On
our second day in Singapore, John went on a tour of the battlefields and sites
of some of the worst atrocities of WWII. His tour took him to Changi Prison,
where the Japanese held 85,000 prisoners after they invaded Singapore. The chapel
is a replica of the one built by the Allied prisoners.
Changi
Prison Chapel
Wreath
of Poppies (with the Royal Marines Emblem) Laid at the Chapel
The
tour was to include a visit to the Old Ford Factory War Museum, but it was
closed on Mondays. It was the site of the British surrender on February 15,
1942. The factory was subsequently used by the Japanese as its military
headquarters in Singapore.
Instead,
the tour guide took the group to see the remains of several gun embankments,
one being the Labrador Battery.
Labrador
Battery Battle Site
The
group also visited the Kranji War Memorial and Cemetery, where thousands of
Allied soldiers are buried. The names of those who died during WWII are
engraved on the memorial.
Kranji
War Memorial
Kranji
Cemetery Monument
Kranji Cemetery
After
John returned from his tour, we took the MRT (subway) to the City Hall stop,
followed the exit signs, and ended up inside the Raffles Place shopping center.
It could have been a shopping mall in any city in the world—they all have
become so much alike with many familiar stores. It worked out well since John
had wanted to buy a cream or off-white dress shirt. We visited over ten stores
without any luck.
Afterwards,
we crossed the street and walked around Raffles Hotel, which is a spectacular
white building with balconies and courtyards filled with greenery. Singapore
has a greenery policy that requires the planting of trees, shrubbery, and
flowers, which accounts for much of the lush landscape.
On
a previous visit to Singapore, we enjoyed having afternoon tea Raffles. It was
quite memorable. Lots of tourists go to Raffles to have an expensive Singapore
Sling in the bar. We were sorry to see that a portion of the hotel has been
turned into a shopping arcade. I would advise
anyone visiting Singapore to put Raffles Hotel at the top of their list of
places to visit. The hotel also has a good gift shop. Our tablemates highly recommended the Chinese
Gardens—for a future trip.
Raffles
Hotel from a Side Entrance
One of Many Courtyards Within the Raffles Hotel
Following
a map, we attempted to find the route to another shopping area we had heard
about. Usually I’m good at reading a map, but after we found ourselves
back at Raffles three times, we gave up on that idea. We did pass St. Andrews
Cathedral during our search.
On
the MRT, we discovered that only certain trains went all the way to the marina.
One stop away, the train would stop and then reverse directions, going back to
where we just came from. After two tries, we finally were able to get a train
that went to the marina. Frustrating, especially when the ship was scheduled to
sail late afternoon.
The
heat and humidity had been awful that day, so after retuning to the ship, we
dropped our things in our cabin and went up to the Lido Deck for beer and
potato chips. After the day we had, we needed it.
We
were sorry we didn’t have time to explore more of Singapore. This is another
place we would like to visit again.
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