Exploring Singapre

We made use of the hop on, hop off buses to explore Singapore. We passed by the Singapore Flyer observation wheel, the world's largest and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which is the hotel that looks like a surfboard on top of three towers. We spent most of the morning at the Botanical Gardens. Most of the gardens are free, but we paid the 80 cents (senior price) to see the orchid garden, world famous for the hybrids developed here.

Orchids at the National Orchid Garden

In the afternoon, we walk Little India, which did remind us of the marketplaces of India including the blaring music. The highlight of the walk was the ornate temple of Sri Veerama Kaliamman.

Temple of Sri Veerama Kaliamman

As we toured the city, we were amazed by the amount of new construction going on everywhere. Construction cranes seem to dominate, especially near the Singapore river. They are also re-purposing their City Hall and Supreme Court building, redoing the insides, while keeping the facade to create a visual arts museum.
Next stop was Arab street. We stopped for lunch and a beer to cool off. There were lost of Middle Eastern restaurants, the Masjid Sultan Mosque, and numerous shops selling silks and fabrics.

Masjid Sultan Mosque

By this time we were tired and it started to pour rain, so we stayed on the bus through colorful Chinatown, rather than exploring that area. At the end of the tour, we found we could cover most of the way back to our hotel if we went underground. Here the shops were plentiful and the crowds thick, no wonder the sidewalks on the surface were relatively quiet!