May 18, 2026

Singapore at night is even more spectacular than by day! The city sparkles! I had set up another tour for us to take in some of the iconic light and water shows, this island is known for also on our first day. Decided we should go big and get a great first taste of things! We joined this tour at 6pm, right before dusk, so we had prime viewing!

The guide brought us to the back side of the Marina, home to Gardens by the Bay, where you get a great view of the city from the other side of the marina basin in front of the Marina Bay Sands ( MBS). Here we walked up a great overlook to see the dusk set and the lights start to come on.  Above shows the electric treetops in the Gardens by the Bay on the right and the Singapore Flyer or ferris wheel on the left. In the middle is the peak of the Flower Dome.

Next we headed to the Gardens by the Bay for the 7:45pm electric tree light show. The show is about 15 minutes, with great music.

After the treetops show we were taken over to the electric boat marina. Only electric and solar boats operate in this marina because this water is part of the drinking water for the whole city. This wharf area is very lively with tons of bars and restaurants all lite up in varing shades. I can't wait to return to explore more of these areas.

We watched the MBS Spectra Show from a boat, in the middle of the Marina, in front of the MBS. This show is a water and lights one that last another 15 minutes, also set to music.

After the Spectra show finished the tour bus took us back to the hawker stalls at Lau Pa Sat for our late night dinner. Then we headed back to the ship to rest up for more FUN tomorrow!  Below is photo of Odyssey taken by a fellow passenger all lite up below monorail.

BINTAN, INDONESIA - BUDDHIST TEMPLE

By Pat Patrick • July 2, 2026
Vihara Avalokiteshvara Graha or Guan Yin Temple is near 500 Lohan, so we also toured the grounds of this large Temple complex. It's dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and is one the tallest brass statues of her in SE Asia. She is just over 55' tall, coated in 22 carat gold and is surrounded by scenic dragon fruit plantations. The tile work is intricate and textured with great details. The whole place is very tranquil and calming for meditation and prayer.

BINTAN, INDONESIA - Buddhist Culture

By PAT PATRICK • July 1, 2026
500 Lohan Temple or Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was the most interesting place we visited on Bintan Island . It features 500 hand sculpted, life sized, distinctively expressive statues of Buddhist disciplines (Lohans) surrounding a tranquil courtyard. They are arranged symetrical, in an arc and it's interesting how some pop out, as you look down the rows. The statues were crafted by artist in China from 2010 to 2017 when the temple was inaugurated; no two are alike.

BINTAN, INDONESIA - MANGROVE RESTORATION

By Pat Patrick • July 1, 2026
As part of our Global Harmony Mission , eighteen of us, including 7 crew members, went on an excursion into the Mangrove Forest and planted 100 new mangrove trees. It was a fun, informative afternoon and nice to have some of our hard working crew, be our guest and enjoy the time too!