3] Our Penultimate Day in Singapore

3]Our Penultimate Day in Singapore

We had our breakfast early and were waiting for the driver. It was none other than Raise. It seems we were stuck with him. Familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt; it breeds liking at times. I began to like this guy. He was very punctual, and that’s what I like about people. He came at 9 o’clock on the dot. I showed him the papers before he could even ask for them. He smiled. “Ah, Mr. Vinay, by now you know me very well and also my nature! It seems you know me as the back of your hand. Ha,ha! You are very jovial and that’s what I like about you.(How he had deduced that I was a jovial, I simply do not know.) Let’s go. I’ll drop at the Universal Studio. Here take these 20 SGD meal coupons. We have to pick up some people on the way and then we’ll proceed straight to the studio.”

He dropped us, those 8 and two of us, at the Universal Studios. “Show your papers at the gate. I’ll come back for you people at five. So come back over here by then,” so saying he had left.

We, all ten of us, entered through the huge Entrance Archway.  In the couch those 8 guys talked amongst themselves and hardly pain any attention to us, not even a furtive glance. However, it was only on entering that one of them, a young man in his late thirties, spoke to me in Marathi,” I’ve seen you in the area we used to stay, Zaoba wadi. Now we don’t live there, though my office is in Opera House. I’m in travel agency business. So I’m expert guide having travelled a lot, through the world, you see. Have you two come with a group? No. Just the two of you, as individuals….” Blah, blah, blah! Then, he along with the other seven of them, went away leaving us behind and vanished from our sight. May be he thought we would be a liability for him. The best way to get rid of us was to avoid us, so he must have thought.
There was this huge Universal Globe.

Universal Studios, Singapore, which is owned by Genting Group, is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It is the second Universal Studios theme park to open in Asia (Japan being the first), and the first in Southeast Asia and ‘one –of-its- kind’ theme park at that. There are several rides, roller coaster ones and water rides. There are several themed zones. 

"Where to start? I'll be the guide." I announce. I get myself equipped with this map and sit down.

Ah, let's go. I'll take 360 degree around the whole place.

This is Hollywood zone, which is themed after the real Hollywood Boulevard. It is the main entrance area of the park.  It has a broadway-style theatre,  and is accompanied by several restaurants and a variety of flagship shops.

 Being a replica of Hollywood Boulevard is flanked by dynamic architecture and palm trees. It also features a replica of the famous ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame, comprising of many five-pointed terrazzo and stars embedded in the side-walks bearing the names of actors, directors, musicians, etc. as a tribute for their achievements in the entertainment industry. Here you could meet and greet the Universal cast of characters who pose as actors of the golden era. Is that glamorous Marilyn Monroe? And Frank Sinatra, he does look like him. You can  have yourself photographed with anyone  them. Oh, be careful. Don't step on those stars - Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews, Burt Lancaster- all of them my favourites - there were many more.

Let's have some photos here. For all that you know, may get a call from some Hollywood biggie! Or NYPD break,perhaps!

Enough of this Hollywood zone. What's next?

It's Madagascar!Come on! Let’s take this Crate Adventure, a river boat ride with these characters from Dream Works Animations, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria. These animals have escaped from the Central Park Zoo.  Ooo, what’s this? They have crashed onto this island of Madagascar. There are others too –King Julian, Skipper, Kowalski, Private and Rico. Ah my wife, I have taken you through this world of fantasy... see those lush tropical jungles over there!

 It is indeed an unforgettable ride, isn't it? A video will be in order, only if I can upload it here.

There is even a Merry -Go- Round ride befitting the theme.This is Red Car Trolley, a merry-go-round ride that, as you can see, themed and decorated with all the characters of Madagascar.

Here we are now in Far Far Away zone,which is inspired again by DreamWorks Animation's hit Shrek franchise. Look this is where  fairy-tale characters lived. Don’t be surprised to meet the special characters  Shrek, Donkey, Puss In Boots, Princess Fiona, Pinocchio, Nya, and Prince Charming.

 " Glad to meet you, Shrek," I said and he replied, "Pleasure was all mine."

 

It's time to hop onto the world's first 'Puss in Boots' Giant journey roller coaster. What an anti- gravity swashbuckling adventure!
 " Hungry? Let's eat something. What do we have here! Popcorn? It's 'Popcornasaurus' stall! It seems it has come out from  The Lost World behind!"

“Now that we have eaten some popcorns off this stall- aptly named after theme -  the Jurassic Park, the theme inspired by Steven Spielberg’s film. But wait, what's this guy up to?” 

