Sentosa

Beaches

Sentosa has 3 beaches which are Palawan beach, Siloso beach and Tanjong beach. All of them are beautiful man-made beaches. I prefer to visit the beaches on weekdays where there are no crowds, no rowdy kids and no jostling for sun-tanning places on the beach. Its just you, the sun, sand and the sea. The perfect getaway from the hectic city life of Singapore.

If you are a person who likes peace and quiet, you should go to Tanjong beach. At night, Tanjong beach is a particular good spot to be at where you can admire the lights of ships and faint outlines of the ships in the dark docked in a port near Sentosa. I must say it’s a romantic place and a perfect spot for lovers! Siloso beach is more for volleyball enthusiasts. You can see many people playing volleyball there. If u love canoeing, you can rent a canoe and canoe at Siloso beach too. A scenic spot to take photographs will be Palawan beach. There is a long wooden suspension bridge there that links Palawan beach to the Southernmost point of Asia which is also known as the place in Asia closest to the Equator.

Merlion

There is the biggest replica of the Merlion in the whole of Singapore at Sentosa. When you go to Sentosa, its impossible to miss it as it is standing at 37 metres in height. It cost us $8 per person to go into and up the Merlion. When we reach the top of the Merlion, we were rewarded with a bird’s eye view of Sentosa as well as the shores of mainland Singapore. For those who are interested, this attraction is opened from 10am-8pm daily.

Underwater World

The underwater world was a real eye-opener. I had a chance to touch live sea cucumbers and starfish in the Touch Pool. The sea cucumbers sure were as soft as sponges. Then, my friends and I ventured into the main attraction via a moving travellator through an 83 metre long tunnel. The moments I spent on the travellator were almost magical. It was like being transported into another world, the marine world with sharks, stingrays and schools of fishes lazily swimming their way above me. We saw a diver who was among the fishes feeding them and waved to him excitedly. He waved back!

Magical Sentosa Show

The attraction I love most at Sentosa was the Magical Sentosa show. Admission is free. There are 2 shows at 7.40pm and 8.40pm dailyat the Musical Fountain. Due to the popularity of this show, it is best to go there early to get better seats. You can see a spectacular display of fiery jets, laser, music, computer graphics and water jets making up a fabulous show. The show all but ended too soon for me.

Chinatown

The best time of the year to visit Chinatown is late January to February. This is the period of time where there are the on-going Chinese New Year celebrations. Chinese New Year is celebrated by the Chinese. During the Chinese New Year, there will be a large ‘Pasar malam’ (street bazzar) in Chinatown where all kinds of festive goods such as waxed ducks, barbecued sweet meats, Chinese cookies and new year accessories are sold. It is the best place to go to during the Chinese New Year in Singapore to soak up the festive atmosphere.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, there will be a spectacular display of firecrackers in Chinatown to mark the start of the Chinese New Year. This is something that all Singaporeans look forward to as firecrackers have been banned for decades due to safety reasons. If you are in Singapore during this period, do stop by for the firecrackers, a true Chinese tradition during Chinese New Year which can only be seen once a year at New Bridge Road.

Even if it is not the season where there is the Chinese New Year Celebrations in Singapore, it is still a great idea to visit Chinatown. Chinatown is where the history of Singaporean Chinese started, where the heart of the Chinese heritage and culture is. Take a look at the unique architecture of the shophouses flanking both sides of the streets of Chinatown. Most of them are only two stories tall. The shophouses are multi-functional. Ground floors were usually used for commercial purposes- shops or coffee houses. The second floor were usually used for residential purposes. All shophouses had a “five-foot-ways” (sheltered sidewalks). The main purpose of these “five-foot-ways” is to shelter people from the heat and rain.

