Singapore Day 3 - Southern Ridges Walk, Mt. Faber, Sentosa

Day3's morning temple was Sri Thandayuthapani Temple, a very popular tourist attraction and destination for locals. It houses Lord Murugan, Shiva & Parvathi. This temple is most active during its annual Thaipusam festival. Yummy prasadam.

Next we headed to HarbourFront to start our Southern Ridges Walk. It starts at the Mt. Faber park and ends at the Kent Ridge park. Our plan was to start from Marang Trail, head to Faber trail, walk on Henderson waves bridge, continue to Hilltop and forest walk before descending to HortPark. We couldnt complete the walk as it was closed in the middle of Forest Walk. :( 

Hence we had to turn back mid-forest walk and head to Mt. Faber to take the cable car  to Sentosa.

Mt. Faber Cable Car - Be captivated and enthralled by the setting sun as the night unfolds a picturesque Singapore landscape with Singapore Cable Car offering a stunning 360-degree view of the Southern precinct with its transparent enclosure.

Tiger Sky Tower - Gives a great view from 131m above sea level at the revolving Tiger Sky Tower, Asia’s tallest observatory tower. Take in fabulous 360º views of the surrounding Singapore skyline and neighbouring islands from its vantage point. The Tiger Sky Tower is one of the 13 observation towers in the world.

Underwater World Singapore and Dolphin Lagoon - Get up close and be dazzled by the wealth of marine life via an 83 metre long tunnel at the Underwater World oceanarium. Then, make friends with the friendly pink dolphins and fur seals and watch them frolic with their trainers at Dolphin Lagoon! You can also watch the free Dolphin show.

Southernmost Point of Continental Asia - Stand at the edge of continental Asia right on Palawan Beach! Accessible via a suspension bridge, the Southernmost Point of Asia is a tiny islet that promises a unique setting for special occasions and unforgettable encounters. 

Songs of the Sea - First-ever world-class water show set in the sea. Multi-million dollar production. Dramatic effects, water jet, lasers, fire and music.

 

The Merlion - Venture into the Merlion at Sentosa, Singapore’s tallest icon at 37m high, and enjoy panoramic views of Sentosa and the surrounding islands. Discover the myths and legend of the Lion City in an animated film, then toss gold coins into the Mercubs’ mouths to bring home a special Sentosa souvenir!

X-Mas tree made of beer bottles!

Singapore Day 2 - Arab St., Little India, Marina Bay Sands, Orchard Rd.

Morning temple darshan was Sivalinga @ Sri Sivan Temple. The temple has an interesting history and is popular among Asian tourists. There is a Sivalinga for devotees to perform abhishekams. 

Enroute to Arab St., we stopped at Sri Krishna Temple - only temple that houses Sun god on the chariot. This temple is very popular among locals. They provided amazing prasadam and chai.

 

Before heading back to the city, we explored Arab St. and Little India. Arab St. is lined with shops that sell carpets and cloth materials. Sultan Mosque is popular among tourists, but it was lunch time and they were closed. Little India was a little crazier with many shops, food places, and Mustafa Plaza had just ridiculous prices - it was cheaper to buy stuff in the USA.

 

Our next stop was Suntec City - a location with Feng shui elements in architecture and layout. It houses Fountain-of-Wealth - Guinness record holder for the largest fountain in the world. From here it is a nice walk to Marina Bay Sands (MBS) across the Helix Bridge.

The bridge also provides excellent photo views of the MBS, Float@Marina, Science & Tech Museum and city scape. The Float@Marina is the largest floating performance platform and seating.

If you goto MBS, dont miss the Sands SkyPark observation deck. It provides the ultimate view of everything Singapore city - the Marina, the bridges, the flyers, the skyscrapers, the river and the show. While awaiting the WonderFull lights show, we witnessed some Asian pop band filming their dance video. If you can sign up for the tour - it gives you some 15 minutes of photo time at the skypark swimming pool.

Our last stop for the day was Orchard Rd - it was crowded and decorated for Christmas/New Year.

We walked so much on Day 1 & 2 that our legs hurt and we just sat here for about an hour.

Singapore Day 1 - Jurong, Gardens, Chinatown, City

After completing immigration at Changi, we stored the bags at the EasyBaggy counters. The taxi ride from airport to our hotel ate up 10% of the cash we carried (since its 1.5 times normal price after midnight). Arriving at our hotel at 2am, we just called it a night.

Early morning, we set off to Srinivasa Perumal Temple near our hotel. It is a national monument and one of the oldest temples. It is famous for its 20 meter tall gopuram decorated with Vishnu avatars.

Next we took the MRT to BoonLay for Jurong Bird Park. JBP is a famous romantic tourist attraction managed by Wildlife Reserves of Singapore (in addition to the Zoo, Night Safari and River Safari). In this trip, we only managed to visit JBP, the rest in another trip. NOTE: the monorail is useless, it is best to explore the park on foot - this is the only way to see all the birds, exhibits and shows. Don't miss the Lory loft, African waterfall, birds-n-buddies show, flamingo lake etc. You can feed the birds in Lory loft and get some pretty close shots of the birds. A very enjoyable 3 hours.