 He is scaling the walls of The Lost World to explore precious stones perhaps or fossilised insects for all that you know (Anyway, that's what I told my wife then. Me, a good guide!) They have labelled it as Amber Rock Climb.

Now, jump onto this Canopy Flyer, mini steel-suspended Roller Coaster car. It will give us bird’s eye view of the lost world as it glides gently over the tree-tops of Jurassic Park.

This is Dino- Soarin, a Fly- Around Ride for kids. Wish Sarah, our grand daughter, was with us! She would have enjoyed this ride, which spins around so very gently, with riders being able to control the vertical height of their carriage during the entire duration of the ride.  The ride cars are designed to look like pterodactyls.

Time for some more photo shoot!

There is plenty of food for my imagination over here.

We better be away from this place! Who knows? This is what could happen.

You find yourself in between these fighting Dinnos!

And one of them finds that I have come out of her egg!

Let's move.away from this zone.

Look down there.What are they up to?

“We are the Treasure Hunters! We are young explorers, driving in this open desert jeep through the abandoned Egyptian Excavation site. Come join us!”

 I'm not going to drive, but let's go to Ancient Egypt and be transported to 1930’s Egypt, the Golden Age Of Egyptian Exploration. See those tombs of Pharaohs over there.

 Look behind you, Egyptian royalties have come alive!

" 不要害怕! 他们都是演员扮演的字符从古代埃及。" ["Don't be scared! They are actors playing the characters from ancient Egypt" the mother seems to be telling the kid.] Look, the father has blind folded the other child. Yeah, kid don't be scared! Let me show you how friendly these guys are!

 What an experience in the Golden Age of Ancient Egypt and this encounter is the climax!
  We have to hurry, it's past four.

This is the Sci Fi City zone, a small area of the park, but it is known mainly for Transformers, the Ride, they say, surely is one of the best theme park attractions out here. But we don’t have time. Here the AUTOBOTS have rolled out.  Is he OPTIMUS PRIME or BUMBLEBEE ? I’m not familiar with anyone of these characters. This is what our future world be like.

This zone is themed after what cities and metropolis may look like in the future, equipped with space-age technologies and the ultimate modern conveniences.

Now let’s feel the spirit and energy of America’s biggest and grandest city -  New York  and soak ourselves in  the city skylines, neon lights , and flanked by street facades that set the scenes for big city fun and also real-time movie production for most Hollywood blockbuster films. This zone is themed after post-modern New York City that features sidewalks and classic landmarks that mimic its cityscape.

 This completes our 360 degree circle of the Universal Studios round and it's almost 5 o'clock and time for our pick up.Oh, there he is, punctual as usual!

" Mr. Vinay, you are on time. Where are the others? You won't know, I'm sure. They must have gone their separate way. Reserved type, " he went on talking. "It's almost 5.20. We'll wait another 10 minutes and leave them behind. I 'll drop you at Garden by the Bay and come back after I drop those *#@  people at their hotel. Here they come... Come on hurry, I've to take Mr Vinay and then drop you at the hotel. Someone will come to pick you for the night safari. Come on. Close the door."

Then the guy who had earlier spoken to me earlier, says, " Have you seen  everything? We couldn't. So many things. "

We tell, or rather my wife tells them how we had gone the full 360 degree circle covering everything. (mentioning to them the names of all the zones and what was there.)

A old lady in their group says, " काय म्हणता? तुम्ही हे सारे बघितले! आम्हाला  कोठून सुरु करायचे तेंच समझेना . त्यात मी पढली साठीची. मला बसवून  हि मंडळी फेरफटका मारून येत . हे लोक फार खादाड  .. आणत होते माझ्या साठी देखील ..पण काय ते पास्ता -फास्ता  आणि बर्गर - टर्गर ! तुमच्या बरोबर आले असते तर बरे झाले असते. " ( " What do you say? You've seen everything? We simply didn't know where to start from. I'm in 60's. They would often leave sitting somewhere, go out for stroll and come back with some snacks for me. They eat and eat. Who cares for those pastas and burgers! Wished I had come with you people.") [So much to the young man's boast 'So I’m expert guide having travelled a lot' and yet he couldn't take care of his grand mother, that's what she was his, I believe.]

" Mr. Vinay, I'll come for you at.. say 9 pm ..yeah that should be okay... so here at this bus stop, I'll wait here," Raise said and left in the vehicle with those guys.