Thian Hock Keng Temple
Thian Hock Keng Temple is one of the oldest temple in Singapore. It is also known as the ‘Temple of Heavenly Bliss’. This Taoist temple was built in 1821 by Chinese sailors who landed here to pray to the goddess Ma Po Cho thanking her for a safe passage to Singapore. The doorway of Thian Hock Keng Temple is guarded by two massive lions, a male with a ball which symbolizes strength and a female with a cup which symbolizes fertility.

Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple
It is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. It was used as a place of lodging for new immigrants in its early years. Now, it is mainly used to celebrate the Thimithi Festival in October or November. Originally, it was a small wood and thatched temple in 1823. since then, it has undergone extensive renovations over the years to become one of the grandest temples in Singapore.

Al-Abrar Mosque
It was called Masjid Chulia and Kuchu Palli which in Tamil means ‘hut mosque’ in the past. This is because it was originally a thatched building errected in 1827. Between 1850-1855, a brick building which is the present building was erected in the same place.

Pulau Ubin

Pulau Ubin is a getaway from the bustling city life of mainland Singapore. It can be said to be the last ‘kampung’ in Singapore.

How to get to Pulau Ubin?

To get to Pulau Ubin, take the MRT to Tanah Merah MRT station (EW 4) and board bus number 2 to Changi Village Bus Interchange. Changi Point Ferry Terminal is near the interchange. Take a bumboat ride from Changi Point Ferry Terminal ($2 per adult) to Pulau Ubin. The bumboat will only depart for the island when there are twelve people or you may hire the bumboat for 24 dollars. . The bumboats operate from sunrise to sunset by private operators. If you wish to set off to Pulau Ubin before sunrise or depart from Pulau Ubin after sunset, you may make arrangements with one of the operators.

Modes of transport in Pulau Ubin

The best way to get around Pulau Ubin is by hiring a bike. You can easily rent a bike from one of the bicycle rental shops along the jetty. There are always taxis on the island which you can hire. However, these taxis do not run on meters like those on mainland Singapore and it’s advisable to negotiate a price with the taxi driver before you get into the taxi. Of course, you have the option of trekking through Pulau Ubin too.

There is a small little town on Pulau Ubin named Ubin Town. There are small coffee shops, bicycle rental shops and grocery stores that cater to your needs during your short stay on the island. There is a wayang stage there. Wayang is performed on this stage every July during the period of the Hungry Ghost Festival. During the seventh month, it is believed that this is the time where the gates of Hell are opened and spirits come out to mingle among us in the living world. To appease the spirits and gain their favour, special performances such as wayang performances are put up for them. If you are there during this season, do go and watch the wayang performance , a dying tradition in Singapore. It is not a tourist attraction but a way of life for the residents at Pulau Ubin.

Places of interest on Pulau Ubin

Granite quarrying was once carried out on Pulau Ubin. No such activities are carried out now. Over the years, rainwater has accumulated in these quarries. Fishs have start to appear in the quarries. Lush green vegetation has grown around the edges and on the sides of the quarries. Do go and visit the quarries at Pulau Ubin. The abandoned quarries filled with rainwater provide a rather scenic view. However, swimming and other related activities are not encouraged as the quarries remain a pretty dangerous place. When I went there, some of the quarries had fences surrounding them as a safety measure to discourage people from swimming in the quarries.

In the past, there were many rubber plantations on the island where rubber was tapped for commercial uses. However, such activities have stopped. This is due to cheaper rubber prices in neighbouring countries like Malaysia and the introduction of synthetic rubber. Rubber tapping in Singapore is no longer economically viable. The rubber plantations have since been abandoned and are now reverting back to secondary forests. However, you can still see rubber trees among the secondary forest and pick up rubber seeds which have fallen from the trees.

There are many temples and shrines on Pulau Ubin. One of them is the German Girl's Shrine. It holds the remains of a German girl who fell off a cliff while running away from the British during WWI. People discovered her body at the beach the next day and buried her body at the beach. However, it was said that they kept seeing her spirit after she died so they decided to move her remains to the shrine where it has remained until today. Other shrines and temples that you can visit includes the lotus pond temple, thai temple and the Tajun Tajam temple.

