm oil plantations. Try weaving your way around these babies at dawn under sail!

Singapore has long been a shipping and trading center for global economies. Expatriates from all over the world have settled here to take part in the busy trade as representatives of their international companies. It was rare to see another American and if we did, most often it was a sailor. With so many markets to choose from, we were in heaven, after having been in Indonesia so long.

The downtown in the city of Singapore consumes most of the main island, which is a densely populated business district and industrial port. About three-fourths Singaporeans, are Chinese, but there are significant Malay and Indian minorities. English is used as the language, so we had an easy time. We heard other languages spoken as well: Chinese, English, Malay, and Tamil, although Chinese is the primary language spoken in the majority of homes and shops.

At one time, only a few fishing settlements existed on the small trading port of Singapore, before the islands became part of the British colonial empire in the 1820s. Britain developed Singapore into the major international trade center that it is today. and has maintained political stability and high economic growth. Because Singapore is Southeast Asia’s most important seaport, financial center, and manufacturing hub, its citizens enjoy one of the world’s highest standards of living.

The principal religions are Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. The majority of Chinese Singaporeans follow Buddhism, although Daoism (Taoism), and Christianity are popular. Malay Singaporeans are predominantly Muslim, while more than half the Indian Singaporeans profess Hinduism. All this makes for a facinating tour of the city!

The Republic of Singapore is an island country that sits at the southern end of Malaysia and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. Only 707 square kilometers or 273 square miles, Singapore is one of four remaining true city-states in the world. A rich mix of Chinese, Indian, Malay and Western cultures made for a marvelous brew in Singapore. And talk about clean? Subway surfaces gleamed. Pity the careless cruiser who casually dropped an ice cream wrapper at the station. A copper stood nearby, ready to hand out littering tickets, weighted down with heavy fines. The pristine cleanliness was a relief, however, after the poverty and chaos of Indonesia. Getting around the urban jungle was a breeze, with the modern public transit system: subways, trains and buses rushed travelers to markets and kids to school on time and with speed.

After tying up at glitsy Raffles Marina, we jumped aboard the mass transit system to weave our way about town, relishing the smooth efficiency of an ultra-modern country. The best was sampling the fantastic range of Asian dishes. The cultures of the Chinese, Malays and Indians all combined for our unique Asian experience.

Inside the marina compound, we had access to a large, modern pool, gym, some serious hot showers and a long boardwalk for walking Bella, our little Schipperke. Kinda' nice before hitting the adventurous Malacca Straits, en route to Thailand.

We love foreign cuisine. With the cultural mix of Singpore, we sampled dishes from all parts of China: the delicious dim sum, grilled meats coated with spicy satay sauce that were brought by Cantonese immigrants, Szechuan dishes from the Hainan province and the famous yong tau fu (beancurd stuffed with fish paste from the Hakkas). Instead of eggs and toast for breakfast, we grew accustomed to eating appetising noodles with a green leafy vegetable. It was much lighter and more tasty. At night, we sampled the chilli crab, bak kut teh, fish head curry or rojak, which Pete didn't care for.

Being a fan of Indian food, we liked the vegetarian thosai and fiery curries enriched with coconut milk. Pete preferred the milder curries with a creamy yogurt dish on the side. My galley became stocked with flavoured spices, like cardamom, cloves, cumin, coriander and chillies. Hum!

We sailed by a tiny neighborhood of stick houses, when departing Singapore, en route to the Malacca Straits. A wooden walkway over the by was supported by bamboo poles. Small shacks houses large families. Access to shore was by boat.

At one time, houses like these were popular offshore Miami, Florida on the east coast of the United States. Now banned, I wonder if the former inhabitants were from Singpore.