Queenstown, New Zealand

 

New Zealand was not inhabited by humans until about 700 years ago when the Māori people arrived by canoes from Polynesia in waves over several hundred years. The first European to visit the region of Queenstown was Nathaniel Chalmers in 1853, guided by the chief of the Tuturau. It was around 1860 that the Brits determined that New Zealand would be a favorable addition to the British Empire. The Māori mined jade for its beauty and it usefulness in making tools. They considered the soft yellow metal they also found to be useless. However, the Brits realized that there was gold in them thar hills, and the rush was on.

Queenstown is on Lake Wakatipu, the third largest lake in New Zealand. The economy relies heavily on tourists like us during the summer with recreational activities involving the mountains, wilderness, lakes, rivers, and nearby sounds, fiords, and the ocean to the east, south and west.

Then there is the crazy stuff that puts Queenstown on the map. Although the first recorded bungee jump was made from the Clifton suspension bridge in Bristol, England, the first commercial bungee jumping operation began in Queenstown.

We passed.

And then there are the people who jump off high cliffs and out of perfectly good airplanes.

We passed.

In the winter, the mountains provide the best runs in New Zealand for skiing and snowboarding.

https://www.queenstownnz.co.nz/stories/post/home-of-big-country-queenstowns-ski-touring-and-splitboarding/

It is currently summer in the southern hemisphere. We passed.

We did not pass on a wonderful trip to Milford Sound, and a nice hike in the wilderness. That follows.

Silver Bird Revisited

 

After five nights in Singapore, we were once again aloft flying overnight, heading for Auckland, New Zealand. From there we transferred to Air New Zealand to fly from Auckland at the north end of the north island to Queenstown at the south end of the south island. We have begun spending the next 18 days working our way back north to Auckland.

Singapore

 Is Singapore a city or a country? The answer is YES. It is also considered a city-state. The Republic of Singapore consists of 64 islands and islets. Collectively, they cover 281 square miles, 20% of which is landfill. For comparison Cuyahoga County covers 3,230 square miles. Eleven Singapores could fit in Cuyahoga County. Singapore is the smallest country in Asia. The population is over 6 million which makes it the second most densely populated country in the world.

    The Republic of Singapore is located at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula. It is sometimes referred to as the red dot because it is so tiny on the map. It is located south of Malaysia, separated by the 1 km wide Straits of Johor. It is surrounded by numerous islands of Indonesia.  Singapore is less than 100 miles north of the equator. Therefore, there is little in the way of seasonal variation. The lengths of day and night vary only a little over the course of a year.

    Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles was a British colonial official who was able to secure control over sparsely populated Singapore in 1819. In 1942, the Japanese took control of Singapore until it was returned to the British with the surrender of Japan in 1945. Singapore became independent in 1965. This summary skips a lot of fascinating details which can be found here in the Wikipedia entry for Singapore.

    Initially, it was not clear that Singapore was a viable nation due to its small size, absence of natural resources, little adequate housing, and significant unemployment. Against all odds, with strong leadership and a strategic trade location, Singapore was able to attract investment from multinational corporations and has emerged as one of the four Asian Tigers which also include Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. Strengths include education, healthcare, quality of life, personal safety, infrastructure, home ownership rate of 88%, long life expectancies, fastest internet connection speeds, lowest infant mortality rates, and lowest levels of corruption. The Republic of Singapore has the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the world. There are four official languages in Singapore; English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. Most people are bilingual, speaking their native language and English.

    Singapore is considered a parliamentary representative democratic republic. Although there are other political parties, the People's Action Party has won elections and maintained control since 1959. The citizens of Singapore appear to be satisfied the regimented control exerted by their government. There are tradeoffs.

    Punishment for littering is severe. As a result, Singapore is one of the cleanest cities in the world. Do not get caught with chewing gum. You will be lucky if you get away with just a heavy fine. Drug trafficking is punishable by death.

    Singapore is a multiracial melting pot. There are powerful incentives to get along amongst groups that historically have not gotten along. It does appear that people are polite and tolerant. Three bloggers were convicted of sedition for posting racist remarks directed at minority groups. Do not mess with authority in Singapore.

