A travelogue -Singapore & Malaysia

A travelogue -Singapore & Malaysia

1] What a gift from my children – Singapore and Malaysia on a silver platter!

My children, son and daughter and of course daughter –in-law included, had this bright idea to give me this precious gift, an unforgettable at that. It was my 70^th birthday gift for me. A package tour to Singapore and Malaysia for me and my wife!

I did not have to do anything, not even packing my luggage bags. I always dreaded the very idea. It’s the most difficult task, I believe. After completing the packing, very often than not, I would realized that hadn’t packed something or the other, so unpack the whole bag, only to find the very thing I was looking for right inside the bag. While unpacking, to utter astonishment I would find that stepped on the tooth paste or say, saving cream. Then fetch for a new one. It’s all very troublesome. So now days, my daughter takes care of this job and she does a very good job of it.

 She made sure that everything was taken care of , all my clothes were ironed and neatly stacked inside, decided how many hankies and socks I needed, all the papers, itineraries, etc. were there, e-tickets and passport in our handbags, so on and so forth. She pampers me. Then we set forth for our journey. She accompanied us to the Mumbai airport in our car. As the flight was at 2 am we requested Chandra to drive us, instead of our regular driver. Chandra is a nice man, a safe driver and very helpful. He helps us from time to time. We reached the airport much before the flight. Hence this is what we did: 

 I won’t say the flight MH 187 from Mumbai to Kuala Lumpur was exactly uneventful. The scheduled departure of 2 am was not adhered to by Malaysia Airlines and finally it took off at 3 O’clock and 5 hour flight duration got lengthened to almost six. On the flight we met a Malaysian student, Syarmi Raj from Ipoh. She is studying post-graduate dentistry in Chennai and she was flying home for holidays. She was very helpful during the whole flight. She was bit concerned for us, that was writ large over her face and said so in so many words.

“I’m bit worried for you two. I won’t accompany you to Singapore, I wish I could.. Take care. Do give me a WhatsApp call and free to call me in case of problemor anything you need. When you come to Malaysia do come to our place.”

Now she has become our friend, and we exchange calls and messages. She has promised to drop in at our place when comes to Mumbai on her way back to Chennai and we promised her that we would help her in Hindi vocabulary for her boyfriend is Punjabi and quite often pulls her leg. She had picked up quite a few words of Hindi, mostly from my wife, on the flight – a quick learner!

Our onward flight MH 603 from Kuala Lumpur was also delayed - a boon in disguise. Since our (check in) baggage was to be directly going to Singapore, it was easy to travel to terminal M. An hour’s flight took us to Singapore, landing at 2 pm instead at 1 pm at Changi Airport. Thankfully custom and immigration clearance didn’t take much time. Our baggage (two bags) was removed from the belt and kept down. (One of them was damaged, but that we realized only at the Hotel while unpacking.) A jovial looking man with a placard, with my name boldly written on it, was waiting for us at the arrival gate. He took us to the air conditioned couch exclusively for two of us.  He was Malaysian and spoke in good English. We couldn’t get his name correctly even after trying to get it three four times. Ultimately he said, “Call me Kumar, that’s everyone does, especially those coming from India as you do. First have lunch and then I’ll take you to the hotel. We are already late.”

As he drove, he went on talking like a true guide, “To your left you can see…, now on the right there is…” He went on and on, talking about Geylang, Joo Chiat, Kampong Glam adding something about Malay culture, Quays, and many more names, the chronological order of these names he mentioned, I am not sure of. His voice had kept me away from dozing off. I was tired and hungry too. “ That's far on the right you see Singapore Expo, a convention space with many exhibition halls, now we are driving on the coastal road,...…Tiong Bahru – it’s charming fusion of old and new,Marina Bay, Orchard Road – a shopping destination like no other, that's National Library, it's ver modern one, you know and it has indoor garden.. -and this is Little India,..It is place of worship with lots of your Hindu temples, there is a Gurudwara,Buddist Buddha Gaya temple and mosques as well … mini India, I suppose. At night you will find this place –an explosion of colour and spice. Ah we are almost there! There on your right, the huge complex you see, is Mustafa Centre, you can get anything and everything over here. Our hotel is just round the corner. But you will eat first. What do you prefer non veg or veg? You have 6 choices – you can take these coupons to any of these. Now what’s the time….. 4 pm.. (Most of the restaurants closed their lunch counters.) Have your lunch over here. For dinner I take you to Jewel of India Restaurant.”

It was veg one. Owners were Gujarati. There was no lunch, they said. We almost pleaded, anything would do. The husband – wife duo discussed something privately and asked us to sit.  They gave us Gujati thalis – the puris and bhaji were excellent and the rice pulao too. While we were having our lunch, the couple sat for lunch. May be they had shared their lunch with us, how very kind of them! God bless them!

Kumar picked us again and drove us to our hotel and his running comentary continued, as we passed MUSTAFA CENTER, he went on to tell its impressive history, right from its inception to its present 'avtar'.

