Singapore…meh…

Following my surprisingly wonderful 6 days in Vietnam, we set sail for two days before arriving in Singapore for the weekend. I was very excited to visit Singapore, as I’d heard good reviews from friends who had previously visited, but in the end I think one weekend in Singapore is enough for me. It wasn’t my favorite city but regardless, I’ll tell you how I spent the weekend.

We arrived in Singapore on a Saturday morning. I was very busy working that morning because one of the field labs I’d planned fell apart the afternoon prior so it was a hectic few hours as I tried to find something different for these students to do. I confirmed the new field lab itinerary one hour before the student’s departed-talk about cutting it close! I continued working into the late morning, making sure everyone got off the ship, and my co-worker Andrew and I were treated to a wonderful dim-sum lunch in Singapore’s Chinatown by Semester at Sea’s tour operator! It was a-mazing – so much food and the tour operator was very nice and generous. This is the first time the tour operator has provided my field office co-workers and I with any kind of meal or gift, so it was a welcome surprise!

Raffles Hotel in Singapore

After lunch, the tour operator brought Andrew and I back to the ship and I went out into the city on my own. First I made my way to Raffles Hotel, a hotel named after Singapore’s founder Stamford Raffles. It is a beautiful hotel and rumor has it that the “Singapore Sling” drink was created at this hotel. The hotel has capitalized on this and the Slings were far too expensive for my taste!

I then walked about the city and made my way to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel area. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is a futuristic hotel with an infinity pool on the top floor offering amazing views of the city. Many students reserved rooms in the Hotel and rumor has it that an evening of shenanigans occurred. I kept my distance, not wanting to see my students completely wasted, and just took some pictures from afar.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

I then made my way back to Chinatown for dinner with 3 friends from the ship. Singapore boasts a number of “hawker stands” which are basically like cheap, but clean and safe, outdoor food courts. I loved it! I got a whopping portion of chicken rice and a berry smoothie for $4. My friends and I went out for a few drinks, visited some markets and made our way back to the ship for the evening.

I worked again on Sunday morning and had the remaining day free. The cruise terminal was connected to two malls, so I looked around for a bit, spent the rest of my Singapore dollars and made my way back to the ship shortly after lunch. I worked on my capstone paper for the rest of the day.

I’ll admit I didn’t take full advantage of all the things to do in Singapore (for example Singapore boasts a world-renowned zoo and botanical garden, neither of which I visited). Regardless, I enjoyed my weekend in Singapore but also enjoyed the chance to get some homework done. It was a good balance and I felt like I had accomplished more than just spending money as we pulled out of Singapore on Sunday evening. Adios Singapore. Maybe I’ll see you again.

Lanterns in Chinatown, Singapore.

Mix of old and new in Singapore.
This is at the oldest temple in Singapore, now featuring a background of modern skyscrapers.

Funky architecture goes throughout the city.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel area in Singapore.

Another curve ball…damn you, China!

Yesterday, we arrived incredibly late to Shanghai because our pilot boat did not show up to help the ship navigate up the Huangpu River. The pilot boat’s tardiness dramatically affects my job in the field office and therefore, the last 48 hours have been a bit tiring and stressful.

My job in the field office is two-fold because there are two types of in-port experiences offered by Semester at Sea called field labs and field programs. Field labs, which are my primary focus, are opportunities for a faculty member to take their students on excursions related to the coursework. For example, an International Trade course may visit a Nissan plant in Yokohama, Japan. Field labs are included as part of tuition and each course has one field lab.

Field programs are for-purchase, additional excursions that are not required. Many students travel independently in-port but if a student doesn’t want to worry about planning, they can purchase Semester at Sea field programs in which arrangements such as flight, hotels, the itinerary, etc., are pre-planned and included in the program fee. Field programs are open to the shipboard community and I’ll be completing a few SAS field programs in Vietnam, Burma, Cape Town and Ghana.

Our day spent anchored in the Huangpu River was dubbed “river day” (like a snow day) and was basically a lost day. Lost in the fact that many travel plans had to be cancelled including the plans for 7 field labs and 5 field programs. Therefore, my day yesterday was spent calling off field labs which included local hosts who were waiting for the M.V. Explorer’s arrival in Shanghai.

Shanghai skyline during our dreary visit.

Day 2 in China was a big day as well because we had a number of large overnight field programs departing Shanghai. Unfortunately there was a snow storm in Xi’an, a destination for 2 of the overnight trips, and I was on-call for the day to assist the tour operator in making alternative arrangements. Everything turned out fine but this was not how I planned to spend my one day in Shanghai!

I was able to get off the ship for a few hours, which was enough because the rain was still coming down full force and it was about 40*. Not ideal for exploring a city on foot, but the dreariness allowed for some great photography. I love the way the Shanghai skyline lights up with the backdrop of fog and haze. My lungs may have suffered a bit because of the population in the air but I’ll take it for the opportunity to take in this (literally) breathtaking site.

After a quick lifeboat drill tonight, we said farewell to Shanghai and are now making our way back up the Huangpu River to travel to Hong Kong. Let’s hope I have better luck work and weather-wise in Hong Kong than Shanghai!

Shanghai skyline.

Shanghai skyline with fish-eye effect. I love this feature on my camera.

Shanghai skyline. Taken from the ship's 7th deck.

Flower art in Shanghai.