Day - 3

Day 3,

12 Aug 2007

It was like they say, sailing from the past, to the present and into the future....

Last day in Singapore. Had breakfast from Komalas and then took a taxi to the Merlion Park.

MerlionPark

Reached here by 09am.The Merlion is Singapore’s Asoka pillar kind of like a National Symbol. The Merlion story goes like this.

According to legend, when Sang Nila Utama, prince of Sumatra first landed on Singapore's shores, he sighted a mystical beast which he later learnt was a lion. The Prince then decided to name the island "Singapura" which in Sanskrit means Lion (Singa) City (Pura). The fish tail of the Merlion symbolises the ancient city of Temasek (meaning “sea” in Javanese) by which Singapore was known before the Prince named it “Singapura” and represents Singapore’s humble beginnings as a fishing village. Took a lot of pictures. Then took a ticket for a bumboat river cruise. It’s supposed to be a nice way to see the city.

SingaporeRiver Cruise (bumboat ride)

We took the New River Experience package which is about 45 mins & covers the whole river from Robertson Quay to Clifford pier.

We were off by 0915am. It was fun. It was like they say, sailing from the past, to the present and into the future.

The bum boats have two eyes painted on them. It is believed that with the eyes on the bum boat, the boat would be guided and passengers onboard will be able to get to their destination safely. Same beliefs in India.

First we saw the Raffles Landing Site which is denoted by his statue.

We passed by all 3 quays – Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay. Robertson Quay used to be a loading and unloading of goods site. Apparently, children used to come to watch this and sometimes would take off their clothes and jump in for a cool afternoon swim. There are some statues of children doing this.

We passed some grand old bridges...I think 5 bridges...actually I lost count. I remember the commentary saying that one of the bridges was as old as 1840. Phew!

We saw some beautifully restored century-old godowns and warehouses which have now been turned to stylish dining spots. Some of the people dining would wave at you. There are also some magnificent colonial government buildings. The skyscrapers of the Financial District were simply striking.

All this simply reinforces the fact that the Singapore River is Singapore’s lifeline.

After the boat ride, we took a bus to Bugis Street.

Bugis Street

Reached by 11am. This place was once famous internationally in 1950s till about 1980s for its nightly gathering of transwomen. They are persons who are naturally born as male at birth but identifies themselves as a woman. They would tease, cajole and sit on visitors' laps or pose for photographs for a fee. It was Singapore's top tourist destinations during that periodJ.

That is the shady past. But now the place is full of modern shopping malls, restaurants entertainment outlets kinda like a street bazaar.Okay..next stop Sentosa.

Sentosa Island

Reached around 1145am. Sentosa means tranquillity in Malay. It is Singapore’s fourth largest island. This Island resort is a themed attraction, tropical resort, nature park and heritage centre all rolled into one! A must see destination.

Couple of things we realised later.

If you are coming by taxi, tell them to drop you at the Imbiah Station,This station has the majority of Sentosa’s attractions.

Secondly, buy the “ Songs of Sea” tickets in advance. It is first come, first served.

There are some nice value packages for the attractions. Check them out.

Underwater World

Our first stop was the Underwater World. It is a unique aquarium which has a 50m long glass tunnel in it, with a massive tank surrounding it which is full of sharks, eels and stingrays, amongst loads of other sea creatures swim around in there. Its like going into the depths of the ocean.

Our tickets included admission to the 'Dolphin Lagoon'. We thought to go there later in time to catch the Dolphin Show by 0530pm.

ButterflyPark & InsectKingdom

As the name suggests, when we walked inside the place, hundreds of colorful butterflies were flying all over and around us. One is dazzled by the colors of these fragile creatures. The settings were nice too… complete with bridges and streams...like a lush landscape. Somebody said its like walking in Garden of Eden with clothes on…hehehe.

I am not an insect fan at all. But I saw all these Giant rhino beetles, giant spiders and scorpions. Eeekk!!

Skytower

It is Singapore’s tallest observation tower. It has a circular air-conditioned cabin that gently climbs up a pole while rotating so that one has a magnificent 360 degree view of Sentosa, Singapore and even Malaysia and a tiny bit of Indonesia as it reaches the final height. It then rotates for around 5 minutes at the top. So, wherever you sit, you can admire the views in all directions. The entire trip has an English commentary and only takes approx 7-minutes or so, but it’s enough to give you a new perspective or like they say “Sentosa Experience to whole new heights”. Scenic & breathtaking.

