We have tried to put information with some of the photographs we have included, but most seem to be pretty much self-explanatory. That is to say, certain things in the places we were fortunate enough to visit, simply caught our eye and so they were photographed regardless of what or who they were.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss anything about some of the photos or maybe to even buy one.
The following photos were all taken at the spectacular Botanical Gardens in Singapore. I make no pretentions of being any sort of gardener, I do not know any of the names of the flowers, except that most of them are Orchids. I just think they look nice, so I snapped them!
In October 2010 Karen and I decided to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary with a cruise around the Far East. First stop was China's Capital, Beijing where we took an excursion to see part of the Great Wall of China. Beijing was a vast, sprawling city with an absolutely phenomenal amount of traffic. From Beijing, we headed to Busan, South Korea. After Korea came Nagasaki, Japan before re-entering China to visit Shanghai. Next up was a busy day in Hong Kong. From Hong Kong, we set sail for Vietnam, where we had two destinations. Day one saw us at Nha Trang, while on Day two we went to the tunnels at CuChi. We then made for Bangkok, Thailand. Another stop in Thailand involved a lovely day at Kho Samui Island. With the trip slowly coming to a close, the final destination was beautiful but very humid Singapore. Although with cruise holidays, sometimes a day is not nearly enough to get to see all the destination has to offer, it is still a nice way to get to see parts of the world you might never get to. It's also a great way to get a little taste of certain places and maybe later book a longer stay there.
While in Beijing, we decided to go and see The Forbidden City & Tian'men Square. The good folks at our hotel arranged a taxi, gave us a card with the name & phone number of the hotel on so we could get them to order a cab to bring us back. Big mistake. We decided to walk back, as it only seemed like a few blocks and everything ran parallel to a wide highway. After getting lost, showing the card to various locals turned out to be somewhat useless, as there are so many dialects in China, most people were unable to read the card. Our last request for help saw us stop two ladies who disagreed as to where we needed to go. Fortunately, they were overheard by a road sweeper who intervened and directed us the remaining 150 yards to the hotel. Beijing alone has a population of 22, 000 000 people. The whole of Canada only has 30,000 000
Busan is South Korea's second largest city after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million.It is the largest port in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world. The city is located on the southeasternmost tip of the Korean peninsula and faces the Korea Strait. The most densely built up areas of the city are situated in a number of narrow valleys between the Nakdong River and Suyeong River, with mountains separating some of the districts.
Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. Nagasaki began as a small fishing village. It became a center of Portuguese and other European peoples' influence in the 16th through 19th centuries. The population of Nagasaki is 446,000.
During World War II, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made Nagasaki the second and, to date, last city in the world to be subject to nuclear attack. Nothing i n a 2 mile radius survived the explosion.
The city was rebuilt after the war, albeit dramatically changed. New temples were built, as well as new churches due to an increase in the presence of Christianity. Some of the rubble was left as a memorial, such as a one-legged torii gate and an arch near ground zero. New structures were also raised as memorials, such as the Atomic Bomb Museum. Nagasaki remains first and foremost a port city, supporting a rich shipping industry and setting a strong example of perseverance and peace.
Once home to fishermen and farmers, modern Hong Kong is a teeming, commercially-vibrant metropolis where Chinese and Western influences fuse.
China ceded Hong Kong island to Britain in 1842 after the First Opium War. Britain later added parts of the Kowloon peninsula and the many smaller islands surrounding Hong Kong to its holdings.
In the 19th and 20th centuries Hong Kong's population was boosted by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants from China, many of whom were fleeing domestic upheavals. Industrialisation gathered pace, and by the 1970s Hong Kong had become an "Asian tiger"; one of the region's economic powerhouses.
With little room for expansion across its hilly terrain, high-rise Hong Kong has among the highest population density in the world; some 6,300 people per square kilometre. Skyscrapers and temples, shopping malls and traditional markets sit cheek-by-jowl.
Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Cam Ranh town and on the West by Diên Khánh district. The city has about 300,000 inhabitants, a number which is projected to increase to between 500,000 and 600,000 inhabitants by 2020 according to an estimation of Nha Trang Administrative Board Statistics.
Nha Trang is well known for its pristine beaches and is fast becoming a popular destination for international tourists. It is already very popular with Vietnamese tourists. Nha Trang Bay is widely considered as amongst the world's most beautiful bays.
To get to the CuChi tunnels, we had to undertake a two hour bus ride. Sounds horrific, but this was just about the best bus ride I have ever taken. We were fortunate to have the front seats as some of the sights I saw that day will live with me forever! Four and sometimes five people aboard a small motorcycle. People carrying 20ft plus lengths of building sheeting etc also strapped to motorcycles. I was also advised to learn the 'Ho Chi Minh' walk. This is the way to get across the teeming roads and is definately not for the faint hearted. Apparently, the best way to get from one side to the other is to simply step out, do not look up, but just walk slowly straight ahead without stopping and the motorists will avoid you. i did'nt need to try it, thankfully! The tunnels themselves were a superb insight to how the Vietnamese people lived through the times of war. The country has been under occupation for many years by the Russians, French and more recently, the Americans. It was fascinating to see how they went about their daily lives after digging the tunnels by night. At times there would be up to 20,000 people underground in this area, sheltering from bomb attacks.
If there’s one thing that Bangkok knows how to do well, it’s palaces and pagodas. By the time we got to Bankok I was just about all Bhuddah'd out.
It was an interesting place though and a river tour was a neat way to see how the people of Bankok lived. Tumbledown shack houses were lined along the riverside some looking just about ready to collapse. There was a very stark divide between the have's & have nots here. One minute you were among abject poverty, the next amid real grandeur.
Singapore prides itself on being a multi-racial country, and has a diverse culture despite its small size. The largest group are the Chinese, who form about 75% of the population.
Located a mere 1.5 degrees north of the Equator, the weather is usually sunny with no distinct seasons. Rain falls almost daily throughout the year, usually in sudden, heavy showers that rarely last longer than an hour. However, most rainfall occurs during the northeast monsoon (November to January), occasionally featuring lengthy spells of continuous rain. Spectacular thunderstorms can occur throughout the year, normally in the afternoons, so it's wise to carry an umbrella at all times, both as a shade from the sun or cover from the rain.
Getting around Singapore is effortless: the public transportation system is among the best in the world and taxis are reasonably priced. Something that is most definately not reasonably priced is alcohol! I almost fell through the floor in Raffles when charged £10.50 for a pint of Lager!
