My Trip to Singapore- Part 2 (Universal Studios & S.E.A Aquarium)

     What irks me all the time is when I'm hungry and there's nothing to eat, nowhere to hunt for food and my feet are already getting tired from excessive walking. Well, that's what I faced the first morning since arriving in Singapore. It was 9pm and I'm out looking for my breakfast in Chinatown Singapore. Being unfamiliar, I walked the entire streets and all the shops are still closed. Rounding a corner, I saw my savior! McDonalds. Imagine this, you're in a foreign country, wanting to try local delicacies and yet still end up in McDonalds. Even the food street isn't open! I didn't have a choice. There is no shops opened. Although later that day, I discovered places where you can get food is inside a shopping mall. Geez.....

     To spent the entire day, we're going to Universal Studios and S.E.A Aquarium in Sentosa Island. I didn't have enough time to check out the beach but I heard it was awesome just strolling in the island. Take a MRT into the island or a cable car. 

     Easter just passed not long ago so the theme in Universal Studios is naturally Easter day. I really love the themed diners in the park. The choice is pretty good if you are looking for variation. There are different diner themes at different zones- a Sci-Fi inspired diner, Retro Diner and many more. It was pretty gloomy that day and it was good in the sense that I won't get sunburn but it rained heavily later that day which put a brief halt to all outdoor activities. 

     I remember the most memorable rides i took was Revenge of the Mummy and Transformer 3D ride. It is a must when you visit the theme park. Again, please purchase your ticket beforehand and expect a LONG line. It took me an hour to wait for my turn in the transformer ride. But don't worry, along the way you'll be entertain by the TV or rather your "mission" to save the world. The interior is pretty cool and the ride was worth it. The ride is essentially all 3D experience, tricking your eyes instead of plunging a steep depth or whatsoever. All i felt was rocking back and forth in "Evac" and he does reverse but other than that, the glasses do all the trick.

     I took the Revenge of the Mummy ride when it was raining. I'd say, it's the best ride in the park. Go into a long dimly lit tunnel before arriving at the starting point. Then the car will slowly move into total darkness before emerging into the "intro" of the rides before the unexpected plunge down. The ride will halt suddenly so do stretch your neck before the ride. The rest of the ride consist of you getting thrown backwards, reverse and more plunging. Oh, do expect sudden "things" jumping out next to you and real fire being ignited above you. I loved the ride I even took it twice. Outside, you might catch a glimpse of a few Anubis walking about. Take pictures if you like but beware, they love to "bite" you. And my~~~ those Anubis has great abs <fans myself>.

Hot looking Anubis

Revenge of the Mummy entrance

     Want to relax after a whole day in the heat or rain? Go enjoy a brief 4D show with Shrek at Far Far Away Castle. It looked so pretty and glorious outside I couldn't resist going in. Upon entering you feel like you'll get ripped off cuz its an open space where everyone is watching a TV screen but be patient. The real show is inside. Keep all cameras and phone in your bag. Why? I was splattered by donkey's "sneeze" numerous times. Also, freaked out by "spiders" crawling up my leg. It was a nice experience, it's my second time watching a 4D. My first ride was actually the Enchanted Airways which is a junior roller coaster, not really exciting but its a good start. 

Far Far Away Castle

     Going into the Madagascar zone makes me feel all childish cuz all the rides are for kids. But to spend the rest of my time, I took the Crate Adventure. It's just a short and relaxing ride, listening to the characters of Madagascar talking while you drift by. There was a waterfall in there and I was thinking "Oh shit, the camera is going to go all wet" then the waterfall split in the middle for the raft to pass. You'll still be as dry as you went in. 

     A fan of Steven Spielberg? Visit the Lights, Camera, Action! Sound stage. You'll be entering a stage where Spielberg's movies are made possible thanks to the creative effects. The stage we entered is a hurricane blowing through a city and we, in a boathouse. You'll see glass shattering, fire burning, shaking docks and dropping gutters-finally, a huge ship crashing into the boathouse right at you. Beware, you'll get wet...a little.

Open Ocean Tank

   After exiting Universal studios, straight into the aquarium. All aquariums tend to look the same to me and this is no exception. Well, there is an impressive collection of fishes from from different seas. I was more impressed at the Open Ocean where a vast tank stretched out wide open inside the building. I mean, how did they do it? Its my first time seeing manta rays and boy are they HUGE. Yea, I'm impressed by Manta ray. It's nice just sitting in front of the tank, bask in ocean blue and just looking at fishes, rays and sharks swim by. It's peaceful... There is the giant grouper which is bigger than a 5-10 year old kid. 

See what I meant?

The Magnificent Manta

    The Shark tank was the least impressive. There's just a bunch of normal looking sharks which are small and sloth. No hammerhead sharks, nurse sharks, great whites and other usually documented ones. There was a whale shark if I'm not mistaken. I don't remember. I did remember seeing shark pouches where tiny little sharks hatch from. Its a round yellow sac and seriously gross cuz the little sharks are twitching inside. 

