A Taste of Singapore's Cultural Mixes

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Explore Singapore - Day 6 and 7

Okay, I know this post, the last of my Explore Singapore series, is long overdue, but please bear with me, and let me conclude it the right way.  =)

Anyway, this post will narrate my last exploits (Days 6 and 7) in the Lion City: Orchard Road, Lucky Plaza, Sri Mariamman temple, Chinatown and Laupasat.

My cousin Rose and I met at the MRT station in Clementi and headed for the first location in our itinerary - Orchard Road. Well, I heard this is just like our very own Ayala Center or Makati Central Business District but I guess it's still worth seeing.  I'm a fan of cosmopolitan cityscapes anyway! =)

Jandy I initially planned to go to Lucky Plaza  (the mall in Orchard Road where Filipinos go to during their day-off) on a Sunday but we ran out of time.  But I will not let my week pass without seeing it so my cousin Rosey again became my tour guide here.  And of course, you have to forgive me, I can't not have my photo taken at the facade of this mall! =D (feeling OFW!)  And when we went inside, although it's not Sunday, the mall is still very Filipino - the people, the food, the stores, the remittance centers etc.  I guess this is a haven for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who miss home. 

Boys' Toys -- ooops, and Girls' too!

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Explore Singapore - Day 6, Part 1

We've always been used to museums that house archaeological artifacts, dioramas and other historical finds, that help keep and enrich a specific cultural heritage.  So when I first heard about the MINT (Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys) Museum of Toys in Singapore, I immediately got curious and excited!  Well, that's because I am both passionately serious about history and playfully child like on toy collection! =)

 
And in the Day 6 of my Explore Singapore mission, my cousin Rose (we actually used to call her Osang when she was a kid hehe), was my guide for the day since Jandy has to go to work that time.  We then explored the rest of the spots that were left in my target list, one of which, of course, is the MINT Museum of Toys.

The Lion, The Treat and The Photos -- The Chronicles of Singapura

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Explore Singapore - Day 5, Part 3

Everytime I visit a country or a province in the Philippines, I always see to it that I have a shot and a photo with the place's landmark or where its known for as backdrop.  So my Explore Singapore wouldn't be complete without a photo with the Merlion!

Right after touring Asia in 3 hours (via the Asian Civilizations Museum), we crossed the bridge, took snapshots of the vicinity and the interesting people walking the place. 

"Stop the wedding!"  Is the girl trying to stop the wedding?  =)

Around Asia in 3 Hours!

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Explore Singapore - Day 5, Part 2

Multi-armed Quan-Am, 18th Century or later, North Vietnam.  Mahayana Buddhism was brought to Vietnam from China during the early 1st millennium CE, and by the 2nd century CE, Hanoi had become an important center for Buddhism.

I think I have previous posts declaring my passion for history, specifically on ancient civilizations.  I cannot pin point the actual reason but perhaps it may have started with my fascination on stories that dissect the essence of every race or the backdrop of temples, castles and other architectural wonders sans modern technology; or perhaps it's because of the influence by the popular media I grew up with and eventually embraced (e.g. Indiana Jones, The Adventures of Tintin, The National Geographic etc.); or perhaps it's brought up by my thirst for our people's authentic identity through my quest for pre-colonial literature, artifacts and historical data.  And with that, the Asian Civilizations Museum can't be in the list in my Explore Singapore mission.  And here it is, my Around Asia tour in 3 Hours! =)

The Mark of Jurong Bird Park

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Explore Singapore - Day 5, Part 1

It's my Day 5 in Singapore and still my sched is pretty packed with exciting activities and places to check out!

First in the in the itinerary is the third in Singapore's wildlife triad, the Jurong Bird Park!  And since it's my friend Jandy's birthday that day, his entrance fee in the facility is totally free!  =)  We arrived at the park at around 11 am and we were lucky to catch on the time the Birds n Buddies show!

