What I Saw of Singapore

Sorry for the gap in posting. I always have the best of intentions to post during business trips but sadly it doesn't always happen.

I still revel in my experience in Singapore. Though we were there on business, my colleagues and I had some down time to walk around, take the subway and ride on a boat through the river.

MERLION PARK 

The Infinity Pool in Marina Bay Sands and the Convention Center both have views of Merlion Park where the Merlion statue is regularly surrounded by tourists. With the head of a lion and the body of a fish, Merlion has become the symbol of Singapore. "Mer" means the sea, giving credit to Singapore's origin as the fishing village called Temasek, and "Lion" comes from "Singapura" which means "Lion City". Legend has it that a Malay prince came to Temasek and in a dream, saw a merlion. Seeing this as a sign of a healthy environment, he renamed Temasek to Singapore and made it an official settlement. 

Today, the area of Merlion Park is surrounded by skyscrapers from the business district, as well as iconic structures. For example, you'll see The Fullerton Hotel behind the Merlion statue. A former post office, The Fullerton is now a five-star hotel overlooking the bay.

To get to Merlion Park from Marina Bay Sands, we walked to The Helix, a very cool-looking foot bridge, meant to imitate a DNA double-helix (it's an interesting photo op from inside the bridge). This brought us to The Esplanade, an open plaza in front of the performing arts center. The Esplanade was not meant to look like the tropical durian fruit, with its rooftop spikes. The original rooftop design was made of glass, but due to Singapore's proximity to the equator, the triangular sunshades had to be added to cover the glass for protection from the sun and heat radiation.  

From the Esplanade we crossed the Jubilee Bridge, another foot bridge created for Singapore's 50th anniversary. The Jubilee Bridge connects The Esplanade directly to Merlion Park. This bridge gets pretty crowded because of the views of Marina Bay Sands and a building that looks like a flower - that's the Singapore Arts & Science Museum. 

At last, we arrived at the Merlion statue. Lots of people take photos of trying to catch little of the water the Merlion spits from its mouth (I tried to catch it in my hand!). I'm not sure where I head this, but if you have a photo or an image of the Merlion spitting water on you, it's a sign of good luck. 

CHINATOWN

Though Marina Bay Sands had some great, high-end shopping, we were advised to visit Chinatown for any souvenirs of Singapore. We took the subway to explore the neighborhood and visit some shops, where indeed the prices were quite reasonable. Unfortunately, the humid weather got the better of us and we had to return to the subway. It was a comfort to know that Marina Bay Sands is actually a subway stop. 

BEE CHING HIANG

When my friend found out I was going to Singapore, she said (and I quote), "Get thee to a Ben Ching Hiang." That was all she told me. I had no idea what I was looking for. I came to find out that my colleague's wife also demanded he visit a Bee Ching Hiang. We found out that this is actually a store chain of jerk snacks or locally known as bakkwa (dried meats). I liked their selections of beef, pork and chicken jerky as well as sausages and other snacks. But what I really appreciated was the free samples counter where I knew what I was buying. I highly recommend the spicy beef or spicy pork jerky to bring home as a souvenir. Because these dried meats are vacuum-packed, you won't have any trouble with U.S. customs.

I had one free night and I spent it at Gardens by the Bay, which I could see from my hotel balcony. I wanted to have a closer look at the Super Trees, the "smart" trees that are solar-powered, re-purpose rainwater for irrigation needed near by, and clean and cool the air in the grove. My one regret is that I did not get to walk on the suspension bridge between the trees, nor dine in Indochine, located within the tallest Super Tree. 

The rest of my night was spent in the Cloud Forest pavilion. I chose this pavilion because it reminded me so much of the planet Pandora, from the film Avatar. I loved the giant waterfall and the exotic plants. I also enjoyed walking around the pavilion on a suspension bride. Again, another regret here is that I wish I saw this during the day time (as it was at times pretty dark and difficult to take pictures at night). 

RIDE ON THE RIVER

One of our organized events took place "offsite", meaning that it was not in the convention center. That was fine with me because I got to see more of Singapore. I was surprised to see there was a river within the city - I thought it was just the bay! We took this boat from behind the Marina Bay Sands mall, across the bay to the river opening and down to Robertson's Quay, a neighborhood known for its restaurants and nightlife. 

Alas, my time in Singapore was a wonderful experience and I enjoyed what I could of the city. Though I had to say goodbye, I hope I will return to Singapore to explore a little more!

Singapura, you are so shiok!!!

~T~