Singapore is one of the
most visited tourist destinations in the world. It holds special significance
to me as it is the first distant foreign destination to be visited by me. I
call it first distant destination because prior to Singapore I had visited
Bhutan during my school days.
Its truly a symbol of
development and orderliness. One of the most orderly, clean, disciplined and
safe destinations I have visited so far. The city has plenty to offer to the
tourists as well as to the visitors on business trips.
The city starts having its
impact the moment one gets the glimpse of the skyscrapers before landing. The
Changi airport, which is one of the finest airports in the world only adds to
this initial impression and the officials at the immigration always bear a
welcome look. The ambience of the airport and the body language of the
Singaporeans make one realise the
importance of tourism in the Singapore’s economy.
As I said, the city has
plenty to offer. Sentosa is the most
sought offer place in Singapore.The name Sentosa translates as
"peace and tranquility" in Malay. The word has been (derived from “Santosha”
in Sanskrit. Sentosa was once known as Pulau Belakang Mati which in Malay means the
"Island of Death from Behind ".
The island has an area of
close to 5 square kilometre and lies just half a kilometre away from the
southern coast of the main island of Singapore. It is Singapore's fourth
largest island covered with Rain Forest .The Island also has stretches of white
sand beach. Sentosa can be reached from the Singapore mainland via a short
causeway or Cable Car, which originates from Mount Faber and passes through
Harbour Front en route to its final destination. One can also enter the island
via walking over the Sentosa Boardwalk which is parallel to the causeway. We
used the cable car, which is a thrilling experience with a breath taking view
of the Singapore harbour.
Underwater World is a must see in Singapore. It is the largest oceanarium
in Asia with more than 2,500 marine animals of 250 species from different
regions of the world.
Palawan beach on Sentosa
is the most sought after beach in Singapore. A suspension bridge links
beach-goers to the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia , which is also
Asia's closest point to the Equator. Palawan Beach has plenty of
shops, bars, and eateries.
The Merlion
is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It is
used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore. Its name combines
"mer" meaning the sea and "lion”. The fish body represents
Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek,
which means "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents
Singapore's original name — Singapura — meaning "lion city" .There
are five officially recognised ,Merlion in Singapore of which the most famous
is the original one in the Merlion park.
The Night Safari is the world's first nocturnal zoo and is one
of the most popular tourist attractions in Singapore. It is spread over 28 hectares of lush landscape and is home to an
extensive collection of exotic species from around the world. The zoos can be explored
on foot or by tram.
Jurong Bird
Park is another tourist attraction on the slope of Jurang hill. It is
now a world-famous bird zoo where there are specimens of magnificent bird life
from around the world, including a large flock of flamingos. It is currently
the world's largest bird park in terms of number of birds, and second largest
both in number of bird species and land area after Germany's Weltvogel park
Walsrode. There are 5,000 birds of 380 species in Jurong Bird Park. Of these,
29 are of threatened species. Penguin coast and Dinosaur
descendents were particularly exciting. This was the first time I saw penguins
live .Otherwise I have seen penguins only on Discovery channel or in pictures.
The park has many bird shows. High Flyers Show showcases the world's
largest number of performing birds in a single act. Besides highlighting the
antics of talented birds like the mimicking cockatoos, this show is also a
window for visitors to the natural behaviour of birds like pelicans, flamingos
and hornbills.
The Fountain of Wealth is listed by the Guinness Book of
Records in 1998 as the largest fountain in the world. It is located in one of Singapore’s
largest shopping malls, Suntec City. During certain periods of the day, the fountain is turned
off and visitors are invited to walk around
a mini fountain at the centre of the fountain's base to collect coins for good
luck. At night, the fountain is the setting for laser performances, as well as
live song and laser message dedications between 8pm to 9pm daily. It is situated in such a way the fountain is
the hub of the shopping mall.