Singapore by Night

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Explore Singapore - Day 4, Part 2

Singapore by Night may first ring the thought of bars, beers and party animals but this post talks about another kind of commune and creatures of the night.  =)  This is about Singapore's famous attraction Night Safari and its animals that wander in the dark and gather under the moonlight.  Well, it's quite similar sans the loud music, alcoholic drinks and people who gets helplessly drunk at night. =)

When I heard there was a plan of having a trip to Singapore, the first thing I thought of not missing is the Night Safari.  Well, the primary considerations for the trip then were the opening of Sentosa and Universal Studios, but for me, Night Safari shouldn't be out of the list.

After that tiring but fulfilling walk at the Singapore Zoo (and after having that big meal in KFC!), we headed to the Night Safari.  And what welcomed us is the fascinating Thumbuakar Performance featuring fire-eating, acrobatic and roaring stunts!

The Wild Side of Singapore

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Explore Singapore - Day 4

We've always known Singapore for its tall buildings, cosmopolitan cityscape and urban lifestyle. 'But have you seen the city's wild side?  Wait, wait, don't get me wrong.  This time, am not being figurative.  And being literal is a good thing this time around hehe.  When I said wild side, I didn't mean about the dirty secrets of the city I fell in love with.  The wild side I'm talking about is Singapore's wildlife triad, the 3 Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) parks - the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park. And this post focuses on my trip to the Singapore Zoo!  =)

The other tiger of Singapore, the white tigers in Singapore Zoo =)

More of Singapore

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Explore Singapore - Day 3

The Tiger of Asia =).  This is what I got in Saint James Power Station - Singapore's Tiger Beer. =)

Day 3 - We were scheduled for a City tour from 9 am to 12 noon but since we will be checking out at 1 PM, Neil, Henry and I decided to cancel the tour and cherish our last hours at the hotel hehe. 

So right after breakfast, I went back to bed and had a luxurious sleep, Neil took a swim, and Henry, I think, strolled the malls.

The Hunt for Good Dinner

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Explore Singapore - Day 2, Part 2

We arrived at Pan Pacific Hotel from Universal Studios at around 7 PM.  So right after freshening up, we started thinking what a good dinner will be.  Well, of course, we didn't join the Night Safari so we need to compensate the evening with something equal or better.  And, the verdict, we decided to go to Chinatown to hunt for a good dinner (instead of Bugis)!

Fan and Fun in Universal Studios

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Explore Singapore - Day 2, Part 1

Hong Kong and Singapore have been rivals in economy, in regional operations location, and in tourism.  So when Hong Kong got Disneyland a few years ago, I just thought HK got the upper hand. =) 'But Singapore did not take this sitting down and fought back big time with the opening of Universal Studios early this year!  =)  And as always, it's us, customers who benefit from this healthy competition. =)

Alas, Universal Studios! =)

The world is in my hands!

So after touring HK Disneyland in 2008, it's SG Universal Studios this time around!

Day 2 - Our call time is at 9:15 am so my room mate and I made it a point that we take the breakfast at the hotel at 6:30 am and then gear up for the tour afterwards.  So, we were definitely on time, and as we walk towards the bus assigned to us, Bus 3, we were already surprised without even arriving at Universal Studios yet as we will be riding a double deck bus!  Haha, we can be surprised and made happy that easily. =)

Anyway, it was about 20 to 30 minute ride.  Our guide gave our tickets so as the 15 SGD meal stub and 5 SGD retail stub.  And when we arrive at the place, the first thing we did is take photos with the Universal Studios globe ad the backdrop!

Click!  Click!  Click!  We were just so excited to take our photos in every fascinating corner that we saw.  My companions and I take the counter clockwise route so we first hit the Hollywood street!  And being a big fan of popcorn movies, one of the biggest surprises in the tour for me is the Lights Camera Action studio!  There was a short spiel by film great Steven Spielberg but the the biggest highlight is a showcase of a disaster movie shot in a studio!

