Time scarcity remains the reason for a pause
in posting a blog for long.
Singapore
– An unforgettable Experience
Our Singapore trip would have escaped
appearing on blog as memory power is diminishing by day and not giving me
sufficient support to bring back the moments in chronology.
On 23rd April, as planned and
programmed by my twins and M/s D’Pauls, we set out for our Singapore voyage by
Jet Airways. After a 3 hour boredom wait at the sleepy departure lounge of the IG International
Airport, we were caged into the Jet Airways couches for a six hours’ journey to
Singapore. The flight departed at 8.45 a.m (IST) and landed us at 4.30 p.m. Singapore
time, with a time difference of two and a half hours, making our day longer by
that many hours and minutes.
As the carrier flew over the seas of
Singapore, we could view ships and cruises floating down under as if they are
colourful toy cars on a plain surface. For some time we became child- like. The
Singapore Flier and Skyscrapers become clearer in minutes before the final
landing. After visa stamping, emigration
checks etc. at the Airport we were allowed to enter one of the neatest cities
in the world.
Contrary to my expectation of an Indian
tour organizer, D’Pauls were present at the Airport. Two of their
representatives received us at the airport and dropped us at the hotel in a
luxury bus. We were placed in Hotel ‘Fortuna’ in “Little India”. On the way to
the Hotel, they briefed us one of the
few famous shopping malls of Singapore. We went to sleep that day without any
further activities except our vegetarian dinner. Little India, where our hotel
stood, has plenty of Restaurants and we got into a Vegetarian Restaurant and settled
for a vegetarian Thali paying 9 dollars
each. A Singapore dollar is approximately 45 rupees in value.
Singapore
Flier
The next day, we were received by a loud,
chattery Singaporean lady guide of Chinese Origin, Caroline by name. She got us
in a Wolkswagen eight seater and drove around Singapore. We were taken to the
Singapore flier, a huge large fly wheel with tubular room sized closed cabins
with cushioned seats and glass enclosures. The wheel took forty minutes to make
one round upside down. We could see huge tall silvery sky scrapers, Singapore’s
neat and wide city roads and fly- overs one side, and the seas with cruises
anchored and floating in it the other side. Far away, across the sea, we could spot
Malaysia and Indonesia. After the enthralling city tour, we were dropped back
around lunch time, the rest of the day was free, we had lunch from ‘Saravana
Bhavan”, and repeated same for Dinner too.
The
Santosa Experience
On day three, we were taken by the same lady
guide to Santosa Island, entry tickets were all pre-purchased. We were dropped
there around 11 a.m. for the day to be picked up at 8 p.m. from the gate where
we were dropped. She had given us the Driver’s phone number.
The Santosa experience started with a ride
on a sleigh (a metal coated plank put on four wheels) with a single axilator–cum-break
which slopped down a neatly tarred, narrow lane on a hill road with only trees
to look at both sides. The lanes were skirted with concrete siding in order to
save riders from a possible skid from the pathway to the deep valley. We finished our adventurous ride on two
different vehicles. Though Baby had an initial fear, she settled later though
at a slow pace releasing the lever and applying the break in between, making
other riders take careful turns and curves to surpass us. It was full of fun and adventurous, The other
riders, perhaps regulars were riding past us very fast.
We then headed for butterfly park, where we
could locate myriad coloured butterflies and birds in a rain forest
environment.
Wonders
of Under-water world
After the Butterfly park, we moved to the
wonder land of marine animals the “Under-water world”. The large watery
enclosure with glass bottoms above was a zoo of the marines below sea-level. A variety of sea animals cris-crossing
like rockets above our head. It was as though they were viewing us the humans
from their habitat the –sea. we went
round and round standing on the
conveyor, head raised above, looking at species in their natural self. School of sharks, ray fishes, large sized
travelly (Vatta), and other small fishes were floating free in their natural
habitat. We saw a very Large ‘Octopus” with its tentacles spreading across.
Dolphin
Show
The day stretched to a dolphin show at 3 O
clock which ended at four. The Dolphins did eye- catching aerobics in the
water, but it was the black ‘seals’ with their flippers waving and tapping on the wooden
podium, bouncing on its fleshy tail to take the rings flung from different
distances on its neck with ease both in
and outside the waters, won our hearts the most.
We had then to spend three hours for our
next scheduled programme. ‘The Song of the Sea’. We walked along the sea-shore.
It was humid, Baby was tired, me too. To pass time we went in the free ride
buses around Santosa Island and also the mono rail from one end to the other. During
the Mono rail ride we saw ‘Universal Studios’. We did not have plan for
‘Universal Studios’, as we were told that it would be a day long affair with so
many fun-rides which we were afraid we might not be able to enjoy and so
skipped it.
