Landing at Changi Airport, I was struck by its sheer size and existi
ng standard of cleanliness. There were skytrains connecting different terminals. The airport was truly world-class and showcased the developed face of Asia to the world. As we came out from the airport and entered the city, this feeling got even stronger. Green canopies of trees stretched over the roadside. The traffic was free flowing without any hindrance and the cars zoomed past following their lanes. We could also view live traffic updates flashing at major intersections.
Our first outdoor excursion at Singapore was in Boat/Clarke Quay
along the Singapore river. The statue of Merlion welcomed us in Boat Quay. Merlion as a symbol of Singapore has its roots in history. It commemorates the legend taken from "Malay Annals" explaining how SINGAPORE got its present name. We took a boat cruise from Boat Quay to Clarke Quay listening to the history of this area which housed a couple of buildings that had become synonymous with the city. Among them, particularly noteworthy were the Singapore Exhibition House, Asian Civilization Museum, Fullerton Hotel and MayBank. The dazz
ling lights of the buildings glittered in the late evening and created wonderful reflections in water. The whole place had an aura of romance and tranquility surrounding it and young couples were embracing each other . There were numerous food joints and glitzy restaurants to satisfy our taste-buds. As we returned back we were just in time to catch the last MRT to our destination. To my surprise, even at 11:30, the metro was quite crowded and I just about managed to get a seat.
Next day, we packed some lunch to visit Sentoza island. It was p
ouring so we had to manage with our umbrellas. On reaching Sentoza, we made our way to the Siloso Beach. We found some place in the sandy shore and parked our belongings. My son, Yuvraj was fascinated by the ripples being formed on the surface of the waves and busied himself in recreating those. There were scores of people playing volleyball on the beach while others made merry swimming in the beach waters. We took out our packed vegetarian lunch and enjoyed eating it while observing the periodic motion of the waves.
After some beach fun, and entertaining dolphin show
on one side of
the island, we went to see the underwater world. Different species of fish swam in the man-made water reservoirs enclosed in glass frames. This was a museum with a difference. It displayed exotic species of fish and other marine creatures unlike unique works of art and artefacts from the ancient culture. It was interesting to watch the fish swim around so effortlessly flapping their fins in water. Their colors were so exotic that we just could not resist the urge to capture them in our cameras. I was amazed to find that marine creatures like fish did not show the slightest signal of being disturbed by human movement.
We ended our day at Sentoza island with the Song of the Seas laser s
how. It was a fusion of lights, sound, music and drama in water. The main characters of the story unfolded themselves through the images formed by laser beams in water. It was a unique show with an underlying message to awaken our senses and revive our connection with the soul.
The following day, we decided to explore the Singapore Zoo at
length.
As we began our walking trail inside the zoo, we were welcomed by two coloured parrots. We stopped for a while as they formed the perfect backdrop for our family potrait. Once, we walked further inside the zoo, we were greeted by apes and monkeys jumping on the branches of trees. There were ducks and flamingos quacking loudly to make their presence felt. I was struck by the variety of beasts in the zoo particularly Orang Utan and Polar Bear which had distinct physical characteristics. And in all this wilderness, we
were able to find a restaurant serving delicious vegetarian Thali to satisfy our hunger. I would recommend Ah Meng for all those planning to spend their day in the zoo. Also, it would be worthwhile to visit the souveneir store before one exits the zoo. It offers a rich collection of souveneirs and artefacts to carry back home. I invested some time in this shop and picked up a few interesting souveneirs. We braced ourselves for a night safari as darkness descended in the forest. At night-time, we could watch the animals roam freely in their natural habitat. As we made our way through the dense forest, we could view endangered species of the Indian rhinoceros and the Barasingha glowing in the dark. The activities of the nocturnal creatures were visible in the dark. The lion looked quite intimidating from a close distance and the wolves appeared to be busily scouting around for their prey. Last but not the least, we saw a herd of Indian elephants displaying their ivory tusks and thick trunks.
The very next day, we had to catch our return flight to Delhi. There was not enough time for shopping to our heart's content but we managed to pick up a few items before we made our way to the airport. Alongwith the souveneirs and other sundry items we also carried back the vivid memories of this country notably, the well-planned design and man-made outdoors which were maintained perfectly over time. The civic sense and self-discipline exercised by citizens was truly exemplary and worth emulating. Weaving it all together, each excursion in Singapore was a unique experience but the common thread running through all of them was the underlying young and vibrant human spirit.
ng standard of cleanliness. There were skytrains connecting different terminals. The airport was truly world-class and showcased the developed face of Asia to the world. As we came out from the airport and entered the city, this feeling got even stronger. Green canopies of trees stretched over the roadside. The traffic was free flowing without any hindrance and the cars zoomed past following their lanes. We could also view live traffic updates flashing at major intersections.