Neil and Henry are lucky to have me as their photographer!  They got a good shot in the studio and I didn't! Grrr... Hehehe

We then moved to the Sci-Fi City but the Battlestar Galactica is not yet open so we end up trying the kiddie ride The Accelerator.  And all I can say is, I'm not young enough to do this kind of ride anymore.  =)

After walking a few meters, we then saw the gates of Ancient Egypt, the theme park for the movie "The Mummy"!  And as usual, it's photo taking once more!  =)   We deposited our bags at the locker room and lined of the Revenge of the Mummy Ride.  We lined up for about 30 minutes and then experienced the ride of our life!  =)  We bumped to a wall, turn around, and then ride in cyclones in dark.  I cannot help but think if we are already spirits inside the ride! =D  And then in our most awkward facial expressions, the studio camera betrayed us once more. And still, we bought the photo! =)

After the ride, we were all hungry then so we ran towards the Lost World and had lunch in Discovery Food Court which is in Jurassic Park setting, just like in the movie!  I was amazed with the replica of the T-Rex skeleton and of course, had my photo taken there. =)  I ordered a 3-piece wing chicken meal and big big coke!

That's the T-Rex in the movie!  Wait, what movie, Jurassic Park or Night at the Museum?  Hmmm... =)

Forgive me for the shot, I'm so hungry at this time and I just made a quick click and ate this meal at once! Yum! =D

After lunch, we then lined up at the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure.  And goodness, it's the longest line in any theme park I've visited.  I think we waited for 1 1/2 to 2 hours so we spent a lot of time in the line.  Anyway, we just realized that we will get wet in the ride, and unfortunately, we were not able to bring our ponchos.  So we what we did was borrow the ponchos from our colleagues who were just soaked in water! =D  Then the ride went on, with the dinosaur robotics at the side of the water, and some splash every now and then.  That's until we entered a tunnel and experienced another surprise we cannot forget! =)

This is not the rapids!  These are just kids enjoying the water in Jurassic Park.

We were running out of time, as we need to go back at the assembly area at 6 PM, so right after the ride, we proceeded to Far Far Away instead of the canopy ride.  When we entered Shrek's castle, we all thought that it's just an ordinary film showing, but after the long preambles, we were lead to a bigger theater, the Shrek 4D Adventure.  We then immediately took the best seats.  Honestly, I'm not a Shrek movie fan, but this 4D show gave me one of the best, if not the best, cinema experiences of my life!  Let me have a little spoiler because I can't help but share that cinematic experience.  As we watch the film, we also experienced a thrilling horse ride, being sprinkled by a sneeze (yuck haha) and being touched by spiders!  After that awesome cinematic experience, we bought souvenirs at the Fairy Godmother's Potion Shop.  And as I was amazed with a drink in a magic potion container, I immediately bought one, not realizing that I bought a guava shake!  And goodness, the drink I got very sour but I can't help but finish the drink since it's about 12 or 14 SGD I think!

We arrived in Far Far Away! =)

foydi versus puss in boots!  And I got the magic potion (at the side of my waist) I bought from the Fairy Godmother's potion shop!

Well, anyway, that's not the end of the tour yet as we made sure that we'll be able to catch the Waterworld show.  We first sat at the middle row not realizing that those who will sit there will get wet, not because of accidental splash but intentional bombs and beams of water!  We were hit as we took our seats!  So we decided to move to the last rows or we'll end up very wet again. =)  Anyway, the show is another spectacular experience as we witness reenactments of the actual movie, death defying stunts and awesome explosions.

My favorite shot in Universal Studios

This scene is more than hundred meters away but I got a good shot!  Thanks to my Olympus camera! =)

After that, we just took photos in Madagascar and then rushed to the Universal Studio Store to make the last purchase of souvenirs!

Woody Wood Pecker insists on having a picture with me! =)

And that's how the fan (that's me!) and fun meet in Universal Studios in Singapore. 

More of Day 2 in my next posts! =)