Song
of the Sea
By 7 p.m. we assembled at the beach for the
‘The Song of the Sea’ show. It was a spectacular light and sound show with
laser light magic depicting in brief the back ground of Singapore and its
patron mermaid goddess.
Mohammad, the Chinese driver from D’Paul’s
came looking for us at the exit gate and drove us back to the hotel. We had to end up with ‘Saravana Bhvan’ veg
food that night tooand retired to sleep.
The third day, Friday, we were free till 6
p.m. We received Sunita’s call to visit her Restaurant in Labrador Park. That
day’s lunch was with her. Our First Singaporian Non-veg food. The taste of the
food was marvelous. We enjoyed and ate the food like we haven’t eaten for days
together.
The Restaturant named “ Paratha Paratha”, in a ‘Gurgaon type’ modern sky
scrapper complex, was Indian to the core, a name “Malabari” would have been
more apt. Sunita is Nitin’s cousin and buddy. She seemed a very warm person.
Sunita, like a local guide monitored our journey in the Singapore Metro from
Ferrer Park to Labrador Park, with a change over at Sea front centre till her doorstep over the phone. We were
amazed that the time we set for her restaurant was the busiest hours of her
business,but we could not see a trace of uneasiness on her face. She modestly
received us, served us the best food that we can remember in Singapore and
escorted us back till the Shopping Mall and then to the Metro. She spent almost
three hours before we depart. She has two kids whose time we had stolen that
day. Sunita’s Husband is running a Restaurant in Little India, where she had
invited us to join on Saturday or Sunday, we could not meet them as it was
raining the next two days and we could not walk the streets in comforts.
The
Night Safari
Friday evening at 6 O clock D’Paul’s bus picked us for the “night
Safari”. It was an hour’s drive from our place. We reached around seven. On
reaching we were put in the open
top toy train and set for the jungle safari. It was a “Ride through the Jungle
in the night”. Around a zoo, though, it was fun. It gave us feel of the jungle with beattle and other
night creatures sound mixed with roars of lion, trumpeting elephants, cry of
fox,heyna, and wild buffaloes along with the screeching of the rail wheel while
taking turnings here and there. We could see, as we moved, on both sides,
animals moving under floodlights hovering over their head. Though disturbed the
animals we enjoyed the ride. After the
night safari it was the turn of jungle dance. The dancers draped in cavemen’s
dress performed tricks with fire by spitting fire in different ways. . These
are the same tricks we see back home at various regional ceremonies. That day’s
dinner was included in the tour package
and we were taken to the same restaurant where we used to have our breakfast
near the hotel.
The
Hoppo ride
On Saturday, since we had nothing
programmed for the day , paying 33 SD per person we boarded a double ducker for
a Singapore City tour. The Bus- like our Poho- went around the city in an hour.
The pass had 24 hours’ validity. We could make any number of ride within 24
hours. We thought of making it once again, but could not do so owing to rain.
We found a Restaurant which served Non-veg food. It was run by a Malayali
Muslim. We had rice and fish curry and fish fry. We repeated the same for
dinner also.
The
6th day
The sixth day was also the final day in
Singapore. During an hour long shopping at Mustafa’s, where we bought stuff for
Chakku, who we miserably missed throughout. In fact, majority of stuffs we
purchased meant for him only. At Mustafa’s we befriended a Sales person – Mr.
Prasad, hails from Kottayam.(We saw number of Malayalees on the streets of
Little India reminding us of INA Market). It would be unfair if I do not
mention that this part of Singapore, gave us a feeling of Chennai as the
language spoken at variance is Tamil. I could locate four large, rich south
Indian Temples in the vicinity of a kilo- meter along the road where chanting
of Mantras in Tamil could be heard. Singapore metro makes announcements in
Tamil besides English and Malay.
We checked out at 12 O clock. Kept the
things at the Hotel lobby, we went out for one final walk through the Singapore
Streets. We repeated the previous days
menu from the same “Ekkakka’s hotel’
for lunch.
Before concluding, it would be unfair if I
do not thank D’Paul’s who with their
meticulous planning and organizational skill made our journey in an alien land
comfortable, smooth and homely without any hitches. All their reps in Singapore
especially Indians were warm, helpful and always connected.
At 3 p.m. D’Paul’s Vehicle picked us from
‘Fortuna’, dropped us back at Singapore International. Again after a three hour
long wait, we were caged into Jet which left at Singapore time 7. 45 for a six
hours flight and flew us back to IG International at IST 10.15 giving back our lost 2 and half hours and a
basketful of memories of our first International Voyage. We skipped Duty free
purchases. We have visa valid for a year long, who knows we may make one more
trip, but this time with Chakku and others.
