Singapore - Sun Sand and Sentosa
There is much more to Singapore than Sun , sand and Sentosa.
We arrived at Changi Airport in the obscure hours of around 4 in the morning and had to spend some few hours waiting for a friend. Spending nights at airports was not a grouse anymore.
Taking a metro to Carpenter Street we arrived at Summer Tavern hostel. It was the recipient of the ‘Hoskar’ award, the highest award in the Hostel world. However squeezing our bags in the windowless 3 feet by 10 feet room really made us wonder about the panel of judges bestowing the award.
Day 1 we spent in coming out of the Airport syndrome by catching a few winks of sleep. Rest of the day we covered most of the city’s commercial area by foot. We walked from Clarke Quay to Bukit Timah Road to Little India. Learning map reading, Window-shopping, Picture taking and money saving were some of the perceivable benefits. As we walked through the streets of Sin city we did get a very good feel of the city. Bustling with life there was still something uniquely serene about this city. All of us did some street shopping and bargained sometimes even in sign language. The day culminated at Serungun Road a.k.a Little India. This place had such a pungent Indian flavour to it with the Indian restaurants, temples, shops and even litter on the road. The famous store Mohammed Mustafa is also located here. We stepped in at 2300 hrs only to realize that it was a 24-hour store. Shopping at mid night was a first for all of us. This however did not seem to be the case for the hordes of other shoppers at the store. Getting home in the wee hours of the morning did not seem in the least bit queer to any one of us. It was just so safe.
The next day we were up for some real sight seeing. Little did we realize that it was going to be animal day. The day started with meeting up some friends for lunch and then to Jurong’s Bird park. Seeing 600 species of birds spread over 20 hectares. We were greeted by some scarlet macaws in their spectacularly colourful plumage, then there were flamingoes who were typically in crowds, swans in their naturally lazy grace, some ostriches running helter skelter, the lovely little parakeets and hundreds more flying, flapping and fluttering. A trip on the monorail gave us an elevated view. The highlight of the visit was of course a bird show in the amphitheatre. Little did we realize that these winged dwellers of the sky could be such talented performers.
Then we walked around a bit and proceeded to the night safari. It was a rendezvous with the animals in the dark. An extremely silent tram takes you around the zoo with commentary. We got off the train and took the many trails. It is a heady feeling to see a leopard in the eye who is seated 3 feet away and the only thing that separates humans and beast is a Saint Gobain glass barricade.
Day 3 was Sentosa Day. A little island converted into a fun and frolic centre. We did everything from sun bathing to watching 3 D movies to going up and down a sky tower. Underwater world was of course the best of the rest. Starting from getting to touch little fish at the touchpool to walking down the aquarium with beautiful unassuming jelly fish, rays and eels swimming above your head it is a scene that is etched in my mind’s diary. The best part of the day had to be the Dolphin Show at the Dolphin Lagoon. These creatures were star performers. One can’t help but fall in love with them. They glide in excitement, flap their wings to wave to the crowds, throw water up their spout in amusement and move around with such powerful grace. It was just beautiful. As the sun set the Merlion statue, Singapore’s representative emblem shone in all its glory. It was all so lit up tastefully. The genteel sea breeze, the little water pool, perfectly lit up steps and the delightful canopies was enough to convert any plain vanilla prosaic person into a pure romantic.
Day 4 was spent with friends and visiting office. It is a great place to work sitting on the 11 th floor that overlooks the harbour. Singapore is never complete without some gizmo shopping. We walked and walked in and out of glitzy shopping malls. We called it a day by stopping by for dinner at an Indian Restaurant. It was the last night in the Lion City and we had saved the best for the last.
We arrived at Changi Airport in the obscure hours of around 4 in the morning and had to spend some few hours waiting for a friend. Spending nights at airports was not a grouse anymore.
Taking a metro to Carpenter Street we arrived at Summer Tavern hostel. It was the recipient of the ‘Hoskar’ award, the highest award in the Hostel world. However squeezing our bags in the windowless 3 feet by 10 feet room really made us wonder about the panel of judges bestowing the award.
Day 1 we spent in coming out of the Airport syndrome by catching a few winks of sleep. Rest of the day we covered most of the city’s commercial area by foot. We walked from Clarke Quay to Bukit Timah Road to Little India. Learning map reading, Window-shopping, Picture taking and money saving were some of the perceivable benefits. As we walked through the streets of Sin city we did get a very good feel of the city. Bustling with life there was still something uniquely serene about this city. All of us did some street shopping and bargained sometimes even in sign language. The day culminated at Serungun Road a.k.a Little India. This place had such a pungent Indian flavour to it with the Indian restaurants, temples, shops and even litter on the road. The famous store Mohammed Mustafa is also located here. We stepped in at 2300 hrs only to realize that it was a 24-hour store. Shopping at mid night was a first for all of us. This however did not seem to be the case for the hordes of other shoppers at the store. Getting home in the wee hours of the morning did not seem in the least bit queer to any one of us. It was just so safe.
The next day we were up for some real sight seeing. Little did we realize that it was going to be animal day. The day started with meeting up some friends for lunch and then to Jurong’s Bird park. Seeing 600 species of birds spread over 20 hectares. We were greeted by some scarlet macaws in their spectacularly colourful plumage, then there were flamingoes who were typically in crowds, swans in their naturally lazy grace, some ostriches running helter skelter, the lovely little parakeets and hundreds more flying, flapping and fluttering. A trip on the monorail gave us an elevated view. The highlight of the visit was of course a bird show in the amphitheatre. Little did we realize that these winged dwellers of the sky could be such talented performers.
Then we walked around a bit and proceeded to the night safari. It was a rendezvous with the animals in the dark. An extremely silent tram takes you around the zoo with commentary. We got off the train and took the many trails. It is a heady feeling to see a leopard in the eye who is seated 3 feet away and the only thing that separates humans and beast is a Saint Gobain glass barricade.
Day 3 was Sentosa Day. A little island converted into a fun and frolic centre. We did everything from sun bathing to watching 3 D movies to going up and down a sky tower. Underwater world was of course the best of the rest. Starting from getting to touch little fish at the touchpool to walking down the aquarium with beautiful unassuming jelly fish, rays and eels swimming above your head it is a scene that is etched in my mind’s diary. The best part of the day had to be the Dolphin Show at the Dolphin Lagoon. These creatures were star performers. One can’t help but fall in love with them. They glide in excitement, flap their wings to wave to the crowds, throw water up their spout in amusement and move around with such powerful grace. It was just beautiful. As the sun set the Merlion statue, Singapore’s representative emblem shone in all its glory. It was all so lit up tastefully. The genteel sea breeze, the little water pool, perfectly lit up steps and the delightful canopies was enough to convert any plain vanilla prosaic person into a pure romantic.
Day 4 was spent with friends and visiting office. It is a great place to work sitting on the 11 th floor that overlooks the harbour. Singapore is never complete without some gizmo shopping. We walked and walked in and out of glitzy shopping malls. We called it a day by stopping by for dinner at an Indian Restaurant. It was the last night in the Lion City and we had saved the best for the last.
posted by Aditi Bhagwat | 10:46 AM
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