May 18, 2026

The tour I set up was Architecture and Food, for our day one in Singapore. After looking at the Architecture our guide brought us to the iconic hawker center Lau Pa Sat in the heart of the Central Business District. We got there around 1:30 pm on Friday afternoon and much of the business crowd had cleared. The atmosphere is vibrant and you can feast relatively inexpensively. The locals asked us all weekend, if we had been there yet, as it is well used by all, with lots of favorite stalls!

The center is one of the oldest in Singapore. Here's half of our group in front of one of the stalls that actually has a Michelin Star for their Laksa plate / dish ( a coconut broth soup with egg, fish cake, cockles and shrimp). Here's what else we tried.

The Satay was my favorite, the peanut sauce was amazing! The mango was delicious and the Singapore toast so unual and tasty I asked the guide to give me information to buy a jar of the cocunut jam Kaya. There are many brands but she told me this one is her favorite and the best!

We actually ended back at Lau Pa Sat after our night tour too! Every day after 4pm they close the street next to center and turn it into tons more seating and 10 additional Satay Stands are added. This place is open 24 hours / 7 days a week and the venders work until they sell out each day!  We had dumplings and Indian food when we came back, as a late dinner around 9:30 pm.

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!