The other day i went for an early weekend getaway to Singapore. I had been there once before when i was little but I could only recall accessing the border . I was desiring to go again, as my ex-house mate kept inquiring me to visit him while he is still working there. A friend of mine, had been longing to explore outside Malaysia and in need of a travel mate to go with and hence, i took the randomness to visit the Lion City. This time around I get a clear gaze of our neighbouring country which was once, part of Malaysia.
At first, I did not apprehend much because I imagined it will be like going to another state in Malaysia except it would be cleaner as Singapore have their strict rules on everything and I favor nature rather than a metropolitan area. After a while in Singapore, i cant deny it felt like i was in another country and I would say it was the greatest concrete jungle i have ever been too so far. And I love the usage of the public transport contrast to Kuala Lumpur which almost everyone have their own car. There were no stray cats or dogs, it's unusual to see rubbish laying around and the best part is there were no Rempits (indiscipline motorcyclist that we have in Malaysia).
Working in the production line and being a big fan of roller coasters, Universal Studio was a must. Singapore had launched the opening of Universal Studio about a year ago at Sentosa Island. We were grateful to get tickets at the very last minute and the people was not as much as the weekend crowd. The Studio consist seven different sections. They are the Hollywood, New York, Madagascar from the animated films, Far Far Away land led by Shrek and co, The Lost Work from Jurassic Park and Waterworld movie, Ancient Egypt from the Mummy Films and the Sci-Fi city. I met Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria and the penguins from Madagascar. Frankeistein, Cahrlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and that villain from the Mummy movie. Singapore was near the equator and it was a very hot sunny day but the coasters made my day. It's been awhile since I had the awesome rides. The Battlestar Galactica Human (Steel Dueling Seated Roller Coaster) and the Battlestar Galactica Cyclon (Steel Dueling Inverted Roller Coaster) was the best two and i still cant determines which was better. I also went for the Steven Spielberg Movie thing which showed us how real they made it in Hollywood with the best quality of sounds and properties in front of our eyes.
Besides that, In Singapore, I explored Orchard Road (almost similar to KL town and Bukit Bintang area in Malaysia), Bugis Street where we can get souvenirs, Little India (almost similar to Masjid India but more organised) where most of the Indians are, Badok which was one of the Malay area and Marina Bay where the businesses and trade centres (the best part of the concrete jungle). It is different here for the Malays as they were the minority and you can mostly see them at a counter, as a taxi driver, a tourist guide, retailing and so on. There are even Singaporeans living in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and works in Singapore because the rate of Singaporean dollar is just a bit more than twice from Malaysian Ringgit. They would live in luxurious houses nearby the border but bare in mind that they have to go through immigration every dawn particularly for the school kids.
All in all, it was a wonderous getaway. What made it better was the travel mate that I went with and the people that guided & gave great hospitalities. Thank you Uncle Jepun, Dan Dan and Thumbelina for the lovely time. =>
