Singapore - Part 1

 SINGAPORE

Hello friends, welcome back. It's been a while, isn't it? How have you been doing? And yes, I'm back with a new blog. This time it is Singapore. This might be a long one and in a different style as well. One of my friends gave me a feedback to write a day-wise blog. So, here you go. This blog will a day-wise. Of course, all info regarding transport, accommodation, shopping will be added at the end. So, let's jump in.

Singapore or the Singapura (Singa - Lion, pura - city in Sanskrit) as it was originally named, is a sovereign country on the southern tip of the Malay peninsula. Legend says that in 13th century, a Sumatran king Sang Nila Uttama, was the first person to visit this land. As he landed here, he saw a beast that looked like a lion and hence he named this place Singapura. This name later got changed to a modern Singapore. Coincidentally, lions are not native to this part of the world. What animal the king saw is still debatable. Some say that it was creature with a lion face and a fish body and hence it was called Merlion, which later became a symbol of Singapore.

(The Merlion)

Singapore was a small fishing village. In the 19th century, the British took hold of this land and was a part of the British India. They recognized this as an important port hub. However, the importance of Singapore grew during the second World War. The Japanese invaded Singapore and captured it. They named it Shonan or Syonan. But soon, the Japanese surrendered to the British. This had an after effect in the land. It led to widespread violence and thefts until 1947 when Singapore became a Crown Colony. In 1959, the then government thought it would be benefit by joining Malaysia. That did not go right as the both the Malaysian and Singaporean governments had lots of differences among them. Thus, it became a sovereign country in the year 1965. In the 50 years since independence, Singapore has grown from a small fishing village to a global financial hub and one of the best countries to live in.

Enough of history, let me take you through the city.

Day 1: 

I went for 6-day tour, but, the first and last days were reserved for travel. So, I was left for 4 days which I will cover now. Day 1 started with the city tour. The first stop was the Singapore Flyer. It is a Ferris wheel which gives us a city view from the top of the wheel. There are 28 carriages and each carriage fits 28 people at once. One whole round takes about 60 mins. It costs about SG$40 per person and it starts from 2PM until 10PM.

(Singapore Flyer)

The next visit was to the iconic Merlion, where water blasts through from the mouth of Merlion. One gets amazing view of the iconic Marina Sands Bay and other huge skyscrapers. This is one of the best view places. 

(Merlion)

(Marina Sands Bay)

(Theater)

(Skyscrapers in the city)

The next stop was a Chinese temple, dedicated to the Goddess of health. A simple yet elegant architecture surrounded by tangerine plants welcomes all visitors.

(Chinese temple)

(City skyscrapers)

Moving on, we made a stop at the Marina Sands Bay observation deck. It is located on the 56th floor of tower 3. Interestingly, the elevator takes just a minute to reach the top floor. Splendid views of the city all around are the major attractions. Marina Sands Bay is a mix of hotel, mall, exhibition center, convention center, restaurants, offices etc.

(City view from Marina Sands Bay)

(An infinity pool at the other end of the structure)

(Singapore Flyer as seen from Marina Sands Bay)

Gardens by the Bay - Another beautiful location, adjacent to the Marina Sands Bay is the Gardens by the Bay. As the name says, it is a huge park which ends on the bay. A river also meanders along the garden before emptying itself in the bay. There are many structures inside the park which are an attraction by themselves. A few of them are as below:

1. Supertree Grove - Man-made tree like structures which light up in the evening. As the sun sets, the lights are switched on and there is also a musical show, similar to a musical fountain. The show starts at 7.30 PM every day. People wait here till the sunset and the show is spectacular. One should never miss this show. There is also an observation deck on the top of the biggest supertree. One can take a lift to reach the top and beautiful view of the bays can be watched.

2. Flower Dome - It is a glasshouse like structure where multiple flowering plants are grown and displayed. Cool moist temperature is maintained here. Plants from different parts of the world like Africa, Mediterranean, South America are grown here. When we visited, the festival of the flower Dahlia was held. One could see different colors and sizes of the flower.

3. Cloud Forest - Another attraction within the glass house. Plants like orchids, ferns are grown here. Also, inside the dome, is an indoor waterfall, the highest indoor waterfall. Unfortunately, I do not have photos of this place.

(Gardens by the Bay)

(View of Marina Sands Bay from the garden)

(River along the garden)

(Supertrees)

(Flower dome - Chinese New Year celebration)

(Top view of Gardens by the bay - Flower dome and Cloud Forest can be seen)

(Dahlia flowers)

(Cloud Forest entrance)

The musical show at the gardens brought about the end of our first day. 

Day 2:

After a good night sleep, we started afresh on a new adventure. Today was a visit to the famous Universal Studios. It is a theme park and the first in South-East Asia. There are many zones inside the theme park. Madagascar (closed temporarily), Far-far away (Shrek and Puss-n-Boots), The Lost World (Jurassic Park), Ancient Egypt, Sci-Fi City (Star wars and Transformers), New York (Street dance show and Filming technique), Hollywood.

There are a lot of rides, shows where people from all ages can enjoy. Sci-Fi zone has two rollercoasters called Battlestar Gallactica. Similarly, Egypt zone has a dark roller-coaster with the concept of the Mummy. The Jurassic Park also has a water world. The boat ride is a major attraction here and attracts a huge crowd. Similarly, another ride is the transformers ride, where a 4D movie is played along with a ride. The New York zone offers a street dance show. There are 4D shows in Far far away zone where kids can enjoy a realistic show.

(Entrance to the Universal Studios)

(Roller Coaster)

(Far far away zone)

(Ride in the Jurassic Park)

(Water fall along the boat ride)

(Ancient Egypt zone)

(Transformers zone)

(New York zone)

Universal Studios is a must visit when Singapore. The entry tickets seem expensive, but it is worth the penny. In case you want to skip the queue, you can buy express tickets and enjoy rides sooner. There are a few restaurants inside the park. However, if you are a vegetarian, it is better to carry it from outside. 

There are two more days to cover and this blog would go on and on, making it a rubber band. So, I will stop here for now and cover the next two days in the next blogs. A lot more rides and sight-seeing to cover there as well. Until then, cya !