We’ve got five years, my brain hurts a lot - David Bowie
Five years married to she who must be obeyed and my brain was hurting as to how to celebrate the occasion. She wasn’t going to get that ring she was always going on about, so it would have to be a trip to somewhere special. Trouble is, she updates the list of places she would like to visit on an almost daily basis.
Everest base camp- too cold Paris - too French Korangal valley - too deadly
So I settled on this:
It’s the Marina Bay Sands complex in Singapore and there is so much of it I will let Wikipedia provide the description:
The resort features a 2,561-room hotel, a 1,300,000 square foot convention-exhibition centre, the 800,000 square foot The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands mall, an iconic ArtScience museum, two large theatres, seven “celebrity chef” restaurants, two floating Crystal Pavilions, an ice skating rink, and the world’s largest atrium casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines. The complex is topped by a 340m-long SkyPark with a capacity of 3,900 people and a 150m infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world’s largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 67m.
The total cost was S$8 billion and construction took four years, which is less time (and maybe less cost) than the ongoing nightmare to re-surface Thappraya Road. There’s a video on the project here:
It is an extraordinary feat of construction, but the 2,500 rooms do not make for a good hotel experience. Checking-in is inevitably impersonal and the ground floor concourse, which is shared by all three hotel towers, resembles a railway station at rush hour. The rooms are elegant (and expensive), but there is no way you are going to feel cossetted when you are sharing the facilities with around 5,000 other guests and 10,000 staff.
The ironing board on top of the hotel is called the Skypark and the views are pretty good.
There is an infinity pool which sounds like a good idea, but again the crowds do not make it very appealing.
The jacuzzis on the other side of the park were more peaceful.
As evening falls, the various bars and restaurants on top of the hotel fill up.
Fortunately, I had booked a table for dinner. Unfortunately, the bored-sounding women in concierge services had failed to make the reservation for us. Luckily, they had a spare table and we had a very good meal washed down by a most acceptable New Zealand white.
A wander through the bewildering casino and the dangerous shopping arcade, and that was it. A less than five star experience for a five star price. The Korangal valley is looking very likely for the ten year celebration.
Comments 🔗
2011-07-08| Pete saysCongratulations on your 5th. I had my 20th a few days ago - where does the time go?
Interesting looking place, and lovely pictures as always. I went to Singapore once, and nearly went bankrupt; not going back. Strange cobwebs in the atrium there ….
2011-07-08| Wally saysCogratulations to both Spike and Pete on their recent anniversaries, nice to hear of others who can make ’the long haul’. Our 20th is next year. Lived in Singapore for 3 years, back in 1971 - 74, it’s changed a lot since then. My favourite place, and one I would thoroughly recommend, is Oman. Lived there for 21 years and would go back tomorrow if I could.
2011-07-08| Spike saysOman rocks, especially the rocks. Used to visit on business and liked it so much we went on holiday; and came home with 10Kg of excess baggage due to all the rocks we collected.
2011-07-08| Barry saysGreat pics, as always (unless it’s of horses). It should be noted that the entire complex was completed in less time than Bangkok took to build five kilometres of Skytrain extension. I also recently celebrated 20 years of marriage to a local. Got hitched two weeks after meeting, too. Just Do It. And she didn’t work in a bar. Couldn’t celebrate as I was away working, but next anniversary I am being treated to a couple of nights at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai by a grateful employer, so I told spouse she can come too. I’m good like that.
2011-07-08| Pete saysThis is probably not the time to tell you where I’ve been living for the last 25 years then! Just took some newbies up to the Rub Al Khali for a night out camping yesterday. Put 18.541593N 53.087541E into Google Earth.
2011-07-09| Spike saysAbout time you or Wally started Omandays.com
2011-07-09| Wally saysThat’s Geode country - hope you found some good specimens. I was a bit further south at Aydim.
2011-07-09| TheSon says4 years? extraordinary. Really does put Thappraya Road into horrifying perspective.
Looks very impressive, good shots!
2011-07-09| Pete saysIt certainly is Geode country - and there’s still loads of good ones there. Always have to stop and let the newbies collect some. Getting very tricky to get them out of the country these days though, the buggers on the x-ray machine at the airport can clock them and fossils a mile away.
Aydim eh? I had some friends there back in the 80’s. Have we met?
2011-07-10| Wally saysI was there from Feb ‘84 til Aug ‘86. Home was ‘Aydim Yacht Club’. If you know the place you’ll know the irony of that name ! Spike - can you pass my e-mail address onto Pete via e-mail pls.
2011-07-10| Spike saysDone. Enjoy the Oman reunion. Don’t think I am eligible to join, unless one of you was that drunk Omani who tried to proposition me in the bar of the PDO social club in 1986.
2011-07-10| Wally saysWhat do think Pete, shall we let him join ? I suppose we could forgive him for calling Geodes ‘rocks’ !
2011-07-13| Pete saysDid he actually get down to the real part of the country, though? I suppose we could let him be an ‘ornery member for the reunion.
2011-07-16| Kwan sayscongrats Spike but…. that looks like the hugest phallic symbol in the world… time to make a call to Guinness
2011-07-16| genuinej saysHugest??
2011-07-17| Spike saysHe’s American; just be grateful for a coherent sentence.
2011-07-17| Spike saysIt is the world’s longest public cantilever, or so they say. I don’t know whether it is the world’s largest phallic symbol; but I thought you had already claimed that for yourself; a claim I rather doubt given the disappointed look on the faces of the young ladies who have been with you.