Travelogue

On our trips to Asia, Singapore has become a hub and stopover before heading to diving destinations. Although we have been there several times, it is always fascinating to explore this city. And every time we meet dear friends there who we know from our former professional life.

This time we decided to take the night flight from Frankfurt - with the Lufthansa A380 - arriving at the destination in the afternoon. The advantage of this is that we can check in directly at the hotel and then set off straight away for the first tour. And the jetlag is also limited.

We had booked the 4* Oasia Hotel Novena for 3 nights, located in the center and with its own MRT station in the basement. Staying there was very pleasant - we had free access to the Club Lounge.

Our first excursion took us to Marina Bay with the world-famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Gardens by the Bay directly behind it. In the beginning darkness this building is very impressive. In addition, the Giant Trees in the park, illuminated with a light show, are great to look at. For dinner we went to the Newton Hawker Center, which we already knew from a previous stay.

Next day - Singapore is known for the peaceful coexistence of diverse ethnic groups. Therefore, it is always interesting to visit temples and places of worship in the city. The special atmosphere there impresses us every time. On our program the Temple of 1000 Lights, the Leong San See Temple (both Buddhist) and the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple (Hindu). At the end of the day we met up with our dear friend and colleague Paul and ate delicious satay sticks again at the Lau Pa Sat Food Center.

Last day - sightseeing again with a visit to Kong Meng San Phor Kark Lake Temple Complex, a huge 12 ha area in the district Bishan with several temples, crematoria and a 4-story urn tower. Then to the Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery, a Buddhist monastery and the day is over.

The flight from Singapore to our next destination, Manado, which is located in the province of Sulawesi Utara in the north-east on the island of the same name, went smoothly and without any problems.

We had booked the Grand Luley Manado for accommodation, located just outside of Manado, directly across from Bunaken Island. The diving area there in the Bunaken National Park is said to be very special and species-rich in the region.

The hotel complex is very spacious, has a beautiful swimming pool and a 400 m long wooden jetty at the end of which is the landing stage for the diving boats. To mention is also the very good food in the hotel.

During our stay we did some nice diving and enjoyed the pleasant and calm atmosphere in the hotel.

Just lying by the pool is nothing in the long run. What could be more obvious than booking an excursion. We chose the Tankoko National Park, a day tour with our guide Ebsan Chan from the hotel. Seeing the rare and actually nocturnal tarsiers there was a unique experience.

It was once again a beautiful holiday with many unforgettable impressions.

Our return flight via Singapore went without any problems.

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