Singapore Feb 9, 2026

Welcome to Singapore

It was another long flight on Fiji Airways to get to Singapore. The 10-hour flight began at 9:30 PM and arrived at 4:30 AM. Customs was much easier than we had imagined. Fortunately, we had filled out the necessary documents in advance, so entry went smoothly for us.

Originally we had transportation arranged to take the seven of us to our hotel along with our ten pieces of luggage and backpacks. Unfortunately, we got the date mixed up and our ride showed up a day early! They were not happy. After clearing customs, we took the elevator down to the ground floor taxi area. Because of our group of seven—and of course a couple of tons of luggage—we needed two taxis. When we requested taxi service, we were told we would need to pay cash and that there would be about a 30-minute wait. Eric, Nancy, and I went back upstairs to find an ATM so we could get some Singapore dollars. On the way back downstairs, the smell of fresh coffee caught our attention and caused us to make a slight detour. We had time, after all. While waiting for our order, Debby called to tell me the taxis had already arrived and were waiting for us. Needless to say, we took a few minutes longer to grab our coffee and then made a beeline downstairs to the impatient taxi drivers. The oldest driver appeared to be the most irritated of all. Sandra later said it wasn’t until they were halfway to the hotel that the old man finally calmed down from chewing them out. Both drivers made it very clear they were not happy with our delay. Fiji had just introduced us to the idea of being “laid back,” operating on “Fiji time,” where schedules are loose and nobody is in a big hurry. These Singapore taxi drivers, on the other hand, demonstrated the exact opposite attitude.

After being scolded in broken English and warned that absolutely no food or drink was to be consumed inside their pristine vehicles, we proceeded to our hotel. Hopefully we could drop off our luggage and find a tour to see the city. By the time we arrived at the hotel, the drivers had calmed down enough to carry on a civil conversation. Our driver was very proud of his immaculate black Toyota, which he said was “very expensive” and could only be purchased in Singapore. We told him that we owned a Toyota as well, but he seemed unimpressed. He then informed us that Singapore is a very civil and law-abiding country. We were warned that chewing gum could result in a very expensive fine—something like $1,000. Murder was punishable by death. Kidnapping was punishable by death. Drug trafficking was punishable by death. It became very clear that we should avoid killing anyone, kidnapping anyone, or selling drugs during our visit. We also needed to help keep the city clean and respect the laws. As the driver passed the front entrance of Hotel Mi, he informed us that he would instead drop us off in the back at the loading area. We walked up a ramp to a plain, windowless steel door that led into the rear of the hotel lobby. Before we left the car, the driver carefully inspected the floor on my side where I had been holding a cardboard carrier with two hot cups of coffee during the ride. He leaned in to check the floor mat for any signs of spilled coffee. Finding none, he seemed satisfied. With luggage in tow, I headed toward the steel door. I can’t be certain, but I thought I passed a trash compactor on the way inside. From that point on, I felt very welcomed to Singapore. The Hotel Mi lobby itself was clean and welcoming, and the hotel staff were friendly and accommodating as we checked in and stored our luggage. The Pinkertons’ room was already available, so they were allowed to check in early. Debby and I had to wait until our room was vacated and cleaned, which meant later that afternoon.

We decided to find some breakfast and asked about a nearby restaurant. The hotel staff directed us up the street. After wandering around for a while and discovering that nothing was open yet, we returned to the hotel. At 7:00 AM sharp, Eric and I found breakfast next door while the others changed clothes, cleaned up a bit, and probably caught a short nap or two. A couple of hours later, we headed to the bus stop to catch the Big Bus for a hop-on, hop-off tour of the city. The weather was nice. Temperatures were expected to reach the mid-80s, and although the humidity was high, it wasn’t too uncomfortable. Singapore sits about 80 miles north of the equator in Southeast Asia along the South China Sea, so it was a perfect day to ride on the open-air upper deck of the bus.

The tour of the city was excellent. The architectural imagination of Singapore is amazing. The buildings are unique, breathtaking, and fascinating to see. We spent most of the day riding the routes and then switching to another one. The first leg of our Big Bus tour was a 12-mile journey through downtown called the Yellow Route. We got off at the main bus station and switched to the Red Route. As we continued the tour, we traveled through different ethnic districts such as Little India and Chinatown. Chinese New Year was only a few days away, and Chinatown was already decorated with banners and lanterns. This year marks the Year of the Horse. It seemed lucky for us that we would soon be in Hong Kong for New Year’s Day. That should be exciting. After completing the Red Route, we decided that enough sightseeing was enough for one day and cut the tour short. Eric and Nancy arranged a large taxi, and we headed back to the hotel. We were so tired from the day’s activities that we skipped dinner and went straight to bed. It sure felt good. The next morning we had coffee in our room and then met up with the rest of our group for breakfast at the same little café next door. It was just as good as the day before. Today the menu included scrambled eggs instead of boiled eggs, and chicken nuggets instead of chicken sausage. It was nice to see they changed things up a bit. The green salad and noodles at breakfast threw us off a little, but it was still a good meal. After a little last-minute shopping, we called for a taxi large enough to carry all seven of us to the port where we would meet our ship. Soon we were checking in with the crew of the Diamond Princess. The process went smoothly. We crossed the gangplank and rode the elevator up to the 14th floor for lunch while waiting for our rooms to be ready. Our luggage would soon be delivered to our door. It would be nice to unpack for a while instead of living out of a suitcase. We were looking forward to cruising the Far East for the next two weeks and were eager to get underway. First, however, we had to attend the mandatory safety drill so we would know exactly what to do if the ship were ever in trouble. Yes, that would be good to know. Our dinner schedule would be at 5:20 each evening in the International Restaurant. We enjoy sitting down at a nice table with well-dressed waiters taking care of us. The food is always good and the service professional. The seven of us on this trip include our lifelong friends Ron and Nancy Pinkerton, Ron’s brother Mike and his wife Sandra, our son Eric—who is along to make sure we don’t get lost—and of course Debby and me. It was good to visit Singapore, although it wasn’t exactly what I had expected. I think the taxi drivers got us off on the wrong foot from the start. They made us feel more like unwanted outsiders than tourists hoping to enjoy their country. Still, Singapore is a very beautiful city with magnificent buildings and architectural designs we had never seen before. Perhaps if we had stayed longer and had more time to explore its history—and see something besides skyscrapers—I might have a different impression.

It is certainly a very clean city preparing to celebrate the coming New Year. Decorations and flowers were everywhere, and people seemed excited about the upcoming festivities. At 4:00 PM we left port, heading north toward Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.