Close to JBP are two theme gardens connected by a bridge - Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden. They depict the architecture and landscaping styles of the respective cultures. The main features of Chinese garden are the pagodas, stone boat, statues of legendary heroes, bonsai garden etc.

In Japanese garden, we enjoyed the rock garden and stone lanterns. These gardens are very quiet, peaceful and full of nature - a must visit.
 

Next up was Chinatown. The moment you alight at Chinatown MRT, you can feel the place - shops, buildings, people, museums, temples. Buddha Tooth Relic & Museum is a must visit - very serene. Each floor contains various relics and chambers. The Buddha pavilion is awesome.

From Chinatown, one can take the MRT to the city or just walk (only 2kms) - we decided to walk to Singapore River - various sights to see here. Cavenagh Bridge is the oldest standing bridge, Fullerton Hotel - an old post-office converted into the most expensive hotel, Merlion sculpture, Central Business District's skyscrapers and Esplanade mall. One can also get excellent views of Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Flyer and the city scape.

Our last activity for the day was the Singapore River Cruise offering amazing views of the buildings, bridges, riverside shops, Clarke Quay and Marina bay.

The "WonderFull" laser-lights and fountains show was a fitting and relaxing finale for the 1st day. The plaza opposite to Marina Bay Sands provides excellent views of the show.

Singapore 2011 - Plan & Logistics

Singapore a.k.a 'Singapura' is etymologically 'Singa' meaning lion and 'pura' meaning city. The lion city is a perfect stopover for anyone traveling to India using Singapore Airlines (SQ). SQ has stopover packages with transportation and accommodation included. After researching the various points-of-interest and the hotels we decided to plan everything ourselves.

Visa logistics are the first hurdle - if you satisfy the following conditions you can get the VFTF transit visa, else pay about SGD 30 for a visitor visa at your nearest Singapore consulate. Here is the verbatim email from SFO consulate:

Indian passport holders require a visa to visit Singapore. Thus to visit Singapore during your transit, you should obtain a social visit visa before departing USA.  Please see attached visa application instructions.  Processing time is 5 business days from the receipt of complete documents.

If you are unable to provide form V39A (which is to be completed by a local contact in Singapore who is a Singapore citizen or a Singapore permanent resident), please explain in writing and attach a copy of your eTicket receipt & itinerary and a copy of your confirmed hotel reservation with your visa application.

However, if you wish to try to visit Singapore without a visa, you may try to avail of the 96-hour visa-free transit facility upon arrival in Singapore if you are in possession of the following:

1) A valid visa/long-term pass issued (valid at point of arrival into Singapore with a validity of at least 1 month) by any of the following 8 third countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States of America, Germany and Switzerland;

2) A passport that is valid for at least 6 more months beyond your last day of intended stay in Singapore;

3) A valid onward air-ticket departing Singapore within the next 96 hours;

4) A valid visa to your next destination (if one is needed); and

5) Sufficient funds to support yourself/yourselves during your stay in Singapore.

You can be in transit to any third country or from any third country as long as you fulfill the conditions above.  Nevertheless, your entry into Singapore is not guaranteed and is granted at the discretion of the immigration officer on duty.  Transit passengers who satisfy all the above requirements and allowed entry will be granted a stay of up to 96 hours (4 days) in Singapore.  Extension of stay for transit passengers under this VFTF is strictly not allowed.

Best regards,

Janet Phua (Ms)

Executive Officer (Information/Consular)

Singapore Consulate General

595 Market Street Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94105

Tel : 415-543-4775 | Fax : 415-543-4788

URL : www.mfa.gov.sg/sanfrancisco

Follow us on Twitter @SingaporeEmbDC

Singapore is a crowded and busy city. The best ways to get around are using the excellent & cheap public transportation and the best way to experience it is on foot. We decided to store our India suitcases at the EasyBagy airport facility for a very nominal price.

Planner : Self

Flight  : Singapore Airlines

Hotel   : Quality Hotel (SG003) 201 Balestier Road

Duration: 4 Days

The other most important things to pack: *umbrella*, Singapore SGD cash, walking shoes, Sunscreen. Food & water are available everywhere. You can forget chewing gum as it is illegal to chew gum in Singapore! (so is jaywalking)

Although the island isnt very huge, we tried to cover many places as possible - Jurong Bird Park, Chinese & Japanese gardens, Singapore River, City tour, Chinatown, Little India etc. After immigration and baggage claim, pick up the free "Singapore Guide" booklet - it is very useful even if you have planned exhaustively.

Things to remember:

1. dont chew gum,

2. dont jaywalk,

3. keep the original or a copy of passport with you at all times

4. SGD cash
5. Umbrella/Rain jacket

References:

http://www.agoda.com/asia/singapore/singapore.html

http://www.thesingaporetouristpass.com/html/suggested_itineraries.php

http://wikitravel.org/en/Southern_Ridges_Walk

http://wikitravel.org/en/Three_days_in_Singapore

http://www.sentosa.com.sg

http://www.publictransport.sg/

http://www.yoursingapore.com

http://www.nparks.gov.sg