My trip to Singapore

Hello, everybody! I'm sorry not to have written anything for quite some time. I have been traveling a lot – I have been to five countries since I last posted anything – and now that I have a moment to catch my breath I'm writing to tell you about my trips. My first post will be about Singapore, followed every few days by posts about Malaysia, Thailand, Kuwait, and Hong Kong. Additionally, Bobbe has several new posts from Morocco that will alternate with mine. So check back frequently for more posts!

I was shown around Singapore by my friend Nick, who is a student at the National University of Singapore. Nick was a great host because he knows all about Singapore and took me to see lots of interesting places. Also, Nick will eat pretty much anything, so he took me to see the crocodile restaurant whose picture I posted earlier. When you go traveling, you always want to accompany the kind of person who will eat anything.

Singapore lies directly north of the Equator, so, needless to say, it is quite a tropical place. It is a world-reknowned banking and business center full of high buildings and people in suits. Singapore is a very small country and everybody lives in one city (also called Singapore), which makes it the most densely populated country in all of Asia. Rather than show you skyscrapers and stressed-out businesspeople, I wanted to get a sense of the culture of Singapore and to see some of its calmer and more peaceful aspects. So I got Nick to take me to some beautiful gardens.

The most important thing you need to know about Singapore is that it is home to a diverse mix of people and cultures. Most people in Singapore are Chinese, and currently people who are ethnically Chinese make up three quarters of the population. But there are also a lot of people of Malay ancestry, as well as a fair number of people whose families have come from India. The main language of communication in Singapore is English, though you can also find lots of people speaking Chinese and Malay.

Here are some photos of my trip to the beautiful Chinese garden in Singapore. (Incidentally, if you would like to learn more about Chinese gardens, there is a very beautiful one in Seattle that you can go visit.)

I pose outside the entrance to the Chinese garden.

I sit on a snake statue because it is currently the Year of the Snake in the Chinese calendar.

One of the cool things about going to Chinese gardens is that you get to see buildings called pagodas, which are, as I once learned from one of my teachers, a very important part of Chinese architecture.

I pose in front of some Chinese pagodas.

I admire two pagodas up close.

The pagodas are on a pier jutting out over a beautiful lake.

One important part of Chinese culture for Chinese Buddhists is meditation, which involves being very still and focusing one's mind. I saw these people meditating inside the Chinese garden.

One of the great things about meditation is that you are so focused while doing it that you don't notice bears posing for pictures with you in the background.

Because Singapore is tropical, it has a lot of wildlife. Look at this fantastic monitor lizard which I saw in the Chinese garden!

The monitor lizard scurries off into the bushes.

Here's a close-up of the monitor lizard.

Nick chased it into the bushes to get a better photo.

I also found a statue of Hua Mulan in the Chinese garden. Mulan was a legendary Chinese princess who took her father's place in the army and won some great battles. Of course, you probably know her because Disney made a movie about her.

I pose on the pedestal of a statue of Hua Mulan.

I also went to the Japanese garden in Singapore. The Japanese garden is a testament to the diversity of Singapore -- Singapore is a place where people from all Asian cultures come together, so of course there are Japanese people there too! Unlike the Chinese garden, which is designed to look very impressive, the Japanese garden is designed to make visitors feel calm.

Here I am at the Japanese garden.

On the grounds of the Japanese garden is the Turtle and Tortoise Museum, which holds the Guinness World Record for the most live turtles and tortoises in one place. It has over 1,000 turtles!

I pose outside the Turtle and Tortoise Museum.

Of all the reptiles Nick took me to see or eat in Singapore, these tortoises were my favorite.

I really enjoyed my trip to Singapore. What a fun place!

--Benny