Singpore - the Lion Country
Before penning down my experience about Singapore let me take the opportunity to thank Mihir for inviting me to write on his travel website.
"SINGAPORE" OR "Sin-ga-pura" in Sanskrit meaning the Lion City and so the Lion head symbol "MERLION"
Had planned to visit this beautiful Country in 2006 October but probably was not destined then ...After 6 years we chose the best time of the year to visit this LION COUNTRY ... The December of 2012 ..just before the Christmas Eve
This is the peak season but I chose as it is also the season of deals
My 4 year daughter was so excited with just the thought of sitting in the plane ... but we were curious as she had traveled on a plane as a baby but not as a kid so was unsure if she would get motion sickness or something similar..but all went superb .. kids have there way of adjusting she just avoided eating anything and we did not force.. :)
Guys this writing is for those with family and not for honeymooner or couple as they might want choose more interesting attractions in Singapore like the Clarke Quay, a romantic candle lit dinner in the cable car from Harbor Front to Sentosa
Perils/threat of reaching Singapore hotel early during peak time popped it's head .. we did not get an early check in , our hotel was full and visitor staying in our room had not checked out .. and we had now 4 hours to spend
Leaving our bags to the reception care we hit the Singapore roads.
Main criteria while looking for hotel was proximity to MRT and in no time we were in front of Farrer Park train station. Our hotel was located at 270, Jalan Besar. We were happy about this fact that we chose the right hotel.
Tired from the flight .. our scanner started looking for restaurant names that would give us our "INDIANISEDMASALA TEA" AND our eyes rested on MUSTAFA CAFE. Straight into the cafe the order flew 2 masala tea and 2 bournvita.
After refreshments we spent some time at the Mustafa centre,Farrer Park Station(gathering info) had lunch.
Strolled the Syed Alwi Road,Kitchner road before checking into our hotel. This locality was very very close to Little India. Restaurants for all tastes have their presence. This area is very very busy during evenings.
Back in our rooms we slept for a couple of hours and started tour-de-Singapore.
I kept my plans floating as there was a dependency on how kids adapt to the weather,water food change
After taking a couple of hours rest we got ready and decided to reach the city hall train station and spend the evening walking around. Instead of taking the train we took the bus from our hotel. Cost us $3 (4 of us) to reach City Hall train station.
City Hall area is so much like South Bombay with all the office-goers, commercial buildings, the CBD area.
Standing there I could see the Marina Bay Sands Hotel Buildings. So we all started walking in that direction and found ourselves besides the Merlion .. a big tourist attraction. We all tourists were doing the same thing ... capturing the moments in different form and formats. One thing I like to do , observe different gadgets and if i see something interesting, I do not stop myself from taking it's review from that user. From the Merlion we walked all our way to the Marina Bay Stands. It was long beautiful stretch with bay on one side and huge tall concrete structures on the other side. We met a friend there , had dinner at the food court. I had Laksa.. I just loved it..!!!
Universal Studios
Sentosa
Jurong Bird Park
Zoo
Night Safari
Google Information center would give all the information one would need to know about the above attractions.I gave one day to each of the attraction as kids would get overly tired and my son wanted to board every ride.
Few interesting things that might be of use to you.
- If you are going to take the train tickets , the MRT refunds you $1 from your ticket when you reach the destination. So if you are going from Farrer park to Harbour front station, the ticket cost is $2.70 per adult and $1 will be refunded by returning the ticket at Harbour Front.
- If your kid is below a particular height(3feet) irrespective of age.. the kid can travel free of cost.
- You get two day pass at train station for Universal Studios / Sentosa Attraction. If one of those days is a weekend, cable car ride to Sentosa Island is included. 17 rides on Sentosa are free. Ofcourse do not expect star attractions to be included. (Underwater World/Songs of the Sea)
- Buses do not refund if you pay in excess of fare, I donated $1SGD.
- The Souvenirs that you get all the attractions are expensive .. i found same stuff at Mustafa to be heaper.
- Keep One full day each Universal Studios/Sentosa/bird park / zoo.
- Carry a stroller or you can rent one at each of the attractions.
- Carry raincoats
- For Sentosa carry your swim wear, Ports Of Lost World is simply superb for kids. Kids play on the water slides and you can enjoy nice chilled beer or wine
- Teleivision Sets are extremely cheap here (as compared to India) ...I noticed so many people check in TV sets at the airport.
- Avail of GST return before you board your flight back home
- Your Singapore is pretty useful app for your mobile while you are planning your trip as well as when your are in Singapore
- We could carry dry India snacks without any hassle. Instant source of energy for kids.
- Dolphin Show at Underwarter World, High flyer Show,Lori's Loft at Juron Bird park were pretty impressive, Song of the Seas,Sky luge, Segway Butterfly Kingdom at Sentosa are good to be on the top of your wish list for Singapore.
I'll end here with the hope that readers find this article informative.
