Singapore

Singapore is made up of a larger main island and over 60 much smaller islets. The name Singapore comes from the Malay word Singapura (Sanskrit: literally meaning Lion City). It is highly urbanized, with very little rainforest remaining. Singapore has four official languages: English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, but English is the language of business, government, and education.

The earliest known settlement on Singapore was in the second century AD, when an outpost of the Sumatran empire was established on the island. Later, between the 16th and early 19th centuries, Singapore was part of the Johor Sultanate. In 1613, the settlement was destroyed by Portuguese raiders and the island sank into obscurity for the next two centuries.

Parliament House

When Sir Stamford Raffles, searching for a trading post for the British East India Company, arrived in 1819, he found little more than a swamp. Raffles apparently saw the island’s development potential, however, and he signed a treaty with the Sultan of Johor. The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 1824, and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826.

Concorde Hotel's very pleasant wine bar.

Before Raffles arrived, there were an estimated 1,000 people living in Singapore, mostly indigenous Malays and 20-30 Chinese. By 1860, the population exceeded 80,000, with over half of the population being Chinese.


Paul and I traveled to Singapore in late January, 2014. Singapore Air was promoting a  'stopover package' at that time, and 2 nights accommodation was included. We chose the Concorde Hotel from a list provided by the airline. Our stay was comfortable, although this is an older hotel and some carpets and electrical fixtures could use upgrading. Great location on Orchard Road and relatively reasonable price by Singaporean standards.

Concorde Hotel, Orchard Road

The Great Zoo Debate:

Magestic white tiger, Singapore Zoo

Prior to visiting Singapore, I checked several web-sites for the City's 'must-see' attractions. There are a lot, but high up on several 'top 10' lists was the Singapore Zoo. Depending on your point of view, though, zoos are either sanctuaries of education and entertainment or unnecessary prisons. While some people argue that zoos play an important role in conservation and research, others counter that they do more harm than good.

Singapore Zoo

On the plus side, zoos have improved significantly in the last 4,000 years. The steel-bar enclosures and cement cages are mostly gone. Most modern zoos use natural-looking barriers like moats or ditches to separate animals from people, and have habitats that resemble the animals' natural environment.

Meerkat

The procedure for obtaining animals has also changed. Most animals now are acquired through breeding programs, from other zoos and as abandoned animals. Some breeding programs have helped to restore threatened species. 

Animal care has improved tremendously. Zookeepers now understand that animals need activities to prevent boredom and mental deterioration.

Many zoos contribute to the rehabilitation and conservation of the natural environment from which their animals come. 

Zoos can also provide an opportunity for scientists to conduct research. Zoos try to teach people about the needs of animals and the importance of conservation and usually have a variety of programs appropriate for both children and adults.

However, many critics of zoos agree that, even under optimal conditions, it is incredibly difficult to provide for the needs of many different animals. And, although the natural-looking habitats are certainly more attractive, they have been described as illusions, with little improvement in terms of space. Many captive animals exhibit signs of severe distress, for example, pacing or excessive grooming. Animals like zebras and gazelles, for example, are born to run across huge stretches of open terrain, not live their lives in captivity. 

The Komodo Dragon was Paul's favourite. This one was 3 metres long.

Despite a zoo's best efforts, its animals often have little privacy, are confined to inadequate spaces and are unable to engage in natural hunting and mating behaviours. In addition, many animals have precise needs that zookeepers are just beginning to understand. Even zoos' conservation efforts leave something to be desired. Few have truly succeeded in restoring populations to the wild.

It's a toss-up whether zoos are good or bad for animals. A lot depends on which zoo you're talking about. The Singapore Zoo had excellent reviews, and, as with the elephants in Thailand, we just couldn’t resist going to see the animals. And it was beautiful - lush vegetation, beautifully designed enclosures, contented looking animals, several species of birds and monkeys roaming free.

But in the end, it is still a zoo and the animals are not free.

From 1942 to 1945, during World War II, the Japanese occupied Singapore. 







The Japanese had captured all of Malaya in little more than two months, and the garrison defending Singapore followed suite by surrendering on February 15, 1942, only one week after the invasion of the island had begun. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the fall of Singapore "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history".

Outdoor washrooms at the Singapore Zoo.

Japanese occupation made life very difficult for the people. Anyone expressing anti-Japanese sentiment was shot.  Japanese schools were set up to force the people to learn their language. Resources were scarce and the prices of basic necessities increased drastically. However, the Japanese surrendered in 1945 after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the British returned. 

Lion dance in celebration of Lunar New Year, Singapore.

Singapore declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1963 and united with other former British territories to form Malaysia. Singaporean leaders decided to join Malaysia for a variety of reasons, namely; as a small country, they did not believe that the British would find it viable for Singapore to become independent by itself. They also did not believe that Singapore could survive on its own, due to lack of land, water, markets and natural resources. The Singapore government was also compelled to help the Malaysian government to flush out the Communists.

Singapore's famous Orchard Road - shopping and eating delights.

