Singapore - Day 6: Church, Alkaff Mansion, Cable Cars, Changi Sailing Club

Today was an eventful day.  We began the day early, going to church at a Singaporean Church of Christ.  Jenna was put into contact with a lady at the church from her pastor back in the states.  When we arrived at the church, we were treated like celebrities.  There was an older gentlemen who knew who we were as soon as we walked in! We met up with the woman who Jenna had emailed and sat with her.  The congregation was very nice and many of them came up to talk to us.  We met some missionaries from Texas that were also visiting the church, which was neat.

After church, we waited and waited and waited for a cab, but since we were kinda in the middle of no-where-sville Singapore we gave up and tried for the bus at the nearest bus stop.  We checked for our route and waited a bit.  When we finally saw it coming down the street, we were so excited.  Just like in the movies, the bus passes on by us.....we were in shock that it didn't stop!!  This nice woman told us that you have to flag down the buses even though you are standing at the bus stop.  (That makes no sense to me....)  We tried for a cab again and one finally came!!


We headed to the bottom of Mt. Faber where we had a light brunch at the Alkaff mansion.  The weather today was clear and HOT so brunch was kept short to avoid the heat!  The mansion was very pretty and the food there was decent.  When we left the mansion we decided to skip the long and hot hike to the top of the mountain so we took a cab instead!  When we got to the top, the views were amazing.  You could see a lot of the southern side of the island, including downtown, Sentosa, the port, and some of the plants where Ernie works.  Our cab driver said that this area is about 600 feet in elevation, the second highest point on the island.

Brunch at Alkaff Mansion.

When we got to the top of Mt. Faber we bough tickets to ride the cable cars over to Sentosa and back.  Sentosa is a smaller island off the southern coast of Singapore.  It has a Universal Studios, a Hard Rock Hotel/Cafe, and a new waterpark with luxury cabin rentals.  Many people who live in Singapore go here and a few do live on the small island.

The cable car ride was really neat.  You could see so much!! The views were amazing.  It made Singapore seem like a lovely place to live.  We took lots of pictures but were ready to get off after the 15 minute ride because it was still really hoy outside.  (I can see why it is miserable to be here in the summer when there are no clouds.) Today was the first really hot day we have experienced here.  We had some punch and water at this cute bar overlooking the coast and cable cars to "cool off" after the ride.

They have an angry birds theme....so they gave us masks!!

The "Exxon-Mobil" building.  Sometimes Patrice's husband Ernie has to go here for meetings.

Sentosa Island...the castle is Universal Studios.

Jenna and I on the cable car.

Downtown Singapore.

The port of Singapore.  This is where the crate carrying all of Patrice's belongings came in!!

Tickets for the Cable Cars.

Nice view of the port with all the ships.

You try being on the MRT for 30 minutes...

Ernie and Elliott spent the day at the sailing club participating in match races so when we left Mt. Faber we decided to meet them.  We took a cab to the Harbourfront MRT station which was just down the mountain from where we were.  We hopped on a line that took us to an MRT interchange and got on another line that would take us closer to the sailing club.  The MRT ride took about 35-40 minutes with the interchanges.  The MRT was packed...so many people and the train was SO hot.  It really starts to smell when you cram hundreds of people on a train in the middle of the day.  Patrice told me and Jenna, "This is my life here."  We got a kick out of that.

The Singapore Squatty Potty.

When we finally got off the MRT, we walked down the street to a local mall where we thought it would be easier to get a cab to the sailing club.  Key word: thought.  I made a bathroom stop and experience my first squatty potty. No explanation needed. (See picture.)  I am pretty sure we waited 30 minutes in the sweltering heat for a cab.  Not a single one drove by and if they did, they were full of people or were localized to the mall area (which meant they could not take us.) Finally, after sweating off everything, we got a cab who would take us to the sailing club.

Patrice telling the cabbie where to go....Jenna is tired too!!!

Too much travel time.

Ernie and Elliott got second place overall in their match race, which is pretty awesome! They have really enjoyed being a part of the club and spending the time together.  Elliott is trying to get a sailing club started at school so I know he enjoyed the day.

The sailing club is really pretty and serene.  You don't even feel like you are in Singapore when you are there.  There is a little beach, sailboats everywhere, and plenty of ex-Pats to make you feel at home. :) We saw pictures of Ernie and Elliott's day and then had dinner at the restaurant at the club. The food there was delicious and much needed at the long day.  There was a beautiful sunset and by the time we all had finished dinner, we were exhausted and came home.

Nice view from the sailing club bar.

View from dinner at the sailing club.

I really feel like I have experience a lot of Singapore in just a few days!  Tomorrow is the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel!! Im tired and ready for bed! See ya!!