{"id":3174,"date":"2026-03-19T23:10:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T03:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/?p=3174"},"modified":"2026-03-19T23:10:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T03:10:39","slug":"d-is-for-different-singapore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/19\/d-is-for-different-singapore\/","title":{"rendered":"“D” is for Different (Singapore)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We are often reluctant to repeat visits to the places we enjoy.\u00a0 We never want to tarnish the experiences we have already had.\u00a0 When we decided to spend extra time in Singapore, before the cruise set sail, we were determined to see new things, to have different adventures, so that those favorite experiences remain unique to the journey we are on..<\/p>\n

This is what led to Day 2 of our Asia tour being a full exploration of Marina Bay Park.\u00a0 We hadn’t had time to see this amazing area of the city the last time we were here.\u00a0 This was a very active day for us and I would have preferred it to take place on day 3, due to our long travel days but much research had led me to discover that one of our “different” list experiences, that of riding a Sampan boat at the Marina Bay shopping area, took place only on Thursday, (March 19) of the time we would be in Singapore.\u00a0 So it was, that we had planned the entire day around a $10 boat trip!<\/p>\n

The moment we began walking today, I knew it was going to be a challenge.\u00a0 Our feet were still recovering from yesterday, when we had walked 10.5 miles. \u00a0My back, hips and knees were groaning too. It was a two Aleve type of day! Alan was only moderately impaired after having irritated a toenail yesterday. Our schedule called for another 6.5 miles of walking today.\u00a0 I was a little less enthusiastic to get moving this morning.\u00a0 We only made it to the Fullerton Hotel , which was just a short walk beyond the subway exit when we \u00a0we spotted boats. Noting they\u00a0 \u00a0covered a similar path to the one we wanted to walk, we chose to start the day this way, while letting the medicine kick in. .\u00a0 By 11a.m., the weather was already in the high 90\u2019s and humidity \u00a0was nearly the same.\u00a0 We had to wait for the 12:15 boat which meant we had some time to kill.<\/p>\n

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The boat docked outside the famous,\u00a0 Fullerton Hotel.Alan\u2019s mom always says if you can\u2019t afford to stay in a high end hotel, have dessert there, so we did!\u00a0 Rooms at this historic hotel start at $1,000 per night! The hotel sits nestled in the hug of\u00a0 skyscrapers among the developing city. The first Governor of the Straits Settlements gave his name to this monument. The current building dates from 1924, though it was built over a fort which once guarded the mouth of the river with a large gun, from 100 years earlier,<\/p>\n

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After our dessert and coffee, we hopped on the boat where we observed amazing architecture all around the waterfront.\u00a0 First up was The Cavenagh and Anderson Bridges dating from 1869 and 1910 respectively.<\/p>\n

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Ciity Tour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The massive Marina Bay Sands Casino towers over the bay.\u00a0 I have always called the structure at the top a boat, but it is more commonly referred to as a spaceship.\u00a0 There is a huge observation deck at the 54th floor and for a cost of $36-$48 you have the privilege of riding an elevator to look out over the bay. Be sure to make reservations in advance, this sells out quickly.\u00a0 There is also an infinity pool at the top but this is a luxury only available to hotel guests.<\/p>\n

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Next on our boat ride was The Esplanade. This is an arts complex and contains the Theaters on the Bay. The spiky design of the building has led locals to call it the \u2018durian\u2019 \u2013 a local fruit with a similar spiky skin.\u00a0 When riding on public transportation this fruit is banned to carry as it is nicknamed \u201cthe stinky fruit\u201d.\u00a0 Another item on my \u201cdifferent\u201d set of experiences was to actually try this fruit this time, which I will likely do tomorrow when we are in Chinatown.<\/p>\n

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The boat continued up the Singapore River to reveal the various “Quays”, full of colorful shop houses turned restaurants.\u00a0 At the end of our boat trip I had responded well to the pain meds and was now ready to walk the same path for a more up close and personal look at things. It was now sweltering outside.\u00a0 My hair has become a giant frizz-ball!.\u00a0 For a second day we had forgotten to carry water.\u00a0 My recommendations for a visit to Singapore;…fast drying clothing-,you’re either going to be drenched by sweat or the frequent showers, or both at the same time; bottles of water and sunscreen, oh and good shoes!<\/p>\n

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I wanted to see the Merlion up close.\u00a0 Surrounded by Instagrammers , it is very difficult to get a photo without people posing, pretending to catch the water flowing from his mouth.but patience and persistence usually pay off.<\/p>\n

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Next on our walking route was the Helix Bridge<\/u> \u00a0which connects the Singapore Flyer<\/u> with Marina Bay Sands <\/u>(MBS). The design of the bridge represents the double-helix structure of DNA. There are\u00a0 green and red letters on the floor (c&g, a&t), they represent the four bases that join together to form the helix of DNA.<\/p>\n

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We stopped for a soft drink then began by boarding the Sampan boat in the lowest level of the hotel\/casino, which is also the mall area.\u00a0 Sampan boats are a flat-bottomed boat, traditional in China and Malaysia.\u00a0 The ride itself is meant to be similar to a Venetian Gondola. The \u2018canal\u2019 runs along one aisle of the mall. \u00a0We were actually here for the incredible history of how Singapore recovers its water.\u00a0 The indoor waterfall\/vortex was a delight to witness.\u00a0 It only runs every couple of hours.\u00a0 There was no education on the boat tour which ended up being a disappointing tourist trap.<\/p>\n

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The observation deck at the top of Marina Bay Sands was sold out, so that will wait for another opportunity.\u00a0 By 5p.m. we were simply spent for the day.\u00a0 We chose to skip the light show tonight.\u00a0 We enjoyed a nice meal along the waterfront and went to bed by 8pm.\u00a0 Jet lag is catching up to us!<\/p>\n

Day 3 will see us revisit Chinatown, Little India<\/u> and Kampong Glam<\/u>, where we will take a much more immersive dive into the cultural part of this country.<\/p>\n

Day 4 in Singapore will be all about exploring the Colonization of Singapore.\u00a0 We will view more amazing architecture as we walk along the waterfront in Clark Quay<\/u> and finish the day off with a river cruise to see the light show at Marina Bay Sands.<\/p>\n

Since we are on an ABC journey I can’t fit fit everything in this post, but don\u2019t worry, you will soon be able to follow the links to learn more about how we explored each location in Singapore.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are often reluctant to repeat visits to the places we enjoy.\u00a0 We never want to tarnish the experiences we have already had.\u00a0 When we decided to spend extra time in Singapore, before the cruise set sail, we were determined to see new things, to have different adventures, so that those favorite experiences remain unique […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,18,20,382],"tags":[118,396,150,356],"class_list":["post-3174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures","category-world-adventures","category-asia","category-blog","category-singapore","tag-architecture","tag-boat-tour","tag-city","tag-walking-tour"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3174"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3195,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3174\/revisions\/3195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}