We checked in. - Hotel Boss.

Located in the city centre and nestled between Singapore’s two eclectic cultural enclaves, Kampong Glam and Little India, Hotel Boss is within walking distance to exploring Singapore’s historical and cultural heritage. Kampong Glam, which still retains the strong ties to the Native-Malay and Muslim community, is sometimes been termed the "Muslim Quarter" due to its history. The Muslim population still remains a significant presence in Kampong Glam, especially in Bussorah Street. The area remains a centre for Muslim activities and the Sultan Mosque remains a major landmark and congregation point for Singapore Muslims. Malabar Muslim Jama’ah Mosque is located next to Hotel Boss, and the iconic Sultan Mosque is just minutes away on Arab Street. Just next to Sultan Mosque, The Malay Heritage Centre is a must-visit if you are keen on learning about the rich heritage and culture of Singapore’s Malay Community. As night falls, the surrounding area takes on another persona to offer a vibrant array of night life and entertainment choices, all within walking distance.

Hotel Boss is conveniently located along Victoria Street in Singapore, just 300 m from Lavender MRT Station and about 15 km from Changi Airport. Free WiFi is available throughout the property. The lobby was spacious and beautifully decorated.

The hotel offers a variety of facilities that guests can enjoy, including an outdoor pool, a fitness centre and even a children's playground. Staff at the 24-hour front desk readily assists guests with services such as currency exchange, luggage storage and also tour information. Guests may enjoy meals at the on-site restaurant or alternatively, request for room service. Dry cleaning and laundry services are also available for guests, may be at a surcharge. We were booked in Superior Double Room, with breakfast. (Lunch and dinner we had outside.) We enjoyed the buffet breakfasts in the dinning area on the ground floor, on all the days we were there.

  All rooms at the hotel are air-conditioned and fitted with a flat-screen TV, an electric kettle and a private bathroom that comes with toiletries and a hair-dryer. It was room number 1423, I think.

OMG! It's almost and we've to be in the lobby for the pick up and proceed for the night safari tour.

Unlike traditional nocturnal houses, which reverse the day-night cycle of animals so they will be active by day, the Night Safari It is an entire open-air zoo set in a humid tropical forest that is only open at night. It is divided into seven geographical zones, which can be explored either on foot via four walking trails, or by tram. The wide range of animals, which include rhinoceros, pangolins, elephants, fishing cats, servals and many more, are made visible by lighting that resembles moonlight. However, lighting is brighter than the moonlight, may be a shade brighter and yet dim enough so as not to disturb nocturnal and crepuscular behaviors. Their habitats is made very creatively – moats designed to look like streams, the hot wires to restrict the animals from the boundaries of their enclosures, are designed to resemble twigs. Cultural performances like tribal dances, blowpipe demonstrations, fire-eating displays and the ‘Creatures of the Night’ shows are are the regular features.We took the tram. A lady guide enlightened us about all this. Suddenly the tram had haulted at a station. I saw a stall there. We got down, I wanted to buy bottles of cold drinks, as I was very thirsty. As we drank, the tram had moved leaving us behind. I was really scared but put a brave front and said to my wife, " Let's take the walking trail." By the time we reached the starting point we were  fagged out.

 Kumar was waiting for us.

He drove us to the Jewel of India restaurant.

We had dinner at Jewel of India. We were totally impressed by its intimate décor of the dinning area and a friendly atmosphere. There wasn’t much crowd at that time. Six Singapore - dollar – beer a pint was quite refreshing after that hectic trail walk. We had ..oops I had and went for the buffet dinner , which was excellent and tasty. We had coupons for lunch and dinners with 6 choices. But Jewel of India was the best.

Day one over. Back to the hotel. Good night! See you tomorrow!

                                                                                               Vinay Trilokekar

2 ] Second Day  in  Singapore

After the breakfast we were waiting in the lobby for the car. Then this guy came in the lobby and came straight to me and said, “Mr. Vinay?” He did not wait  for my answer, but continued in his  grumpy and sulky voice, “Common….co..common, let’s go. We are already late. Are you carrying all the papers… show me those papers… Flyer ticket and …I’m Raise. Let’s go.”

This was our half day city tour, which included Flyer ride. On our way we picked another couple.  

“So, Mr. Shreeram, you have got your papers with you. Haven’t you? Let me see them.”  

 I suppressed my laugh.  The man and the lady too almost laughed while they were showing him their papers, so I thought. We introduced ourselves. They were Shreeram Sharma and his wife, Mamita.

 “So you are from India. I’ve visited India many times. Have you ever come to our Nepal? No, surprising! Indian and not come to Nepal, very surprising indeed!”  

 We became friend instantly.

“It appears you have met Mr. Raise before,” I asked him in hushed voice and he told me that he had picked them from the airport some three days back. We continued our conversation in hushed tone, lest we offend him.

“He is very possessive about the papers. That’s okay. But he does make one very uneasy and nervous. Doesn’t he?”  He told him that he did make me jittery. “But there is this driver. He took us to Universal Studio. He’s Kumar. He talks non –stop, you know. Have you gone to Universal studio?” 

