Singapore

Singapore. The futuristic Marina Bay Sands complex. Mostly hotel but also casino and shopping mall. For sure one of the most amazing places I've ever stayed.

Singapore. The fantastic horizon pool and gardens across the top of Marina Bay Sands. And the best views of Singapore - from 57 stories up. You can visit parts of this paradise even if you're not staying here. Worth it!

Downtown Singapore. Water taxis can get you around very quickly here. This one runs from the Quay, a hip bar/restaurant zone (right) to the downtown area (center). And beyond.

Singapore. These strange-looking structures are called the Supertrees, for obvious reasons. Besides looking super-cool they're practical: these are air intakes and exhaust pipes for the biofuel energy generation station here. Each huge steel "tree" is covered with real plants, vines, flowers, and bits of whatever. It all makes for a very cool effect and is one of the more popular parks in Singapore. They put on a great laser/light/music show here every night, shown in the top photo.

Port of Singapore. The view from our room at Marina Bay Sands. And it's a busy view : the Supertrees are in the center of the photo, the two round glass structures to the left are bio-domes (one is desert, the other rainforest), the entire huge park area is called Gardens by the Bay, and the Port of Singapore is off in the distance. And all of this is built on reclaimed land. They don't let much go to waste over here - you really can't when your country is so tiny. There are many superlatives in this photo. The Flower bio-dome is the world's largest greenhouse; the Supertrees are the largest vertical gardens of their type; the port is one of the busiest in the world, and Marina Bay Sands (where this photo was taken) was the most expensive casino/hotel structure ever built, and set several structural engineering records too. Other parts of this city are just as amazing. Singapore seems to be at least 50 years ahead of most other major cities.

Old & New. Modern steel and glass buildings go up right next to thousand year-old temples, and everybody still gets along.

Singapore is super pedestrian-friendly. Walkways interconnect all over the city.

A traditional music and dance demo right in the middle of downtown. Everyone is welcome to join in!

Singapore Zoo. Like everything else here, the Singapore Zoo is state of the art. Most of the animals are free to move around in natural surroundings; the nice tropical climate is perfect for it.

Ahhhh, The retired life. Lounging in the horizon pool at Marina Bay Sands.