Last night I decided enough huddling – and signed up with Viatour for a bike ride at 9am and then a water tour at 5 that included seeing the light and laser shows that everyone talked about when I asked what I should do.
It was my last day and I was determined to do more. I figured the bike rides in Vietnam and Cambodia had been real highlights – turns out it was the best thing I could have done. I’m doing this from now on wherever I go!
Today was so great, I’m now a firm believer in doing guided bike rides. You see so much and we had an amazing guide. I was one of two Americans, mostly British, Australian and a smattering of others.
Again, like in Vietnam and Cambodia, I ended up being fascinated by our guides talk around the political system. Singapore is a parliamentary republic, with elections, but Singapore has been governed by the People’s Action Party since 1959; consequently it has been described as being a de facto one-party state under the PAP. In the last general election held in 2025, the PAP won 87 out of 97 seats and 65.57% of the popular vote, meaning the PAP won its 16th consecutive term in government.
Our guide was clear about the pros and cons, with the pros meaning that everyone has housing, education, medical care and safety. Those are big wins. The one big issue that came close to really pushing the government, was LGBTQ rights. There were protests in the 2020’s (which are not usually allowed) large enough that parliament repealed anti-gay laws and put in place anti-discriminatory protections. Our guide said that it’s basically don’t-ask-don’t-tell, but that one of the highest politicians is outright gay with a partner. Singapore does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions. However, transgender rights in the country are progressive in the region, which included Singapore being the first country in Asia to legalize sex reassignment surgery in 1973. Drugs are not tolerated at all – and the population seems to be ok with this. Punishment is very corporal, with caning being the primary tool, left over from British colonization.
So a really interesting mix of progressive policies, taking care of ALL people, but no tolerance for infraction. A lot of people are moving here from Hong Kong, after the Chinese take over, and they seem to find the politics friendly.
One thing our guide said is that Singapore was very Asian in that jobs/education were very hierarchical in perceived value. He had been in finance, focusing on sports, national and Olympic and had what was regarded as a high-ranking job. However, he wanted to be out of the office moving around. He kept his position as the head of the Olympic committee for Singapore but decided to do guiding. He loves guiding – or at least said and acted like he did!
He realized that the valued hierarchy of law/dr/finance of Singapore really missed because the country is clean, safe, and well run because of the thousands who do the menial work of trash collection, cooking, etc. He said he has shifted his understanding of the gifts that all people bring to the society.
The buildings are the most striking part of Singapore, the remnants of history – here apartments in Chinatown crafted form the old store below, many families above, but now with a clear roof to protect from weather, clean and so inviting.
From the Atlas bar, incredibly beautiful, we didn’t go in, just stopped in to se. Some of the bar’s iconic and extensive brasswork – evocative of the Roaring Twenties, or what Ms Keller calls “the golden age of drinking” – and a 15m-tall gin tower containing the bar’s collection of over 1,400 gin bottles.
Outside in the garden were evocative sculptures exploring some of the challenges of living in this society. This one was my favorite: Trying to think outside the box.
Heading towards the Sultan Mosque, an interesting blend of Chinese, Malay, Indian and European cultures all in Kampong Gelam.
The whole bike ride was just a wonderful exploration, from the historical to the crazy modern and creative skyline. The photo below was of the botanical spheres, photos from the inside coming later.
This unbelievable building – a set of 3 towers holding up the plane like structure is the Marina Bay Sands – Hotel and SkyPark. Consistently ranked as one of the world’s most spectacular pools, visitors flock to the SkyPark for a unique experience. It is the world’s longest infinity pool (142 meters) and the largest outdoor pool at this height (650 meters). I did not go up, actually didn’t have any interest, WAY too high.
During WWII, Singapore primarily fought alongside the British and Allied forces against the Japanese Empire. The conflict, culminating in the Battle of Singapore, saw Singapore fall under Japanese occupation after a swift and decisive campaign in 7 days in Feb 1942 and they remained under occupation until the end of the war.
The man who “found” Singapore and in a brief few days negotiated trading for England. Sir Stamford Raffles, a British administrator for the British East India Company, is recognized as the first British person to set up a trading post in Singapore. Raffles landed in Singapore on January 28, 1819 and established a trading post for the British East India Company after negotiating a treaty with Sultan Hussein and the Temenggong of Johor.
I couldn’t get a great photo, but Hotel Raffles names after above is a famous stopping point where the Singapore Sling was invented.
A typical tourist shot, but fun. This is the iconic image (the statue, not me) for Singapore, Merlion. Using the fish in its design alludes to the idea of Singapore’s beginnings as a fishing village, while the lion refers to the sighting of a lion in Temasek by a prince from Palembang, Sang Nila Utama, as narrated in the Sejarah Melayu, leading him to rename the island Singapura (“lion city” in Sanskrit).
The Telok Ayer Market was THE place to go for Satay, the next most famous food in Singapore. I missed on that special dish, but got to see the market and loved this inviting sign for a desert.
So – a wonderful adventure on our bike tour. I then went straight over the tram to the Gardens by the Bay, with more than 1.5million plants from every country except Antartica. The two giant domes held first the Cloud Forest and then the Flower Garden. Unbelievable. The Cloud Forest had the highest indoor waterfall except for the one at the Singapore Airport. I tried hard to see that one too, but my timing didn’t work. But I explored all the levels of this forest and it was truly a marvel.
There’s an enterior elevator in this hill that takes you up many stories and then you walk your way down exploring the different levels of flora.
A whole series of images and scenes of Thailand were in the flower dome, though there were many many areas represented.
I then went back to the hotel after hours of exploring these scenes and got ready for our river cruise. It didn’t turn out to be so much of a cruise, but still fun to get out and see from the water side. We then went back to the Gardens by the Bay for the Supertree light show. Crazy.
We walked through the gardens until we got to the Supertree gardens and then found a space to lie down and look up at the light show. And it was in incredible light show. I took a million photos and videos because I was incredulous.
So cool against the clouds swirling and reflecting the light.
By the end, we were utterly impressed. The people I’d been chatting with on the boat tour – we were together here and then to the next light show as well all marveled as we walked back to the meeting spot.
The next show was from the water front and was fun and interesting as well. A lot of time and effort went into making these shows and the place was packed as we waited to see.
So a fitting end to my Singapore adventure, a perfectly fascinating and satisfying day!
Reb's Walks! 