 “No, it is in our itinerary. But there is still time for it. Kumar picked us from the airport. He does talk rather … but I think he is quite informative.”

He drove us through the city. Kumar and Raise were poles apart.He did not speak much. He could not be a good guide.

We had to coax him to get the information about the place. Singapore, the world famous tourist city having highly developed economy, has so many spots. I do not recollect the chronological order in which we covered them. Anyway these were the spots we did cover:

• ·         Sultan Palace ( Istana  Kampone Glam, where once lived the former royal family, which existed until the late nineties.
• ·         Sultan Mosque (Masjid Sultan), the most important mosque of Singapore with its star features of a huge prayer hall and a beautiful, huge golden dome.
• ·         Jalan Sultan Textile centre
• ·         Malay Heritage Centre, which show cases the history and contributions of the Malay community.
• ·         Singapore zoo and Changi Chapel.
• ·         Kranje War Memorial.
• ·         Asian Civilization Museum, which focuses on educating the visitors about the origin of different groups that have settled here and how they have developed since that time.
• ·         Buddha Tooth Relic temple in China town- a many storied high-rise complex and also Malay Buddhist Meditation Centre.
• ·         Orchard Road, a 2.2 km stretch of 22 shopping mals and 6 departmental stores covering some 800,000 sq,mt. of retail paradise. The street is lined with ornamental angsana trees – the heart  wood of these trees smell like roses. There are also nutmeg plantations, pepper growersand of course fruit orchards (for which it is named.)
• ·         Science Centre
• Marina bay and Marina Beach. The beach is the world’s longest beach, stretching 2.2 km and has pleasing visuals with statues and parks all round. 

• ·         And then we went for the Singapore Flyer ride. The Singapore Flyer is a giant Ferris wheel with an overall height of 165 meters or 541 feet, in Singapore. Up until 2014, it was the world’s tallest Ferris wheel. It was described as an observation wheel. It opened in 2008. Its construction took about 2½ years.  It has 28 air-conditioned capsules, each able to accommodate 28 passengers, and incorporates a three-storey terminal building.

We had lunch we picked another couple, Mr. Anurag Bhatacharya and his wife, Nikita. They are from Kanpur. Our driver Raise was again at his best with his rhetoric – his obsession about checking the papers, etc.  And then we proceeded for the Sentosa Island, which included Cable car, luge & sky ride and Wings of Time show. He dropped us at Cable Car Habour Point, after giving us detailed  instructions about the way to go to Skyline Luge, to  Sentosa beach for the ‘Wings of Time’ show and the final pick by him to take us to our respective hotels.

The Singapore Cable Car (It is a in fact a bi-cable gondola lift and not an aerial tramway), is an iconic attraction in itself. It presents a bird's eye view of Singapore city, the habour and Sentosa.It is gondola lift providing  an aerial link  from Mount Faber (Faber Peak Singapore) on the main island of Singapore to the resort island of Sentosa across the Keppel Harbour , about 1650 mts in length. Opened on 15 February 1974, it was the first aerial ropeway system in the world to span a harbour. However, it is not the first aerial bi-cable gondola detachable ropeway system to span the sea. For instance, Awashima Kaijō Ropeway in Japan, built in 1964, goes over a short strait to an island. It has 6 stations. It has 81 cabins, each with capacity to carry 6 adults and carries 1400 passengers per hour either way. It’s a 12 to 15 minutes ride. The photo opportunities are abundant with the cabin's 360 degree panoramic windows.

 We got down at Imbiah Lookout and for the Skyline Luge, the first ever luge in Asia. It offers two unique experiences - Luge and Skyride. 

The Sentosa Luge is a fun-filled gravity ride for all ages and abilities. The Luge tracks descend through spectacular scenery with views of the forest and beach. It is a unique wheeled gravity ride that provides riders full control over their descent on purpose built track. The Luge is a fun adventure ride and all adrenaline-pumping excitement. We enjoyed this 1.4 km ride all the way down. Sentosa Luge carts provide the rider with full control over speed and direction using a unique braking and steering system. You can put on brakes by pulling back the handle bars and accelerate the cart by pushing the handlebars forward and like any bike handles you can negotiate the curves and go safely down the slope.

The hoarding read: Once is never enough. It was very true.

It is not only for those who like to take things a little easier jump aboard the Skyride, but for all ages. It is a scenic adventure on a four seater chairlift, and we were lucky to have exclusively for just the two of us, that gives you a bird's eye view of the Singapore skyline and the South China Sea while engrossed in the natural habitat of Sentosa Island, you might also see the cheeky cockatoos that often entertain the guests.

Then we took bus number 2 (free ride) to the Sentosa beach for the 'Wings of Time' show. While writing a travelogue on our Singapore visit I realized that ‘Wing of times’ needed a separate chapter.That's another story. Let's meet on the Sentosa beach for the show then.

                                                                          Vinay Trilokekar

]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

]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