We left Ho Chi Minh City on the the 7^thof April for four days’ visit to Singapore. Singapore is a tropical paradise where modernity and nature coexist in true harmony. This city state of 5 million is to South East Asia as Dhubai is to the Middle East. It is one of the busiest maritime hubs in the world and the Singapore port employs 11,000 workers that handle more than 140,000 ships per year. Any visitor to Singapore easily notices the cleanliness and orderliness in the city and the unbelievable greenery in a city with New York style high rise buildings. If you want anyplace in the world to shop and have leisure, I will recommend Singapore.

We did visit as a group, the world’s largest fountain and the Singapore flyer—the world’s largest observation wheel. This wheel contains 28 chambers or capsules that can carry more than 25 people each and it takes 30 minutes to complete a rotation with the highest viewing point at 165m. It gives you an opportunity to have a panoramic view of Singapore’s Marina bay. There was another group visit to the national orchid garden where we were mesmerized by the variety and beauty of plants and flowers.

As many of my colleagues got caught up with shopping, I did arrange solo visits to other sites of interest. These include the Tiger Sky Tower (Asia’s tallest observatory tower), The Images of Singapore (a journey to understand Singapore’ history), The Underwater World and the Dolphin lagoon (a tunnel where only a transparent tunnel separates you from the fish and dolphins), and attending the Songs of the Sea show—a mixture of music and magnificent blend of water jets, colorful light and symmetry.

On the second day of my solo tour I visited The Jurong Bird Park—a place where you feel completely in tropical Africa. At the aptly named African Aviary, you will see a statue of an African crossing a river in a canoe, a man made waterfall and an array of African birds in a tropical setting. There is color, diversity and life at Jurong Bird Park and a lifetime experience to ride a tram through and above trees and birds. The tour at Jurong Park ends with two bird shows that attract between a thousand and two thousand people each session.

We returned to Paris in the morning of the 12^thApril and I spent one night there waiting to take my flight to Cameroon on the 13^th. Some of my colleagues who delayed their trip home for about a week soon got caught up with flight disruptions linked to Iceland’s volcanic eruption.

View 13 more Singapore images at this link

http://s758.photobucket.com/albums/xx222/njei/Singapore%202010/

Related story: Vietnam Visit

http://www.njeitimah-outlook.com/articles/article/2076041/141416.htm

More Singapore Information

http://www.entersingapore.info/sginfo/country-facts.php

http://www.newasia-singapore.com/travel_information/introduction/did_you_know..._200705301.html