Our first outdoor excursion at Singapore was in Boat/Clarke Quay 
along the Singapore river. The statue of Merlion welcomed us in Boat Quay. Merlion as a symbol of Singapore has its roots in history. It commemorates the legend taken from "Malay Annals" explaining how SINGAPORE got its present name. We took a boat cruise from Boat Quay to Clarke Quay listening to the history of this area which housed a couple of buildings that had become synonymous with the city. Among them, particularly noteworthy were the Singapore Exhibition House, Asian Civilization Museum, Fullerton Hotel and MayBank. The dazz
ling lights of the buildings glittered in the late evening and created wonderful reflections in water. The whole place had an aura of romance and tranquility surrounding it and young couples were embracing each other . There were numerous food joints and glitzy restaurants to satisfy our taste-buds. As we returned back we were just in time to catch the last MRT to our destination. To my surprise, even at 11:30, the metro was quite crowded and I just about managed to get a seat.
Next day, we packed some lunch to visit Sentoza island. It was p
ouring so we had to manage with our umbrellas. On reaching Sentoza, we made our way to the Siloso Beach. We found some place in the sandy shore and parked our belongings. My son, Yuvraj was fascinated by the ripples being formed on the surface of the waves and busied himself in recreating those. There were scores of people playing volleyball on the beach while others made merry swimming in the beach waters. We took out our packed vegetarian lunch and enjoyed eating it while observing the periodic motion of the waves.
After some beach fun, and entertaining dolphin show
on one side of 
the island, we went to see the underwater world. Different species of fish swam in the man-made water reservoirs enclosed in glass frames. This was a museum with a difference. It displayed exotic species of fish and other marine creatures unlike unique works of art and artefacts from the ancient culture. It was interesting to watch the fish swim around so effortlessly flapping their fins in water. Their colors were so exotic that we just could not resist the urge to capture them in our cameras. I was amazed to find that marine creatures like fish did not show the slightest signal of being disturbed by human movement.
We ended our day at Sentoza island with the Song of the Seas laser s
how. It was a fusion of lights, sound, music and drama in water. The main characters of the story unfolded themselves through the images formed by laser beams in water. It was a unique show with an underlying message to awaken our senses and revive our connection with the soul.
The following day, we decided to explore the Singapore Zoo at 
length. 
As we began our walking trail inside the zoo, we were welcomed by two coloured parrots. We stopped for a while as they formed the perfect backdrop for our family potrait. Once, we walked further inside the zoo, we were greeted by apes and monkeys jumping on the branches of trees. There were ducks and flamingos quacking loudly to make their presence felt. I was struck by the variety of beasts in the zoo particularly Orang Utan and Polar Bear which had distinct physical characteristics. And in all this wilderness, we
were able to find a restaurant serving delicious vegetarian Thali to satisfy our hunger. I would recommend Ah Meng for all those planning to spend their day in the zoo. Also, it would be worthwhile to visit the souveneir store before one exits the zoo. It offers a rich collection of souveneirs and artefacts to carry back home. I invested some time in this shop and picked up a few interesting souveneirs. We braced ourselves for a night safari as darkness descended in the forest. At night-time, we could watch the animals roam freely in their natural habitat. As we made our way through the dense forest, we could view endangered species of the Indian rhinoceros and the Barasingha glowing in the dark. The activities of the nocturnal creatures were visible in the dark. The lion looked quite intimidating from a close distance and the wolves appeared to be busily scouting around for their prey. Last but not the least, we saw a herd of Indian elephants displaying their ivory tusks and thick trunks.
The very next day, we had to catch our return flight to Delhi. There was not enough time for shopping to our heart's content but we managed to pick up a few items before we made our way to the airport. Alongwith the souveneirs and other sundry items we also carried back the vivid memories of this country notably, the well-planned design and man-made outdoors which were maintained perfectly over time. The civic sense and self-discipline exercised by citizens was truly exemplary and worth emulating. Weaving it all together, each excursion in Singapore was a unique experience but the common thread running through all of them was the underlying young and vibrant human spirit.
