This day is for sightseeing and sightseeing only. Pitstop number one is the Botanic gardens. On our way there, it’s obvious it’s Saturday. The streets are full of locals and tourists alike. Scores of joggers, many of them westerners, use their day off to lose the pounds they gained from Singapore’s fabulous restaurants. The gardens are maybe one quarter the size of New York’s Central Park, but people here make every square inch count. More than 1,000 species of orchids, the Ginger Garden, and a large clear lake are only a few attractions offered in a fabulous tropical setting. Families just like ours ride their toddlers in strollers, eager to test the impeccably manicured green lawns that are custom made for a family outing.
Sounds like the Garden of Eden, a place where you could linger all day, the rest of the world be damned, right? Absolutely, except for the hot and muggy weather that is spelling H-E-L-L in the atmosphere. We part after a few hours, gazing at the tourists taking snapshots of Tanglin Gate, the main entrance to the compound.
The rest of the day belongs to Sentosa Island. To get there, we take a cable car which carries us across the river and grants us a splendid view of the harbor and downtown. Sentosa, once famous for its military fortress captured by the Japanese after the Battle of Singapore during WWII (still arguably the greatest embarrassment ever suffered by the British in its epic military history – history buffs should read about it), has been fully developed for tourism, as several theme parks in the area can attest.
Beaches euphorically seem to lick the soft white sands at its edges. Obviously we need to keep our son happy, so we visit the dolphin shows, Underwater World with its fantastic aquariums, and walk along a trail in a rainforest, marveling at a huge 100 foot dragon sculpture built into the path now crouching at our feet. Finally we arrive at Cineblast, a cinema simulation ride. I doubt our toddler can sit through this, and we decide to call it off once we are informed that the ride is unsuitable for pregnant ladies. Fine with me.
We enjoy Singapore by night as we take the cable car back to the taxi stand. Amazing how a tiny island nation like this one can possess so much wealth, while most of its Southeast Asian neighbors live in dire straits. Not that surprising, if you compare it with other apparent gnomes such as Monaco, Luxembourg, or Switzerland. Maybe having borders does have its merits.
The taxi gives us the necessary cool air through the A/C and our toddler a pacifier to clamp up after whining for so long at the taxi stand. I realize that Axl is carsick, an eerie reminder of what I have passed on to him. There is not much traffic in the street, nor does the driver maneuver his vehicle like one would a jetski, and yet each turn takes its toll, on my offspring and me. I hope he’s also inherited more traits than just motion sickness.
There is no time for any activities the next morning. At six in the morning we take a cab to the airport, again covering the seven or eight miles of smooth clean roads that greeted us less than 72 hours ago. We agree it was worth the trip, although it will not compare to any of the more exotic places we have been fortunate to visit over the years. The Lion City may be just that to many visitors, we will rank it somewhere between bobcat and leopard - not majestic, as the name suggests, but a beautiful animal, nonetheless.
Sounds like the Garden of Eden, a place where you could linger all day, the rest of the world be damned, right? Absolutely, except for the hot and muggy weather that is spelling H-E-L-L in the atmosphere. We part after a few hours, gazing at the tourists taking snapshots of Tanglin Gate, the main entrance to the compound.
The rest of the day belongs to Sentosa Island. To get there, we take a cable car which carries us across the river and grants us a splendid view of the harbor and downtown. Sentosa, once famous for its military fortress captured by the Japanese after the Battle of Singapore during WWII (still arguably the greatest embarrassment ever suffered by the British in its epic military history – history buffs should read about it), has been fully developed for tourism, as several theme parks in the area can attest.
Beaches euphorically seem to lick the soft white sands at its edges. Obviously we need to keep our son happy, so we visit the dolphin shows, Underwater World with its fantastic aquariums, and walk along a trail in a rainforest, marveling at a huge 100 foot dragon sculpture built into the path now crouching at our feet. Finally we arrive at Cineblast, a cinema simulation ride. I doubt our toddler can sit through this, and we decide to call it off once we are informed that the ride is unsuitable for pregnant ladies. Fine with me.
We enjoy Singapore by night as we take the cable car back to the taxi stand. Amazing how a tiny island nation like this one can possess so much wealth, while most of its Southeast Asian neighbors live in dire straits. Not that surprising, if you compare it with other apparent gnomes such as Monaco, Luxembourg, or Switzerland. Maybe having borders does have its merits.
The taxi gives us the necessary cool air through the A/C and our toddler a pacifier to clamp up after whining for so long at the taxi stand. I realize that Axl is carsick, an eerie reminder of what I have passed on to him. There is not much traffic in the street, nor does the driver maneuver his vehicle like one would a jetski, and yet each turn takes its toll, on my offspring and me. I hope he’s also inherited more traits than just motion sickness.
There is no time for any activities the next morning. At six in the morning we take a cab to the airport, again covering the seven or eight miles of smooth clean roads that greeted us less than 72 hours ago. We agree it was worth the trip, although it will not compare to any of the more exotic places we have been fortunate to visit over the years. The Lion City may be just that to many visitors, we will rank it somewhere between bobcat and leopard - not majestic, as the name suggests, but a beautiful animal, nonetheless.
