It took just under 5 hours to make our way from quiet Melaka to the bustling city of Singapore. We dropped our packs at the Travelers Rest Stop in Chinatown and then headed out for our first order of business. We took the metro down to the Harbour Front and got in line for one of the highlights of our time in Singapore... seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (“Welcome to Singapore”) in Singapore..
We were told that there are 2 things any traveler must do when they come to Singapore, so we thought that we would hit both of them in one day. The first of these was the infamous Sentosa Island, just a quick cable car ride off the southern coast of Singapore. We were really looking forward to some beautiful beaches and fun things to do, however when we got to Sentosa we were decently let down. There was nothing to do!! You could spend time on the beach (which by the time we got there we had paid 3 different “passage fees”), but coming from Thailand, these beaches left a lot to be desired. Needless to say we didn't spend a lot of time there, just enough to say “been there, done that”.
Our second order of business for the day was to head to the one and only Singapore Night Safari. This night Safari is the only one of it's kind, which takes you on both a tram tour and walking tours of the zoo at night so that you can get a better look at nocturnal animals in their environment. We were all really pumped to see this, however, we felt that by the time we had finished, the event had been a little “over-hyped”. The idea was a good one, however, there were so few animals, and none of them were doing anything other than lying around (the same thing they do in a regular zoo!) The highlight of the park, however, was the spectacular fire “spitting” dance that was performed. I've never seen anyone spit fire as high as they did (nearly 3 meters!). Oh, and the other “cool” part was when the walkway took us through animal habitats where we were only inches away from flying foxes (Giant Fruit Bats) and when we were nearly “attacked” by the 2 foot flying squirrel (it came way too close for comfort).
Then with our last day in Singapore, we started out in “Little India” where we perused the shops, and food stalls and then made our way down to the “Merlion Park” area as well as Raffles Center and finally Raffles Hotel (the birthplace of the “Singapore Sling”). While the drink and the atmosphere were delightful, the bill on the other hand... well, let's just say... one was enough.
Our time in Singapore was concluded with the city-wide celebration of the newest temple opening only minutes from our hotel. Apparently while repairing a temple in Myanmar, a monk from Singapore found a box laid deep within the foundations of the structure. The box was said to contain one of Buddha's teeth. Wild. The new temple in Singapore was built and was being opened to commemorate the find, while we simply enjoyed the parade, free food, and fireworks which accompanied it. Sadly, however, this would be the end of the line for Aimee as she would return to Niagara Falls the following morning. From this moment forward, the trio would be down to two.
It took just under 5 hours to make our way from quiet Melaka to the bustling city of Singapore. We dropped our packs at the Travelers Rest Stop in Chinatown and then headed out for our first order of business. We took the metro down to the Harbour Front and got in line for one of the highlights of our time in Singapore... seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (“Welcome to Singapore”) in Singapore..
We were told that there are 2 things any traveler must do when they come to Singapore, so we thought that we would hit both of them in one day. The first of these was the infamous Sentosa Island, just a quick cable car ride off the southern coast of Singapore. We were really looking forward to some beautiful beaches and fun things to do, however when we got to Sentosa we were decently let down. There was nothing to do!! You could spend time on the beach (which by the time we got there we had paid 3 different “passage fees”), but coming from Thailand, these beaches left a lot to be desired. Needless to say we didn't spend a lot of time there, just enough to say “been there, done that”.
Our second order of business for the day was to head to the one and only Singapore Night Safari. This night Safari is the only one of it's kind, which takes you on both a tram tour and walking tours of the zoo at night so that you can get a better look at nocturnal animals in their environment. We were all really pumped to see this, however, we felt that by the time we had finished, the event had been a little “over-hyped”. The idea was a good one, however, there were so few animals, and none of them were doing anything other than lying around (the same thing they do in a regular zoo!) The highlight of the park, however, was the spectacular fire “spitting” dance that was performed. I've never seen anyone spit fire as high as they did (nearly 3 meters!). Oh, and the other “cool” part was when the walkway took us through animal habitats where we were only inches away from flying foxes (Giant Fruit Bats) and when we were nearly “attacked” by the 2 foot flying squirrel (it came way too close for comfort).
Then with our last day in Singapore, we started out in “Little India” where we perused the shops, and food stalls and then made our way down to the “Merlion Park” area as well as Raffles Center and finally Raffles Hotel (the birthplace of the “Singapore Sling”). While the drink and the atmosphere were delightful, the bill on the other hand... well, let's just say... one was enough.
Our time in Singapore was concluded with the city-wide celebration of the newest temple opening only minutes from our hotel. Apparently while repairing a temple in Myanmar, a monk from Singapore found a box laid deep within the foundations of the structure. The box was said to contain one of Buddha's teeth. Wild. The new temple in Singapore was built and was being opened to commemorate the find, while we simply enjoyed the parade, free food, and fireworks which accompanied it. Sadly, however, this would be the end of the line for Aimee as she would return to Niagara Falls the following morning. From this moment forward, the trio would be down to two.
2 comments:
Jono has seen someone spit fire that high....GENE SIMMONS, Copps Colosseum, Oct 2001!!!!!
Wow! I finally got a chance to sit down, read everything, and look at all of the pictures. Awesome trip! I am jealous. I just got back from Beijing and I go home July 18th. One last push... Talk to you soon.
-Wayne
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