Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia & Thailand

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komodo island, indonesia

Komodo Island Park is a national park in Indonesia. The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Padar and Rinca, and 26 smaller ones. The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard. Later it was dedicated to protecting other species, including marine species. In 1991 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Komodo Island is also a part of the Coral Triangle, which contains some of the richest marine biodiversity on Earth.

Malaysia

The Malaysian Island of Penang, once an important Straits of Malacca trading hub,  is now regarded as the Silicon Valley of the East. Land is expensive so there are many high rises. Our first stop was at a Batik Factory. They stamp material with hot waxed coated stamps. They then dye the fabric and remove the wax with boiling water to reveal the patterns. The easiest way to identify a piece of batik- both sides of the fabric are equally vibrant.  Our stop here concluded with a visit to a butterfly sanctuary.

Singapore

Our Day in Singapore started out waiting 3 hours to get through immigration, but after that it was an amazing city! It lies about 85 miles north of the equator, (we’ve crossed it, again) off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. In 1819, it was a trading post of the British Empire, in 1963 became part of the new federation of Malaysia.

Singapore has the world’s highest percentage of millionaires, with one out of every six households having at least one million US dollars in disposable wealth. Singapore attracts a large amount of foreign investment because of its location, skilled workforce, low tax rates, advanced infrastructure and zero-tolerance against corruption!

We visited the Marina Bay Sands hotel and the Gardens by the Bay Park. Each site offered spectacular views of the city.

Thailand

Phuket has a very diverse cultural. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China. Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English traders, all had influence here but it was never colonized by a European power. It derived its wealth from tin, rubber, palm oil & pineapples. Our stops included Laem Phromthep Light House & Elephant Shrine, Wat Chalong-Buddhist temple, Thai Cultural Center for a cultural dance show and lunch at thenSiam Niramit, Cultural Center.