If you have any energy left after cycling around Pulau Ubin the whole day, do try climbing Bukit Puaka, the tallest point of Pulau Ubin at a height of 74 metres. If you trekked right to the top of Bukit Puaka, you will be rewarded with a bird's eye view of Pulua Ubin and even parts of mainland Singapore and Johor Bahru!

Singapore Botanic gardens

There is a section in the Botanic Gardens named the Rainforest. Trees featured here include the rattans, fruit trees and the jelutong which were of economic importance to Singapore.

Within the Singapore Botanic Gardens, there is the National Orchid Garden. It features the largest display of orchids in the world. There are many hybrids produced and named after famous visitors that can be found here such as the Margaret Thatcher, the Vaclav Havel and more.

I loved seating by the Swan Lake and just simply enjoying the beautiful scenery. When you visit the Botanic Gardens, do remember to bring some bread to feed the fishes, turtles and swans in the lakes. I had great fun doing that.

Visiting Singapore

Singapore Zoological Gardens

The Singapore Zoo has an ‘open zoo’ concept. Animals are not cooped in jailed enclosures but are kept in habitats as close to their natural surroundings as possible. The Singapore Zoo has a total number of 290 animal species.

I enjoyed the Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife the most at the Singapore Zoo. It was a once in a lifetime experience where I had breakfast with an orangutan and an otter. I also got to take a photography with a snake as a souvenir.

After the breakfast, I went to take a look at the White Tigers at Tiger Trek. The white tigers were magnificent, a sight to behold. They are extremely rare, only 1 white tiger exist out of every 10,000 orange-coloured tigers.

You cannot miss the animal shows at the zoo where the mischievous antics of the animals are bound to delight you endlessly. See the sea lions, otters an pythons close-up at the Wonders of the Wild show. Go to the Elephants at Work and Play show which will give you an idea of the work that an elephant does at a logging camp daily. At the Animal Friends show, you can get to see numerous tricks of trained dogs, cats and even rats!

Places of attraction in Singapore

Jurong Bird Park, situated on the western slope of Jurong Hill has a collection of more than 9,000 birds from more than 600 species of birds from Southeast Asia. At the Waterfall Aviary, you can get to see the world’s highest man-made waterfall standing at 30 metre tall. Another bird exhibit includes the Parrot Paradise. It features 500 parrots from more than 110 species. As a souvenir from Jurong Bird Park, one can take photographs with the colourful parrots for a small fee. I personally enjoyed going to the Pelican Cove. Its the world first underwater viewing gallery for pelicans. Taking a ride on the Panorail that goes down to water level through the pelican colony was a real eye-opener. We can find all 7 species of pelicans there. Tourists who live in tropical regions and have never seen penguins before will love the Penguin Parade. You can get to see 5 species of penguins there which are the Rockhopper, the Fairy, the Macaroni, the Humboldt and the King Penguin.

For tourists with children, there is the Splash N Slide Station for your kids to enjoy. This is a unique playground which is separated into 2 areas namely the wet and dry area with different sets of activities for the children. Children who wish to remain dry can play in the dry area of the playground, equipped with the standard playground facilities. The wet area is equipped with jet sprays, geysers, water guns and cannons which children can use to fire at each other in the spirit of fun.

A visit to the Jurong Bird Park is never complete without seeing the two bird shows there. The first in the All Star Bird Show. Witness talented birds singing, counting and doing tricks that will simply delight you. The second show is the Birds of Prey Show. I particularly enjoyed watching a trained Himalayan Griffon Vulture climbing up a tree, said to be the first in the world.

For those who are too lazy to walked through the entire 20.2 hectare park in the humid heat of Singapore, You can buy a ticket for a ride on air-conditioned Panorail. The Panorail will bring you through the entire park.