Sentosa Luge & Skyride

We did not try the Luge which is a cross between a go-cart and toboggan, but we did the Sky ride. It is scenic ride in an aerial chair via a cable. We can see all the attractions from near the Sky Tower to the nearby beach & the ride will bring you on top of all those trees and greeneries. An unforgettable experience. That is, of course, if you are not afraid of heights. At one point of the ride, there is a huge sign board saying “Smile please” …we saw and bought the results when we landed. Nice Souvenir but at a price of S$15.

The Merlion

As soon as you enter the structure, you are ushered to see an animated theatre show which unravels the history of Singapore. The staff gives you a Gold coin when you exit the theatre which you have to put in the mouths of small Mercubs. In return you get a mystery gift token which you have to redeem at the souvenir shop. I like this sense of expectation. Then they guide you to a lift which takes one to the viewing gallery. There are 2 viewing galleries. One at the Mouth of the Lion. You can take some lovely snaps there or there are persons from Digifoto who will take it for you and you can buy from them later on. The second Gallery is on the top of Merlions head. Very picturesque…I wanted to go up at night…but we did not have time. I am sure at night the view will be simply breathtaking…

Sentosa 4D Magix

Mind blowing !! That was what it was. The place fully equipped with full scale visual effects, surround sound, leg ticklers, individually controlled motion seats and some real live environment effects like water spray … A flash of lightning during a storm, or the release of water when someone splashes into the river immerses the viewer into the movie. Just like in the movies, you'll be dodging bullets & screaming when the crabs walked around the legs and jumping over cliffs like how they are done in the movies.

Gosh!! Just like they said, all your senses will be engaged. I don’t want to tell you the story; you have to see it to enjoy it.

Cable Car

We feel as though we are on top of the world. Magnificent aerial views of Sentosa Island & the harbour.

Dolphin Lagoon

Dolphins are so intelligent. We were just in time for the 0530pm show. It was really nice watching them frolicking with their trainers. The show was educational too. We saw them do the tail-walking, tail-flapping & vocalizations. Some lucky people from the audience were allowed to wade into shallow waters, under the guidance of staff of course to touch and feed these wonderful animals.

Songs of the Sea

WOW!! A world class water show with water jets, lasers, bursts of fire and great music.

The story has our hero Li, who is gifted with a charming singing voice. One day he was singing by the sea with his friends when all of us are stunned by the sudden vision of a beautiful sleeping girl, Princess Ami. With the help of Oscar and a group of naughty sea creatures, we come to know that the entire village is under a spell.

So our hero embarks on a gallant quest to break the spell and awaken Princess Ami…

Will he do it…????

There was still so much more to do. But it was already 0930pm and we were very exhausted. So we called and booked a taxi. They tell you the car plate number of you booked taxi. So it was easy to move out from Sentosa to our hotel.

After freshening, Shali said he wanted to eat something Indian for dinner. So we took a cab to Little India.

Little India

Little India is one of Singapore's most colorful districts & the focal point of Singapore's Indian community. It is populated by the descendants of the Indians who arrived in Singapore in the mid 1800’s. We were warned by our taxi driver that on weekends it is pretty crowded there. Everyone assemble on Serangoon Road to share the news received from 'home'. The crush becomes so dense that the police create temporary passages through the crowds to let pedestrians and shoppers through. I felt it was just like our Naif bazaar in Dubai.

You find everything Indian there. Silverware, brassware, ethnic jewelry, jasmine garlands, silk saris, garland makers, you name it.

MustafaCenter

We were told not to miss the Mustafa Center. Split over many levels, shopping at Mustafa is quite a different experience. You can buy just about anything there - electronics, clothes, souvenirs, luggage, jewellery, perfume and a lot more. The complex also has a hotel, travel agency, postal and money changing services. Hard to believe it grew from a little outside stall in 1965!! Oh, and yes, the Mustafa Centre is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Shali had some lovely chicken curry and porota. I ordered for something called Coin Porota. I expected a big porota….The offer said 3 coin porotas. And I was real hungry. When my order came it had 3 porotas as promised but they were only a little bigger than a 1Dhs coin. We had a good laugh. Then came back to the hotel and crashed. Tomorrow we have to catch a flight to Kuala Lumpur.