For a cumulative of six months spent in Singapore over a span of 6 years, I least expected the country to offer any new attractions to visit. After these multiple trips, obviously, I have some “gyaan” on Singapore. Firstly, Little India is not Singapore; it is India! I am not able to fathom that why people will spend thousands of rupees on their holiday/honeymoon (glittering and clinking red and white marriage “chudas” are a common sight in Little India) to see Indian culture in Singapore. Secondly, Sentosa is overhyped. The rides are not exhilarating as opposed to repeated claims on the bill boards across the island, most of the shows are for kids and beaches are crowded.
My pick of places to see in Singapore are China Town (to see the Chinese side of Singapore), Clark Quay (cosmopolitan Singapore), East Coast Park for biking and kayaking, Asian Civilization museum, Jurong Bird park, Wildlife Animal shows at Wildlife Reserve (you can skip Night Safari), Laser show at Sentosa (okay, it has one good thing) and now, Sands Casino and Universal Studios.
Universal Studios
The biggest selling point of the theme park, a humungous roller coaster, was still not functional. No complains there as another ride, Revenge of the Mummy, was enough for me. Rest of the place was a visual treat. There were charming pebbled streets lined with small houses. Every turn took you to another place or another era – Jurassic Park, Hollywood Street, Broadway, Sci-fi city, Egypt, Madagascar and more. You could find pleasant surprises waiting for you on the street like Charlie Chaplin sitting on a bench outside a recording studio.
Hollywood Street
Street Show
Broadway Street
Jurassic Park
My favorite was Far Far Away Land. There was a castle, narrow streets, small slant-roof houses and bakery shops designed like the witch house from the story of Hansel and Gretel.
Far Far Away Land Castle
The Street in Far Far Away Land
We got photographs clicked with Shrek, Princess Fiona, Alex, the Lion from Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and Frankenstein’s monster. There was only one problem – snaking queues. By the time our turn came for a photograph with Shrek and Fiona, the artists were different. The “new” Fiona was so uppity that she didn’t let us stand between her and Shrek!
The “better” Shrek and Fiona
There was a show where they showed how a category 5 hurricane is simulated in a studio. Well, we know they do a damn good job as such effects in movies look real. But, standing there in the studio, I felt I was in a midst of a hurricane. The setting was in a boathouse by a harbor with a television set playing a news channel. As the lady reported the progression of the hurricane from category 3 to 4 and finally to 5, wind started howling, window panes became fuzzy, a fire started at one end of the boathouse, objects started swaying violently or crashing into each other and finally the distortion in the TV signal became permanent completely cutting us off from the outside world. I was anticipating what will happen next when a huge cargo ship crashed into the boathouse and barged towards me. Believe me, I breathed a sigh of relief when the ship came to a halt right in front of me and lights in the studio were switched on.
The Boathouse
Ankita's Travelogue 