We wallk right in through the gate and what do we see.....
This is one of the Supertrees called Supertree Grove, which  are tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens' landscape with heights that range between 25 metres (82 ft) and 50 metres (160 ft). They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens. They are home for the unique and exotic ferns, vines, orchids and bromeliads, such as Tillandsia. These structures, the say, are fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees – photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees, such as lighting, just like how trees photosynthesize; and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, exactly like how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories' cooling systems.
At night, the Supertrees come alive with a light and music show called the OCBC Garden Rhapsody.

We were told that Garden by the bay comprises of two cooled conservatories – the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, which are designed by Wilson Eyre. Both are huge, but Flower Dome, they say, is the world’s largest column-less glass house. Let’s step into the Flower Dome, there you are -all standing in awe and just exclaim, ”Wow!” It is the lower but larger of the two, at 1.2 hectares (3.0 acres). It replicates a mild, dry climate and features plants found in the Mediterranean and other semi-arid tropical regions (e.g. parts of Australia, South America, South Africa), maintaining temperature between 23 °C and 25 °C, slightly lower at night. It holds Guinness World Record as the World’s largest glass greenhouse.  

 It's perpetual spring out here! The displays are both spectacular and innovative.

 

 

It's riot, you must admit.  A riot of flowers!

  And now we move to the Cloud Forest, which is higher but slightly smaller at 0.8 hectares (2.0 acres). It replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions between 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above sea level, found in South-East Asia, Middle- and South America. It features a 42-metre (138 ft) "Cloud Mountain", accessible by an elevator, and visitors will be able to descend the mountain via a circular path where a 35-metre (115 ft) waterfall provides visitors with refreshing cool air.

The "Cloud mountain" itself is an intricate structure completely clad in epiphytes such as orchids, ferns, peacock ferns, spike- and clubmosses, bromeliads and anthuriums. It consists of a number of levels, each with a different theme.

 Here are the icy mountains.

We shoot so many videos and photos at both the places. Some videos can not be uploaded because of their bigger size.

As we come out we see this grand sculpture of Lion King, which has been crafted from a single trunk of Golden Silk Nanmu wood by Artist / Sculptor Li Kai, Fujian, China. It is a special wood that reveals golden silk-like threads in its texture when illuminated by light. This wood, coming from Laurel family, is supposed to have been used in the construction of China's Forbidden City in the   5th century.

They say, the Bay is home to more than 40 sculptures, that complement the beauty of the plant - display and add a new dimension to the landscape. Here are some:

 

Both of us walk, hand in hand, talking all the way. Oops... this is different path we have taken. There wasn't any jogger's path on our way in, we are sure. "Excuse me sir," I ask the jogging couple. The man looks blankly at me and the lady waves hands and says, " Language? Inglis? Me no Inglis." We ask another man who is riding on a bicycle. He shouts, " Fellas, you are going the wrong way. This one leads to the beach."

We turn and walk back. Walk ,walk and walk! We come at a junction of two paths. Which one do we take? I stop a man, who is jogging and going towards the beach. "Sorry sir, I don't know the gate which your asking about. I'm not aware of the way to the flower dome either or the cloud .... what did you say ..cloud what?...'  Another person had stopped and asked us, " Where do you want to go exactly Cloud Forest and Flower Dome, both are side by  side. .."  He gives us a patient hearing and says, " You take this path on the right and you will come to the main gate. It's the short cut. Don't go Cloud forest. From there too will the main gate. But that's a round about and a very long way."

 We thank him and take the short cut. Raise is waiting for us. He drops us at the Jewel of India. We dine and return to the hotel.

I conclude here my travelogue on the last leg of our Singapore tour on this penultimate day itself because the last day will be just the check out and going to the airport for our flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

But not before a word of thanks to the people  of Singapore, staff of Hotel Boss, 'Get Out Holidays', India through whom we had done all the bookings, Mr. Kumar and Mr. Raise, who drove us through Singapore  and Fantastic Holidays SDN,BHD. our tour coordinators for providing us these two drivers and the  good vehicles. 

However, I would like to mention here that our tour coordinator some Mr. Ajay Rai, never even bothered to meet us or even talk to us over phone. Another thing I would like to mention here is about some International Chocolate Company's gift ( The said company is having a tie up with the hotel, perhaps) given to us and their prompt response to my complaint via an email, in this manner: ' I was shocked and very sorry to learn that there is a box contained opened polyethylene bag which contained some black thing. We strive to create durable, quality products, and I would like to assure you that the particular product was an unfortunate anomaly. Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention and we will take this seriously. We appreciate your confidence with us.' It is now a closed chapter for me, hence no  names.

So let's meet in Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur to be precise. 

                                                                                                Vinay Trilokekar