Monday 2 February 2015 (continued)
Singapore

I've already reported on the ease of disembarkation on Monday morning.  A comfortable and quick taxi into the city takes me to the Marina Mandarin Hotel, where I have arranged for early check-in.  The hotel, in the Marina Harbor District, is connected to shopping malls and other luxury hotels through a series of underground spaces and overhead bridges.  In fact, you could live your life entirely underground in this and other parts of the city, avoiding the heat and humidity, by using the wonderful nine-line Metro system and wandering through hotel lobbies and several-storied shopping malls.   

Instead of immediately wandering out, I spend some time unpacking a few items and decide to relax for the rest of the morning.  Feeling refreshed after a couple of hours and freezing from the ice-cold AC in the hotel room, I cross over the pedestrian bridge connecting the hotel to several malls. Immediately I am faced with a wide selection of Asian and American selections in the food hall.  I go for a popular-looking place (there was a line of locals) to enjoy chicken and basil over rice, with accompanying wonton-like soup. The food is a hearty portion, well-heated and delicious.

There aren't many remains of historical tradition in the ever-changing skyline of Singapore, but one of them is the Raffles Hotel, famous as the place where the Singapore Sling (an over-rated, fruity cocktail) was invented.  The hotel is still in operation as a very expensive five-star property.  Although non-guests are kept strictly out of the lobby, we are allowed to wander through some of the courtyards and interior gardens, and, of course, the arcade of shops.

My hotel is not as exclusive as Raffles, but it does bear a striking interior resemblance to John Portman's series of atrium-centered hotels in Atlanta and New York.

I will have much more to report tomorrow, when I describe my day visiting "The Gardens by the Sea," the ultra-extravagant Sands Marina Bay Hotel, the fabulous malls of Orchard Street, and the quaint remains of Colonial Singapore on one street wedged in between all the malls and skyscrapers.

View from My Hotel Room

Maina Mandarin Hotel Exterior

Marina Mandarin Lobby

Lunch

Raffles Hotel Main Entrance

Raffles Hotel Bungalow

Raffles Hotel Garden Courtyard

Singapore Business District Skyline

Metro Car During Non-Rush Hours