Spot the baby sharks!

    Dolphins are such graceful creatures. I fell in love with them. These dolphins would do routine swim to allow you to take pictures of them, but be on stand by, they swim fast. 

    I ended the day with a short walk to the Sentosa Merlion to take a picture before returning to the mainland.

My Trip to Singapore-Part 1 (Chinatown & Singapore Flyer)

      Singapore-recently crowned the most expensive city and the land where young or old has their nose stuck to their smartphones 24 hours a day. 
      As you can see from the title, I took a 5 days trip to Singapore last month. It's very much the New York of South East Asia and I agree they do live up to their reputation. Tech Savvy and clean. When I'm on a holiday, my habit is to visit as much attraction as I could, much to the horror of my travelling partner (Dad) and my own feet. Advice? Prebook or purchase your admission tickets online or at the hotel before you depart for the attraction. It saves you time and a few hairs (from tearing it out of frustration while waiting in a LONG line-I'm not kidding).
     First up, how did i get there? I thought travelling from Johor (Malaysia) which is just a highway across, is cheaper. NOT! Take a plane directly to Changi Airport, it's less time consuming and less hassle. I stayed near Johor Sentral so on that day, I took the bus to Singapore. The Johor-Singapore Causeway was jammed packed because it was a weekday and it took 1 hour instead of a 15 minute ride (according to the distance of the causeway if there is no traffic congestion). It is advised that you avoid the 6-9am, 4-8pm rush. Anyway, upon arrival, there's the security/immigration check point I needed to clear and it took another hour to queue and have my passport stamp. Once I'm cleared, back to queuing for the bus to take me downtown.
      Public transport in the city is so convenient. Take the LRT instead of bus, its easy to understand, convenient and doesn't cost much. I traveled within the city without using a taxi for the 5 days. Buy the ticket, and ride the train. If you get lost? No worries, as long as you don't get your ticket scanned, you can ride and ride until you find your destination.
     What I love about the city is that it's clean. No litters on the street and clean LRTs. 
First 2 night was spent in Chinatown at a hotel named Porcelain Hotel. The exterior is really pretty and I was attracted to it but the rooms, albeit clean, was too small and cramp. TV at the foot of your bed, so close, you can use your feet to switch channels. Washroom is a tinted glass an arm-length from the bed. There isn't space for me to walk around. Since I was planning to spend most of my day out of the hotel, it doesn't really matter that much. 
     It was hot and humid, thin clothing are advisable. Chinatown is a really suitable place for people to hunt for souvenirs. I was so attracted to the Chinese Handheld Fans sold at few stalls. The embroidered and intricate details made it so dainty that I wanted to just frame it up. A few walks away led me to a square where groups of old folks (men mostly) are locked in a leisure game of chess. When in Chinatown, don't miss the Food Street where you can savour most of the local delicacies. It gets better during the night. I was lucky to catch glimpse of a food show going on at the Chinatown Food Street.

     The first night was spent at the famous Singapore Flyer (giant Ferris wheel) dubbed the Eye of Singapore. Its a stone throw away from the majestic Marina Bay Sands and across Gardens by the Bay. I arrived rather early, at 5.30pm. I was waiting for nightfall, when the view would be truly magnificent. So i spend the time just sitting at the end of the river, watching boats drift by and people jogging.
     By 7pm, I waited in line to board the Flyer. It wasn't a long queue so don't worry but there's strict security check before entering. The round trip took around 30 minutes and the dim lights around each car makes it so romantic especially for lovers. It's a slow climb to the top, I thought I didn't have any fear of heights but as I slowly ascended to the top, my legs started to go wobbly. My advice is don't look down if you're afraid of heights, look straight. The view on top is wonderful. When the lights go up in the city, it's light a beacon-Skyscrapers everywhere and you get a full view of Marina Bay. The Marina Bay Sands looks absolutely stunning in its full glory. I couldn't afford the trip up the Skypark but I bet the view on topof the hotel would be breath taking since it's even taller than the Flyer itself. The Supertree at the Gardens by the Bay looked like glowing purple mushrooms, cute.

Check out the glowing purple "mushrooms"

Marina Bay Sands (Left) and city

     My nightmare during the entire trip also happened here when I realized I lost my hotel room key. After telling security, I waited an hour for that same car that I took to come back around just to hear them say they can't find it. Being a very careful person, this was a big blow to my self-esteem. I was giving up when my dad suggested we stop by the security check to find it. It was there, it fell out of my pockets when they told me to empty it. Geezus! My mood was pretty down thereafter.
     Going back to Chinatown, I was surprised to see the streets cleared off stalls and shops. It was only 9.30pm mind you. They close early and open late. So back to the hotel I go and sleep off my frustration on how i became so careless these days.