Singapore Day 2

After visiting the Indian and Arab quarters the day before, we first went to Chinatown today. Raffles, the founder of the modern city, assigned this district to the increasing number of Chinese immigrants.

Of course, we were once again greeted by the colorful decorations for the Chinese New Year.

The Sri Mariamman Temple was also very colorful, adorned with colorful sculptures.

The faithful stood in line to receive a blessing at the altar or make an offering.

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, although less colorful on the outside, is much larger and is located further down the same street.

The large temple and museum complex with five floors houses a relic believed to be the left canine tooth of Buddha.

On the ground floor, there was a bustling temple with believers, tourists, and monks passing by countless statues and offerings.

We then visited the Thian Hock Keng Temple, the last temple to see in Chinatown, which was a bit quieter.

It was built in 1842 with a view of the sea. However, after land reclamation, it is now surrounded by high-rise buildings.

To get a view of the city from above, we then took a ride on the "Singapore Flyer," the second tallest ferris wheel in the world at 165 meters.

It takes thirty minutes for one rotation in one of the 28 capsules, allowing plenty of time to enjoy the view at a leisurely pace.

We then took a bus over the Bayfront Bridge to reach the "Gardens by the Bay," Singapore's new botanical garden.

This facility covers about 1 square kilometer and consists of several small gardens and huge greenhouses.

However, it is not warmer inside these greenhouses, but cooler, so that plants that do not thrive in the tropical climate can survive.

In the "Flower Dome," we could stroll through the gardens of the world and admire plants from all parts of the earth.

Of course, the seasonal decorations for the Chinese New Year were also included here.

There were small stalls set up, and so we also had the opportunity to enjoy a tea tasting. The friendly seller explained that we didn't have to buy anything, but drinking a lot was very important - and kept refilling our cups.

The "Cloud Forest" was an equally large dome. Inside, there was a 35-meter high waterfall cascading down from a tower covered in vegetation.

We took the elevator to the top floor and then walked down the plants on foot.

At the top, there was the "Lost World," with carnivorous plants made of Lego sitting in a water landscape.

At treetop height, there was also a canopy walk, although the tall trees were somewhat missing...

We then went up again to the "Supertree Grove," tree-like structures ranging from 25 to 50 meters in height.

These were connected by suspended bridges, allowing us to once again view the "Gardens by the Bay" from above.

We then tried to walk back to the waterfront of the bay through the "Marina Bay" shopping mall, which turned out not to be so easy. Eventually, we ended up in the mall and saw the "DC Super Heroes Cafe." There were life-sized figures of the Justice League and corresponding burgers. You could choose between buns with Batman or Superman symbols, which were colorfully and accurately placed on the food.

We finally made it to the waterfront promenade and enjoyed the view of the skyline.

In the evening, there was also a light show on the water here.

The show ended with a fireworks display. Here, it happens two or three times every evening...

We walked around Marina Bay until we reached the "Merlion." This water spout is modeled after the mythical creature and is the symbol of Singapore. Half fish and half lion, it watches over the city and was illuminated in colorful lights during the evening light show.

We then walked back to our hotel along the Singapore River.