Singapore - Part 2

 SINGAPORE

Welcome back to the second part in the Singapore trip. In the last part, I covered the first two days. In this, I will complete the trip covering the next two days. Let's jump in without wasting much time.

Day 3:

We started day 3 to another visit to the Sentosa island. Remember, Universal studios too is on Sentosa. The previous day, we visited the island via the roadway in van. This day it was different. We used cable car to reach the island. This is one of the oldest and the best cable cars. It is a major attraction as it provides 360 degrees panoramic view of the sea and the city. The cable car starts from Mount Faber on the mainland to the Imbiah Lookout station on the Sentosa island. There is a mid-station - Harbour Front. Again, on the Sentosa island, there is another cable car which run perpendicularly to this line. This connects other stations inside the Sentosa island.

  

(Cable Car from Mount Faber)

(Cable car route)

(View from the cable car)

(View of the harbour)

(View of Sentosa island)

Once you get down from the cable car, it marks the beginning of the adventures on the island. There are so many lined up. However, we could cover only a few. I will explain them in detail here, but I will list down the others at the end.

As I said, we get down at the Imbiah lookout station. The first stop from here is the Madame Tussaud's wax museum, which is about a 100 m from the station. Here, one starts with the Bollywood section which holds statues of Karan Johar, Varun Dhawan, Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Kajal Agarwal. You move on to the next section which shows the history and heritage of Singapore. There is a boat ride, where miniatures of all attractions are showcased. A round on the boat is a good fun. Later, you move on the Marvel 4D show. Another creative and attractive show where kids can enjoy. You can find other Bollywood, Hollywood, political stars and sports stars. Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Mahesh Babu, Tom Cruise, Leonardo Di Caprio, Shakira, Christiano Ronaldo, Sachin Tendulkar, Narendra Modi are a few prominent ones. If you are first time visitor to Madame Tussaaud's, then you will absolutely love it, while taking pictures among your favourite stars

(Kajal Agarwal statue at Madame Tussaud's)

(Minitaure of Gardens by the bay)

(Marvel section in the museum)

After a roam in the museum, the next stop for us was the SEA Aquarium. This is quite far from the museum. However, there are two ways to reach the place. One - get on the other cable car line and get down at the Merlion stop. However, for this, a ticket needs to be bought at an additional fare. The other option is to take a bus. A 300m walk from the museum is a bus stop where you can catch a bus for free. Take the bus with route as A from the Imbiah Lookout station to the Resorts World Sentosa stop. Take up the escalator as you exit the parking bay to get to the aquarium. This is basically next to Universal Studios, so you are back to the same location. You can find a lot of restaurants here on the way. However, as I said, if you are a vegetarian, it is better to pack a meal beforehand.

(Walkway to the aquarium)

(Waterfront next to the aquarium)

(SEA Aquarium)

The SEA Aquarium is one the largest aquariums I have ever been to. There are so many species and fishes bred here. Star fishes, Octopus, Jelly fishes, Sharks, Dolphins, Groupers, Eels, Mantas, Ray fishes, I just can't list all of them. If you need a view underwater and you haven't done scuba, then this aquarium is for you. The marine life is well maintained. There is a huge tank or a container type, where one can see a lot of fishes swimming around. This is a must visit in Sentosa. People from all age groups can enjoy here.

(The entrance)

(Sea horse)

(Baby Shark)

(Jelly fish)

(Ray fish)

(Shark)

(Cruise near the waterfront)

Aquarium is quite sapping and one may get tired. Do refresh with lot of fluids.

The next stop is quite an adventure. However, the place again is far and need to catch another bus. So, move ahead to the bus stop where you got down and again catch the bus with route A to reach the Beach station stop. From this stop, there are a lot of activities. This is the stop to visit the beaches around. Mind you that there are three beaches here which are all walkable. One can also, reach here from the mainland via a sky train.

The first activity here was the Luge and Skyline. This is a very peculiar and interesting activity. Skyline is a type of cable car ride. One can sit on the bench type seat and it carries you to the top of the hill. From here, one can come down in a vehicle called as Luge. This is similar to a Go-Kart but without the engine. The ride is smooth as you drive down the slopes and curves. A must attend fun activity where again everyone can enjoy. 

(Skyline)

(View from the Skyline)

(Luge ride)

This was our penultimate activity. We had quite some time before our final act. There is a small Indian restaurant where one can sip tea, coffee and grab some snacks like samosa among others. We utilized this time by roaming around the beaches. Siloso beach and Palawan beaches are located nearby and one can visit them.

(Siloso Beach)

(Palawan beach)

Our last stop was at the Wings of Time. This is next to Siloso beach and opposite to Luge and Skyline entrance. This is an evening show that starts at 7.40 PM and ends at 8 PM. This is an amazing show and not to be missed. The show is a mix of laser, musical fountain, fire, fireworks. Basically, the show is about how a bird moves back in time. Different eras are shown in a wonderful way. Although just 20 mins, the show keeps the audience enthralled. 

