|
Young World
Visiting the Merlion
NIRMALA GOVINDARAJAN
|
From shopping in Orchard Street to taking in the sights and sounds of Sentosa Island, the Lion city is a hub of entertainment.
|
Little India...
September 14,Midnight: Aunty Indu and I went through the immigration check.
September 14: 8 a.m. We stepped into Changi airport, Singapore. My cousin Vidya, was there to receive us. Aunty Indu, Vidya and I set out on our first day of sight seeing. We visited City Link, Raffle City and Suntec City. Clothes stores, household items, electronic items and eat-outs dot these malls. The world's largest fountain is at Suntec City. We walked clockwise around the fountain, thrice — for luck.
September 15: The Mustafa Market in the Serangoon Area or Little India is an ideal shopping mall.When Sir Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore in 1819, he brought with him an entourage of 120 Indian assistants and soldiers. In the latter half of the 19th century many more Indian immigrants flocked to Singapore to find work — build roads, clear swamps or take up key positions in the Civil Service. The Serangoon area has temples of Ganesha, Kali, Murugan and Shiva.
The merlion... Sentosa Island.
We visited the Night Safari on Mandai Lake Road. The tour guide explained that the terrain ranged from Indian Jungles to the Savannah forests.
September 16: The Jurong Bird Park has 600 species of birds from all over the world. There are specially designed aviaries that closely resemble the natural habitats of birds. This park has the highest man-made waterfalls in the world called Jurong Falls.
We headed for Orchard Street — the slogan for the street says "Shop till you drop". The street got its name from the many nutmeg and pepper plants that lined in the 1840's. In the 1900's, a mysterious disease swept through the plantations wiping them out.
September 18: The cable car ride to Sentosa Island gave us a breathtaking view of the Singapore trading port. We could see the 37-metre high Merlion as we neared Sentosa. We learnt about the history of Singapore through the Images of Singapore show. In the 14th century, a few fishermen inhabited the island; it was a swampy area and there were thick jungles too. It was called Temasek or Sea Town in Malay. The Dolphin Lagoon had pink humpback dolphins that danced to the instructions of their trainers.
The Underwater World is Asia's most celebrated oceanarium. We came face to face, yes literally face-to-face, a sheet of glass separating us, with over 2,500 varieties of fish, shark, eel, giant stingray, jellyfish and other marine creatures. The Merlion is a statue of a man-lion.
Kranji war memorial
The Musical Fountain started at seven p.m. With the Merlion in the background, the fountain swayed and changed colours to the music. September 19: We set out to the Boat Quay and Clarke Quay which constitute the political hub of the country. How did the island get its name? In the 13th century, a member of the royal family, Sang Nila Utama, sailed the seas in search of a site to build a new city. He arrived on the sandy shores of an island and caught sight of a strange animal. He was told it was a Singa, Sanskrit for lion. Sang Nila felt it was a good omen and named the city Singapura or Lion City.
September 21: We took a cruise on the ship "Cheng Ho". The ship is named after Admiral Cheng Ho who in his time had crossed the Indian Ocean several times. September 22: The Kranji War Memorial has 24,000 graves of soldiers — from the Commonwealth nations who died in World War II.
Jurong Falls...
September 23: The Chinese Garden was resplendent with Chinese lanterns. The Lantern Festival is celebrated after the Festival of Ghosts — when that spirits of their forefathers are said to visit them.
September 24: Time to return home.
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Young World
|
