Marina Bay

Monday, October 14, 2024

We plan to tour the Marina Bay area today, but first, let’s get some lunch. We know there is a Japanese mall right next to our hotel and we have been wanting to go and explore it. 

It was very nice inside - and air-conditioned! We tried two types of ramen. Wonderful.

This entire wing of the mall contained Japanese restaurants

After lunch we took the subway one stop and met up with Ping again, for another Free Walking Tour. Our group this time was about 22 people - twice as large as the other tours.

As we surveyed the marina, we learned about how this area came to be. It wasn’t always here.

About 30% of the land in Singapore is “reclaimed land.” Sand is either dredged up, dug up, or imported from other countries. (This whole idea bothers me.) The entire Marina district is built on reclaimed land. In fact, we can see a land reclamation operation right from our hotel room window, only 2 or 3 blocks away.

This map was found on Reddit, where it was attributed to r/MapPorn

Land reclamation, as seen from our hotel room 

I wonder whether this practice is harmful to the natural ecosystems that are being filled in and to the ecosystems that are providing the fill. Is the reclaimed land stable, or does it tend to slough off into the sea during storms (or during pleasant weather)?

Singapore has 6 million people, and the government has a goal of 7 million trees. I think they have about 1 million trees to go. This seems like a good idea, if you know what you are doing. Does anybody know how many trees are in the US? Is it possible to know the answer?

The government has apparently cleaned up the polluted Singapore River and has made the Marina into a reservoir for Singapore’s drinking water. In the process a lot of the native mangroves were eliminated. 

The Marina, with “Downtown” in the background

I think this is a wonderful outcome in many ways, but I wonder about the changes that were made to natural water bodies and mangrove habitat in order to accomplish this rather dramatic turnabout. I wonder if they are promoting water conservation so that there will be less water needing to be cleaned up. 

I am going off on a tangent here, but my theme is whether all of this development in general, and the development of the Marina Bay area in particular, is a good thing. And is it economically or environmentally sustainable?

So, back to Marina Bay. The whole Marina area started out as reclaimed land. The area where our hotel is located is reclaimed land.

At some point, it sounds like the government drew uo a master plan for the waterfront/marina/entertainment district. Land would be reclaimed and big buildings would be built. Bridges and subways would connect the various places. The government negotiated with the Las Vegas Sands to develop a luxury resort which included a 2500-room hotel, a gigantic casino, a convention center, celebrity-chef restaurants, an art/science, a high-end mall, and so much more. Las Vegas Sands built  the resort. (Las Vegas Sands was founded by its long-time CEO, Sheldon Adelson.) MBS opened in 2010, having cost S$8 billion to develop, including land acquisition. (Note: S$1.00 = US$0.75)

At that time, MBS was the most expensive building in the world. The project has created thousands of jobs and annually brings in millions (billions, probably) in tourist revenue through the hotel, convention center, casino, and other facilities.

The convention center seems to go on forever

There is even an indoor canal, with boats you can ride in

We entered the casino space and saw, from a distance, slot machines and blackjack tables as far as the eye could see. Foreigners (especially Chinese) can enter the casino for free. Singaporeans must pay a fee in order to enter: about S$150 for a one-time permit, or S$3000 for an annual pass. The government doesn’t want a gambling problem among its own, especially its poor, so it applies a gentle nudge to obtain the desired result.

This casino is huge, but not too busy at the moment. And in case your winnings are burning a hole in your pocket, there is a very high-end mall right next to the casino. How convenient!

A fancy-schmancy mall

Outside, we saw a beautiful pool full of blooming water lilies - next to a building which looked like a giant water lily. It turned out to be the ArtScience building.

 

We saw the “Rain Oculus,” a functional piece of art that collects rainwater, forms a whirlpool, sends the water through the oculus and down two stories where it is channeled to the canal or back to the oculus.

The hotel is unarguably the most striking element of Singapore’s entire skyline. We could actually see it from the window of our hotel room. The three towers of the MBS hotel are 55 stories tall, with a fourth tower being planned.  The unusual platform on top (the Skypark Observation Deck) includes restaurants, bars, and a magnificent - possibly terrifying - infinity pool. We did not visit the top because, unless you are a hotel guest, you have to pay S$32 to go up there.

The non-balcony side

Note that one side has balconies and one side does not. Rooms on the non-balcony side start at about S$750 per night, breakfast included.

Inside one of the towers

The balcony side

I would love to try the swinging chairs on the balconies

After crossing through the lobby, we emerged in a tropical rainforest - a large park called Gardens by the Bay. It was free, and it had lovely walking paths, a playground, some refreshment stands, etc. Two enormous domes are part of the Gardens. You can see them in the photos below. They require purchase of a ticket, so our tour did not go inside them. (I will be talking about them in a future blog post!)

These are some of the “SuperTrees.” They are part of a nightly free light show.

I am overwhelmed by the vision and drama of Marina Bay. But I really don’t think I would want to stay there. It’s too “Disneyland.” (Sorry, Nancy H.) It’s way too large and flashy for me. I have zero interest in gambling and I am terrified of heights.

Thanks, Ping. We really enjoyed our three tours with you!

Today’s fabric is Marina Bay Sand (not Sands) from Fabricut. It comes in a number of colors. This color is Sand. The fabric is a polyester and olefin blend and is woven. It is intended for upholstery and suitable for indoor or outdoor use, with a soil and stain repellent finish. 

I don’t think this fabric has any connection to the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. The other colors have names such as Marina Bay Coral or Marina Bay Palm. The seller (Fabricut) seems to be based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I kind of like it.