(Stage of Wings of Time)

(End of the show)

This was our last act. After this, we caught another bus again, to reach Resort World Sentosa stop to catch our cab. This time we took the bus route C. We reached the parking bay, took our cab for a good night sleep after a long day.

Just to add, from the beach station stop, there are multiple ways to get out from Sentosa. One can take a skyline to reach the mainland. One can take a bus route number 123 to reach the mainland. Or one can catch a shuttle, as we took, to get to parking and coach bay to catch a cab. If you planning to leave early, the cable car will still be operational and one can reach Mount Faber using the cable car. For this, one should go back to Imbiah Lookout station.

Below is the list of other activities, one can take.

1. Adventure Cove park - Water slides
2. Butterfly Park
3. iDive - Indoor Skydiving
4. Sentosa 4D Adventure land - 4D movies
5. Fort Siloso - A fort
6. Skyhelix - 360-degree view of Sentosa
7. Trick Eye Museum

You can follow the Sentosa map here to follow easily. 

Day 4:

With the adventures of Sentosa still engrossed in our minds, the next day we had a bit of break in the morning. We used it locally roam around the city. We walked around to visit Clarke Quay, Fort Canning Park.

(Children's museum)

(A road in the city)

(Peranakan museum)

(Armenian street)

(Fort Canning Park)

(National Museum)

Afternoon, our next visit was to the Mandai Zoo. The zoo is about 30kms from the city. We boarded our cab and reached the zoo. Some exotic animals like the Rhinos, Hippos, Kangaroos, Penguins are a treat to watch. What makes the zoo interesting is that some animals have interactions like feeding them and they can be seen at a very near distance from the view site. There is a tram available here, which stops at a few junctions. One can travel in this tram, get down at the stops and visit the animals around here. There are other attractions in the zoo - River Splash and Night Safari. We took the Night Safari option.

(Orchids - the national flower of Singapore)

(Pelicans)

(Kangaroo)

(Rhino)

(Zebra)

(Giraffe)

(Ray fish)

(Lioness)

(Komodo dragon)

(White tiger)

(A peacock lurking around freely)

(Penguins)

Night Safari is one of the most unique attractions in Singapore. Normally, you can see safaris in national parks that occur in the daytime. But during night it is a different experience. The night safari starts at 7.30 PM. There are two ways that one can take. A trail is built up and one can follow the trail to see all animals. The walk would take around 1 hour. Or board a tram which takes you through selected animal hideouts. This takes around half an hour. The advantage of the walk is that the trail takes you through a lot more animals than in the tram.

There is also a show here called the Creatures of the Night. This show showcases the animals that come out during the night after the sunset. Animals that were never seen before can be seen here. Otters, Racoon, owl, some variety of cats, porcupine all are shown here. It is a good watch and kids get to learn a lot here. The show happens twice - at 7.30 PM and 8.30 PM and the duration is for 30 mins. 

(Creatures of the night show)

(Otter)

(Porcupine)

(Racoon)

(Owl)

We finished the Creatures of the night show and boarded the tram for our safari. The animals are seen under the lights so it is a unique experience. Deer, Mountain Goats, Flamingos, Asiatic lions, African lions, Hippos, Rhinos, Elephants are among the animals that we can see in the safari.

(Deers)

(Lion)

(Elephants)

That marked the end of our tour. We still had another day but that was for departure. Singapore is an extraordinary place. People from all ages can enjoy here. Please note that there is a lot of walking to do so wear comfortable footwear while visiting any place.

Accommodation, flights, food and transport:

There are a lot of hotels available here. Accommodation is not a problem. Budget friendly Airbnb's to 5-star hotels, everything is available. Plan your booking based on your budget. Most 3-star and above hotels offer complimentary breakfast. One can utilize that.

All major cities in India have a flight to Singapore. Singapore Airlines offer the best flight experience. The journey is only 4 hours so you will not have any discomfort in travel.

Vegetarians will have a problem with food, especially when you go out for sightseeing. It is better to pack snacks to avoid the hunger. Some places like Sentosa have Indian restaurants but you will have to search for them. However, dinner will not be a problem. There is an area called the Little India. Here, you get veg restaurants. Many major restaurants like A2B, MTR, Kailash Parbat etc. have their outlets here. So, one can visit this place for veg options.

Transport within the city is pretty easy. There are buses available. You can contact the hotel and they will guide you on which bus to catch. One can also book cabs using the Grab app. If you are looking for budget friendly travel, then metro or the MRT, as it is called, is the best option. The MRT is well connected throughout the city. Airport and Sentosa can be reached using the Sky Trains. If the activities are pre-booked through an agent, then no need to worry as the pick-up and drop will be arranged.

Singapore is an expensive city. There is a shop called the Mustafa Center where one can get all items. It is a major shopping place. However, there is nothing specific to Singapore. All items are available in India as well. Souvenirs can be bought here. For me, the trip cost me 85,000/- INR per person for 5 nights and 6 days. Budget planning is possible so do plan accordingly.

Well, that's it from my trip to Singapore. As I said, it is a place worth visiting even though it is expensive. Add it to your bucket list and experience the trip first hand. Until the next blog, bye bye!