Sunday, June 13, 2010

SINGAPORE - THE LION CITY

Singapore Fast Facts:
- from the word "Singapura" - Lion City
- has a diverse population of 5 Million people
- world's 4th leading financial district

Flights to Singapore:
1. Cebu Pacific - check out promos ; flying 3 times daily
Visit www.cebupacificair.com
2. Philippine Airlines
3. Tiger Air
4. Singapore Airlines




The Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore's walk in past. This temple can be found at South Bridge Road near the Chinatown Night Market and Chinatown Heritage Center. It can be seen while shopping. Due to its architectural and historical importance, this has been hailed as a National Monument. It is founded in 1827 by Naraina Pillai. Great Bargains in this side of the city. Souvenirs abound.




Singapore Sling - cocktail concocted by Ngiam Tong Boon, a bartender at Raffles Hotel. This is a mixture of grenadine syrup, gin, sweet and sour mix, club soda and cherry brandy. When in Raffles ... order this, a must! Dinner at Raffles ? I'm not too impressed.



Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay - located along the Marina Bay. Home of the operas, recitals and concerts. On the roof are aluminum sun shades .Seen as Durian by many ... but 2 copulating aardvarks to me .



Merlion - found also in the Marina Bay ... tourist icon of Singapore. Trip Tip: If you go there after 11pm ... you won't see the water coming out of its mouth.



Fullerton Hotel Singapore - 5 star boutique hotel which won major travel awards such as the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List award. This is also an architectural wonder of Singapore because of its marveled restoration. Built in 1928.




The Fountain of Wealth is situated in Suntec Singapore It is the world's largest fountain. During certain periods of the day, the fountain is turned off and visitors are invited to walk around a mini fountain at the centre of the fountain's base for good luck. One has to touch the water while circling the fountain. Bottled water from the fountain is also available for good luck in the nearby stall. The inward flowing water of the fountain was used for two reasons. Water is known as the symbol of life and wealth in Chinese culture, and the inward motion of the water symbolises the retention of wealth for Suntec City. According to the feng-shui experts , the water flowing inwards represents riches pouring in. This was also featured in Amazing Race Asia.





The Forbidden City is a restaurant found in Clarke Quay (pronounced as key) which is the home of the nightlife of Singapore. It also has stalls for night shopping. It is 5 blocks of restored warehouses. River cruises are also available to get a different view of Singapore by night. G-max reverse bungee - for the adventurous and thrill seekers. The Forbidden City's interior has monuments and artifacts.



Sentosa means peace and tranquility. It is a popular island resort in Singapore with attractions that include a two-kilometre long sheltered beach, Fort Siloso, two golf courses and two five-star hotels, and the Resorts World Sentosa, featuring the theme park Universal Studios Singapore. 2 ways to get there : by land or by cable car - opt for the latter - the ride is exciting.



Tiger Sky Tower - free standing observation tower giving you a panoramic view of Singapore and parts of Indonesia and Malaysia. Capacity : 72 pax. This used to be the Carlsberg Tower.



Images of Singapore - It is historical museum in that exhibits the culture and history of Singapore using mutli-media displays, multi-screen theatre presentations (my 1st hologram show!) and lifesize tableaus depicting major events in Singapore's history.



Sentosa Express - to get around Sentosa ... fun ride.



Imbiah Lookout zone in the centre of Sentosa



Underwater World is an underground oceanarium and has an 83 metre long travelator that moves visitors along a submerged glass-windowed tunnel from which they can look at an array of 2,500 marine life including a coral reef, stringrays, moray eels, turtles, sharks, and other fishes and even divers who are cleaning the tank. In the 'Dive-with-the-Sharks' program visitors can scuba dive in the large oceanarium, even if they are not scuba qualified. Qualified scuba divers can also 'Dive-with-the-Dugong".



Dolphins Lagoon is the home of the pink dolphins. Performing live.



Palawan (named after our island?) Beach lies in the centre of the southern coast of Sentosa. There is a suspension bridge that leads to a small islet off the coast which is said to be the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia, or Asia's closest point to the Equator.



Lunch Buffet at Rasa Sentosa Resort (Shangri-La) ... yummmmm!



See you soon , my love!!!!!


Trip Tips:
1. Sentosa is a whole day tour - make sure to see the Songs of the Sea
2. Singapore is a fine city. Don't litter or spit anywhere.
3. Little India and Chinatown - home of the best bargains.
4. Electronics - cheaper here but Malaysia is also ok.
5. Hawkers Centre - selling variety of inexpensive food.
6. Orchard Road - shopping and entertainment
7. Bamboo shellfish clams - a must try
8. River cruise - experience it
9. Universal Studios and LV Marina - here I come ...
10. It's hot in Singapore. Bring cotton outfits.
11. Clarke quay - look out for posh bargains
12. Taxi cabs - via phone
13. Suntec cab queue during the rush hour can be very very long ...

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