    We knew little about Singapore when our friends Bob and Sheree suggested that we go there together. The culture, cuisine, and the infrastructure are amazing. The aura of opulence is quite real, but there is so much more. We feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Singapore.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

 

Established in 1859 as a public park, the gardens have grown over the years. One of the top attractions is the National Orchid Garden. Naturalist Henry Nicholas Ridley (aka Mad Ridley) became director in 1888. He conducted successful experiments with rubber planting which radically changed the economy of the Malayan peninsula. By the early 20th century, the Malayan peninsula produced half of the world's latex.

    We were proud of ourselves finding our way there on the subway. Here is a sampling of what we saw.

Clouded Monitor Lizard

After walking through the gardens for hours, we came to the gift shop. Jessica purchased a beautiful 24 karat gold plated orchid for someone dear to her. (spoiler alert) 

Eric scored a tropical shirt.

Day 3, Marina Bay & The Marina Bay Sands Hotel

 

Perhaps the most iconic structures in Singapore are those built around the Marina Bay. On this internet derived photo, from left to right are the Helix Walking Bridge, the hotel, and the science museum.

I took this photo just before we walked across the Helix Bridge toward the hotel. The bridge was constructed in 2007, modeled after the double helix that carries the genetic code of life on earth. At night, pairs of the illuminated red and green letters "c,g,a,t" appear in the darkness, symbolizing the amino acid bases of DNA cytosine, guanine, adenine, and thiamine. In whimsical fashion, the bridge was constructed as a left-handed helix rather than the right-handed helix that usually occurs in nature. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps the architect is left handed. Perhaps it is because Singaporeans drive and walk on the wrong side of the roads and paths.

    The enormity of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel is difficult to overstate. That big boat-looking thing on the top? - That is a 478 foot long swimming pool, almost the length of three olympic swimming pools end-to-end.

The hotel itself has 2,600 guest rooms in three 57-story towers. They are joined together throughout the bottom of all three buildings. This open complex space includes innumerable shops, restaurants, gardens, interactive light displays for children and much more.

Singapore Day 2 and the Walking Tour

We completed the first day in Singapore at the Long Bar, home to the Singapore Sling. Back in 1915, a creative bartender at the Long Bar at Raffles named Ngiam Tong Boon created a cocktail that looked like plain fruit juice. Actually, it was spiked with gin and liqueurs. Why? It was simply improper etiquette for proper ladies to consume alcoholic in public, thus the ruse. I suppose that makes the the Singapore Sling a "girlie drink". I'll take it.

Early on our 2nd day, we had an amazing breakfast in the Tiffin Room restaurant. There was a wonderful buffet with fresh fruit and pastries, etc. They brought us fresh coffee and we picked from a choice of Malaysian, Chinese and British breakfast items on the menu. At 10 AM, our guide arrived—an energetic Singapore born and bred woman of Chinese background.

We took a bus to Kampong Glam, the Malay enclave of Singapore where we saw the iconic Sultan Mosque and famed Arab Street with so many enticing eateries. Here we sampled the tarik, a sweetened tea drink made with condensed milk. Next stop was the Little Indian Station where to saw many colors and exotic scents of spices while walking along the streets. We sampled roti part, an amazing south Indian flat bread made by frying dough flavored with ghee. 

We saw the Sultan Mosque and many traditional Arab Street eateries. We learned a little bit about the Singapore education system, which requires all students to attend public school where they learn English along with their traditional language. Students can attend a madras, but ONLY as an adjunct, NOT as a substitute for a public education. It seems the many cultures in Singapore have learned to live together respectfully and in peace. 

The tour continued through the open food markets and food stalls.

Jackfruits are the largest tree fruit in the world. They can weigh up to 120 pounds each.

The next stop was Parkview Square, a huge Art Deco office building built in 2002, well after the era of Art Deco. Home to the Atlas Bar. No expense was spared. Although it seems out of place, it fits so nicely as part of the Singapore skyline.

