Photos from my trip out to Sentosa Island, south of Singapore
Saturday, August 6, 2005

Sentosa Island is many things, for such a tiny little island, just off the southern tip of Singapore's main island.
It is a resort, amusement park, jungle, souvenir stand, hiking trail, and beach (actually three nice beaches).

Here's what I saw:

Leaving the condo, Flamingo Valley, where things are all decorated up for "National Day" on Tuesday of next week.  The Singapore flag is currently flying from almost every flagpole, window, and storefront in the country, in a show of patriotism--it's the country's 40th birthday as an independent nation, and they're trying really hard to make it feel like ONE nation rather than a gathering point for lots of *different* people.

Some of the very nice estates along Siglap Road, across from Flamingo Valley.  These people actually own CARS.  Holy cow, they must be rich--the license to buy a car here is astronomical--more than the cost of the car itself!  As you can see, though, they drive on the wrong side of the road...  If I tried to drive here, I would get killed in like an hour, easy.

Looking up at the cable cars that go out to Sentosa.  A Japanese Coast Guard ship is inexplicably anchored there.

A Japanese-looking sort of villa on Sentosa as my cable car goes over.  I shared the ride with a cool guy from New Zealand named Milton, about my age.  He was just back from visiting friends in London and Paris and stopped by Singapore on the way home.  I should have taken the time to have a beer with him.

Big container ships out in the Singapore Straits-- or the Malacca Straits, I never can figure which is which.

A Dutch (?) ship out in the Straits.  We haven't seen the last of it...  Hmm.

Looking back at Singapore from the cable car.  This is NOT the main part of the city-- it's one of the suburb areas that the government built up with lots of high-rise housing, like sort of satellite communities connected by light rail.  It's one of the big success stories of this region of the world.

Yachts doing doughnuts in the harbor.

The big shipyards, similar to Mobile, Alabama, with a nice marina-type building in the foreground and the main downtown city skyline (CBD-- Central Business District) in the background.  Note that all the tall buildings are the same height-- they are limited by aviation law to a certain height, so the big ones all go right up to exactly that height.

A Sentosa courtyard and roof that are particularly nice.

Still in the cable car, looking over at a nice hotel-resort with its own beach and pool.

Me looking hot and sweaty and sorta pudgy in the cable car, with Singapore behind me.  Humidity, man!  Freakin' HUMIDITY!!
(How the heck can I look pudgy when I've actually lost like five pounds since I got here?!  Mostly from sweat, yeah, and from the really tiny portions they serve you everywhere... but that's a good thing, right?)

The view of the city being swallowed up by the jungle of Sentosa.

The "Merlion," the symbol of Singapore.  Yeah, there are people up on top of its head. 

Okay, I'm finally off the cable car and immediately find a great view of downtown through the trees.

A fountain and stairs leading up to the Merlion.

A brook near the Merlion.

Another nice view of it.

What a freaky tree.  It comes from Honduras and was brought to Singapore in the 1800s for shade and to make furniture--according to that sign, anyway.  What, did you think I just happened to know that?!  C'mon...  Ha.

The "Earth Dragon trail" through the jungle.  Why is it called the Earth Dragon Trail?  Hmmm... let's go see...

Hmmm.... this could be the reason...  I hope I'm not doing anything that might, y'know, IRRITATE the Earth Dragon...

Well, UH OH...!

Escape the dragon by running out onto the beach!  Finally found it.  The signs saying "Beach -->"..... are WRONG!!  
I followed the signs forever, but--no beaches.  So I told this to a guy at the reception desk of a restaurant up on the hill, where the signs were pointing, and he said, "There are no beaches this way.  The signs say that?  That might explain why people keep asking me where the beach is!  I must tell management!"  And I'm standing there going, "Yeah, yeah, great-- but--WHERE IS THE BEACH!?"   Apparently you have to be chased by the Earth Dragon to find it.

Saturday afternoon, and hardly anyone's on the beach-- most folks are playing beach volleyball back behind me, though I did nearly get run over by three bikini-clad girls on those skateboard-handlebar things.  There is a great row of bars/pubs and snack places open to the beach, to my left here, and most of the chairs are filled with Europeans/Australians/Americans kicking back and enjoying the place.  I have to get back over there sooooooon.  But today is just reconnaissance.  Unfortunately.

Ack!  It's the Dutch again!  I told you we hadn't seen the last of them-- they're following me!!
This is a beach, but it's a beach strategically located right next to the main shipping area of the world.  So...there are gonna be some ships out there.  What I did to perturb the Wallenius Wilhelmsen, though, is anybody's guess...

Ahhh, paradise...

Still hot and sweaty, but on the beach now, baby!
(My hat looks funny at this angle, doesn't it?  Huh...)
Who cares, I'm on the beach, and 85 miles from the equator...

Time to go home.... back across the water in the cable car, then to the MRT station, and a few stops later, back at Flamingo Valley.  Next time--more beach, now that I actually know where it is!  (Are the Dutch watching me from that other car there??)

August 6, 2005