The union only lasted two years however. The Malaysians insisted on a society, where indigenous Malays and tribes were given special rights, (which still exist to assist the majority Malay community). The Singaporeans, on the other hand, wanted a society where all citizens were given equal rights. Riots broke out in Singapore in 1964 and the Malaysian Prime Minister was forced to drive Singapore out of the Federation in 1965.

Gardens by the Bay, a futuristic Botanical Garden.

Marina Bay Sands

Today, Singapore has a highly developed market economy. It attracts a large amount of foreign investment as a result of its location, corruption-free environment, skilled workforce, low tax rates and modern infrastructure. The country is a popular tax haven because of its low personal income tax rates, full tax exemptions on foreign income and legislation that exempts capital gains. Singapore has the world's highest percentage of millionaires, however, growing public backlash is forcing the government to tone down its policies catering to the rich.

Paul and I enjoyed Singapore. It presents as a very clean, modern city with great public transportation, restaurants, nightlife, and lots to see and do. But for all that, Singapore is very expensive by Asian standards. Prices are comparable to those in North America for similar goods and services.

Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Phú Quốc, is the largest island in Vietnam (about a quarter the size of P.E.I.). It lies in the Gulf of Thailand, only 15km south of the coast of Cambodia and has always been politically contentious - Phu Quoc is claimed by Cambodia.

Bai Truong

The island was granted to Vietnam by the French in 1949, as part of the formal annexation of the Mekong Delta, but unlike the Mekong, the most valuable crop on the island is black pepper. 

Islanders have traditionally earned their living from the sea but the fast-growing tourism sector now has an increasing role in driving the local economy.

Fishing boat off Bai Truong

To respond to increased tourism (Phu Quoc has many kilometres of unspoiled beaches), a new international airport, a golf course, a casino and many new resorts have popped up. Luckily, much of the island is still protected: Phu Quoc National Park covers close to 70% of the island

We stayed at the La Veranda Resort, which was beautiful.

View from our room.

Like Vietnam itself, Phu Quoc Island has a varied history with numerous nations occupying the island over the past couple of centuries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, France and America. Up to the mid 1750’s Phu Quoc island was sparsely populated with the local population making a living off fishing and harvesting and trading of sea cucumbers. 

Pool, La Veranda Resort

 From the 1760s through to the 1780s, the French missionary Pigneau de Behaine sheltered Prince Nguyen Anh when he was hunted by Tay Son rebels. From 1782 to 1786, Phu Quoc became a stronghold of Lord Nguyen Anh, who later recaptured the mainland from the Tay Son rebels and become Emperor Gia Long in 1802.

Phu Quoc is also famous in Vietnam for its production of high-quality fish sauce (nuoc mam).

Coconut Tree Prison

During the American War the island housed South Vietnam’s largest prisoner camp (40,000 in 1973). The Coconut Tree Prison, was built during the French colonial era and, more recently, was used to house Communist guerillas. At the height of the American War some 40,000 Viet Cong were exiled there. The prison still holds some prisoners but tourists are able to visit. Source:

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The island has some unusual hunting dogs, which have ridgebacks, curly tails and blue tongues and are said to be able to pick up their masters’ scent from over one kilometre away.











There are several pearl farms on Phu Quoc raising different varieties of oysters.

At the pearl farm, we watched a demonstration of the pearl harvesting 

process.

Shellfish and mollusks excrete nacre when they are exposed to a parasite or when a foreign body is introduced to their shell. Pearls are formed inside the shell as a defense mechanism. The most valuable pearls, natural pearls, occur spontaneously in the wild, but they are extremely rare. 

Production of nacre is more commonly induced or cultured by introducing a foreign body to a shellfish. Technicians open the live oysters then gently implant a small shell bead along with a tiny piece of mantle tissue. Cultured or farmed pearls from pearl oysters and freshwater mussels make up the majority of those that are currently sold. 

Pearls have been farmed and cultured in Vietnam for hundreds of years. Under the right conditions, it takes at least five years before an oyster becomes mature enough to produce a pearl. For bigger pearls it could take up to seven or even ten years. Most of the pearls harvested in Viet Nam are exported to Japan, where they are sold to retailers around the world or sold to consumers in Japan.

Pearls are usually priced according to their lustre, colour, shape, surface and size. A key factor in a pearl's value is its size, with the larger pearls generally being the more prized.

We rented a scooter to see the island. The largest town, Duong Dong, doesn't have much to recommend itself, except perhaps the night market. There are big plans, however, to redevelop the downtown area and spruce up the restaurants and shops. The new International Airport was opened in November of 2012 and it is quite modern. When we were on the island, we talked to a German couple who told us they had come on a direct flight from Frankfurt.

Phú Quôc is still what Phuket would be if it hadn't been overrun by development.

We had dinner right on the beach - the Gulf of Thailand 3 metres from our table!

Lots of water activities provided by the hotel.

La Veranda had lovely restaurants and cafés spread out on ;the grounds and the beach.  Next to the resort, located right on the beach, the Phuong Binh House Restaurant and bungalows, served excellent food at very reasonable prices.