Parkview Square lobby

   

     By the time we hit Bugis Street and the Singapore Chinatown, the humidity and jet lag had hit particularly the three men in our group pretty hard. We deferred a trip to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, while our tour guide instructed us on the amazing subway system. The Singapore subway system is efficient, spotless and cheap. We paid with our phones.

Singapore and The Raffles Hotel - Continued

Entry to our room on the right

 Bob, Ray, and Eric have been close friends since we were 11 or 12 years old. Ray was traveling with us and was staying at the Marriott across the street from Raffles. As we came back to life on our first day in Singapore, our first stop began by exploring the food court in the gigantic shopping center underneath the Marriott for lunch. Singapore is a foodie's paradise. Nowhere else in the world will one find a Michelin starred food stall.

Our home for five nights

The Raffles Hotel - An Introduction

 When considering the magnificent luxury hotels of the world, Raffles joins the top of the list. Outstanding in every way, it oozes an old-world charm difficult to find these days. We are enjoying the privilege of staying there for five nights along with our companions, Bob and Sheree.

        Raffles came into being in 1887 as a ten-room high-end hotel. Named after the founder of modern Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles, the hotel became a destination for the wealthy travelers of the day. As the years passed, there were numerous expansions and renovations. Today, the hotel consists of 115 suites, numerous restaurants and bars, and many shops in the arcade.

    The hotel has been recognized as a national monument. We knew we had entered a different world when we were greeted in the expansive lobby by live harp music. The list of famous people who have visited Raffles is long. It includes but is certainly not limited to Somerset Maugham, Ava Gardner, Charlie Chaplin, Joseph Conrad, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward, André Malraux, and James Michener.

We arrived at Changi Airport at 5:45 AM. It was a long flight, but we had all slept several hours on the plane. Customs was a breeze and our driver was waiting for us. Check in went smoothly at the hotel and in a little while, we introduced to our amazing rooms in the Palm Court Suite. Jessica was ready to explore, and the rest of us were ready to sleep!

The Great Silver Bird

 Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Arthur C. Clarke

An Airbus A350-900 plus fuel plus over 300 souls weighs over 600,000 pounds. It is nothing less than a miracle that such a device can leave the ground, climb to 6 miles above the earth, move at over 500 mph, and travel half way around the world nonstop in under 17 hours. Yet, it happens every day.

    The five of us gathered at the San Francisco International Airport, and had the privilege of flying business class to the Singapore Airport. They served the best airplane food I have ever eaten. The seats convert into tiny flat beds. The service was impeccable. Flying with Singapore Airlines is a unique experience.

    Changi Airport in Singapore is also a unique experience. How many airports contain a living wall and palm trees?

We left San Francisco the evening of 15-January and landed early morning on 17-January. 16-Jan disappeared because we crossed the International Date Line where one flies from today to tomorrow. We will get our day back when we return. After we take off from New Zealand, we will land in New York earlier than we took off. Go figure.

Getting To San Francisco

 It was a dark and stormy flight. This was our third attempt to travel the 2,400 miles from Cleveland to San Francisco. We left ourselves three days to get there so we could visit with relatives and friends. Our first attempt was a non-stop flight grounded due to loose screws in our Boeing aircraft. Our reschedule connected through Chicago. Our scheduled landing and takeoff in Chicago coincided perfectly with blizzard conditions at the airport, so on to plan C. The following day we made it, connecting through Denver. Winds were gusting to 50 mph in Cleveland, but we got out. After considerable turbulence and delay, we made it!

    The historic Claremont Hotel in Berkeley has a complicated 100 year history including brief ownership by the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. It somehow seems appropriate that we stayed at the Claremont on our way to Singapore.

From the web site

Perched on a hill off Tunnel Road, the view to the west is outstanding.

Westerly view from the Claremont Jan 14, 2024
SF Bay Bridge to the left - Golden Gate Bridge to the right

Although our stay was cut short by a day, we were still able to gather with some of our favorite people.

Jessica, Kevin, Erica, me

One more day at the Bay, and it is onward to Singapore!