Singapore: The Merlion, Marina Bay Sands, and Esplanade Park

Singapore is a beautiful city. It's known for its harsh laws on what many consider minor infractions like littering, so it's pretty clean. and the city has worked hard to build a beautiful skyline. The unbelievably popular area around the Merlion is no different.

 My visit to the famed Merlion statue started from The Esplanade, the arts center located along the waterfront. Enlarge the picture and you'll see that just beyond is an outdoor theater and waterfront seating for shows over the bay. And on the far right side of the photo is the Singapore Flyer, a large, expensive Ferris wheel which apparently offers good views of the rest of the city. I wouldn't doubt it, but I didn't actually visit it on this trip.

Note the pedestrian bridge being built between the Esplanade and the Merlion (to the right out of frame). By now, that bridge should be open, making for a much more peaceful stroll across the mouth of the Singapore River.

 That view centers on downtown, with the skyscrapers reaching up to the sunny skies above. The white low-rise building you see just in front of the vehicular bridge is now The Fullerton Hotel, but was opened in the 1920s first as a post office and the home of the Singapore Club, later holding government offices. It was redeveloped as a hotel which opened in 2001.

 Speaking of hotels, just across the water is the Marina Bay Sands hotel, another icon in Singapore's skyline. It's actually a casino resort with an ice skating rink and a bunch of other amenities.

 The hotel reminds me of a surfboard balanced on three piers. Again, I didn't have time for a visit, but I would like to go to the top and see those palm trees up close! I think it's pretty exclusive, though - there is an infinity swimming pool up there.

 This funky looking building next to the casino is the ArtScience museum. Yet another amazing building that I need to visit.

 So, how about that Merlion?

 I never made it down to that pier to see the Merlion from the "front" but I was okay with that. This area is absolutely packed with tour groups.

 It's a giant white concrete fountain. But everybody loves to visit it for some reason. When our students go to Singapore, the most popular gift they bring back are chocolates in the shape of the merlion.

 A smaller merlion sits back to back with the large original.

Without any context, that girl looks crazy. But actually she's positioned herself to make it look like she's drinking the Merlion's water, I think. I believe she'd have to face the water to make it look like she is the fountain.

Anyway, the Merlion statue and waterfront area is a short walk from the Raffles Place subway station. Marina Bay Sands is best accessed via Bayfront Station or by walking from the Merlion. The Esplanade center and park are across the river to the north; Esplanade or Promenade stations are both close by. For architecture or walking fans, that whole area has a lot of promise.

The Merlion is very popular and a key stop for all tour groups, so be prepared. Maybe visiting in the afternoon will have lesser crowds; note that the statue is also lit at night and is worth seeing then too.

Hong Kong: a walk down the (now-closed) Avenue of the Stars

 Hong Kong is probably more well-known through its role in cinema than actual tourism, at least as far as Americans go. The images of its modern skyline and the gritty feel of Kowloon - especially the Walled City - both serve to set a specific tone for a film.

 But there are plenty of famous names to go with those places, and the Avenue of the Stars looks to honor them.

 A recent development located along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront at Hong Kong Harbor, the Avenue opened in 2004 with a great view of the iconic skyline across the water.

 Various "props" are set up to take advantage of the view, allowing visitors to create interactive scenes. The first image in this post is a 4.5-meter tall replica of the Hong Kong Film Awards statuette.

 Some statues are also out which you can pose with.

 The most popular might be Bruce Lee in a classic fighting pose. When I visited, there were plenty of tourists hoping to get a picture in front of this and the other statues.

 That includes this director's chair and "set".

 I don't really know/remember what's up with the pig. The camera makes for a nice entrance, while that funky steampunk-looking thing is actually a small kiosk for food or souvenir sales.

 The squares honoring the film stars look like this. Performers get their hand prints immortalized similar to the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, plus a fancy star similar to Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

 Bruce Lee wasn't alive to give his hands.

 Jackie Chan

 John Woo

 Jet Li

 Maggie Cheung

 Michelle Yeoh

The Hong Kong Walk of Fame Avenue of the Stars is actually closed now through 2018 for redevelopment. The statues are being moved to the "Garden of the Stars" at Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront Podium Garden, and an exhibit is being set up at exit 1 of East Tsim Sha Tsui Station.

It'll be interesting to see what the redeveloped Avenue looks like when it is reopened in late 2018.

Hong Kong: The Peak Tram

 The Peak Tram began operation in 1888, carrying riders from downtown to the top of Victoria Peak. The trip is less than one mile each way, but has a height differential of 368 meters, or about a third of a mile up. The photo above is of Garden Road Station.

There are six stations in all, four along the route plus the two termini. At Garden Road Station, at the bottom of the hill, the waiting platform area has some old equipment on display.

 While none of the original cars exist from the early generations of tram vehicles, a replica of the first is on display.

 There are also cases with additional displays.

 The current cars are larger than the originals, but are designed to be reminiscent of the original system.

 The station at the peak is appropriately called The Peak, and there's an entire brand centered around the transportation system. Inside this building are shops and restaurants.

 Across the plaza, additional dining and shopping options are available. There's a convenience store over there as well.

 A fourth generation tram car is on display at the top, and it looks like it's possible to go inside at times. I arrived quite early and nothing was really open in the area.

 The weather in Hong Kong was foggy for most of my stay, so this is about the best you'll get of downtown.

 It's not that far away, but Kowloon is barely visible across the harbor.

 There really isn't that much to do at the top, especially early in the day, and with foggy weather there isn't much to see either. But you can walk up to the very top. Along the way, I came across a small park with some nice flowers and trees, called Mount Austin Road Playground.

 Instead of going to the park at the peak of Victoria Peak, I took a wrong turn. The stairs on the left were an okay shortcut, but I continued following the stairs on the right which led me to a private residence.

 This isn't that residence. This is a nice wall though outside one of the beautiful houses on the hill. I didn't make it to the peak, but given the weather Victoria Peak will be better visited on another trip.

 Back near the Peak tram station, there's a small overlook.

An hour of hiking wasn't long enough to clear the haze.

 These shots are across the harbor and I had to do a bit of processing to make them as clear as you see now.

The tram operates from 7 A.M. to midnight. Round trip tickets are HK$40 (about $5). Departures occur about once every 10-15 minutes.